Building Local Power offers thought-provoking conversations and new ideas for breaking the hold of corporate monopolies and expanding the power of communities to chart their own future.
Every two weeks, we bring you interviews with trailblazing lawmakers, scholars, business leaders, and advocates, plus conversations with the Institute’s own in-house experts, who share their latest research and reporting.
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New episodes are published bi-weekly on Thursdays. Sign up to get new podcast notifications.
Recent Episodes of Building Local Power
Keeping NYC Land Out of Corporate Hands — Episode 118 of Building Local Power
Jess Del Fiacco
January 21, 2021
Host Jess Del Fiacco and ILSR Co-Director Stacy Mitchell are joined by Brad Lander, who represents Brooklyn's 39th District on the New York City Council. Brad shares his perspective on how the pandemic has affected NYC neighborhoods. READ MORE
Should Big Utilities Pay for Their Bad Choices? — Episode 117 of Building Local Power
Jess Del Fiacco
January 7, 2021
John Farrell, Co-Director of ILSR, interviews Leslie Glustrom, founding member of Clean Energy Action about how we can equitably transition to a clean energy future. READ MORE
A Vision for Landfills that Challenges the Status Quo — Episode 116 of Building Local Power
Jess Del Fiacco
December 10, 2020
Host Jess Del Fiacco is joined by Neil Seldman and Captain Charles Moore, author of Plastic Ocean, to discuss Moore's his vision for turning landfills into "resource recovery parks." READ MORE
A Cornucopia of Policy Opportunities in the New Year — Episode 115 of Building Local Power
Jess Del Fiacco
November 25, 2020
From small business relief to a solar homes stimulus, we look ahead to policy opportunities in the new year and beyond in this episode of Building Local Power. READ MORE
Voters Turn Out to Support Climate, Broadband, Other Local Initiatives in 2020 Election — Episode 114 of Building Local Power
Jess Del Fiacco
November 9, 2020
Host Jess Del Fiacco is joined by ILSR staff members John Farrell, Christopher Mitchell, and Ron Knox to discuss the 2020 election and what the results may mean for ILSR's work. READ MORE
In Seattle, Corporations Must Pay Their Fair Share to Support Climate Justice — Episode 113 of Building Local Power
Jess Del Fiacco
October 29, 2020
Host John Farrell interviews Jill Mangaliman of Got Green and Abigail Juaner of Puget Sound Sage about Seattle's JumpStart tax. The tax will be used to fund local projects centered around affordable housing and the city's Green New Deal. READ MORE
Is It Finally Time to Break up Big Tech? — Episode 112 of Building Local Power
Jess Del Fiacco
October 16, 2020
Stacy Mitchell and Ron Knox dig into the new report from the House Antitrust Subcommittee on monopoly power in digital markets. READ MORE
How the Baltimore Farm Alliance is Fighting Food Apartheid and Building Community Resilience - Episode 111 of Building Local Power
Jess Del Fiacco
October 15, 2020
Host Jess Del Fiacco is joined by Denzel Mitchell, Deputy Director of the Baltimore Farm Alliance, and Sophia Hosain, leader of ILSR’s composting work in Baltimore. READ MORE
One Size Fits None: Why Connecting California's Least Connected Requires a Tailored Solution (Episode 110)
Jess Del Fiacco
October 1, 2020
ILSR's Christopher Mitchell interviews Rebecca Woodbury and Air Gallegos, who helped lead a local effort to build a Wi-Fi mesh network to connect residents in the Canal neighborhood of San Rafael, Calif. READ MORE
How Local Control Empowers Cities to Fight Climate Change (Episode 109)
Jess Del Fiacco
September 17, 2020
Host Jess Del Fiacco talks with John Farrell, Director of ILSR's Energy Democracy Initiative, about how cities are taking action around climate change. READ MORE
Zephyr Teachout on Building an Antimonopoly Movement (Episode 108)
Jess Del Fiacco
September 3, 2020
Zephyr Teachout, author of the new book Break 'Em Up, shares her thoughts on building an antimonopoly movement, what she finds encouraging and discouraging in our current moment, and how she approaches antimonopoly work as a democracy activist. READ MORE