All Posts Tagged With: "buy local"

Gone Local

montage by alyssa

"In a viable neighborhood, neighbors ask themselves what they can do or provide for one another, and they find answers that they and their place can afford. This, and nothing else, is the practice of neighborhood." -Wendell Berry, "The Idea of a Local Economy," Orion magazine, 2002.

In recent years, Baltimoreans have enjoyed a steady growth of earth-friendly businesses. Among the many pleasures and benefits of buying locally: merchants and restaurateurs become your friends and your money stays in the community. A study in Maine by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance found that local businesses have a much greater positive impact on their economy than the big box chains. For every $100 spent in a big box store, only $14 stays in the local economy. By contrast, $100 spent in a local business results in $45 staying locally.

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