A campaign is being launched today designed to urge Iowans to patronize only local businesses during the holiday shopping season. Ed Fallon, director of the group “One-thousand Friends of Iowa,” says the poster campaign aims to raise awareness about the importance of supporting local merchants.Fallon, who is also a state legislator from Des Moines, says it will take some extra effort to avoid the national chains, but he says the effort is worthwhile.Fallon says patronizing independent businesses promotes the health of the local community while decreasing the pressure to build on farmland and in natural areas. He says communities suffer when strip malls squeeze out locally owned businesses.The campaign is being launched today in Iowa cities including: Des Moines, Greenfield, Jefferson, Decorah, Sibley and Mason City.