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When Local Became the New Organic By David Morris, originally published in Minnesota Law and Politics, August 2008 We can pinpoint with some precision the date the local food movement came of age: Dec. 15, 1997. That day the United States Department of Agriculture finally issued the organic standards that Congress had said it required back … Read More
Today, cellulosic ethanol can no longer be ignored. Even as the quantity of ethanol from corn increases, the age of corn ethanol is drawing to a close. Few new corn-to-ethanol plants will be built beyond those currently in the ?nancing and construction pipeline. The opportunity to build on the farmer-owned corn-to-ethanol biore?nery model is over. But the opportunity for local ownership is just beginning for cellulosic biofuels. This piece by David Morris was originally published in Ethanol Today magazine. … Read More
For Immediate Release PRESS RELEASE CONTACT: 612-276-3456 NEW REPORT ARGUES FOR A RENEWABLE ENERGY POLICY THAT PUTS RURAL COMMUNITIES FIRST Minneapolis, MN—(September 8, 2008). The next 20 years could generate as much as $1 trillion in new renewable energy investment in rural America. But as a new Ford Foundation-sponsored study by the Institute for Local … Read More
For Immediate Release PRESS RELEASE CONTACT: 612-276-3456 New Anti-Ethanol Studies Reach Wrong Conclusion on Greenhouse Gases Minneapolis, Minn. (February 15, 2008) – A new policy brief from the Minneapolis based Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) criticizes the authors of two recent studies published in Science for advancing a conclusion not supported by their own studies. “The … Read More
This February 2008 report by David Morris criticizes the authors of two recent studies published in
On February 7, 2008, Science published two studies that examined the greenhouse gas impact of land use changes caused by the growing demand for biofuels. Within hours, news of the studies was carried by a remarkable number of media outlets. Reporters summed up the findings indire terms. National Public Radio declared, "Study: Ethanol Worse for Climate Than Gasoline." The New York Times headline read, "Biofuels Deemed a Greenhouse Threat."… Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – December 4, 2006 Contact: David Morris, 612-276-3456 x208 – dmorris [@] archive.ilsr.org Group Calls on Congress to Correct Its Mistake on Cellulosic Ethanol Mandate Minneapolis, MN – In an article published December 4, 2006, in RenewableEnergyAcces.com, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance argues that a single sentence added to the Energy Policy Act … Read More
Tuesday’s elections demonstrated that limiting the ability of corporations to bankroll local ballot initiatives is a crucial step in stopping the proliferation of big-box stores.
Target and Wal-Mart poured money into two campaigns to overturn store size cap laws in communities in California and Montana. They won by very narrow margins in both cases, despite having outspent grassroots groups that supported the caps by as much as 10-to-1.
But money doesn’t always win. Lowe’s lost a bid to build in another California town.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 11, 2006 Contact: David Morris, 612-276-3456, dmorris@archive.ilsr.org Farmer Ownership Should Be Federal Focus in Building Cellulosic Ethanol Industry Full report Putting the Pieces Together: Commercializing Cellulosic Ethanol – September 2006 Minneapolis, MN – A new report issued by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance urges the U.S. Department of Energy to change … Read More
Analysis: David Morris on Ethanol Issues in the Midwest – Twin Cities Public Television’s Almanac… Read More
