Local wine and beer boutique, The Wine Stop, has been selected by KYA Sustainability Studio to create Hawaii’s first Carrotmob event.

Carrotmob is a new way to support local businesses through consumer purchasing power. The name comes from the idiom “carrot or stick” and is based on a consumer activism tactic in which buyers influence positive changes within a business by spending money (carrot) as opposed to boycotting (stick). In a Carrotmob, a large group of people “mobs” a store, making purchases so the business can use the extra revenue to implement positive, sustainability-related changes.

The Carrotmob will take place on Saturday, Nov. 19. Customers are encouraged to buy a bottle of wine – or two – and beer, between 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. to help support the business. The Wine Stop will donate 80 percent of all sales generated from the Carrotmob toward retrofitting its energy system to help Hawaii become energy independent. The energy audit and retrofit will be completed by Energy Industries LLC, a Hawai‘i-based energy-services company that specializes in energy efficiency and renewable energy for commercial, industrial and institutional sectors.

For every $20 spent, mobbers will receive raffle tickets for prize giveaways. For more information, visit carrotmobhawaii.com.