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Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Sep 17, 2009

California Governor Doesn’t Favor Domestic Renewables, but his Energy Commission Makes More Sense

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/california-governor-doesnt-favor-domestic-renewables-his-energy-commission-makes-more-sense/

Schwarzenegger, citing concerns with protectionism, plans to veto the legislature’s ambitious 33% RPS by 2020 because it prizes in-state generation.  But the California’s Energy Commission found in its Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative (RETI) that there’s not much savings to be had looking outside California’s borders. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Justin Dahlheimer | 1 Comment | Updated on Sep 16, 2009

Santa Rosa Rejects Big Box and Goes Local

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/santa-rosa-rejects-big-box-and-goes-local/

In a crowed public hearing room, the city council of Santa Rosa, California, soundly defeated a proposed Lowe’s store on a 5-2 vote. The vote was a victory for the GoLocal Cooperative, a county-wide coalition of local businesses and residents working localize the region’s economy.  Continue reading

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Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Sep 16, 2009

Thomas Friedman: Renewable energy jobs require feed-in tariff policy

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/thomas-friedman-renewable-energy-jobs-require-feedin-tariff-policy/

Friedman illustrates the three key components of a consistent and powerful renewable energy policy: anyone can generate, a guaranteed grid connection, and a reasonable and predictable price to do so.  That’s the feed-in tariff. Continue reading

Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Sep 10, 2009

Low Power Radio Poised for Renaissance

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/low-power-radio-poised-renaissance/

The NY Times profiled a low-power radio station, noting that the number of these stations could double if Congress passes the Local Community Radio Act of 2009 (S. 592).

Interestingly, though these stations are rooted in their community, some are also broadcasting online – allowing the signal to be sent anywhere people with an Internet connection want to listen. Continue reading

Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Sep 4, 2009

Communities Should Care Who Owns Their Transit Data

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/communities-should-care-who-owns-their-transit-data/

Two major cities are taking different approaches to who can use data like bus arrival times — generally used for mobile applications that allow people to check schedules or get real-time arrivals for mass transit via their phones or other handheld devices.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | 1 Comment | Updated on Sep 3, 2009

Does the NFIB Really Represent the Interests of Independent Businesses?

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/does-nfib-really-represent-interests-independent-businesses/

Today, in the New York Times small business blog, Robb Mandelbaum examines the membership of the National Federation of Independent Businesses has plummeted and takes a look at how the group has lobbied for tax loopholes that boost the profits of big chains, while forcing independent businesses to pay more.   

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Article filed under Waste to Wealth | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Sep 1, 2009

Which Incineration Technologies Make Sense: None of the Above

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/which-incineration-technologies-make-sense-none-of-the-above/

Commentary by Neil Seldman Technical distinctions among incineration technologies are not important. All these technology cost hundreds of millions of dollars (billions when amortized over 20 years). A 1500 tpd mass burn system costs $600 million. The other technologies (gasification, pyrolysis, plasma arc) cost more. (RDF has unique characteristics and requires a separate discussion.) In… Continue reading

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Article, Resource filed under Waste to Wealth | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Sep 1, 2009

New Economic Environmental Sustainability Network

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/new-economic-environmental-sustainability-network/

Recycling and composting are just the beginning. J. Michael Huls, an activist and pioneer in the US recycling movement since 1970, and an adviser to cities and industry, has expanded his horizons to Smart Media. Huls has now introduced “Green Street Scene Worldwide Webcast Network.” This is an excellent source for products, services, actions, policies,… Continue reading

Article filed under Biomaterials, Waste to Wealth | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Sep 1, 2009

BioSpecs by SBC and Business-NGO Working Group

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/biospecs-by-sbc-and-business-ngo-working-group/

The Sustainable Biomaterials Collaborative and the Business-NGO Working Group released the BioSpecs for Food Service Ware at the Biopolymers Symposium in Chicago, September 30, 2009. The BioSpecs are purchasing specifications for environmentally preferable compostable biobased food service products. They outline sustainability criteria and recognition levels for food service ware made from compostable biobased materials. Read more at… Continue reading

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | 2 Comments | Updated on Aug 19, 2009

Neighborhood Stores: An Overlooked Strategy for Fighting Global Warming

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/neighborhood-stores-overlooked-strategy-fighting-global-warming/

So far, the public debate about cars and climate change has been dominated by fuel economy. But driving has been growing at such a rapid pace that even a big advance in fuel economy is likely to be wiped out by ever more miles on the road. This is where local stores come in.  Dozens of studies have found that people who live near small stores walk more for errands and, when they do drive, their trips are shorter. Continue reading