Building Local Power
Episodes
Internet as a Human Right: Christopher Mitchell on Community Networks
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You'd think a company with as many resources, employees, and facilities as AT&T or Comcast would have good customer service. Surely, with all the bill...
Why Solving Waste Has To Be Local: Brenda Platt on Sustainability and Community
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We hear it again and again on this show: neighborhoods that are presumed less likely to fight back are taken advantage of by huge corporations and mon...
Why Clean Energy Is Not Enough: John Farrell on Lessons from David Morris
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When ILSR co-founder David Morris published his pamphlet The Dawning of Solar Cells in 1975, nearly the only people using solar power were those in th...
The Problems You Can Solve: Stacy Mitchell on David Morris’s Legacy
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode of Building Local Power, we continue our series honoring ILSR's co-founder David Morris, who passed away in June. One way to me...
What Cities Can Do: Remembering David Morris
03 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, we recently received some shocking news as we learned of the sudden passing of our beloved co-founder, ...
Increasing Internet Access at the Speed of Trust: Sean Gonsalves on the Digital Equity Act
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act represented one of the largest ever investments in broadband infrastructure. Many in the digital equit...
The Human Side of Government Work: Paola Santana on Procurement
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The United States government is one of the biggest purchasers in the world. Few people or entities spend more money on more goods and services. Add st...
The Champion of Local Champions: Recast City’s Ilana Preuss
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One way to build local power is to catalyze change directly in your community. Another, equally important method is to catalyze the catalysts. To real...
The Diner Building Community In Times of Crisis: Ladybird’s Meg Heriford
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Saturday, March 14, 2020, was even busier than the typical bustling Saturday at Ladybird Diner in Lawrence, Kansas. Bottles of handmade hand sanitizer...
Where Things Are Happening: Ron Knox on the State(s) of Antitrust
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ron Knox was a successful reporter covering antitrust and antimonopoly issues until he couldn't take it any more. His growing passion for the fight ag...
Civil Unrest, Group Chats, and Representation: Rachel Hernandez on Governing as a First-Gen Mayor
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In late 2024, Rachel Hernandez ran a successful campaign to become mayor of Riverbank, California. A small town at the top of the state's central vall...
“A Little Odd, but A Little Amazing”: Adriana Valdez Young and the Secret Mall Apartment
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the early 2000s, a behemoth rose above Providence, Rhode Island. The massive Providence Place Mall was heralded as the solution to Providence's 199...
Taking a Risk for Rural Economic Growth with Dante Pittman
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The third episode in the Building Local Power, The New Class series finds us talking to North Carolina State Rep Dante Pittman, recently elected to re...
From Neighborhood Streets to City Hall with Zac Blanchard
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The second episode in the Building Local Power, The New Class series finds us talking to Baltimore City Councilman Zac Blanchard, who recently won a t...
Staying Local at the Statehouse with Tristan Rader
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is the first in our new season of Building Local Power, The New Class, where we are talking to interesting changemakers among the state a...
How Structural Racism Fuels American Monopolies
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The inspiration for this season of Building Local Power is ILSR's Power Play report, written by ILSR senior editor and researcher Susan Holmberg. Sue...
“The Bad Target”: The Rise of Consumer Redlining
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
AI technology and large language models are growing in popularity. Also growing is the technology's detrimental effect on the environment. Each query ...
A Rebalancing Act: How We Restore Local Power in 2025
26 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
ILSR co-executive directors Stacy Mitchell and John Farrell join Reggie Rucker to discuss the year in ILSR and the issues we care about. What did the ...
The Environmental Inequity of AI
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
AI technology and large language models are growing in popularity. Also growing is the technology's detrimental effect on the environment. Each query ...
Pizza, DMs, and Solidarity: Filming the Amazon Labor Fight
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In March, 2020, Amazon warehouse worker Chris Smalls led a walkout protesting a lack of Covid-19 safety measures at the JFK8 warehouse in Staten Islan...
Amazon, Labor, and Race
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For many years, Reverend Ryan Brown has been a picker at Amazon's RDU1 warehouse outside of Raleigh, NC. In 2020, he was asked to work in a part of th...
Bookstores and Local Power with BLP’s New Host, Danny Caine
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 in...
The Will and the Way to Revive ‘the Mecca’
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The destruction of Dorr Street in Toledo, Ohio isn’t just a story of physical destruction; it's about the dismantling of crucial social infrastructu...
Mending Broken Promises on Dorr Street
04 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Toledo’s Dorr Street bears the deep scars of federal policies that stripped away Black economic power and prosperity. Once a thriving center of Blac...
A Heyday in the Toledo Life
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Johnetta Turner McCollough and her husband, Nelson, ran The Spot, a popular restaurant on Dorr Street, Toledo, that was more than just a business—it...
Rediscovering Toledo’s Black Wall Street
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lifelong Toledo resident Doris Greer takes us back to a time when Dorr Street was the heart of Black wealth, culture, and community. Doris vividly rec...
Healthy Skepticism of Pharmacy Giants is Spreading
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Independent pharmacies are the unsung heroes of healthcare, providing critical services that chain pharmacies simply can't match. On this summer speci...
Absolute Power Corrupting Our Energy System
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the groundbreaking report Upcharge: Hidden Costs of Electric Utility Monopoly Power, John Farrell exposes the severe environmental, financial, and ...
A National Strategy for Community Composting
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Last month, the Biden White House released its National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics. ILSR’s Julia Spector joins...
DOJ Takes On Live Nation/Ticketmaster
11 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 2019, we aired an episode titled "Independent Musicians and the Antimonopoly Movement," which explored the impact of industry concentration on inde...
Inside Scoop on Local News’ Future
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Veteran journalist, Harry Jaffe, reflects on his four-decade career dedicated to covering some of Washington D.C.’s stories, emphasizing the crucial...
Reviving the Riverfront, and D.C.
30 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 2000, Uwe Brandes moved to Washington, D.C. to join Mayor Williams' administration with a bold vision to transform the Anacostia River waterfront, ...
Essential Tools for Neighborhood Revitalization
16 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Arriving in the nation's capital in the mid-90s, Gina Schaefer found herself drawn to Logan Circle, a neighborhood that had been scarred by the riots ...
The Seed of Local Power
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1974, in Washington D.C., amidst a backdrop of economic turbulence and social unrest, the seeds of the Institute for Local Self-reliance were sown....
Giving DC Its Flowers
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Born and raised in DC, Kehmari Norman established her flower shop to bridge culture and floristry. The visionary behind Blk Flower Market drew from he...
New Generational Wealth in Detroit
04 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the heart of Detroit, a movement is underway to rebuild democracy and economic power from the ground up. The Detroit Community Wealth Fund sits at ...
It Takes an Avalon Village
21 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mama Shu’s journey began with a profound commitment: healing her community. Despite the challenges faced by her hometown of Highland Park, Mama Shu ...
Detroit Has No Time to Waste Food
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Reneé’s journey began with a simple idea: composting isn’t just about reducing waste — it’s about building communities. Reneé V. Wallace, ex...
Feeding Detroit
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lanay Gilbert-Williams, born and raised in Detroit, experienced a childhood marked by both trauma and love, instilling in her a deep sense of communit...
Writing Detroit’s Next Chapter
08 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A vibrant independent bookstore symbolizes a shared community enthusiasm for learning, discovery, heritage, and progress. Source Booksellers, nestled ...
The City Series
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In our new season of Building Local Power, The City Series, we take a tour of cities and towns across the U.S. and talk to guests who are working to m...
How to Get Away With Merger Season Recap
21 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past fifty years, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Department of Justice (DOJ), and the judiciary have consistently approved mergers and a...
Cleanup on Aisle 1990
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is this the end of a grocery merger era that began with 385 grocery mergers from 1996-1999 alone? As news about the impending Federal Trade Commission...
Sparking a Community Broadband Revolution
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In many places across the country, broadband communications provider, Sparklight, has a monopoly in rural towns where they price gouge their customers...
Consolidation in the Cord-Cutting Era
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2015, Charter Spectrum bought Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, a mammoth merger in the telecommunications and cable industry that made ...
Investment Funds v. A Democratic Future
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Permian Basin, the largest producing oil field in the United States, is located in Texas. JP Morgan is a major shareholder of the Permian Basin an...
New Mexicans v. Fossil Fuel Giants
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2020, Avangrid, backed by its parent company, Iberdrola, filed their case to buy Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM). Over the next three ye...
BlackRock v. Black Gold
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2022, international investment firm BlackRock acquired Vanguard Renewables, to help Vanguard drastically expand its number of large-scale anaerobic...
A Rotten Waste Merger
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lead Editor at Waste Dive, Cole Rosengren, explains how the Waste Management and Advanced Disposal merger further consolidated the $90 billion annual ...
Beer Mergers Brew Disaster
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the late 1800’s there were 4,000 breweries. By the 1970’s, just 40 companies operated 89 breweries. ILSR’s Ron Knox explains how the beer ind...
How To Get Away With Merger (Season Preview)
31 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our new season shatters the deceptive facade often employed by merging companies that claim their consolidation will benefit consumers.… Read More
Keeping My Public Options Open
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Building Local Power, Chris Noble, the Director of Organizing at Health Access California, and Allison Hardt, the Community Develop...
Broadband is Good for Your Health
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kay Eady, a lifelong Georgian, fondly recalls spending her childhood playing baseball with her siblings, reading at the library, and admiring her moth...
Left Out in the Coal
10 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From an early age, Rose was taught that if you see a problem, you have a responsibility to do something about it. Now in her 70s and living just seven...
Housing Is Where the Heart Is
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Jasmine’s apartment roof started caving in, she asked her landlords to fix it. Instead of fixing it, the landlord gave her an ultimatum: accept...
Composters Dreaming, Investors Scheming
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2022, in the small town of Alpine, California, Raquel Nuñez founded Cuatro Vientos, a community composting project that brings environmental and c...
Graying of the Fleet
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Twenty-five years ago, there were over 2,000 commercial shrimp boats in Mississippi. Today, that number has fallen to around 200. This trend is not un...
A Country with No Farmers
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“A country with no farmers is no country at all,” says Shad Dasher, owner of The Onion Man Company, an onion farm in Glennville, Ga., on this epis...
A Food Oasis in North Tulsa
16 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine sitting in a remote region of the Sahara desert. The sun is scorching hot, the dry air is stifling, and there are no trees, no water, and no l...
Toledo Takes Dollar Stores to Church
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Rev. Dr. Donald Perryman was born and raised into the Black church in Toledo, Ohio. Since 1997, he has served as the Senior Pastor at The Center o...
Shifting the Paradigm, One Community at a Time
29 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For our final Building Local Power episode of 2022, we invited Co-Founder, David Morris, to offer a history lesson on the self-reliance framework that...
Community Broadband’s Broad Appeal
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Building Local Power, Christopher Mitchell and Sean Gonsalves talk about the work that immediately lies ahead for the broad array o...
Breaking Bad Energy
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The three members from ILSR's energy team engage in a riveting conversation on the biggest energy stories from 2022, including the Inflation Reduction...
Unpacking the Year in Composting
03 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Building Local Power, members of the Composting for Community team, Brenda Platt and Clarissa Libertelli, explain how their accompl...
A Renewable Rural America
20 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Building Local Power, Josh Ewing, Director of the Rural Climate Partnership, explains how we must put rural America at the forefron...
A Short-Term Win, A Long-Term Target
06 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Building Local Power Alejandro Roark, the Chief of Consumer and Governmental Affairs at the FCC tells a captivating journey of his ...
A Renaissance for Black Voices and Spaces
22 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Building Local Power, we are joined by Brandi Collins-Dexter, author of Black Skinhead: Reflections on Blackness and our Political Future...
Inflation: The True Monopoly Story
25 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
"For every crime, you need means, motive, and opportunity," Rakeen Mabud explained on the Building Local Power podcast. Executives at some of the larg...
Creating New Narratives: Youth Are the Present — Episode 157 of Building Local Power
11 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
"Young people have the energy to respond immediately to crises," Addison Turner, Worcester Youth Cooperatives organizer, stated in a new documentary "...
Maps Can Make or Break Communities’ Broadband Futures — Episode 152 of Building Local Power
02 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Building Local Power, host Jess Del Fiacco is joined by members of ILSR's Community Broadband Networks team: Ry Marcattilio-McCrack...
Policy Progress and Coalition Building — Episode 151 of Building Local Power
19 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Building Local Power, host Jess Del Fiacco is joined by several ILSR colleagues: Susan R. Holmberg, Katie Kienbaum, and Sophia Jone...
In New York and Oregon, Canning Reduces Waste and Changes Lives — Episode 150 of Building Local Power
05 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Building Local Power, host Jess Del Fiacco and Neil Seldman, Director of ILSR's Waste to Wealth initiative are joined by several gu...
Building Local Power Highlight: People Love Local Food. Yet Local Farmers are Disappearing. What’s Going On?
14 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Leah Douglas is a reporter at Reuters covering the politics of food, agriculture, and the environment. Douglas discusses how the poultry industry is s...
Building Local Power Highlight: Democratizing Antitrust with Harry First
03 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Harry First, law professor and co-director of New York University’s Competition, Innovation, and Information Law Program discusses moving antitrust ...
Building Local Power Highlight: Independent Musicians and the Anti-Monopoly Movement
17 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kevin Erickson, Director of the Future of Music Coalition discusses how music is being impacted by monopoly power and what kind of marketplace breeds ...
Building Local Power Highlight: Centering Racial Justice in the Antimonopoly Fight
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this miniseries, we return to our most insightful podcast conversations. These five minute episodes highlight critical themes that are still releva...
Building Local Power Highlight: Is Amazon Picking Winners and Losers Among America’s Cities
20 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this miniseries, we return to our most insightful podcast conversations. These five minute episodes highlight critical themes that are still releva...
Building Local Power Highlight: Zephyr Teachout on Building an Antimonopoly Movement
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this miniseries, we return to our most insightful podcast conversations. These five minute episodes highlight critical themes that are still releva...
Building Local Power Highlight: David Dayen Talks America’s Monopoly Problem
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this miniseries, we return to our most insightful podcast conversations. These five minute episodes highlight critical themes that are still releva...
Small Businesses Rise Up
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Building Local Power, three members of ILSR’s Independent Business team, Lauren Gellatly, Katy Milani, and Kennedy Smith, answer:...
Should Big Utilities Pay for Their Bad Choices? — Episode 117 of Building Local Power
07 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Host John Farrell, Co-Director of ILSR, interviews Leslie Glustrom, founding member of Clean Energy Action, an organization working on accelerating th...
A Cornucopia of Policy Opportunities in the New Year — Episode 115 of Building Local Power
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we look forward to upcoming policy opportunities. We discuss the status of small businesses across the country and the creative solut...
How Local Control Empowers Cities to Fight Climate Change (Episode 109)
17 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Host Jess Del Fiacco talks with John Farrell, Director of ILSR's Energy Democracy Initiative, about how cities are taking action around climate change...
Zephyr Teachout on Building an Antimonopoly Movement (Episode 108)
03 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Zephyr Teachout, author of the new book Break 'Em Up, shares her thoughts on building an antimonopoly movement, what she finds encouraging and discour...
Can the People Take Power Back From Big Tech? (Episode 107)
20 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Host Jess Del Fiacco talks to ILSR's Stacy Mitchell and Ron Knox about the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee's recent hearing on monopoly power i...
David Dayen Talks America’s Monopoly Problem (Episode 106)
06 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Building Local Power, host Jess Del Fiacco is joined by Chris Mitchell, director of ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks Initiativ...
Why Our Best Opportunity to Challenge Corporate Control is at the Local Level (Episode 105)
23 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Building Local Power, host Jess Del Fiacco is joined by Zach Freed, researcher with ILSR's Independent Business initiative, and Joh...
Mainers Consider Putting Electricity, Internet in Local Hands (Episode 103)
25 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Building Local Power, host Jess Del Fiacco is joined by Christopher Mitchell, director of ILSR's Community Broadband Initiative, an...
Local Compost Enterprise Cultivates a Just and Healthy Community (Episode 102)
11 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Building Local Power, host Jess Del Fiacco is joined by Brenda Platt, Director of ILSR's Composting for Community Initiative, and K...
How Cities and States Are Stepping up to Help Small Businesses in Crisis (Episode 101)
28 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Host Jess Del Fiacco talks with Kennedy Smith, Senior Researcher with ILSR's Independent Business initiative, about efforts at the state and local lev...
Locally-Owned Hardware Stores Show Flexibility and Resilience in the Face of COVID-19 (Episode 100)
14 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Host Jess Del Fiacco and ILSR Co-Director John Farrell speak with Gina Schaefer, owner of A Few Cool Hardware Stores in the D.C. area. Gina talks abou...
Small Businesses Wait for Help While Amazon Profits From Pandemic (Episode 99)
30 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Chris, John, Stacy, and Jess discuss the bumpy rollout of federal relief funding for America's small businesses, which are facing an unprecedented cri...
Home Rule Empowers Cities to Innovate, Confront Challenges (Episode 98)
16 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Host Christopher Mitchell speaks with Fordham Law School Professor Nestor Davidson and National League of Cities Research Director Christiana McFarlan...
Independent Pharmacies are on the Front Lines of COVID-19 Care (Episode 97)
09 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Host Zach Freed speaks with Jim Hrncir, owner of Las Colinas Pharmacy in Irving, Texas. Zach and Jim discuss how independent pharmacies are responding...
How States and Cities Are Leading the Clean Energy Revolution (Episode 96)
02 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jess Del Fiacco talks with ILSR Co-Director John Farrell about recent publications from ILSR's Energy Democracy initiative, including the Community Po...
The Pandemic is Pushing Main Street Toward Collapse (Episode 95)
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This special episode of Building Local Power features a timely conversation between Stacy Mitchell, Co-Director of ILSR, and small business owner Sand...
Coronavirus Shows How Inequity Makes Us Vulnerable (Episode 94)
18 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Host Jess Del Fiacco talks with Stacy Mitchell, Co-Director of ILSR, and Christopher Mitchell, Director of ILSR’s Community Broadband initiative, ab...
Botanical Garden in NYC is a Hub for Composting, Food Recovery, Locally Grown Food (Episode 93)
05 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Host Brenda Platt speaks with Elsa Higby and Aleks Jagiello of the Queens Botanical Garden Farm and Compost Site. Their site is a part of the New York...
Localism vs. Populism: Global Movements Against Centralization (Episode 92)
20 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Host Christopher Mitchell is joined by ILSR Co-Founder David Morris for a wide-ranging conversation about whether or not modern populist movements are...
Podcast Share: Green Dreamer – Decentralized Energy and Natural Disasters (Bonus Episode)
26 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week we’re bringing you a bonus episode from our friends at the Green Dreamer podcast. Green Dreamer is a podcast for those who are yearning to...