Augsburg Local is a campaign to leverage Augsburgās purchasing power to support local businesses.
Purchasing at Augsburg takes two forms:
- ±õ²Ō»å¾±±¹¾±»å³Ü²¹±ōĢżā purchasing done by Augsburg faculty, staff, and students often in close proximity to campus.
- ±õ²Ō²õ³Ł¾±³Ł³Ü³Ł¾±“Ē²Ō²¹±ōĢżā the goods and services that Augsburg purchases through contracts with various vendors and suppliers throughout the region.
The Augsburg Local campaign connects locally-owned, Black/Indigenous/People of Color (BIPOC)-owned, and Femmes/Trans/Womxn (FTW)-owned businesses to the economic benefits generated by both types of purchasing.
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Local Business Partner Profiles
Augsburg Local Interactive Google Map
Local Sourcing with Augsburg Dining Services
Why is local purchasing important for Augsburg?
Local Business Partner Profiles
Read more about our official Augsburg Local partners, all within walking-distance of Augsburg’s campus.
Every Augsburg Local Business Partner is within one mile of the Augsburg Campus! Want to see for yourself? Check out our to see just how close together we all are in the Cedar-Riverside, Seward, and Phillips neighborhoods. You can use this tool to plan a well-rounded outing of food, drinks, activities, and shopping, all while supporting small businesses in our community.
Local Sourcing with Augsburg Dining Services
Augsburg Local is excited to announce that dining services has begun sourcing their tofu from MinnTofu! MinnTofu is a local Minnesota startup that is focused on producing locally farmed and environmentally sustainable plant based foods. The soy beans that are used in the MinnTofu are all locally sourced from a farmer in St. Peter, MN. For more information about the product and for delicious recipes visit the MinnTofu website.
Follow our Campaign onĀ
Our stories include a variety of BIPOC- and FTW-owned businesses you can support in the Twin Cities. In the coming weeks, we will be highlighting our official Augsburg Local Business Partners, all within walking distance of the Augsburg campus.
Why is local purchasing important?
Community has and always will be at the heart of the Augsburg experience.Ā Augsburg University educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. The strength of this powerful experience is supported by an engaged community that is committed to intentional diversity in its life and work.
The Augsburg Local campaign is directly related to two institutional commitments that are at the heart of Augsburgās commitment to community:Ā environmental sustainabilityĀ andĀ Augsburgās role as an anchor institution.
Environmental Sustainability
Augsburg is committed to improving the environmental impact of the university and is dedicated to meeting the goals laid out in ourĀ climate commitments and other initiatives.
Using the Wellness Sustainability Model shown above, Augsburg University strives to demonstrate that climate, economic, social justice and health issues are all deeply connected and ignite one another. The Augsburg Local campaign deepens our community values and advances sustainability commitments in a variety of ways. Supporting the local economy strengthens our communityās overall wellbeing, giving businesses the support they need so that they can support their employees and the people they serve. The environment gives us our economy, our society, and contributes significantly to our physical and mental wellness. Buying Local reduces packaging, processing, and transportation waste which helps ameliorate the already suffering environment on which we depend.
Image and model credit:Ā
The neighborhoods that will be a particular focus of Augsburg Local ā Cedar-Riverside, Seward, and Phillips ā have been designated asĀ Green ZonesĀ by the City of Minneapolis.Ā These are areas disproportionately affected by the cumulative negative effects of environmental pollution as well as social, political, and economic vulnerability.
Role as an Anchor Institution
As anĀ anchor institution, Augsburg is committed to contributing to the health, safety, and vitality of the community of which we are a part.Ā We mobilize institutional resources in ways that build strong, mutually beneficial community partnerships and respond to community needs and opportunities.Ā Augsburg Local, by leveraging Augsburgās economic resources in the form of purchasing and investment dollars, builds a stronger, more sustainable local economy in a variety of ways. Local purchasing builds community wealth. Dollars spent at local businesses are more likely to stay in the community. Local businesses hire local residents.Ā Finally, local businesses contribute to the uniqueness and vibrancy of our neighborhoods.
Local and small businesses, particularly BIPOC and FTW owned, in the Twin Cities and across the Midwest have been hit disproportionately economically by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic and the civil uprisings.Ā Augsburg Local represents a concerted, focused effort to support these businesses at a time when the need for investment in these businesses is particularly urgent.
What we mean by “local”
Local purchasing can be defined in a myriad of ways, whether by a geographic radius, economic partnerships, and/or social relationships.Ā Augsburg Local identifies ālocalā by considering a set of prioritiesĀ aligned with the Wellness Model for Sustainability.Ā These priorities not only help to advance sustainability at Augsburg University, but can help advance sustainability efforts among partner businesses.
Economic
- Size of business: # of employees, profit margin for sector, # of stores/franchises owned (supporting the infrastructure of a local economy in Cedar-Riverside, Seward, and Phillips)
- Type of business: B Corps, Cooperative, Employee-owned, Union-friendly, nonprofit
- Treatment of employees at all levels (pay, hiring practices, etc.)
- Connection & investment in the local economy (are they also invested in local?)
Social
- BIPOC-owned, FTW-owned
- Engagement, support, & reputation among BIPOC & FTW communities (in Minneapolis)
- Reputation in & relationship to community and in the sector
- Relationship (depth, length, etc.) to Augsburg students, staff, faculty, & institution or the possibility of a partnership
Wellness
- Physical & mental health benefits to the purchaser (specifically in a pandemic- responsiveness to Covid-19 safety precautions)
- Price of items/service for the purchaser
- Quantity of, quality of, & access to (speed of) item/service for the purchaser
Environmental
- Definition of local: geography, individual vs. institutional purchase, item/service purchase
- Commitment to environmental sustainability
- Product-use, packaging & waste disposal operations
- Types of investments
How does Augsburg Local work?
Partner
Augsburg Local partners with neighborhood business associations and small business support organizations. We support their efforts to drive business to stores and restaurants located in neighborhood commercial corridors like Cedar Avenue and Franklin Avenue.
Promote
Augsburg Local informs members of the Augsburg community about local businesses. We amplify their stories, highlight goods and services that they have available, and share information about discounts and promotions.
Procure
Augsburg Local identifies local vendors that provide goods and services used by the University.Ā We work to add these vendors to the Universityās supply chain by identifying and addressing barriers that may be standing in the way.