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.

View Initiative

Featured Article, ILSR Press Room filed under Banking | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Apr 1, 2012

Banking For the Rest of Us

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

In this cover story for Sojourners Magazine, Stacy Mitchell writes that there is remarkably little evidence to support the idea that bigger banks are superior. They have come to dominate, not because they are more efficient or offer better services, but because they have rigged government policy in their own favor. It’s time for a new set of rules—banking policies for the 99 percent. Continue reading

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, The Public Good | Written by David Morris | 5 Comments | Updated on Mar 1, 2011

And The Academy Award for Cowardice Goes To….

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/and-the-academy-award-for-cowardice-goes-to/

After winning an Oscar for Best Documentary for Inside Job, Charles Ferguson injected some much-needed real world relevance amidst the fabulously glitzy proceedings. “Forgive me, I must start by pointing out that three years after a horrific financial crisis caused by fraud, not a single financial executive has gone to jail — and that’s wrong.” 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...

View Initiative

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

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

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...

View Initiative

Featured Article, Resource filed under Broadband | Written by Lisa Gonzalez | No Comments | Updated on May 10, 2012

Christopher Mitchell Talks Community Networks With Seattle’s KUOW

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/ilsrs-christopher-mitchell-talks-wi-fi-fiber-optic-networks-seattles-kuow/

Christopher Mitchell recently spoke with Marcie Sillman on Seattle public radio KUOW‘s Weekday. Christopher and Marcie talked on May 8, 2012 about recent developments in local and national broadband including the April 29th end to Seattle’s free Wi-Fi network. Christopher and Marcie spent some time on challenges and strategies involved in building a community network…. 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, 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

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. ...

View Initiative

Featured Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 1 Comment | Updated on Apr 20, 2012

Welcome to the new Energy Self-Reliant States

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/energy-self-reliant-states-2/

ILSR Senior Researcher John Farrell launched the Energy Self-Reliant States blog in late 2010 to provide hard data and analysis on the economic and political advantages of focusing on distributed renewable energy and local ownership. For a while, it lived off our website, due to technical and aesthetic limitations. Today, we’re happy to repatriate the… 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

Featured Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Apr 6, 2012

Solving the Local Clean Energy Puzzle

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

In this April 2 presentation to the Pedernales Electric Cooperative of Johnson City, TX, ILSR Senior Researcher John Farrell discussed how solving the clean local energy puzzle requires much more than a consideration of cost per kilowatt-hour. Instead, cooperatives, municipal utilities and others considering developing local clean power should consider issues of scale, value and… 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...

View Initiative

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, ILSR Press Room, Resource filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | 3 Comments | Updated on Mar 7, 2012

New Report: Walmart’s Greenwash

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

In this new report, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance documents how Walmart’s heavily promoted sustainability initiatives are falling short. “Walmart’s sustainability campaign has done more to improve the company’s image than to help the environment,” said Stacy Mitchell, the report’s author and a senior researcher at ILSR. Continue reading

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

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...

View Initiative

Featured Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Apr 16, 2012

Are Republican Governors Truly Representing Their Citizens on Health Care?

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/republican-governors-representing-citizens-health-care/

A few days ago 26 states argued before the Supreme Court that the health law’s dramatic extension of Medicaid coverage constitutes unconstitutional federal coercion. ”Congress easily could have designed an act that encouraged rather than forced states to expand their Medicaid programs,” their brief submitted to the Court argues. “By making a conscious decision to… Continue reading

Featured Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | 1 Comment | Updated on May 3, 2012

Profiles in Political Courage

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

A few weeks ago Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA who is retiring from the House this year, gave a memorable interview to New York magazine in which he criticized President Obama for aggressively pushing health care reform. Frank says he warned Obama the Democratic Party would pay “a terrible price.” Apparently Frank was not alone in… 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...

View Initiative

Our Projects

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

San Pedro, Los Angeles, CA incinerator chimney, Gaffey Street author: Jengod

Featured Article filed under Stop Incineration, Waste to Wealth | Written by Neil Seldman | No Comments | Updated on Mar 27, 2012

History is Repeating Itself: Trash Burner Proposals Proliferate

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

Proposals for large-scale garbage incineration are proliferating throughout the US, just as they did 30 years ago. They claim to be new and improved with some companies offering ‘state-of-the-art’ technologies such as plasma arc, gasification, and pyrolysis. Once again citizens, small businesses and elected officials are saying “No.” Continue reading

filed under General

John Bailey and Bill McKibben Discuss Community Solution to Global Warming

| Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 22, 2006 The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/john-bailey-and-bill-mckibben-discuss-community-solution-global-warming/

John Bailey and Bill McKibben Discuss Community Solutions to Global Warming on the Beyond Organics Radio Show

John Bailey and Bill McKibben Discuss Community Solution to Global Warming

Overview

Banking For the Rest of Us

How State Banks Bring the Money Home

And The Academy Award for Cowardice Goes To….

Overview

Atlanta Airport Launches Compostable Foodservice Ware Program

SBC Co-chair to Keynote the Biopolymer World Congress

Overview

Christopher Mitchell Talks Community Networks With Seattle’s KUOW

Broadband at the Speed of Light

Community Broadband and Economic Development Presentation – Dallas 2012

Overview

Welcome to the new Energy Self-Reliant States

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

Solving the Local Clean Energy Puzzle

Overview

Top 10 Ways Walmart Fails on Sustainability

New Report: Walmart’s Greenwash

Four Ways Enviros Can Keep Walmart in the Hot Seat

Overview

Are Republican Governors Truly Representing Their Citizens on Health Care?

Profiles in Political Courage

Where is Kropotkin When We Really Need Him?

Overview

Our Projects

Let’s Settle Cleveland’s Garbage Future

History is Repeating Itself: Trash Burner Proposals Proliferate

Strengthening communities for more than 35 years!

John Bailey and Bill McKibben Discuss Community Solution to Global Warming

Thank you for your interest in ILSR