Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Building Local Power Podcast series
How Small-Scale Composting is Empowering Baltimore Youth
I have recently started a school composting program at our local elementary and could relate to Marvin Hayes, director of the Baltimore Compost Collective, in his enthusiasm for the topic. It is difficult to express how empowering a simple program like collecting local food scraps and processing them into something of value can feel for all involved. Marvin has an ulterior motive as well-beyond empowering youth through job training, self-sufficiency, engagement with healthy eating — Baltimore BURNS it’s trash and the resulting toxic load is leading to increased asthma rates, as it would. Highly recommend this podcast.
When Power Goes out, Who is Held Accountable?
If you live in California, you are familiar with the question — when power companies fail to upgrade their equipment and keep vegetation safely cut back around equipment, then spark wildfires through further negligence, it’s safe to say some at least in California are taking a much needed look at responsibility and response both short term and long. A distributed energy system feels inevitable but how do we get there, and what will it take to break utility monopolies?
