Tomorrow (Feb. 28) there is a call for a national consumer boycott to show displeasure with the alignment between the Trump Administration, billionaires such as Elon Musk, and large corporations. This is a great first step in pushing back on these forces.

But it is an initiative that needs to be sustained. And it needs to be much deeper and broader than a consumer boycott. We need a larger shift. We need to exit the system.

We can do that by using our purchasing power at local stores, cooperative businesses, and non-corporate stores as best we can. We can bank at credit unions instead of megabanks. We can establish mutual aid societies to help each other through difficult times. The more money we shift in these directions, the more these enterprises can flourish and diversify.

The impacts of buying local are much larger than just the economic benefits and independence it brings. It makes our communities more resilient in the face of catastrophe or pandemics. This is especially true when it comes to our food sector. We need to be gardening, supporting local farms, canning, and taking care of our neighbors like people did back in the day. 

This helps to lessen the effects of having a centralized food market. In the case of a catastrophic event or pandemic when supply lines could possibly be severed, local food systems and economies will be extremely important. It is better to have them built now than in the middle or aftermath of a pandemic.

It’s important to remember, the most valuable thing about us isn’t our money, it’s our time and energy. Our communities are frayed, our social connections are frayed, and in general there is not a lot of trust in our society. Getting out and helping to build up your community is one way to re-establish the connection and trust that people used to have. We need to work with each other to build back up and heal our communities.

Sometimes the best resistance is simply walking away and building something better. This is one of those times.