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Local Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesCutting Tax Credit Losses With Third-Party Ownership — (Bonus) Episode 259The solar tax credit landscape is changing. Third-party ownership could be one way to cut losses.| Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/energy-democracy/third-party-ownership-ler259/| Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation online using the #LocalEnergyRules hashtag!
2025-12-1025 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesLeveraging Distributed Power Plants To Lower Costs — (Bonus) Episode 258Learn about pending Minnesota legislation to enable distributed power plants and their potential impact on energy affordability.| Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/energy-democracy/MN-virtual-power-plants-ler258/| Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/| Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation online using the #LocalEnergyRules hashtag!
2025-12-0314 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesA Blueprint for Scalable Cooperative Solar Energy — Episode 257What happens when you combine cooperative solar ownership with a clever standardized design meant to match the scale and capacity of local communities and their grids?| Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/energy-democracy/maine-cooperative-community-solar-ler257| Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation online using the #LocalEnergyRules hashtag!
2025-12-0347 minConnect This!
Connect This!Small Towns Building Broadband, Broadband Usage, and the Continued Retreat from Fiber | Episode 124 of the Connect This! ShowCatch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (Tak Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about all the recent broadband news that’s fit to print. Topics include: A new report from ILSR on 19 small towns in Massachusetts building public partnerships and new fiber networks. Massive AWS and Cloudflare outages impacting large parts of the Internet The new broadband usage report from OpenVault 18 states so far have finally gotten NTIA approval after redoing most of the work from last su...
2025-12-011h 17Local Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesState Solutions for Local Energy Action — (Bonus) Episode 256Learn how state legislatures can pave the way for cities to advance clean energy and equitably address climate change.| Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/energy-democracy/state-solutions-local-action-ler256/| Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/| Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation online using the #LocalEnergyRules hashtag!
2025-11-2613 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesHow to Raise the Bar for Community Solar in Minnesota — (Bonus) Episode 255Learn about the recent improvements to Minnesota's community solar program and what can be done to better encourage cooperative ownership models.| Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/energy-democracy/mn-community-solar-ler255/| Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/| Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation online using the #LocalEnergyRules hashtag!
2025-11-1927 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesThe Oregon Trail To Community Microgrids — Episode 254Learn how this state developed a community microgrid law to enhance community resilience against power shutoffs and grid failure.| Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/energy-democracy/or-community-microgrids-ler254/| Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation online using the #LocalEnergyRules hashtag!
2025-11-1951 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesThe State Fighting The Feds to Lower Energy Costs — (Bonus) Episode 253Learn how this state is ramping up the fight with the feds for local, clean energy affordability and access. | Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/energy-democracy/MN-fights-feds-ler253/| Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and […]
2025-11-1225 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesThe Minnesota Lawmaker Tackling Energy Problems Head-On - (Bonus) Episode 252Learn about how this Minnesota lawmaker wants to tackle her state’s energy problems. Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/energy-democracy/acomb-ler252/| Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation online using the #LocalEnergyRules […]
2025-11-0515 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesThe Job No One Does Well — (Bonus) Episode 250No state in America is currently doing utility regulation well. But there’s hope.| Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/energy-democracy/states-all-do-a-bad-job-ler250/| Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation online using the #LocalEnergyRules […]
2025-10-2917 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesBlackRock Bought Minnesota Power. What’s Next? — (Bonus) Episode 249BlackRock just bought Minnesota Power. But these consumer advocates haven’t stopped fighting for utility accountability.| Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/after-BlackRock-ler249/ | Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation online […]
2025-10-2227 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesHow to Fix the Country’s Biggest Power Market — Episode 248The PJM electricity market is embroiled in a crisis where ratepayers are being gouged to line the pockets of generation owners.| Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/energy-democracy/how-to-fix-PJM-ler248/| Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, […]
2025-10-2250 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesShould We Celebrate When Monopoly Utilities Embrace Distributed Energy? — (Bonus) Episode 247 of Local Energy RulesA landmark utility proposal to own energy storage on customer property also cements its monopoly power. Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/energy-democracy/monopoly-utilities-distributed-energy-ler247/| Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation online […]
2025-10-1724 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesFinally a Bright Spot for California Rooftop Solar — Episode 246 of Local Energy RulesThere’s still a chance to breathe new life into California’s rooftop solar ambitions.| Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/energy-democracy/bright-spot-for-CA-solar-ler246/| Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/| Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation online using the #LocalEnergyRules hashtag!
2025-10-0834 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesA New Coalition for a Distributed Energy Future — Episode 245 of Local Energy RulesLearn about how Common Charge is fast-tracking a future where your distributed energy assets make the electric grid work better for everyone. | Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/energy-democracy/common-charge-ler245 | Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on […]
2025-09-2416 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesThese Solar Tax Credits Are Still Standing — Episode 244 of Local Energy RulesLearn how non-profit and public entities can still benefit from solar tax credits, and the three steps to getting them. | Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/solar-tax-credits-ler244/ | Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast […]
2025-09-1042 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesThe Town That Could Spark a Public Power Revolution — Episode 243 of Local Energy RulesSlayton's public power takeover aims to improve reliability and safety. | Show page available: https://ilsr.org/articles/slayton-public-power-ler243/| Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation online using the #LocalEnergyRules hashtag!
2025-08-2736 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerInternet as a Human Right: Christopher Mitchell on Community NetworksYou'd think a company with as many resources, employees, and facilities as AT&T or Comcast would have good customer service. Surely, with all the billions of dollars flowing through these businesses, there'd be some resources devoted to creating a really good customer experience, right? If only that were the case. The thing is, these telecom monopolies are so big, with their power so entrenched, that it doesn't matter if their customer service is good. When you control the market, you control the market whether customers are happy or not. Time and again, smaller, locally-controlled telecom companies and networks have...
2025-08-2126 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerInternet as a Human Right: Christopher Mitchell on Community NetworksYou'd think a company with as many resources, employees, and facilities as AT&T or Comcast would have good customer service. Surely, with all the billions of dollars flowing through these businesses, there'd be some resources devoted to creating a really good customer experience, right? If only that were the case. The thing is, these telecom monopolies are so big, with their power so entrenched, that it doesn't matter if their customer service is good. When you control the market, you control the market whether customers are happy or not. Time and again, smaller, locally-controlled telecom companies and networks have...
2025-08-2126 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesA Public Power Struggle in Tucson — Episode 242 of Local Energy RulesAffordability and clean energy are driving a public power campaign to take over Tucson’s investor-owned utility. | Show page available: https://ilsr.org/articles/tucson-public-power-ler242/| Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation […]
2025-08-1344 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerWhy Solving Waste Has To Be Local: Brenda Platt on Sustainability and CommunityWe hear it again and again on this show: neighborhoods that are presumed less likely to fight back are taken advantage of by huge corporations and monopolies. Through predatory decisions and massive market power, a chain grocery store erodes a historically black neighborhood into a food desert. Amazon locates a massive warehouse, and its associated noise, congestion, and pollution, into an already vulnerable area of town. The Target in the BIPOC neighborhood is demonstrably worse than the Target in the rich, white part of town. Now we’re seeing the same pattern play out with the question of where to pu...
2025-08-0729 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerWhy Solving Waste Has To Be Local: Brenda Platt on Sustainability and CommunityWe hear it again and again on this show: neighborhoods that are presumed less likely to fight back are taken advantage of by huge corporations and monopolies. Through predatory decisions and massive market power, a chain grocery store erodes a historically black neighborhood into a food desert. Amazon locates a massive warehouse, and its associated noise, congestion, and pollution, into an already vulnerable area of town. The Target in the BIPOC neighborhood is demonstrably worse than the Target in the rich, white part of town. Now we’re seeing the same pattern play out with the question of where to pu...
2025-08-0729 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesSmart Homes, Stronger Grids, Thanks to Distributed Power Plants — Episode 241 of Local Energy RulesLearn about how distributed power plants lower electric bills and stabilize the grid.| Show page available: https://ilsr.org/articles/distributed-power-plants-ler241/| Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/| Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation online using the #LocalEnergyRules hashtag!
2025-07-3044 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerWhy Clean Energy Is Not Enough: John Farrell on Lessons from David MorrisWhen ILSR co-founder David Morris published his pamphlet The Dawning of Solar Cells in 1975, nearly the only people using solar power were those in the Apollo program at NASA. Yet David saw decades into the future as he laid out a vision for community control and local ownership of a solar power system that was better for the climate and kept much more money in local economies than utility monopolies ever would. In many ways, says ILSR co-director and leader of the Energy Democracy Initiative, John Farrell, the world is still catching up with things David Morris wrote 50 years ago.  J...
2025-07-2426 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerWhy Clean Energy Is Not Enough: John Farrell on Lessons from David MorrisWhen ILSR co-founder David Morris published his pamphlet The Dawning of Solar Cells in 1975, nearly the only people using solar power were those in the Apollo program at NASA. Yet David saw decades into the future as he laid out a vision for community control and local ownership of a solar power system that was better for the climate and kept much more money in local economies than utility monopolies ever would. In many ways, says ILSR co-director and leader of the Energy Democracy Initiative, John Farrell, the world is still catching up with things David Morris wrote 50 years ago.  J...
2025-07-2426 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesWhy BlackRock Wants to Buy Your Electric Utility — Episode 240 of Local Energy RulesMinnesota Power's sale would saddle captive utility customers with higher rates, but bring millions to shareholders. | Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/blackrock-utility-purchase-ler240/ | Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the […]
2025-07-1644 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerThe Problems You Can Solve: Stacy Mitchell on David Morris’s LegacyOn this week's episode of Building Local Power, we continue our series honoring ILSR's co-founder David Morris, who passed away in June. One way to measure the impact of someone's work is to measure their influence on those they mentored. And if you ask Stacy Mitchell, the word "influence" isn't even sufficient for what she learned from David Morris. Hired into an entry-level position at ILSR by David Morris in 1997, Mitchell now leads the Independent Business Initiative and co-directs the entire organization. Her time working with Morris led to a long and distinguished career at ILSR and in the broader...
2025-07-1526 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerThe Problems You Can Solve: Stacy Mitchell on David Morris’s LegacyOn this week's episode of Building Local Power, we continue our series honoring ILSR's co-founder David Morris, who passed away in June. One way to measure the impact of someone's work is to measure their influence on those they mentored. And if you ask Stacy Mitchell, the word "influence" isn't even sufficient for what she learned from David Morris. Hired into an entry-level position at ILSR by David Morris in 1997, Mitchell now leads the Independent Business Initiative and co-directs the entire organization. Her time working with Morris led to a long and distinguished career at ILSR and in the broader...
2025-07-1526 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerWhat Cities Can Do: Remembering David MorrisHere at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, we recently received some shocking news as we learned of the sudden passing of our beloved co-founder, David Morris. A giant in the antimonopoly field, an innovative thinker ahead of his time, and a crucial mentor to so many of us here at ILSR, David will be missed. I imagine I wasn’t alone in diving into ILSR’s archives to understand and revisit David’s work and legacy in the wake of his death. Reading David’s work from the last 50 years reminded me just how much he deeply understood about building local po...
2025-07-0333 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerWhat Cities Can Do: Remembering David MorrisHere at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, we recently received some shocking news as we learned of the sudden passing of our beloved co-founder, David Morris. A giant in the antimonopoly field, an innovative thinker ahead of his time, and a crucial mentor to so many of us here at ILSR, David will be missed. I imagine I wasn’t alone in diving into ILSR’s archives to understand and revisit David’s work and legacy in the wake of his death. Reading David’s work from the last 50 years reminded me just how much he deeply understood about building local po...
2025-07-0333 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesThe Truth Behind California’s High Electric Bills — Episode 239 of Local Energy RulesUtility overspending, not rooftop solar, is driving California’s rising rates – Richard McCann debunks the “cost shift” myth.| Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/truth-behind-CA-electric-bills-ler239/ Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the […]
2025-07-0251 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesAustralia’s Rooftop Solar Revolution: A Postcard from the FutureAustralia leads the world in rooftop solar adoption, offering crucial lessons for regulators and grid operators in the United States. | Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/australias-rooftop-solar-revolution-ler238/ Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, […]
2025-06-181h 00Building Local Power
Building Local PowerIncreasing Internet Access at the Speed of Trust: Sean Gonsalves on the Digital Equity ActThe 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act represented one of the largest ever investments in broadband infrastructure. Many in the digital equity space believed the bill would go a long way to solve the digital divide. Provisions like the Digital Equity Act promised to be powerful tools in ensuring fast and reliable Internet access for all, regardless of money, race, and the rural/urban split. Groups ILSR's Community Broadband Networks team supports got to work applying for and receiving government funds to make major progress bringing equity to the digital space. Then, on a Thursday night in May 2025, President Trump announced...
2025-06-1200 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerIncreasing Internet Access at the Speed of Trust: Sean Gonsalves on the Digital Equity ActThe 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act represented one of the largest ever investments in broadband infrastructure. Many in the digital equity space believed the bill would go a long way to solve the digital divide. Provisions like the Digital Equity Act promised to be powerful tools in ensuring fast and reliable Internet access for all, regardless of money, race, and the rural/urban split. Groups ILSR's Community Broadband Networks team supports got to work applying for and receiving government funds to make major progress bringing equity to the digital space. Then, on a Thursday night in May 2025, President Trump announced...
2025-06-1200 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesCommunity Solar Complements New Hampshire’s Resident-Owned CommunitiesMembers of New Hampshire’s resident-owned communities are saving money through community solar.| Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/community-solar-in-nh-rocs-ler235/| Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, and join the conversation online using the #LocalEnergyRules hashtag!
2025-05-0741 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesA ‘North Star’ for California Utility ReformCalifornia’s Senate Bill 332 aims to address the immediate harms of the investor-owned utilities while also investing in a resilient future.| Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/CA-utility-reform-ler234/ Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation on our podcast feeds, […]
2025-04-2355 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerWhere Things Are Happening: Ron Knox on the State(s) of AntitrustRon Knox was a successful reporter covering antitrust and antimonopoly issues until he couldn't take it any more. His growing passion for the fight against corporate power didn't match a reporter's need for neutrality and objectivity. Shedding the mantle of neutrality, Knox joined ILSR to fight for what he believed in: building local power and resisting corporate power. In the years since then, Knox has become a leading voice in the antimonopoly movement, creating resources about everything from Ticketmaster to Kroger to what states can do to fight corporate monopolies. In fact, that very idea is the center of this...
2025-04-1727 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerWhere Things Are Happening: Ron Knox on the State(s) of AntitrustRon Knox was a successful reporter covering antitrust and antimonopoly issues until he couldn't take it any more. His growing passion for the fight against corporate power didn't match a reporter's need for neutrality and objectivity. Shedding the mantle of neutrality, Knox joined ILSR to fight for what he believed in: building local power and resisting corporate power. In the years since then, Knox has become a leading voice in the antimonopoly movement, creating resources about everything from Ticketmaster to Kroger to what states can do to fight corporate monopolies. In fact, that very idea is the center of this...
2025-04-1727 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerHow Structural Racism Fuels American MonopoliesThe inspiration for this season of Building Local Power is ILSR's Power Play report, written by ILSR senior editor and researcher Susan Holmberg. Sue joins us today for a wide-ranging and candid conversation about the report and its main finding: that monopolies leverage systemic racism to build and retain their power. Our conversation ties together the previous conversations in our Power Play series, from organizing an Amazon warehouse to consumer redlining to the inequitable environmental harm of AI data centers. Sue discusses the monstrous costs of monopoly power to communities of color and the interconnected ways corporate power can ensnare th...
2025-01-2327 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerA Rebalancing Act: How We Restore Local Power in 2025ILSR co-executive directors Stacy Mitchell and John Farrell join Reggie Rucker to discuss the year in ILSR and the issues we care about. What did the media get wrong about the economy in the lead-up to the election? How can voter frustration turn into positive political change? Will we ever move past "change elections?" Will the antitrust revival last through the next four years? How can states and cities fight corporate consolidation and monopoly power? What victories did the antitrust movement see in 2024, and how can we replicate that success in the future? And how can ILSR help? All of...
2024-12-2638 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerPizza, DMs, and Solidarity: Filming the Amazon Labor FightIn March, 2020, Amazon warehouse worker Chris Smalls led a walkout protesting a lack of Covid-19 safety measures at the JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island. He was fired two hours later. In the following days, a leaked memo revealed that the Amazon c-suite (including Jeff Bezos) was planning to discredit Smalls by racially scapegoating him. When aspiring documentarian Mars Verrone heard the story, they sent an Instagram DM to Smalls asking about the prospect of turning his story into a movie. Now, three years later, that movie is here: the acclaimed new documentary Union, which chronicles Smalls' successful efforts to unionize...
2024-11-2725 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerAmazon, Labor, and RaceFor many years, Reverend Ryan Brown has been a picker at Amazon's RDU1 warehouse outside of Raleigh, NC. In 2020, he was asked to work in a part of the warehouse he knew was a dangerous COVID hot spot. He refused, calling his decision to do so a "Rosa Parks moment." In the immediate aftermath, Reverend Ryan and some comrades founded Amazon CAUSE (Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment) and began campaigning to unionize RDU1. In this episode, Reverend Ryan and fellow CAUSE organizer Adam Stromme join host Danny Caine for a lively discussion of their unionizing efforts. Running through...
2024-11-1436 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerBookstores and Local Power with BLP’s New Host, Danny CaineThe first bookstore Danny Caine fell in love with was a suburban Cleveland outpost of a mega-chain. Since then, he has not only fallen in love with independent bookstores and other local businesses but has also become a widely known advocate against Amazon and other corporate monopolies. Now, he's the new host of Building Local Power. This week's episode features Danny talking with co-host Reggie Rucker about his history, advocacy, and path to ILSR. Danny also shares his future plans for the podcast in hopes of inviting more folks into the Building Local Power conversation. For the full transcript and...
2024-10-3122 minBroadband Action
Broadband ActionMapping the Community Broadband LandscapeThe latest edition of Broadband Action, the CBAN podcast, is now available for viewing or listening! CBAN's Jon Willow chats with Ry Marcattilio from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) about a new map of community networks across the U.S. The map, updated with a new engine and user interface, tracks publicly owned broadband networks, including municipal, cooperative, and tribal models. It features various filters for business models, network characteristics, and population sizes, with 400 municipal networks serving over 700 communities. The map aims to help communities find similar networks and solutions for their broadband needs. Future enhancements include exporting...
2024-10-2523 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesPublic Power on the Ballot in FloridaThe Florida Legislature removed local control of Gainesville’s century-old municipal utility, but Commissioner Bryan Eastman explains how the city plans to take it back. | Show page available: https://ilsr.org/articles/public-power-ballot-florida-ler221/| Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave a recommendation […]
2024-10-2335 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesSolar Help Desk Offers Agenda-Free Consumer AssistanceJani Hale and Liz Veazy from Solar United Neighbors explain how the Solar Help Desk aids consumers and how the group organizes people to fight for solar rights. | Show page available: https://ilsr.org/article/solar-help-desk-agenda-free-ler220/ | Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast/ | Don't forget to subscribe, share with […]
2024-10-0931 minCrone by Design - A Dash of Everything
Crone by Design - A Dash of EverythingCompostingThis week we are diving into Composting. You probably have heard the word thrown around, you might be lucky to live in a city or town that picks up household compost which is amazing, or you might have been interested in learning how to compost but it seemed too out of reach.  This episode is meant to break down this big word and help you discover ways in which you can have a positive impact. To follow me on all of the things, please follow the link! https://bio.site/cronebydesign
2024-09-3024 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesCrashing the Utility Transmission Planning PartyShelley Welton discusses why utilities cannot be trusted to coordinate their electricity transmission plans and how an independent planning authority could step in where federal regulators have floundered. | Show page available: https://ilsr.org/articles/crashing-utility-transmission-planning-party-ler219/ | Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/energy/local-energy-rules-podcast-homepage | Don't forget to subscribe, share with […]
2024-09-2500 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerA Heyday in the Toledo LifeJohnetta Turner McCollough and her husband, Nelson, ran The Spot, a popular restaurant on Dorr Street, Toledo, that was more than just a business—it was, well, the Spot. Known for its lively late-night gatherings and frog legs The Spot offered a unique space where people came to eat, unwind, and enjoy jazz music after the bars closed. Johnetta was only 24 when her husband Nelson was tragically killed, and soon after, their restaurant, home, and the spirit of Dorr Street were destroyed by urban renewal. Promised development turned into empty lots and minimal investment, leaving a fractured community in its wa...
2024-09-1915 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesHow Cities Can Simplify Rooftop SolarToyah Callahan and Zach Greene discuss how the SolSmart technical assistance platform supports local governments as they streamline their solar permitting, inspection, and zoning processes, making it easier for residents to go solar. | Show page available: https://ilsr.org/cities-simplify-rooftop-solar-ler218/ | Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/local-energy-rules-podcast-homepage | Don't […]
2024-09-1149 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerRediscovering Toledo’s Black Wall StreetLifelong Toledo resident Doris Greer takes us back to a time when Dorr Street was the heart of Black wealth, culture, and community. Doris vividly recalls the bustling Black-owned businesses, close-knit neighbors, and a deep sense of pride and ownership.  But today, that vibrant community has been replaced by empty lots and chain dollar stores, a result of decades of disinvestment, discrimination, and corporate consolidation. Beginning with Doris’ firsthand account of Dorr Street’s destruction, our Toledo series explores the impact of federal policy that ushered in the forces of destruction, and the ongoing efforts to reclaim and rebuild the heart...
2024-09-0519 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesLeah Stokes and Tim Hade on Climate Resilience in CaliforniaTim Hade and Leah Stokes discuss how, through the coordination of a virtual power plant, distributed energy generation and storage will provide resilient and affordable electric power to a vulnerable area of Santa Barbara County. | Show page available: https://ilsr.org/stokes-hade-climate-resilience-california-ler217/ | Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/local-energy-rules-podcast-homepage […]
2024-08-2845 minKen Cook Is Having Another Episode
Ken Cook Is Having Another EpisodePower clashes between utilities and clean energy innovationAstounding advancements have been made in clean energy technology, and rooftop and community solar initiatives have been shown to drive consumer costs down and help us reach carbon emission reduction goals. So why are solar projects hitting a regulatory brick wall? (hint: it’s about corporate greed and value for monopoly utility shareholders). In today’s episode, we’re joined by the co-director of the Institute for Local Self Reliance, John Farrell, to unravel the ins and outs of why rooftop and community solar and other clean energy advancements are being stoned-walled, and what we can do about it.
2024-08-2751 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesHow Monopoly Utilities Abuse Their PowerJohn Farrell summarizes ILSR’s recent report, Upcharge: Hidden Costs of Electric Utility Monopoly Power, and makes the case for restoring competition to the electricity system. | Show page available: https://ilsr.org/how-monopoly-utilities-abuse-power-ler216/ | Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/local-energy-rules-podcast-homepage | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, leave […]
2024-08-1418 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesThe Cost of Utility-Controlled Vehicle ChargingDoug Kantor discusses why the electric vehicle charging market must be competitive, rather than controlled by utilities, and why convenience stores are particularly suited to provide vehicle fueling wherever customers are. | Show page available: https://ilsr.org/the-cost-utility-controlled-vehicle-charging-ler215/ | Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/local-energy-rules-podcast-homepage | Don't forget to […]
2024-08-0141 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerA National Strategy for Community CompostingLast month, the Biden White House released its National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics. ILSR’s Julia Spector joins Building Local Power to discuss how the leading advocacy of ILSR and allied organizations led to community composting becoming a featured component of the national strategy, and how far we’ve come since we aired the 2019 episode of Building Local Power entitled “Why Scale Matters in Protecting the Climate and How Composting Can Help.”  Julia explains how the strategy’s goals — reducing methane emissions and increasing organics recycling with an emphasis on the importance of local and decentral...
2024-07-2500 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesFinancing Platform Opens the Door to Solar OwnershipBracken Hendricks discusses how Working Power, a community development and financing platform, helps community-based organizations retain ownership of clean energy projects and the financial benefits of clean energy investment. | Show page available: https://ilsr.org/financing-platform-solar-ownership-ler214/ | Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/local-energy-rules-podcast-homepage | Don't forget to subscribe, share […]
2024-07-171h 03Local Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesPaying Solar Incentives Direct to NonprofitsJeremy Kalin discusses the evolution of federal tax incentives for renewable energy and how the direct pay provision of the Inflation Reduction Act will deliver more financial benefits to cities, counties, and nonprofits. | Show page available: https://ilsr.org/solar-incentives-direct-pay-ler213/ | Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/local-energy-rules-podcast-homepage | Don't […]
2024-07-0350 minComposting for Community
Composting for CommunityBuilding Waste Equity at NYC Public Housing (ft. Domingo Morales)How can we ensure composting is made accessible for all communities? How can composters implement the highest standards possible to prevent rodents in those communities? And what questions do the recent cuts to the NYC Compost Project raise that all composting advocates should be considering? In this episode of the Composting for Community Podcast, we are joined by Domingo Morales, founder of Compost Power, a New York City composting organization that builds sustainable community compost sites across NYC with an emphasis on underserved and marginalized communities. Out of nine total sites, eight are at public housing, providing all...
2024-06-2500 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesSeven Hundred Yards Pt. 3: Seven Generations to ComeOut of the legislative fight over the nuclear plant next door, Prairie Island Indian Community is building its own net zero energy future, on part three of our special series, Seven Hundreds Yards. | Show page available: https://ilsr.org/articles/700-yards-pt3-seven-generations-ler212/ | Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/local-energy-rules-podcast-homepage | Don't […]
2024-06-2024 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesSeven Hundred Yards Pt. 2: Pretend DemocracyIn part two of our special series, Seven Hundred Yards, we find out why the nuclear waste “temporarily” stored on Prairie Island is still there 30 years later. | Show page available: https://ilsr.org/articles/700-yards-pt2-pretend-democracy-ler211| Listen to all of our Local Energy Rules podcast episodes at our site: https://ilsr.org/local-energy-rules-podcast-homepage | Don't forget to subscribe, share with your […]
2024-06-0528 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerThe Seed of Local PowerIn 1974, in Washington D.C., amidst a backdrop of economic turbulence and social unrest, the seeds of the Institute for Local Self-reliance were sown. David Morris, Neil Seldman, and Gil Friend, driven by a shared vision of community resilience, founded the Institute in a townhouse in the Adams Morgan neighborhood. Their goal was to demonstrate that our economies and environments can thrive when rooted in community cooperation and mutual aid. Fifty years later, in the face of prevailing national norms promoting centralization, ILSR continues to challenge the status quo through research, advocacy, and grassroots organizing, promoting a framework of decentralized...
2024-05-0226 minConnect This!
Connect This!A Surge in Municipal Networks and the Real Margins for ISPs | Episode 88 of the Connect This! ShowJoin us Friday, February 2nd at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guests Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) to talk a new report from ILSR on the surge of community owned networks we saw spring up over the last two years, whether the FCC has forever abrogated its power to fine bad actors, and the tension between margins for ISPs and public policy efforts to incent affordable services for those households in need. Email...
2024-02-201h 15Building Local Power
Building Local PowerCleanup on Aisle 1990Is this the end of a grocery merger era that began with 385 grocery mergers from 1996-1999 alone? As news about the impending Federal Trade Commission decision to approve or deny the Kroger/Albertsons merger looms large, ILSR’s Ron Knox delves into the dominance of major grocery chains and explores the potential consequences of the proposed merger. In the second half of the episode, ILSR’s Kennedy Smith introduces her new “Community Wins” series, which highlights stories of communities establishing grocery stores that adopt innovative approaches to ownership, access, and governance. The burgeoning trend of community-driven grocery models is fueling a broade...
2023-12-1431 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesNew Paths for Rural Electric Co-op Revival — Episode 196 of Local Energy RulesThis is a defining moment for rural communities and the clean energy transition. For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell is joined by Frances Sawyer, founder of Pleiades Strategy, and Maria McCoy, researcher at ILSR. They discuss ILSR’s new report on rural electric co-ops and how federal dollars can meet […]
2023-11-0934 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerBlackRock v. Black GoldIn 2022, international investment firm BlackRock acquired Vanguard Renewables, to help Vanguard drastically expand its number of large-scale anaerobic digestion facilities across the U.S. and BlackRock’s own energy portfolio. Brenda Platt, director of ILSR’s Composting for Community Initiative shares her concern that like in many industries, this trend towards concentrated dominance over the inputs and outputs of this new technology control will ultimately harm communities and starve them of the resources necessary to build thriving, sustainable local economies. Dior St. Hillaire co-director of the NYC composting service BK ROT, adds to the discussion with her vision for New York...
2023-10-0500 minConnect This!
Connect This!Net Neutrality, Spectrum Sharing, and the Mystery of the Missing Monopolies | Episode 81 of the Connect This! ShowJoin us Thursday, September 28th at 3pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guest Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber), with special guest Sean Gonsalves (ILSR) to tackle the promised return of net neutrality rules by the FCC, Google Fiber’s recently announced ACP plans, why the word “monopoly” seems in such short supply in the BEAD plans states have begun to file, and the future of spectrum sharing in the United States. Email us at broadba...
2023-09-251h 18Building Local Power
Building Local PowerBeer Mergers Brew DisasterIn the late 1800’s there were 4,000 breweries. By the 1970’s, just 40 companies operated 89 breweries. ILSR’s Ron Knox explains how the beer industry is now dominated by just a few large conglomerates who control distribution and present challenges for craft breweries. He showcases how when mega-corporation, Budweiser, bought SABMiller they promised efficiencies, that were never fulfilled. On the second half of the episode, Amanda Wright, Chief Operating Officer at Blaker’s Brewing details the unique charms of being an independent brewer. For additional resources see: https://ilsr.org/building-local-power/
2023-09-0700 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerKeeping My Public Options OpenIn this episode of Building Local Power, Chris Noble, the Director of Organizing at Health Access California, and Allison Hardt, the Community Development Director at T1 International, share their personal experiences accessing life-saving medication in America that ultimately led to their efforts supporting the CalRx plan to publicly produce life-saving medications, starting with insulin. Chris was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age five, setting in motion a chain of events that motivates his efforts to bring awareness to the market failures that exacerbate the high cost of medicine in the United States. Allison witnessed the challenges her mother faced as...
2023-07-0600 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerBroadband is Good for Your HealthKay Eady, a lifelong Georgian, fondly recalls spending her childhood playing baseball with her siblings, reading at the library, and admiring her mother and grandmother. As she embarked on her adult educational journey, Kay learned that despite her individual blessings, there was an abundance of disparities for low-income communities and communities of color, particularly in the rural South. This was especially true for access to healthcare, and Kay devoted herself to bridging this gap. One such opportunity to bridge the gap is increasing broadband service to rural communities, opening the door for greater telehealth access. Her work at the Southern...
2023-06-2000 minTwo Worlds, One Country
Two Worlds, One CountryA Re-Introduction to Walmart and Amazon with Stacy MitchellStacy Mitchell is Co-Executive Director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and author of thebook Big Box Swindle, as well as articles for The Atlantic, New York Times, and more. Stacytalks how Walmart and dollar chains took over, how Amazon dwarfs them all, and ILSR’s workto stop monopoly power both locally and nationally.[1:35] Growing up in the north vs. the south[4:45] Big Box Window—writing about Walmart and big retail[11:20] Dollar chains and food deserts[14:30] Amazon’s dominance[22:10] Institute for Lo...
2023-06-1528 minConnect This!
Connect This!A Very Special Connect This! Show | Episode 65 of the Connect This! ShowJoin us on Wednesday, March 1st at 7:30pm ET for a very special episode of the show, live from Net Inclusion 2023 in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) will be joined by Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber), Angela Siefer (National Digital Inclusion Alliance), Autumn Evans (City of Detroit), and ILSR’s DeAnne Cuellar, and in front of a live audience at The Friendly Spot Icehouse. They’ll talk pilot projects to reach neighborhoods long left behind by the monopoly marketplace, how to overcome stubborn digital equity and inclusion challenges, what it takes for cities to make forward-thinking, bold choices for bett...
2023-02-231h 05Community Broadband Bits
Community Broadband BitsTraining to Build the Networks We Want at Broadband Bootcamps – Episode 537 of the Community Broadband Bits PodcastThis week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by ILSR Communications Team Lead Sean Gonsalves to talk about the most recent Tribal Broadband Bootcamp, in Gila River. Tribal attendees from across North America came together – some experienced, and others tackling structural broadband inequities in their regions for the first time – came together to meet each other, share lessons learned, and get hands-on experiences with the nuts and bolts about improving connectivity for families that have long been left behind by the private marketplace. With help from representatives from Gila River Telecommunications, attendees learned about deployment technologies, fiber splicing, security, operat...
2023-02-0126 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerShifting the Paradigm, One Community at a TimeFor our final Building Local Power episode of 2022, we invited Co-Founder, David Morris, to offer a history lesson on the self-reliance framework that underpins ILSR’s work. He discusses how that framework has evolved over four-plus decades, the organization’s inherent aversion to bigness, and the successes and hardships of ILSR’s early years. … Read More
2022-12-2936 minPitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer
Pitchfork Economics with Nick HanauerWhy we can't let Kroger buy Albertsons (with Stacy Mitchell)Kroger wants to buy Albertsons and effectively become the second-largest grocery chain in the United States. This merger would result in less competition, rising grocery prices, and lower wages. Corporate greed has gotten us into this mess, but new federal anti-merger guidelines, and some tenacious Attorneys General, may just get us out. Returning guest Stacy Mitchell explains why mergers like this one are bad news for workers and shoppers alike.Stacy Mitchell is Co-Executive Director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a research and advocacy organization that challenges concentrated corporate power and works to...
2022-11-1542 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerPolicy Progress and Coalition Building — Episode 151 of Building Local PowerOn this episode of Building Local Power, host Jess Del Fiacco is joined by several ILSR colleagues: Susan R. Holmberg, Katie Kienbaum, and Sophia Jones where they discuss ILSR's recent work at the state and local policy level, including dollar store restrictions, New York antitrust legislation, a new model for solar energy, composting and waste reduction in Maryland, and more.
2022-05-1900 minThe Community Composting Podcast
The Community Composting PodcastEpisode #27. Neil Seldman - Institute of Local Self RelianceILSR website: ilsr.org/recycle (more specifically the Waste Article) This article just came out in the National Recycling Coalition newsletter. Your audience may like  Also, this summary article of recent investments. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzGmtFCfxjqXXrRhkZMGhTfjkmQW And this upcoming webinar. https://ilsr.org/webinar-investing-in-zero-waste-infrastructure/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/charlie-pioli/support
2022-01-2846 minThe Community Composting Podcast
The Community Composting PodcastEpisode 24. Brenda Platt - Institute of Local Self RelianceFirst report on community scale composting - "Growing Local Fertility" (2014): https://ilsr.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/growing-local-fertility.pdf Community Composting - Scale Training Program: https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/Organics/CompostMulch/Community/ Info on The Compost Act: https://ilsr.org/proposed-federal-compost-act/ Master Compost Manual - NYC: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/docs/nyc-master-composter-manual-mcm.pdf --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/charlie-pioli/support
2021-12-1755 minComposting for Community
Composting for CommunityCompost Helps Local Farm Build Healthy Soils & Feed Their Community (feat. Moon Valley Farm)On this episode of the Composting for Community Podcast, ILSR’s Linda Bilsens Brolis and Sophia Hosain speak with Emma Jagoz, owner of Moon Valley Farm in Maryland. They discuss the role compost has played in supporting the growth of their community-supported, first generation farm that is growing certified organic vegetables and herbs for Maryland and Washington, D.C.  Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation. https://ilsr.org/articles/compost-builds-healthy-soils-moon-valley/
2021-11-3000 minPitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer
Pitchfork Economics with Nick HanauerHow corporate concentration hurts the economy (with Stacy Mitchell)Anti-monopoly and pro-local advocate Stacy Mitchell joins the show to talk about small business, big business, and decentralizing economic power. Stacy Mitchell is the co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. She directs ILSR’s Independent Business Initiative, which produces research and analysis and partners with a broad range of allies to design and implement policies to reverse corporate concentration and strengthen local enterprise. Twitter: @stacyfmitchellFurther reading: Small Business Rising: https://www.smallbusinessrising.net/Ins...
2021-10-1232 minCommunity Broadband Bits
Community Broadband BitsThe Great Debate Over Telecommunications Competition and Regulation – Episode 476 of the Community Broadband Bits PodcastOn this episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast, host Christopher Mitchell is joined by occasional guest host Sean Gonsalves, ILSR’s Senior  Reporter, Editor, and Researcher to take a hard look at our philosophies around competition and telecommunications regulation.  Sean briefly recaps a recent update by ILSR Researcher and Writer Jericho Casper on preemption developments over … Continue reading "The Great Debate Over Telecommunications Competition and Regulation – Episode 476 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★
2021-09-2852 minCommunity Broadband Bits
Community Broadband BitsRecent Developments in Vermont and New Hampshire and the Real Broadband Challenges in America – Episode 465 of the Community Broadband Bits PodcastThis week on the Community Broadband Bits podcast, Christopher Mitchell chats with Sean Gonsalves, ILSR’s Community Broadband Senior Reporter, Editor and Researcher to catch up on some of the most interesting broadband stories in recent weeks. The two begin by discussing a recent story by Jericho Casper, ILSR Researcher and Writer, reporting more than 20 communities in … Continue reading "Recent Developments in Vermont and New Hampshire and the Real Broadband Challenges in America – Episode 465 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★
2021-06-2929 minIn Our Backyard Podcast
In Our Backyard Podcast2. Road to Renewables : John FarrellJohn Farrell works with the Institute for Local Self Reliance, a national research and advocacy organization fighting corporate control to develop the intersection between the economy and the environment. John Farrell is the director of their Energy Democracy Initiative, which, as the name suggests, is a movement to allow more public choice in energy source consumption. The cause hopes to take the decision of energy sources from larger utilities and corporations and give it to us as individuals, so we have more options in our energy resources and hence can choose a more sustainable, renewable energy source. Join me...
2021-06-1118 minHow To Citizen with Baratunde
How To Citizen with BaratundeBut They Make It So Easy! (with Stacy Mitchell)Our extreme wealth inequality isn’t just caused by economic exclusion; we are also struggling with the concentration of corporate power. Simply put, most of our money flows directly into the pockets of a few wealthy individuals. This week, Baratunde learns how it’s possible for Amazon to receive one out of every two dollars spent online. He speaks with antitrust reformer Stacy Mitchell who breaks down why concentrated power like this is a threat to our businesses, communities, and democracy.Guest: Stacy Mitchell Co-Director of the Institute for Local Self-RelianceTwitter: @stacyfmitchellBio...
2021-04-2939 minGo Cultivate!
Go Cultivate!Safeguarding small business during the pandemic – with Kennedy SmithIn this episode, Kevin speaks with Kennedy Smith, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), about strategies that city leaders can use to help local businesses weather the pandemic—and the post-pandemic world. Kennedy has just authored a report titled 'Safeguarding Small Business During the Pandemic: 26 Strategies for Local Leaders.'The 26 actions outlined are grouped into three main priority areas that address immediate, short-term, and longer-term actions to guide community leaders:First: Provide quick relief to keep businesses afloatNext: Help businesses adapt and pivotLater: Fix systemic problems that the pandemic has laid bare...
2020-08-141h 08Building Local Power
Building Local PowerWhy Our Best Opportunity to Challenge Corporate Control is at the Local Level (Episode 105)In this episode of Building Local Power, host Jess Del Fiacco is joined by Zach Freed, researcher with ILSR's Independent Business initiative, and John Farrell, ILSR co-director. The three discuss ILSR's new Fighting Monopoly Power guide, which spells out how local leaders can challenge concentrated corporate power in the banking, broadband, electricity, food and farming, pharmacy, small business, and waste sectors.
2020-07-2300 minComposting for Community
Composting for CommunityImplementing COVID-19 Safety Protocols for Food Scrap Drop-Off: Spotlight on the Community Compost Depot at Frey Gardens in ProvidenceOn this episode, ILSR’s Brenda Platt dialogues with Michael Bradlee, President of Earth Appliance Organics in Providence, Rhode Island, to discuss how one community composter is continuing to collect and compost food scraps with new safety protocols in place. Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation. https://ilsr.org/articles/covid-safety-protocols-feat-community-compost-depot/
2020-05-2100 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerHow States and Cities Are Leading the Clean Energy Revolution (Episode 96)Jess Del Fiacco talks with ILSR Co-Director John Farrell about recent publications from ILSR's Energy Democracy initiative, including the Community Power Scorecard, which grades states on whether their energy policies help or hinder local clean energy action, and ILSR's recent report on community choice energy, which allows communities take charge of their energy supply.
2020-04-0200 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerCoronavirus Shows How Inequity Makes Us Vulnerable (Episode 94)Host Jess Del Fiacco talks with Stacy Mitchell, Co-Director of ILSR, and Christopher Mitchell, Director of ILSR’s Community Broadband initiative, about how communities are responding to the unprecedented challenge of Covid-19. It is already drastically impacting local businesses, and in many cases this crisis will further exacerbate existing inequalities -- making it impossible for people without high quality Internet access at home to work remotely, for example, and making it difficult for people without paid sick time to protect themselves and others.
2020-03-1800 minComposting for Community
Composting for CommunityThe Case for Government Support of Community Composting (feat. Queens Botanical Garden)On this episode, guest host Brenda Platt talks with Elsa Higby and Aleks Jagiello of the New York Compost Project Hosted by Queens Botanical Garden. This is Part 2 of ILSR’s discussion with them; to catch the first part, head over to our Building Local Power Podcast. Listen to the full episode and explore more resources below — including a transcript and summary of the conversation. https://ilsr.org/articles/the-case-for-government-support-of-community-composting/
2020-03-1600 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesTurkey Talk: Energy Policy and Thanksgiving — Episode 91 of Local Energy Rules PodcastWhat do a failed biomass plant in Minnesota and a ban on gas hookups for new properties  in California have in common? Thanksgiving dinner! On this bonus Thanksgiving Day episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, host John Farrell speaks with David Morris, ILSR Co-founder and Distinguished Fellow, and Maria McCoy, ILSR Energy Democracy Research […]
2019-11-2835 minLocal Energy Rules
Local Energy RulesWhy Garbage Incinerators Are A Bad Deal For Communities — Episode 74 of Local Energy Rules PodcastWhy are garbage incinerators such a bad deal for communities? In this episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Marie Donahue, ILSR researcher, and Neil Seldman, Director of ILSR’s Waste to Wealth Initiative, about the harmful impacts of burning trash to generate electricity. The three spoke for a recent episode […]
2019-04-1137 minThe Next System Podcast
The Next System PodcastEp. 24: The Antidote to the Amazon EconomyThis week Stacy Mitchell, Co-Director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) and Director of ILSR’s Community-Scaled Economy initiative, joins Adam Simpson and special co-host Katie Parker to discuss locally-minded economics and what effects they might have on our communities. Subscribe to the Next System Podcast via iTunes, Soundcloud, Google Play, Stitcher Radio, or RSS. Transcripts of all episodes are available at www.thenextsystem.org.
2018-09-2141 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerThe Huge Supreme Court Cases You May Have Missed (Episode 49)Guest host Nick Stumo-Langer and ILSR co-director Stacy Mitchell discuss two recent Supreme Court cases that have vast implications for the state of our economy and the role of the court as a centralized entity in ILSR's decentralized worldview.… Read More
2018-06-2800 minComposting for Community
Composting for CommunitySelf-Reliance & Transformation Through Composting (feat. Terra Nova Compost) – Episode #1In this episode, we talk with Corinne Coe-Law, Co-Founder and Director of the Atlanta-based Terra Nova Compost Cooperative. Terra Nova Compost aims to teach underserved communities the value and importance of soil building as it relates to urban agriculture, food justice and climate change. Corinne also led ILSR’s first national replication of its Neighborhood Soil Rebuilders composter training program in Atlanta in 2016. These students are now leading nine projects around Atlanta at a time when support for community composting in the area is growing. Corinne discusses her successful replication of the NSR program, and the ability of loca...
2017-11-2900 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerMayors Take on Preemption to Defend Local Solutions (Episode 17)Welcome to episode seventeen of the Building Local Power podcast. In this episode, Andrew Gillum, Mayor of Tallahassee, Florida and founder of the advocacy group, Campaign to Defend Local Solutions joins Christopher Mitchell, the director of ILSR’s Community Broadband Network’s initiative and Nick Stumo-Langer, ILSR’s Communications Manager for the latest episode of the Building Local Power podcast. The trio go … Read More
2017-04-2000 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerThanks To Your Local Economy, Renewables Aren’t Going Anywhere (Episode 15)Welcome to episode fifteen of the Building Local Power podcast. In this episode, Christopher Mitchell, the director of ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks initiative, interviews John Farrell and Karlee Weinmann, researchers for ILSR’s Energy Democracy initiative on the prospects of renewable energy given President Trump’s executive orders undermining the Clean Power Plan. The group discusses how the strong market … Read More
2017-04-0600 minBuilding Local Power
Building Local PowerBolstering Waste Recovery Through Model Legislation (Episode 11)In this episode, Christopher Mitchell, the director of ILSR's Community Broadband Networks initiative, interviews Brenda Platt, ILSR co-director and director of our Waste to Wealth initiative. The two discuss the history of ILSR's Zero Waste work and how the conversation around composting and waste has changed in her 30 years at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.… Read More
2017-02-0900 min