USA Today, February 5, 2012 In his article, journalist Rick Jervis turned to Christopher Mitchell on the development of community networks. More than 150 local governments across the country have built or are planning to build cyber networks, says Christopher Mitchell of the Minneapolis-based Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a non-profit group that advocates community development and … Read More
During the last three decades, the waste hauling and disposal industry has undergone considerable consolidation. Large consolidators have bought out not only many smaller independent firms but also each other in mega-mergers. The result is an industry with a smaller number of large, vertically-integrated companies that are less responsive to the needs of communities and … Read More
ILSR’s Waste to Wealth program works with a range of organizations across the US.… Read More
One hundred years ago, most of our society’s fuels, construction materials, textiles, inks, and paints were derived from plant matter. By the 1980s, petroleum had flooded the market, and today over 95 percent of our industrial products and fuels are petroleum-based. Petroleum-based products come from non-renewable resources that require highly polluting extraction processes. These products can … Read More
Utne Reader, January-February 2012 Shop local, eat local, travel local. These precepts have enjoyed a grassroots renaissance over the past decade, leading in many cases to healthier food, sturdier products, and more affordable energy. They have also helped communities reduce their carbon footprint and support local businesses and small farmers. According to Stacy Mitchell, writing in … Read More
These links are useful to anyone interested in advancing composting, recycling or deconstruction.… Read More
Thirty-eight years of expertise, program development, research, publishing, and technical assistance have made ILSR’s Waste to Wealth division the leading source of information on recycling and recycling-based community economic development. We are available for presentations, workshops, lectures in a variety of settings.… Read More
ILSR’s Waste to Wealth program helps communities across the country create policies and practices that simultaneously address citizens’ environmental concerns and economic needs. Our early work illustrated the environmental and economic benefits of recycling. In cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, we helped citizens fight the incinerators and landfills that polluted their air and water, … Read More
