FOX Business, April 2, 2013 Whether they’re shopping at local retailers on Small Business Saturday or feasting on locally sourced pork chops at independent restaurants, American consumers’ interest in supporting local, independent businesses is on the rise. In a 2012 survey by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), 75 percent of business owners surveyed believed public … Read More
As part of the FCC’s Gigabit Cities Challenge, the agency plans to host a series of workshops over the next several months. The workshops will focus on tools communities can use to expand connectivity, changing telecommunications policy, and will present experts from the field. Christopher Mitchell participated in the first workshop on March 26th in Washington, … Read More
Government Technology, April 1, 2013 Great politicians can explain complex issues quickly and simply. That’s what Franklin Delano Roosevelt did on Sept. 21, 1932, when, as a candidate for the presidency, he spoke in Portland, Ore., and addressed a big issue of the time: electrical service and who would provide it — public utilities or private … Read More
Finance & Commerce, April 1, 2013 Bloomington-based TenKSolar is supplying the solar panels for the community solar project run by the Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association. So far, more than 170 panels have been sold in four months. Steve Schmidt teaches a college class on renewable energy and always wanted to install solar panels on his Corcoran … Read More
The Daily Barometer, April 1, 2013 The new Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market had its grand opening on March 29. That’s right, Corvallis, we have a Wal-Mart. Despite the known opposition some Corvallis residents have toward the world’s largest retailer, there weren’t any protesters reported at the grand opening. This might have been because campus was soaking up … Read More
Huffiington Post, March 29, 2013 We all know the banking system is broken. It’s easy to become pessimistic in the face of corporate and political corruption, but the system can be changed. We’ve done it before, and we can do it again. One pathway to genuine reform is “public banking”: the establishment of banks which are … Read More
Grist, March 29, 2013 I (David Roberts at Grist) wrote a (rather heady) post this morning about the move from centralized to distributed energy systems. Thanks to John Farrell — who, by the way, is the guru of distributed energy — I just came across a great example of how it’s beginning to happen. NRG Energy … Read More
Telecompetitor, March 28, 2013 There are numerous things municipalities can do to help bring high-speed broadband networks to their communities, said participants at an FCC workshop on gigabit communities yesterday. The workshop was held as a follow-up to FCC Chairman Genachowski’s announcement earlier this year that set a goal of having at least one gigabit community … Read More
IEEE Spectrum, March 28, 2013 Bright sun and high utility rates help rooftop solar energy compete with grid power. The map shows how much residential demand could be fulfilled by solar more cheaply than by the grid in 2018. Source: Institute for Local Self-Reliance Photovoltaics are still, on average, a pricey, subsidy-dependent source of electricity. However, … Read More
