Familiar with Reverend Billy? He's a New York activist-artist who uses a televangelist persona to preach the evils of consumerism, known for his protests against Starbucks and Disney and Wal-Mart). He also happens to be currently running for mayor on the Green Party ticket against Bloomberg. (Disclosure: I've worked with him on a couple successful protests against Victoria's Secret for an environmental group.)

Anyway, he's advocated for local economies since before it became a mainstream progressive cause (he started his schtick years ago by sticking up for some East Village stores being displaced by Starbucks and such). And none other than Big Money's bible, the Wall Street Journal, today published an article sympathetic to his fight. Includes a short video.

Quote to note: "For every dollar spent at a chain store, studies show only 50 cents stays in that community. By contrast, 90 cents of every dollar spent at a local business remains in the local economy."