In 1980, Self-Reliance was founded by a group made up of the New Alchemy Institute, the Housing Assistance Corporation of Cape Cod and the Wompanoag Tribal Council to help communities on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket attain self-reliance in energy, water and food.

Our mission is to promote local environmental sustainability, primarily through renewable energy technologies and clean fuels such as biodiesel and renewably generated hydrogen. By educating and empowering the consumer, Self-Reliance acts as a catalyst in implementing cost-saving, pollution-reducing opportunities for homeowners, businesses and municipalities through the benefits of our community supported buying cooperative.

Selected Achievements

Self-Reliance’s efforts assured that the Massachusetts Restructuring Act protects the rights of municipalities to aggregate on behalf of their citizens, and to design and implement their own energy efficiency programs. The Cape Light Compact, made up of all 21 towns of Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard, now contracts for low electric rates and offers ratepayers the option of choosing to purchase green power.
Self-Reliance administered incentive funds for the installation of over 107 kilowatts of photovoltaics on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard.
Self-Reliance sponsored the first wind installers’ workshop at the Cape Cod Regional Technical High School, which resulted in the construction of the first grid-tied wind turbine on Cape Cod.
In 2004, Self-Reliance established Cape Cod as a Million Solar Roof partnership though the U.S. Department of Energy.
Since its inception Self-Reliance has provided technical assistance and subsidies to over 4,000 homeowners, businesses, churches, and agencies that invested more than $20 million to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings. The energy cost savings realized from these improvements is $3–$4 million each year.
Self-Reliance installed a wind data collection tower on the Massachusetts Military Reservation in January 1999 to track the extent of wind resources potentially available for use in the cleanup of toxic waste at this Superfund site.

Proudly making a difference in the following Cape Cod, Massachusetts towns and villages: Barnstable, Bourne, Brewster, Buzzards Bay, Centerville, Chatham, Cotuit, Craigville Dennis, Eastham, Falmouth, Harwich, Hyannis, Hyannisport, Marstons Mills, Mashpee, Orleans, Osterville, Provincetown, Sandwich, Truro, Wellfleet, Woods Hole, Yarmouth, Yarmouthport

Oil Cooperative also serves the following southeastern Massachusetts towns and cities: Abington, Acushnet, Assonet, Avon, Berkley, Braintree, Bridgewater, Brockton Brookline, Buzzards Bay, Canton, Carver, Cohasset, Dartmouth, Dedham, Dighton, Duxbury, East Bridgewater, Easton, Fairhaven, Fall River, Foxboro, Freetown (Assonet) Halifax, Hanover, Hanson, Hingham, Holbrook, Hull, Humarock, Kingston, Lakeville, Manomet, ,Mansfield, Marion, Marshfield, Mattapoisett, Middleboro, Milton, Needham New Bedford, Newton, Norfolk, North Carver, North Dartmouth, North Dighton, North Easton, Norton, Norwell, Norwood, Onset, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton, Quincy, Randolph Raynham, Rehoboth, Rochester, Rockland, Sagamore, Sagamore Beach, Scituate, Seekonk, Sharon, Somerset, South Carver, South Dartmouth, South Easton, Squantum (Quincy), Stoughton, Swansea, Taunton, Walpole, Wareham, West Bridgewater, Westport, Westport Point, Westwood, Weymouth, White Horse Beach (Manomet), Whitman

Physical address:
1396 Route 28A, Cataumet, MA 02534

Mailing address:
PO BOX 396, North Falmouth, MA 02556

Toll-Free: 888.808.0120 or 508.563.6633 Fax: 508.563.1123
Email: reliance@reliance.org

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Cape & Islands Self-Reliance Corporation History

Cape & Islands Self-Reliance Corporation

History