Just after Jackson won the mayor election, was talking to the owner of Prospect Music about the election and he mentioned Jackson had come into his store the prior week and bought an instrument for his grandson for Christmas. Jackson said he made a point of shopping at small. locally owned Cleveland businesses and he proved it there.

BTW - if you are into instruments, you need to check out Prospect Music, in the Caxton Building at 812 Huron Road, Cleveland. 

Jeff, thanks so much for your article.

The story is a powerful reminder about the difference we can make in the community, both through the support of local entrepreneurs and the purchase of used appliances as an alternatve to buying new ones.  This is yet another form of recycling /re-use that defines a valuable best practice toward sustainability.  It is important to note, however that the machinery you purchase and reuse be in good working order, otherwise you could end up being very energy-inefficient and possibly exacerbate pollution problems.  One example of this is the number of used vehicles that are driven on our streets that are actually safety or health hazards.  Cars which are no longer up to emissions standards are inordinately polluting the biosphere and exacerbating global warming.  

 I have been impressed by the many ways support for local economies has been demonstrated.  One way is that which we've already discussed - in leading by example as an individual consumer to reduce, recycle, and reuse.  Another way has been demonstrated by groups of entrepreneurs who band together and agree to collectively fight the entry of larger chain establishments.  This is a phenomenon I witnessed firsthand while consulting for Research Triangle Institute in the Little Village / Pilsen neighborhoods of Chicago.  

 There is also an inherent synergy in the support of local economy with the support of traditional neighborhood development.  This speaks to creating mixed-use structures which feature storefronts and living spaces above them, and situating these close to the street, making them pedestrian-friendly.  This way people can interact and communicate easily while shopping, picking up a record at the music shop and then grabbing coffee at the cafe next door.  For those interested in traditional neighborhood development (also known as New Urbanism), a great site can be found here.

   There are many other ways to support local economies sustainably - one which is very popular is the concept of local food cycles - but this is another story for another day.   Coming soon to REALNEO!