If you’ve ever wanted to directly support the green initiatives of a local business, now’s your chance! This Saturday, April 11th, Carrotmob Charleston will be in action at Queen Street Grocery (map | street view).

We often talk about “voting with our dollars” when it comes to green purchasing, but it’s often difficult to see the impact of these small actions. Carrotmob solves that problem by organizing people who care about the environment, and using their collective buying power to negotiate with businesses who want to “green up”. Carrotmob Charleston has decided to focus its attention on Queen Street Grocery, who has pledged to reinvest 33% of their sales on April 11 towards improving their energy efficiency. That rocks!

The Carrotmob movement started in San Francisco, and is spreading around the world. The program is successful on many levels: Encouraging green behavior in businesses, fostering community involvement, supporting local business, and drawing attention to environmental issues.

The idea was brought to the attention of Green Drinks Charleston, who saw an opportunity and ran with it. Thanks to their support, along with Carolina’s Eco-Unit, the event is taking place on Saturday, April 11th. All you need to do is show up and buy something – pretty simple!

The Farmers Market in Marion Square also kicks off on Saturday, so there’s plenty of reasons to hit the peninsula and get your green on.

Here’s one of the first of many local videos:

charleston carrotmob is in full effect from Justin Nathanson on Vimeo.