Institute for Local Self-Reliance
The Institute’s mission is to provide innovative strategies, working models and timely information to support environmentally sound and equitable community development. To this end, ILSR works with citizens, activists, policymakers and entrepreneurs to design systems, policies and enterprises that meet local or regional needs; to maximize human, material, natural and financial resources; and to ensure that the benefits of these systems and resources accrue to all local citizens.
Releases by this organization
|
Newswire article Thursday, November 20, 2014 Walmart's Dependency on Coal Responsible for 8 Million Tons of Carbon Pollution As a growing group of environmental leaders call on Walmart to stop greenwashing and commit to real sustainability, a new study finds that Walmart is one of the nation’s largest users of coal-fired electricity and its heavy reliance on dirty power pumps nearly 8 million metric tons of carbon... Read more |
|
Newswire article Wednesday, March 26, 2014 Energy Storage: The Next Charge for Distributed Energy Energy storage promises to change the electricity system during the next decade, as fundamentally as distributed renewable energy has in the last decade. A new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Energy Storage: The Next Charge for Distributed Energy , forecasts where the battleground is shaping up. Read more |
|
Newswire article Wednesday, November 13, 2013 New Report Unveils Hidden Cost of Walmart's Climate Damage, Failure to Meet Environmental Target Nearly a decade after Walmart pledged to become an environmental leader, the company’s greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, making it one of the biggest and fastest growing climate polluters in the country, a new study finds. The report, Walmart’s Assault on the Climate , released today by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), shows that since the launch of the 2005 campaign, Walmart’s self-reported greenhouse gas emissions have grown 14%. Read more |
|
Newswire article Monday, October 07, 2013 Report: 8 Ways Local Energy Policies Can Boost the Economy The economy has stalled and so has the war on climate change. But a new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance describes how dozens of cities are boosting their local economies while dramatically reducing greenhouse gases. Read more |
|
Newswire article Wednesday, May 08, 2013 Composting Is Key to New Business Sector and Green Jobs, Says New Report Composting is a major job creator, according to a new report released by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance nonprofit think tank in Washington, DC, in conjunction with International Compost Awareness Week. According to the report, Pay Dirt: Composting in Maryland to Reduce Waste, Create Jobs, & Protect the Bay, 1,400 new full-time jobs could be supported for every million tons of yard trimmings and food scraps converted into compost that is used locally. Collectively, these jobs could pay wages ranging from $23 million to $57 million. Read more |
|
Newswire article Wednesday, February 06, 2013 Survey Finds Independent Businesses Benefit from "Buy Local First" Campaigns, But Still Face Looming Challenges An annual survey has found that independent businesses experienced solid revenue growth in 2012, buoyed in part by "buy local first" initiatives and growing public interest in supporting locally owned businesses. But the survey also documented significant challenges facing independent businesses, most notably an increase in "showrooming" and competition from online retailers, tax and subsidy policies that favor their big competitors, difficulty obtaining loans, and a customer base still reeling from the recession. Read more |
|
Newswire article Wednesday, June 22, 2011 Great Battle Over the Scale of Our Electricity System Is Underway Argues a New Report A more democratic electricity system is within our grasp, argues the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), but we will have to fight for it. The catalyst is renewable energy – wind, sun, etc – that can be harnessed in decentralized fashion virtually anywhere. Read more |
|
Newswire article Wednesday, January 12, 2011 American States Can Learn Much From Ontario's "Buy Local" Clean Energy Strategy The Canadian province of Ontario has launched a clean energy strategy to maximize economic development while reducing pollution. Maximizing Jobs From Clean Energy: Ontario’s ‘Buy Local’ Policy , a new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, details how Ontario’s bold clean energy program – in just over a year – has resulted in the promise of 43,000 clean energy jobs in support of 5,000 MW of clean energy projects. Read more |
|
Newswire article Thursday, October 21, 2010 ILSR Launches Energy Self-Reliant States Building on the highly acclaimed 2009 report of the same name, today the Institute for Local Self-Reliance launches Energy Self-Reliant States, a new website to provide expert analysis and policy solutions for a decentralized renewable energy future. The 2nd edition of Energy Self-Reliant States made waves last year when it revealed that 3 out of every 5 states could get 100 percent of their electricity from in-state renewable resources such as wind and solar and that every state with a renewable energy mandate could meet it with in-state sources. Read more |
|
Newswire article Monday, September 13, 2010 Community Solar - A New Model for Local Ownership? A new report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), Community Solar Power: Obstacles and Opportunities , examines nine community solar projects, the policies that made them possible, and the (substantial) barriers that remain. Successful community solar power projects in Colorado, Maryland, and North Carolina are knocking down the price of residential-scale solar photovoltaics (PV) by 25% and giving opportunities to renters and people with shady roofs a chance to go solar. Read more |