This report examines community choice energy, a policy giving cities and counties the right to purchase energy on behalf of electricity customers. Enabled in 9 states, community choice agencies are revolutionizing the utility model by offering cheaper, cleaner energy that aligns with local goals.… Read More
Originally published in 2017, our report, Cooperatives Fiberize Rural America: A Trusted Model for the Internet Era, focuses on cooperatives as a proven model for deploying fiber optic Internet access across the country. An update in the spring of 2019 included additional information about the rate co-ops are expanding Internet service, and now we’ve updated it … Read More
It’s been a tremendous year for ILSR and for our work fighting corporate control and building local power across the economy. Our 2019 Annual Report outlines some of the progress we’ve made this year. In addition to the many policy victories and accomplishments we’ve had, we’ve also quietly celebrated our 45th birthday! … Read More
ILSR’s Independent Business Survey offers insight and guidance to elected officials looking to build a more equitable, entrepreneurial, competitive, and dynamic economy.… Read More
Decades after bringing electricity and telephone services to America’s rural households, cooperatives are tackling a new challenge: the rural digital divide. … Read More
In 43 metropolitan areas and 160 smaller markets, Walmart controls 50 percent or more of the local grocery market. No other corporation in history has ever amassed this degree of control over the U.S. food system. Our findings provide a stark illustration of the failings of contemporary antitrust policy.… Read More
Minnesota is the national leader in community solar, with 208 projects around the state, more than a third of all community solar projects in the U.S. The state’s community solar policy is the best, making it easy to develop and subscribe to solar power. Read more about the benefits for customers, workers, and landowners in a new report from Vote Solar, MnSEIA, and the Institute for Local Self Reliance.… Read More
Our report details a model developed by the city of San Francisco and a local Internet service provider that successfully bridges the digital divide for public housing residents. … Read More
Community Composting Done Right: A Guide to Best Management Practices is designed to support community-scale composters in successfully managing their composting process and site, with a particular focus on sites accepting food scraps. … Read More
