Telecompetitor, January 4, 2013 A citizen’s group in Burlington, Vermont hopes to transform troubled municipal network Burlington Telecom into a customer-owned cooperative. In so doing, the group – tentatively called Green Mountain Broadband Fiber — hopes to prevent the network from being privatized and to retain local control. According to a report published by the Institute … Read More
Boing Boing, January 3, 2013 A lot of people were frustrated in 2011 when the North Carolina General Assembly passed a bill written by Time Warner Cable to revoke local authority to build community-owned networks. A new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and Common Cause explains how Time Warner Cable, AT&T, and CenturyLink bought … Read More
Sierra Magazine, January 1, 2013 I really wanted the figures to work out. So did Ricky, the nice young guy from Sungevity who was trying to lease me a solar array for my roof. My family was looking into a 1.7-kilowatt system—the smallest available. Even so, our miserly habits kept us firmly in our utility’s lowest—and … Read More
Cleveland Plain Dealer, December 29, 2012 CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — At Zagara’s Marketplace, shoppers who can’t find something they need can request it at the customer service desk. Store President John Zagara will hunt it down and special-order it — even if the person who asked for it ends up being the only customer who wants … Read More
Grist Magazine, December 20, 2012 Walmart has staked the lion’s share of its sustainability program on greening its supply chain. Instead of changing its own business practices — selling flimsy, landfill-bound products and building sprawling stores that can only be reached by car, for example — Walmart has said that it can make more headway on … Read More
ReWire, December 18, 2012 Those utilities we’ve been mentioning over the last couple days who are worried about rooftop solar may well have good reason to feel that way. A new report forecasts that within ten years, power from solar panels on your roof will be as inexpensive as power from local electric companies across the … Read More
The Nation, December 17, 2012 Most progressives have long embraced a clear alternative to the conservative story that prosperity flows best from a “free market” unfettered by government regulation and taxes. The standard progressive response: government incentives and spending are essential to spur the creation of jobs, and unions and regulations can make them “good jobs.” … Read More
Forbes, December 10, 2012 After posting articles about how consumer trends will change the way we eat and recommending seven great gift ideas for your sustainability obsessed foodie, I am now here to tell you that shopping will not change the world. Although buying from small farms, investing in community supported agriculture and shopping at the … Read More
The Wild Magazine, December 8, 2012 I never shopped at Walmart growing up, especially for food — my parents were Safeway and Target fans. Even in college, my mom warned me to stay away from their meat and produce. In New York City, I don’t even think about the superstore because the nearest location is well … Read More
