ILSR was founded at another precarious time — a moment when there was little faith in either major political party to do what was best for people and their communities. The country was navigating the ...

On May 1st, we had the profound honor of celebrating 50 years of ILSR at the historic Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C., ...

David Morris reflects on 50 years of fostering local self-reliance and ILSR. Those of us who were lucky to have worked with ILSR’s co-founder David Morris over many decades invite you to join us in ...

Only by relying on one another, cultivating a spirit of togetherness, and taking big, collective action in our communities can we win the future we all deserve. A future where we all have the freedom ...

When the Washington Post, at Jeff Bezos’s command, declined to endorse a presidential candidate, people instantly reacted by cancelling their Post subscriptions en masse. But soon the mood shifted as ...

In the fall of 2023, ILSR launched the CPR Campaign: Resuscitate the Climate in coalition with Zero Waste USA and the National Recycling Coalition to uplift waste reduction and materials conservation ...

On October 25th, 2024, ILSR participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Composting Education Hub (CEH) at the Agricultural History Farm Park in Montgomery County, Maryland. The CEH is the ...

The 8th National Cultivating Community Composting Forum (CCC24), hosted by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in partnership with Rust Belt Riders, took place from October 17 – 19, 2024 in ...

In 2022, Hawai’i enacted HB1992 HD3 SD1 CD1 (Act 131) to allow composting in agricultural districts by designating it as a permissible land use. The Act also establishes and funds new staff capacity ...

The first bookstore Danny Caine fell in love with was a suburban Cleveland outpost of a mega-chain. Since then, he has not only fallen in love with independent bookstores and other local businesses ...

What is Local Self-Reliance? Local self-reliance means that we, the people, are free to exercise power over our lives — how we provide for our families, how resources are shared and allocated in our ...