Release: New Report Shows Any Community Can Start Composting Today
A new report from ILSR details how small-scale composters can maximize benefits to their local communities.… Read More
Statement on Sen. Warren’s proposal to Break Up Big Tech
ILSR applauds Senator Warren’s plan to restore the balance of power in our democracy and revive competition by breaking up big tech companies.… Read More
Release: Waste Incineration Doesn’t Belong in the Definition of Renewable Energy
Many states classify the energy produced by burning garbage as a renewable resource. Our report provides recommendations for how communities can invest in healthier and more sustainable waste management and energy systems.… Read More
ILSR’s 2018 Annual Report: Building Local Power
We’ve been busy this year and our 2018 Annual Report shows how we work alongside community leaders to provide the hard data, detailed policy expertise, and compelling narratives needed to support effective advocacy, smart organizing, and successful projects. Thank you to all of you who support our work!… Read More
Release: How Big Cable and Telephone Monopolies Have Carved Up the Country
Despite receiving billions in federal funding to help rural Americans access the internet, the biggest telecom companies have focused investment on urban areas, leaving rural communities with DSL that the cannot meet the Federal Communication Commission’s broadband definition. In the latest policy brief, the Institute for Local Self Reliance (ILSR) mapped out broadband availability by six of the largest Internet Service Providers (ISPs): Comcast, Charter, AT&T, CenturyLink, Frontier, and Verizon. The resulting maps and analysis illustrate where broadband service is available across the U.S. from each of the six ISPs and where each faces competition.… Read More
Release: Solar and Energy Storage Threatens Utility Business Models, Enables Energy Democracy
What happens to an electric utility when its big bets on new power plants are undercut by customers producing their own power from solar and storing it in cost-effective batteries?
Hundreds of utility power plants could become stranded assets if electric customers pursue these affordable alternatives to utility provided power, undercutting a century of the traditional “bigger is better” electric utility business model. The latest report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance details how battery storage literally and figuratively reverses the grid’s power flow and puts customers in charge. It offers policymakers, utilities, and individuals a roadmap of rules to capture this opportunity for energy democracy and save everyone money.… Read More
Release: Amazon’s National Contract to Supply Local Governments Puts Cities and Schools at Risk, ILSR Report Finds
A national contract that Amazon secured last year to provide local governments with office and classroom supplies lacks standard safeguards to protect public dollars and public transparency, and puts cities and schools at risk of paying more and getting less, according to an investigation published today by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR). View more information from our press release.… Read More
Release: New Report Argues Home Composting Is Vital to Local Waste Reduction Strategies
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tackling the problem of food waste is gaining attention to avoid garbage, conserve resources, create jobs, alleviate hunger, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) details how home composting is among the best opportunities to reduce food waste, especially in the near term and in areas lacking curbside collection or facilities to compost.… Read More
Losing Net Neutrality will Harm Rural America, ILSR Broadband Expert featured in Bernie Sanders video
The United States Senate is gearing up to vote on a resolution to repeal the roll back of network neutrality protections by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In advance of the vote, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s (ILSR) Community Broadband Networks initiative director Christopher Mitchell is featured in a video from Senator Bernie Sanders (I – Vt.) detailing how the FCC’s actions harm rural America, specifically.… Read More