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Featured Article, Resource filed under Composting, Waste to Wealth | Written by Brenda Platt | No Comments | Updated on Jun 17, 2016

Compost Combats Desertification: Download New Poster

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/desertification-and-compost/

June 17th is World Day to Combat Desertification. In 1994, the United Nations declared June 17th the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought to promote public awareness of the issue. While the UN focuses on those countries experiencing serious drought or desertification, particularly in Africa, the United States is not immune. “The dust storms… Continue reading

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Featured Article, Resource filed under Composting, Waste to Wealth | Written by Brenda Platt | No Comments | Updated on May 6, 2016

Infographic: Compost Impacts More Than You Think

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/compost-impacts/

From healthy soils, to good local jobs, we bet you didn’t know that compost can have such an impact on your daily life! So think twice before you throw away your compostable food scraps… because one person’s trash is another’s black gold. Please help us spread the word! CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FULL WEB-OPTIMIZED GRAPHIC… Continue reading

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Featured Article, Resource filed under Energy, Energy Self-Reliant States | Written by Matt Grimley | No Comments | Updated on Mar 3, 2016

Report: Mighty Microgrids

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/report-mighty-microgrids/

Communities all over the country are finding ways to break the macro barriers to microgrids. As we flip from a top-down to bottom-up grid management structure, major policy barriers must be lifted in order to expand energy democracy to customers and producers. DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT   Executive Summary The electric grid is no longer… Continue reading

Hawai'i at the Energy Crossroads
Article, Resource filed under Energy, Energy Self-Reliant States | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Oct 6, 2015

Report: Hawai’i at the Energy Crossroads

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/report-renewable-hawaii/

UNDER THE SPECTER OF A MAINLAND UTILITY TAKEOVER, ISLANDERS MUST CHOOSE BETWEEN A LEGACY OF LARGE CENTRALIZED POWER OR A BURGEONING NETWORK OF DISTRIBUTED ENERGY Matt Grimley and John Farrell October 2015 DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT Executive Summary On the one hand: Sky-high electricity prices. A 20th century electricity system burning fuel oil and controlled… Continue reading

Article filed under Energy | Written by Rebecca Toews | No Comments | Updated on Mar 4, 2015

Democratic Energy Media Roundup – March 4, 2015

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/democratic-energy-media-roundup-march-4-2015/

A clean energy report looks at the tension between utilities and consumers, and we take a look at political crossover: how distributed energy and local control is becoming more of a bipartisan issue. Chris Mooney with the Washington Post leads the roundup with two articles on how solar energy plays in conservative parts of the nation. It doesn’t hurt… Continue reading

Article filed under Energy | Written by Rebecca Toews | No Comments | Updated on Jan 21, 2015

Democratic Energy Media Roundup – January 21, 2015

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/democratic-energy-media-roundup-january-21-2015/

This week in democratic energy, the president’s acknowledgement of solar progress, global climate change, science (!), and the growing economic gap in our country means there’s never be a better time to support keeping our energy dollars local. Lyn Davis Learn’s short video on Huffington Post this week highlighted just how much 3-minutes can do… Continue reading

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Article, Resource filed under Energy, Energy Self-Reliant States | Written by Rebecca Toews | No Comments | Updated on Dec 12, 2014

Watch: “$364 billion up for grabs” – A Preview of Energy Democracy

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/video-energy-democracy/

2014 marked the year that solar energy, energy storage and electric vehicles – hallmarks of a decentralized electricity grid – got big enough to threaten the electric utilities, exposing their 100-year-old business model as out-of-date. In nearly 20 states, utilities are fighting back, proposing new fees and rules to minimize the competition from customer generated… Continue reading

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Article, Resource filed under Energy, Energy Self-Reliant States | Written by Rebecca Toews | No Comments | Updated on Dec 9, 2014

Report: Beyond Utility 2.0 to Energy Democracy

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/report-energy-democracy/

Exciting changes are on the horizon for our century-old utility structure as solar power, energy storage, and electric vehicles open new avenues for utility customers to produce their own power and control their energy use. Utilities are scrambling to remain relevant in this technological firestorm, and energy wonks are envisioning a new business model –… Continue reading

Photo: Walmart.
Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Walter Wuthmann | No Comments | Updated on Nov 21, 2014

Walmart is a Huge Consumer of Dirty Coal Energy

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/walmart-huge-consumer-dirty-coal-energy/

Walmart has been strutting around decked out in solar panels lately. But look a little closer and this emperor’s outfit isn’t all that it appears to be. Only 3 percent of Walmart’s U.S. power is supplied by its renewable energy projects. Which begs the question: Where does the other 97 percent of Walmart’s power come from? Here at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, we decided to take a look. And what we found is a big, filthy mountain of coal.
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Photo: Walmart store
ILSR Press Room filed under Independent Business | Written by ILSR Admin | No Comments | Updated on Nov 20, 2014

New Report Reveals Walmart’s Heavy Dependency on Coal-Fired Electricity, Undermining Company’s Pledge to Be an Environmental Leader

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/walmarts-dirty-energy-secret-release/

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. Continue reading