The Dilemma of "Local"

An article on the Portland local economy by William Yardley in the NY Times today caught my attention. Yardley presents the interesting dilemma of the desirability and chic surrounding the idea of local. In my native Philadelphia an aurora surrounds the brunch places that serve local food, or distributors selling cases of beer brewed two zip codes over, the venues with DIY local bands, and the craft fairs of local artisans. They're great, they're fantastic. I love them and support them whenever I can. But following the great idea of the local is the dilemma of popularity it can garner. Perhaps overstated before, but local can fall into the "environmental chic scene" or the "define your identity through consumption scene." The demands of business and popularity can often compromise the intentions of the original mission. In the case of Portland they have already made the local movement a reality, and are now in the second stage of discussing its further direction. For some people criticisms of the local movement provides the same impact as criticizing Al Gore and global warming because of his private jet travel. The fact that places are getting to a point of being able to cut out large scale manufacturing and massive energy use is what Yardley is highlighting. Its an exciting dilemma to have.