Initiatives

Banking

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, 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 | No Comments | Updated on Nov 27, 2012

Free Checking is Rare at Big Banks, Common at Small

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/free-checking-rare-big-banks-common-small/

While just 24 percent of big banks offer totally free checking, more than 60 percent of credit unions and small banks do, according to a new report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. The report also found that credit unions and small banks have lower fees on average and do a better job of disclosing fees to prospective customers. Continue reading

Featured Article filed under Banking, Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | 5 Comments | Updated on Oct 17, 2012

Too Big to Lend

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

A critical function of our banking system is financing small businesses. But big banks are doing a rotten job of it. At the nation’s largest banks, small business lending has plunged 33% since 2009. Trying to cajole or compel them to do more won’t make much difference because the problem is largely inherent to their scale. 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, Resource filed under Biomaterials, Composting, Waste to Wealth | Written by Brenda Platt | No Comments | Updated on Jul 30, 2012

Atlanta Airport Launches Compostable Foodservice Ware Packet

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-packet/

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, Resource filed under Biomaterials, Composting, Waste to Wealth | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Oct 11, 2012

Exemptions/Exclusions Added to Atlanta Airport Info Packet

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

The Sustainable Food Court Initiative (SFCI) Airport Pilot, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, works closely with the SFCI Team to bring sustainable operating practices to their operations, especially regarding food waste. In early 2012 the Atlanta Airport made a bold statement in the new concessionaire contract, the largest foodservice contract executed in North America. 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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Photo of Christopher Mitchell by Glenn Ricart

Featured Article, ILSR Press Room, Resource filed under Broadband | Written by Lisa Gonzalez | No Comments | Updated on Apr 22, 2013

Community Networks Gaining Traction Nationwide

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

Christopher Mitchell, Director of the Telecommunications as Commons Initiative has been spending many hours on the road these days. Why? Interest in publicly owned broadband networks continues to grow as communities search for savings, economic development, and connectivity on the local level and more organizations seek out Chris’ expertise. From policy to implementation, ILSR continues to… Continue reading

Featured Article, ILSR Press Room, Resource filed under Broadband | Written by Lisa Gonzalez | No Comments | Updated on Feb 4, 2013

Christopher Mitchell Interviewed For streets.mn Podcast

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

Christopher Mitchell was recently interviewed by Bill Lindeke from streets.mn. Bill, a PhD Candidate in Geography, published the podcast as part of the streets.mn blog. He wanted to talk to Christopher about the work at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Bill discussed fiber optic infrastructure investment in the U.S. and touched on the Minneapolis City… Continue reading

Featured Article, ILSR Press Room, Resource filed under Broadband | Written by Lisa Gonzalez | No Comments | Updated on Apr 3, 2013

Broadband 101 Fact Sheet

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/ilsrreleases-new-broadband-101-fact-sheet-2/

ILSR’s fact sheet is a reliable quick reference guide for policymakers and citizens. As discussion about the telecommunications landscape expands, language about broadband abounds. In order to make informed decisions without stumbling over terminology, ILSR has assembled some basic facts about broadband. This fact sheet is a great reference for anyone who may take up… 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 filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 1 Comment | Updated on Apr 17, 2013

Proposed Solar Standard is Cheap Compared to Minnesota Utilities’ Rate Increases

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/proposed-solar-standard-cheap-compared-minnesota-utilities-rate-increases/

If you’re a state legislator in Minnesota, here are a few grains of salt to season the message you’ve been getting from electric utilities about the proposed solar energy standard. The bill (HF956/SF901) requires most utilities to get 4% of their energy from solar by 2025 and offers a standard, fixed-price contract to distributed solar energy… Continue reading

Featured Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 19, 2013

How a City Can Get More Clean, Local Energy

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

Like many cities attempting to solve climate change at a local level, Minneapolis is finding the prospect more challenging that it may have imagined. The lion’s share of emissions (two-thirds in the case of Minneapolis) come from electricity and gas sold by two monopoly, corporate utilities. Minnesota’s state-level policy is helping: a renewable energy standard… Continue reading

Featured Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on May 20, 2013

Expect Delays: Reviewing Ontario’s “Buy Local” Renewable Energy Program

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/expect-delays-reviewing-ontarios-buy-local-renewable-energy-program/

Launched in 2009, Ontario’s “buy local” Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program promised to deliver hundreds of megawatts of new renewable energy and create 50,000 new jobs by the end of 2012. The program has had some notable achievements, and the province has worked hard to remedy some of the remaining roadblocks to success. The bottom line… 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 Mar 27, 2013

Why Walmart’s Death Grip on Our Food System Is Intensifying Poverty

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/walmarts-death-grip-food-system-intensifying-poverty/

When Michelle Obama visited a Walmart in Springfield, Missouri, a few weeks ago to praise the company’s efforts to sell healthier food, she did not say why she chose a store in Springfield of all cities. But, in ways that Obama surely did not intend, it was a fitting choice. This Midwestern city provides a chilling look at where Walmart wants to take our food system. Continue reading

Featured Article, Resource filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | 9 Comments | Updated on Dec 1, 2012

Why We Can’t Shop Our Way to a Better Economy: Stacy Mitchell’s TEDx Talk

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

In this TEDx talk, delivered on October 20, 2012 at TEDxDirigo‘s Villages conference at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, conference, ILSR Senior Researcher Stacy Mitchell argues for a new phase in the local economy movement. She notes that there’s been a resurgence of support for small farms, local businesses, and community banks, but argues: “As remarkable… Continue reading

Featured Article, ILSR Press Room, Resource filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 6, 2013

Survey Finds Independent Businesses Benefit from “Buy Local First” Campaigns, But Challenges Loom

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/2013-independent-business-survey/

ILSR’s annual survey has found that independent businesses experienced solid revenue growth in 2012, buoyed in part by “buy local first” initiatives. But the survey also documented challenges facing independent businesses, most notably an increase in “showrooming” and competition from online retailers, tax and subsidy policies that favor their big competitors, difficulty obtaining loans, and a customer base still reeling from the recession. 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 | No Comments | Updated on Dec 19, 2012

Should We Subsidize Giving?

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

Robert J. Shiller, Professor of Economics and Finance at Yale recently weighed in with his perspective on subsidizing charity with a New York Times column whose title clearly conveys his message: “Please Don’t Mess With the Charitable Deduction.” There is a case to be made for charitable deductions. Regrettably, this isn’t it. Shiller offers three… Continue reading

Featured Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on May 13, 2013

Can We Save the Commons that is the Post Office?

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

For 225 years the U.S. Post Office has been the most admired and ubiquitous manifestation of government. From 1789 until the 1960s, the Cabinet level agency saw its mission not only to deliver the mail but to aggressively defend the public good. In the late 19th century when oligopolistic mail order delivery companies abused their… Continue reading

Featured Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on May 11, 2013

Why Won’t Conservatives Let Communities Decide for Themselves?

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

In his 1996 State of the Union Address Democratic President Bill Clinton famously declared, “the era of big government is over.” And during his tenure he did everything he could to make that true–deregulating the telecommunications and the financial industry, enacting a free trade agreement severely restricting the authority of the federal government to protect… 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 filed under Waste to Wealth, Zero Waste & Economic Development | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Jan 21, 2013

New Mexico Recycling Industry Poised to Add 5,000 Jobs

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/nm-recycling-industry-poised-add-5000-jobs/

A new report released by the New Mexico Recycling Coalition (NMRC) details the estimated number of jobs in the recycling industry and predicts how many jobs could be gained through increased recycling activities. It is estimated that close to 5,000 new direct, indirect and induced jobs will be created in New Mexico when the state recycling rate reaches 34%. Continue reading

Featured Article, Resource filed under Deconstruction, Waste to Wealth, Zero Waste & Economic Development | Written by Lisa Gonzalez | No Comments | Updated on Mar 12, 2013

Whatcha Workin’ On, Neil Seldman? Podcast Episode 3

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/whatcha-workin-on-neal-seldman-podcast-episode-3/

Welcome to our third episode of the Whatcha Workin’ On? podcast. Lisa Gonzalez interviews Neil Seldman, Ph.D., President of ILSR and the heart and soul of our Waste to Wealth Initiative. Neil tells us about the program and describes the many concurrent projects he is handling. Dr. Seldman also outlines some upcoming work for the… Continue reading