Overview

The financial crisis and its economic aftershocks have spawned the first serious examination of the structure of our current banking system and the public policies that have fueled consolidation over the last 30 years and untethered financial institutions from their communities.

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Featured Article filed under Banking | Written by Stacy Mitchell | 1 Comment | Updated on Sep 15, 2011

How State Banks Bring the Money Home

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/how-state-banks-bring-money-home/

One of the most significant, but least noticed, consequences of the rapid and dramatic consolidation of the banking industry over the last decade is how much it has hindered the U.S. economy’s ability to create jobs. Our financial system is top-heavy with big banks that are scaled to meet the needs of large multinational corporations. There’s no single solution to this problem, but one of the most promising strategies involves creating state-owned banks that can bolster the lending capacity of local banks, helping them grow and multiply. Continue reading

Featured Article filed under Banking | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Mar 18, 2011

Why Republicans Hate Warren’s CFPB But Love Another Bank Regulator

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/why-republicans-hate-warrens-cfpb-love-another-bank-regulator/

What’s really at issue in the fight over the CFPB is not how the agency is structured or how much power it will have, but whose interests it serves. Continue reading

Featured Article filed under Banking | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Jul 14, 2010

Taking Financial Reform into Our Own Hands

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/taking-financial-reform-our-own-hands/

How do we change course and revive a banking system that is more local and responsive to the needs of communities? Continue reading

Biomaterials

Overview

In 1992, ILSR’s work on plant derived plastics and other materials led to our co-hosting the first International Workshop on Biodegradability. The concept of a Carbohydrate Economy – one that uses plant-based chemicals to replace petro-chemicals – was born...

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Featured Article filed under Biomaterials | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Apr 17, 2012

SBC Co-chair to Keynote the Biopolymer World Congress

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/sbc-co-chair-keynote-biopolymer-world-congress/

Sustainable Biomaterials Collaborative co-chair, Jim Kleinshmit, will keynote the Biopolymer World Congress in Italy Monday, April 23, 2012. His talk will be on sustainable sourcing and the concerns about and opportunities for biopolymer feedstocks. Continue reading

Featured Article, Resource filed under Biomaterials, Composting, Waste to Wealth | Written by Brenda Platt | No Comments | Updated on Apr 25, 2012

Atlanta Airport Launches Compostable Foodservice Ware Program

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/atlanta-airport-launches-compostable-foodservice-ware-program/

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (HJAIA) sends more than 19,000 tons of waste to Georgia landfills each year. Food scraps are the single largest component of HJAIA waste, making up about one-third of this tonnage. HJAIA has a goal to divert 50% of its waste from landfill disposal by 2015. Composting food waste is essential to reach this goal, and switching to compostable food packaging will enable successful food residuals recovery. Continue reading

Broadband

Overview

Access to the Internet is an essential infrastructure for any community that cares about economic development, quality of life, and educational opportunities. Unfortunately, most communities are presently dependent on a few unaccountable absentee corporations that act as gatekeepers to...

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Featured Article, Resource filed under Broadband | Written by Lisa Gonzalez | No Comments | Updated on May 9, 2012

Community Broadband and Economic Development Presentation – Dallas 2012

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/ilsrs-christopher-mitchell-speaks/

Christopher Mitchell recently presented at the Broadband Communities Summit 12 in Dallas, Texas. The two-day event, April 24th and 25th, brought together experts from all over the world to discuss the policy and economic challenges and achievements in broadband. Christopher discussed the new ILSR Report, Broadband at the Speed of Light, and presented information on… Continue reading

Featured Article, Resource filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | 8 Comments | Updated on Apr 9, 2012

Broadband at the Speed of Light

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/broadband-speed-light/

The fastest networks in the nation are built by local governments, a new report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and Benton Foundation reveals Chattanooga, Tennessee, is well known for being the first community with citywide access to a “gig,” or the fastest residential connections to the Internet available nationally. Less known are Bristol, Virginia,… Continue reading

Featured Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Mar 20, 2012

Big Bucks: Why North Carolina Outlawed Community Networks

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/big-bucks-why-north-carolina-outlawed-community-networks

Less than a year after North Carolina became the 19th state to create barriers to community networks, effectively outlawing them, the non-partisan organization Follow the Money has crunched the… Continue reading

Energy

Overview

Wind and sun are available everywhere, so renewable energy can be economically harnessed at small scales across the country. This nature of renewable energy, and the exponential increase of renewable energy generation, promises to decentralize the nation’s grid system. ...

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Featured Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 1 Comment | Updated on Apr 24, 2012

The More Local the Energy, the More Valuable

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/local-energy-valuable/

Local ownership of a wind project accounts for half of its lifetime economic value to the community! From: Value Creation for Local Communities through Renewable Energies [pdf] Continue reading

Featured Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on May 1, 2012

Local Solar Could Solve ‘Massive Supply-Demand Imbalance’ in Renewable Energy Financing

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/massive-supply-demand-imbalance-for-solar-and-wind-project-financing/

In the next two years, the U.S. may get a lot less solar and wind power than it could. It’s not a shortage of solar panels or the cost of turbines. Rather, it’s a problem of the perverse nature of federal incentives for renewable energy. Right now, the owner of a solar or wind energy… Continue reading

Featured Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Apr 4, 2012

Lots of Solar Power May Reduce, Not Increase, Electricity Prices

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/lots-solar-power-reduce-increase-electricity-prices/

Whether German feed-in tariffs or U.S. tax incentives, opponents of solar rail at its perceived high cost. But a story making rounds this week, “why power generators are terrified of solar,” presents a powerful image that may flip this conventional wisdom on its head. Building lots of solar power can actually reduce electricity prices, to… Continue reading

Independent Business

Overview

Over the last 25 years, a handful of giant retailers have grown to dominate the U.S. economy. ILSR challenges the wisdom of this market concentration. Through research and analysis, we have built a compelling case that places that are home to...

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Featured Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 2, 2012

Four Ways Enviros Can Keep Walmart in the Hot Seat

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/four-ways-enviros-can-keep-walmart-in-the-hot-seat/

The world’s biggest retailer has gotten an undeserved free pass from many environmentalists. It’s time to take a tougher line and set a higher standard. In the conclusion to her series on Walmart’s greenwashing, Stacy Mitchell outlines four ways we can hold Walmart accountable. Continue reading

Featured Article, ILSR Press Room filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | 3 Comments | Updated on Apr 17, 2012

Top 10 Ways Walmart Fails on Sustainability

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/top-10-ways-walmart-fails-sustainability/

Since 2005, Walmart has been making splashy announcements and issuing slick reports to highlight its environmental and social responsibility efforts. In this new brief, Food & Water Watch and ILSR contend that the world’s largest retailer fails to live up to its promises and continues to ignore the fundamental problems with its business model that harm the environment, undermine healthy food choices, and exacerbate poverty. Continue reading

Featured Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Apr 27, 2012

The Walmart de Mexico Scandal: Here’s a Punishment that Befits the Crime

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/walmart-de-mexico-scandal/

By bribing officials, Walmart was able to outpace its competitors, opening new stores so fast they had no time to react. In just a few years, Walmart came out of nowhere to dominate the Mexican economy. But, as any athlete or other competitor knows, if you’re caught cheating your way to a win, then you most certainly do not get to keep the prize. Continue reading

The Public Good

Overview

At the founding of the American Republic the word “private” had pejorative connotations. Derived from the Latin word “privare”, private meant to divide or tear apart. A privateer was a pirate. The word “public” was an honorable adjective, often...

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Featured Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | 1 Comment | Updated on Apr 4, 2012

Democracy Under Attack

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/democracy-attack/

For its first 200 years the American Republic slowly, sometimes infuriatingly slowly and at horrific human cost (e.g. the Civil War) expanded the franchise. In 1870 the 15th Amendment gave blacks the right to vote. In 1920, the 19th Amendment extended the franchise to women. In 1924 Congress granted Native Americans citizenship and thus the… Continue reading

Featured Article, ILSR Press Room filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Apr 10, 2012

Post Offices: Too Important To Be Stamped Out

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/post-offices-important-stamped/

Star Tribune, April 9, 2012 In this piece in the Star Tribune David Morris speaks out on the need to stop the tidal wave of post office closings that will occur when the Post Office’s self-imposed moratorium ends in mid May. Last year, 3,600 communities, about 90 in Minnesota, were notified that they’ll probably lose… Continue reading

peter_kropotkin_the_great_advocate_of_anarcho_communism-200x300

Featured Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Feb 10, 2012

Where is Kropotkin When We Really Need Him?

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/where-is-kropotkin-when-we-really-need-him/

On February 8, 1921 twenty thousand people, braving temperatures so low that musical instruments froze, marched in a funeral procession in the town of Dimitrov, a suburb of Moscow. They came to pay their respects to a man, Petr Kropotkin, and his philosophy, anarchism. Some 90 years later few know of Kropotkin. And the word… Continue reading

Waste to Wealth

Overview

ILSR's Waste to Wealth program helps communities across the country create policies and practices that address citizens' environmental concerns and economic needs. We help citizens fight the incinerators and landfills that pollute their air and water, and drive property...

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Our Projects

Featured Article, Resource filed under Biomaterials, Composting, Waste to Wealth | Written by Brenda Platt | No Comments | Updated on Apr 25, 2012

Atlanta Airport Launches Compostable Foodservice Ware Program

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/atlanta-airport-launches-compostable-foodservice-ware-program/

cleveland young people with anti-incin signs

Featured Article filed under Stop Incineration, Waste to Wealth | Written by Neil Seldman | No Comments | Updated on Apr 2, 2012

Let’s Settle Cleveland’s Garbage Future

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/lets-settle-clevelands-garbage-future/

In the 1980’s Cleveland considered garbage incineration. It was rejected, but no positive action was taken. For thirty years Cleveland’s valuable materials flowed to low-cost area landfills. This left the city vulnerable to the next push for incineration. The push came three years ago; this plan fell to pieces a few days ago. What will the City do now? Continue reading

Resource filed under Banking

Distribution of Deposits and Assets by Size of Bank, 1995-2009

| Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Apr 13, 2010 The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/charts-distribution-deposits-and-assets-size-bank-19952009/

Related Article: Finally, a Bill to Reinstate Limits on Bank Size

Overview

How State Banks Bring the Money Home

Why Republicans Hate Warren’s CFPB But Love Another Bank Regulator

Taking Financial Reform into Our Own Hands

Overview

SBC Co-chair to Keynote the Biopolymer World Congress

Atlanta Airport Launches Compostable Foodservice Ware Program

Overview

Community Broadband and Economic Development Presentation – Dallas 2012

Broadband at the Speed of Light

Big Bucks: Why North Carolina Outlawed Community Networks

Overview

The More Local the Energy, the More Valuable

Local Solar Could Solve ‘Massive Supply-Demand Imbalance’ in Renewable Energy Financing

Lots of Solar Power May Reduce, Not Increase, Electricity Prices

Overview

Four Ways Enviros Can Keep Walmart in the Hot Seat

Top 10 Ways Walmart Fails on Sustainability

The Walmart de Mexico Scandal: Here’s a Punishment that Befits the Crime

Overview

Democracy Under Attack

Post Offices: Too Important To Be Stamped Out

Where is Kropotkin When We Really Need Him?

Overview

Our Projects

Atlanta Airport Launches Compostable Foodservice Ware Program

Let’s Settle Cleveland’s Garbage Future

Strengthening communities for more than 35 years!

About the Banking Initiative

Banking

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