Statement on Walmart’s Progress on Sustainability
Stacy Mitchell, senior researcher at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), issued the following statement on Walmart’s sustainability progress. … Read More
Takoma Park Students to Host “Love the Earth, Don’t Trash it” Victory Celebration
VICTORY! Over the last 6 years, the Takoma Park Young Activist Club has been campaigning to get toxic styrofoam lunch trays out of Piney Branch Elementary School. While MCPS and the Board of Education rejected the proposal for their single school dishwasher project, as of September 2014 MCPS did replace all styrofoam trays systemwide with paperboard trays.… Read More
Buoyed by Public Support, Independent Businesses Report Strong Sales Growth, National Survey Finds
Independent businesses saw strong sales growth in 2014 as more consumers embraced the “buy local” movement and ditched big companies in favor of supporting local retailers and small-scale producers, according to a large national survey released today.… Read More
Community Broadband Networks Press Packet
At MuniNetworks.org, we provide resources that support local authority for broadband networks that are directly accountable to the communities they serve. As more community leaders realize the economic benefits of faster, more reliable Internet services, they are pursuing local control of connectivity through public ownership, cooperative models, and other nonprofit approaches. The vast majority of community … Read More
ILSR’s Research Serves as Backbone For White House Community Broadband Action
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Minnesota Organization’s Research Serves as Backbone For White House Community Broadband Action ILSR.org was instrumental in providing information, context and support to the administration ahead of their community broadband announcement this week. Minneapolis, MN – The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), a Minnesota-based non-profit organization, has a lot to be proud of today … Read More
New Report Reveals Walmart’s Heavy Dependency on Coal-Fired Electricity, Undermining Company’s Pledge to Be an Environmental Leader
As a growing group of environmental leaders call on Walmart to stop greenwashing and commit to real sustainability, a new study from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance finds that Walmart is one of the nation’s largest users of coal-fired electricity, and that its heavy reliance on dirty power pumps nearly 8 million metric tons of carbon pollution into the air each year.… Read More
Correcting Community Fiber Fallacies: The Reality of Lafayette’s Gigabit Network
In just the last year the Lafayette Utility System (LUS) gigabit network has attracted 1300 high-tech jobs. Chairman Wheeler praises the network for doing what many communities hope to do, but cannot because of state laws limiting municipal broadband networks. Critics are desperate to discredit the network, using false statements and misinformation. The Reason Foundation released a paper by Steven … Read More
All Hands On Deck: Minnesota Local Government Models for Expanding Fiber Internet Access
Minneapolis, MN —In 2010 the Minnesota legislature set a goal: universal access to high speed broadband throughout the state by 2015. As 2015 approaches we know that large parts of Greater Minnesota will not achieve that goal, even as technological advances make the original benchmarks increasingly obsolete. But some Minnesota communities are significantly exceeding those goals. … Read More
Report Released: Advantage Local – Why Local Energy Ownership Matters
An updated version of this report, released in June 2023, is available here. Solar and wind projects can mean big bucks for communities – but only if they keep them local! That’s a key takeaway from Advantage Local: Why Local Energy Ownership Matters, a new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR). The report … Read More