I think a great place to start is just by becoming aware of where our goods come from. The second step, then, is twofold--first learning about your region and what is available in it, and then making a conscious effort to tighten the circle within which you buy goods. In terms of the first part, there is an excellent "watershed awareness quiz" here:
http://www.kk.org/helpwanted/archives/001084.php which i think makes us realize how little we know about where we are from. The quiz focuses on your watershed, but I think raises a good point in general, that over time our communities and our families have lost our knowledge of the land. As for the second step, I think an excellent way to begin is to start evaluating what you own that can be bought locally, and slowly make the transition. A great way to begin is with food, because no matter where you live there is always food available locally (you may just have to search for it!). An extreme version is one couple's challenge to themselves to undertake a 100-mile diet, and only eat food produced within 100 miles of their home (
http://100milediet.org). While not all of us will go to this extreme, at least it's been proven it can be done!!
