Looking for a sales boost? Try hooking up with the “buy local” movement. It’s a movement that’s quickly adding green to its mantra.

The local/green theme debuts Sept. 20-27 in Woodbridge Township, NJ, to promote a shopping spree to benefit the city’s merchants, especially those companies that have adopted green business practices.

Other environmental benefits of the buy local campaign include reduced travel and fuel consumption, so shoppers can feel good producing less smog and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while they support local merchants.

To promote the event, the city’s been hanging green (of course) banners that shout: “Buy Local … Support our Economy … Support our Environment.”

To highlight green companies, the city’s buy local campaign includes a “Green Business Directory & Recognition Program.” Benefits for participating green businesses include:

• free on-line business listing in the town’s directory
• free business promotions — city street banners, fliers and marketing programs
• a Buy Local Challenge that encourages residents to join in the week-long event, and
• free workshops and promotional events for businesses to attract new customers who want to save money by going green.

The city will be touting its green initiatives all week, which include:

• installing solar panels at a community center, library and several municipal buildings to cut electric bills and save taxpayers’ money
• purchasing electric hybrid vehicles to cut fuel consumption by the city’s fleet
• creating a “Green Technology Incubator” zone on 106 acres of an underused industrial park
• installing solar-powered street lights, trash compactors, and pedestrian crosswalk signs
• replacing standard light bulbs with energy efficient, compact fluorescent bulbs at municipal facilities, and
• introducing clean-burning, biodiesel fuel for municipal trucks.

Details of the city’s campaign are here.

Tags: biodiesel, energy efficient, green business, hybrids, solar power