Minnesota Public Radio, March 26, 2012 When the city of Monticello started providing broadband service in late 2010, advocates hailed it as a model for bringing new technology to an underserved region. Fiber optic lines were making Internet access as fast as anywhere in the state. ILSR’s Christopher Mitchell comments on the issue of overall broadband … Read More
Cleveland’s The Plain Dealer, March 24, 2012 Supercenters, which average more than four times the size of a typical grocery store, sell everything a regular Walmart store does, plus baked goods, deli items, frozen foods, meat, dairy, snacks and produce. In many communities it’s a problem when the big box retailer moves their operation somewhere else. … Read More
Publisher’s Weekly, March 23, 2012 Like the Austin Independent Business Alliance, begun by Steve Bercu, co-owner of BookPeople, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, many early shop-local initiatives were started to keep Borders out. In Austin, Borders attempt to move across the street from Bercu’s store also led him to enlist Dan Houston and … Read More
Renewable Energy World, March 19, 2012 Vermont legislators enacted a groundbreaking bill that streamlines the installation process for small-scale solar – including the elimination of time-consuming and expensive permitting. So, how much does the bill actually reduce the cost of solar? Estimating the true cost of a residential system can be difficult to pin down. According … Read More
Andrew Sullivan’s The Dish, March 16, 2012 Pamela Ravasio wonders if we are designating our land resources appropriately: [T]he plantations of the three largest cotton growers – the US, China and India – alone account for 50 million acres, 42% of all agricultural land. In contrast, food crops amount to some 40 million acres and fuel crops … Read More
The Raw Story, March 15, 2012 Although Walmart has heavily promoted its sustainability initiatives, the company has given millions to lawmakers who oppose stricter environmental regulations. “Walmart talks big about sustainability, but doesn’t put its campaign money anywhere near where its mouth is,” states a report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. “Whatever the company may … Read More
Grist, March 14, 2012 Get a load of this: Nearly 100 million Americans could install over 60,000 megawatts of solar at less than grid prices – without subsidies – by 2021. That’s from a new report by John Farrell at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance called “Rooftop Revolution: Changing Everything with Cost-Effective Local Solar.” It’s about … Read More
Ars Technica, March 13, 2012 One of the benefits of living next to a municipal Internet Service Provider came into focus this month. Residents of Monticello, Minnesota found a hastily composed flyer in their mailboxes. The missive listed Charter Cable’s basic and digital tier offerings, with an extra enticement scribbled in hand on the right side … Read More
Treehugger.com, March 12, 2012 Perhaps no other corporation elicits such strong reactions in the environmental community as Walmart—thanks largely to the impact the mega-retailer has on communities’ small businesses and development patterns, contrasted with pledges to green up their act and potential market impact if the reality ever meets the rhetoric. The latest independent assessment of … Read More
