Our March list of organizations is highlighted as part of our 50th Anniversary Celebration of E.F. Schumacher's Small is Beautiful
"The power of ordinary people… lies in placing their sympathy and support with minority groups which have already started."
— E.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful
The intent of our 2023 “Schumacher Conversations” series is to inspire audiences of various backgrounds and interests to “start where you are,” to join in ushering forward a more just and regenerative economy. Alongside each monthly conversation, we’ll be shining light on aligned organizations and initiatives that are championing social and economic transformation in their respective fields. In curating these groups, we intend to provide inspired listeners with conduits to action, connecting individuals looking to support or join in with those already doing the work.
Those recognized within our March theme, “Localizing Production: Communities Supporting Industry,” are those at the forefront of efforts to build equitable production ecosystems rooted in place. Groups and initiatives represent different approaches to the field, from those pioneering new economy ecosystems in their own communities to those advocating and coordinating local efforts at national or global scales.
- All Together Now Pennsylvania
- Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative
- The Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES)
- The Cleveland Clinic
- Cooperation Jackson
- The Institute for Local Self-Reliance
- Local Futures
- Neighborhood Sun
- Main Street Journal
- Shorefast
- Zingerman’s Community of Businesses
All Together Now Pennsylvania works to unite Pennsylvania’s rural and urban communities in building just, regenerative, and resilient economies that are self-reliant in basic needs—in order to increase community wealth and equity, reduce and sequester carbon, and prepare for climate change. The organization was founded by leader, writer, and speaker in the localization movement Judy Wicks. Wicks is co-founder of Common Future, a North American network of more than 125,000 local entrepreneurs, investors and philanthropists. In 2004 she delivered the Annual E.F. Schumacher Lecture, “Good Morning, Beautiful Business,” in which she shares the trials and triumphs of opening her sustainable and locally-minded small business White Dog Cafe.
Central to All Together Now PA’s work is organizing local industry coalitions in the areas of Local Food, Plant Medicine, Sustainable Building, Renewable Energy, Local Tourism, Recycling & Zero-Waste, and Clothing & Textiles. They are comprised of farmers, entrepreneurs, researchers, and investors. In an effort to fortify local supply chains, the coalitions connect and strengthen locally owned, independent businesses, including farms, processors, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers.
All Together Now PA is currently inviting individuals, guilds, businesses, and nonprofits to join in advocating a values-based regional fibershed and textile supply chain through their Clothing and Textile coalition. For see more opportunities to get involved, visit the “Volunteer” page on their website.
The Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative (BCDI) is a community-led planning and economic development organization based in the Bronx, New York. BCDI is a growing network of community and labor organizations, anchor institutions, and small businesses to build an equitable, sustainable, and democratic local economy that creates shared wealth and ownership for low-income people of color.
One of BCDI’s main projects is the Bronx Innovation Factory, which aims to position the Bronx as a leader in the advanced manufacturing sector through the creation of an educational, workforce, entrepreneurial, and community center that will inspire and generate innovations that matter to Bronx residents. The Bronx Innovation Factory currently holds public workshops and youth programs where Bronxites can learn the fundamentals of digital fabrication and electronics, including 3D modeling and printing, laser cutting, CNC machining, and Arduino.
In their effort to promote economic democracy and create a strong local economy, BCDI offers a free resource library on their website. Some of these resources include a Development without Displacement Toolkit, intended for Bronx organizers, activists, and residents, community partners, and community-based planners and developers, and an Economic Democracy Bookstore.
The Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) is a Manchester-based charity working towards a future where local economies benefit people, place, and the planet. CLES’s pioneering work on community wealth building is known internationally. They work with local governments of all scales, anchor institutions, the community and private sectors, and the public, bringing them together, connecting them to progressive agendas, devising solutions, and delivering change.
Part of the work of community wealth building is developing dense local supply chains of businesses likely to support local employment and retain wealth locally. CLES and Making Spend Matter have developed a spend analysis tool and guide to help individuals understand how thy can harness their procurement spend to make a difference for their place and communities.
CLES’s website is host to a number of publications and blogs that explain the principles and application of community wealth building. They also offer an Introduction to Community Wealth Building workshop.
The Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multi-specialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. The clinic is committed to sustainability and transparency, measuring their progress in accordance with the UN Global Compact’s Ten Principles, UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Reporting Initiative standards.
The Cleveland Clinic sees itself as more than just a healthcare organization. As an anchor institution—a major employer and provider of services in the community—the Clinic is a part of the social and economic fabric of the community. They are actively partnering with community leaders to help strengthen community resources and mitigate the impact of the social determinants of health. Recognizing employment as one of these determinants of health, the Clinic is committed to hiring locally. It is the largest employer in Ohio, and offers a variety of internships, shadowing experiences, and scholarship opportunities to young people.
Cooperation Jackson is an emerging vehicle for sustainable community development, economic democracy, and community ownership. The organization’s basic theory of change is centered on the position that organizing and empowering the structurally under and unemployed sectors of the working class, particularly from Black and Latino communities, to build worker organized and owned cooperatives will be a catalyst for the democratization of our economy and society overall. Their long term vision is to develop a cooperative network based in Jackson, Mississippi.
One of Cooperation Jackson’s core projects is the Community Production Initiative. The initiative is a campaign to turn Jackson into an innovative hub of sustainable manufacturing and fabrication that will help build and expand “community wealth” in the city. Cooperation Jackson is currently fundraising to build a Center for Community Production, which will be anchored by a Fabrication Laboratory (Fab Lab), and serve as a Fab Academy training center, a multi-stakeholder cooperative, a coding and digital programming innovation hub, a maker space, and the city’s first hub of community production
By visiting Cooperation Jackson’s website you can make a donation to support their Community Production Initiative. Another way you can support is by starting a Friends of Cooperative Jackson chapter, which serves as a solidarity and support vehicle to help raise funds, secure investors, promote the organization, build markets, and build national and international networks to advance their mission.
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) is a national research and advocacy organization that partners with allies from across the country to create an American economy that is driven by local priorities and accountable to people and the planet. ILSR believes that democracy can only thrive when economic and political power is widely dispersed and thus focus on building up local economies.
ILSR has five key initiatives, one of which is Composting for Community. This initiative is geared towards advancing local composting to create jobs, enhance soils, protect the climate, and reduce waste through advocacy, training, research, and coalition building.
Part of ILSR’s work is providing households and communities with the tools they need to support their own local economies. Through their Energy initiative, ILSR has a number of interactive tools on their website that demonstrate how communities across the country have worked with their city or utility to increase local clean energy, reduce energy use, and fight climate change. ILSR also produces five different thought-provoking podcasts that can be listened to directly from their website.
Local Futures is pioneering a worldwide localization movement. Through their films, books, toolkits, blog, podcast, webinars, workshops, conference, and campaigns they are raising awareness about the power of ‘going local’ as a key strategy for restoring ecological, social, and spiritual wellbeing.
One of Local Futures'key resources is their Localization Action Guide. The Guide is filled with tools and resources that offer practical actions to the many social, environmental, and economic problems we face. These actions don’t just treat symptoms, but begin to address root causes. They provide individuals, communities and organizations with avenues to both resist further globalization and rebuild local economies. With this guide Local Futures is empowering a localization movement on a global scale.
In addition to their own resources, Local Futures uses their website as a platform to carry and promote the work of other like-minded organizations. Under their “Action Resources” tab, you'll find their Maps of Alternatives page where there are many inspiring maps created by organizations from around the world, such as a Worldwide Permaculture Projects map and an Environmental Justice Atlas. Local Future’s Action Tools webpage is the perfect place to start taking part in the localization movement.
Neighborhood Sun is a community-focused, grassroots clean energy supplier based in Silver Spring, Maryland. They are committed to building wealth, health, and jobs for their community members and future generations. Anyone who pays an electric bill can receive clean energy and enjoy lower electric bills by joining one of Neighborhood Sun’s local solar farms.
With a belief that clean energy should not just be for the select few, Neighborhood Sun advocate community solar to make it available to all. Community Solar eliminates traditional barriers to solar, such as cost, location, and homeownership. And because community solar is 100% local energy, those who sign up with Neighborhood Sun are supporting green jobs in their communities.
By visiting the “Stories” tab on Neighborhood Sun’s website you can read the latest news from their solar community. For those living in Maryland or New Jersey and want to support Community Solar, Neighborhood Sun offers Customer Advocacy Packets for each state. They offer email templates, referral links for social media posts, and promotional materials for you to tell your friends and neighbors about Community Solar.
The Main Street Journal aims to unify, enlarge, and empower an emerging local investment movement through their bi-weekly newsletter. Published by former E.F. Schumacher lecturer Michael H Shuman, the Journal operates on the belief that, for the United States, shifting even a small fraction of the tens of trillions of dollars Americans have invested in Wall Street, to local businesses, projects, and people on Main Street, can have a huge impact on community prosperity, environmental sustainability, and social justice.
Published every other Thursday, The Main Street Journal’s newsletter offers a roundup of news, voices from their partners, and a list of key events providing their readers with an easy-to-use entry point into the field of local investing. Some of their newsletters include: “Co-ops can cure inflation”, “Who should develop your city’s land?”, “Invest in Ukraine”, and “Rewiring Western Massachusetts with local capital”.
If you want to learn more about local investing, visit The Main Street Journal’s website where they offer a number of informational videos, such as: “What does the word ‘local’ mean?”, “What’s the ‘multiplier effect’?”, and “Are local businesses competitive?”
Shorefast is a community-centered charity that operates a set of charitable programs and owns social businesses in service of the local communities across Canada. Shorefast’s businesses are economic engines for the community—they create meaningful employment, contribute to the local economy, and generate income to be reinvested through Shorefast’s charitable programs.
Shorefast was originally created to build economic and cultural resilience on Fogo Island Newfoundland. The organization has since erected four local businesses: Fogo Island Inn, Fogo Island Workshops, Fogo Island Fish, and Growlers Ice Cream. Profits made from these businesses go back to programs like the Shorefast Business Assistance Fund, which provides micro-loans to start or develop locally-owned businesses on Fogo Island.
By visiting the “Events and Resources” tab on their website, you can access Shorefast’s reading list, which offers a number of inspiring nonfiction and fiction books that cover a wide array of topics. Toward Sustainable Communities by Mark Roseland, Prosperity Without Growth by Tim Jackson, and A Guide for the Perplexed by E.F. Schumacher are just some of those listed.
Zingerman’s Community of Businesses was born out of a single business: Zingerman’s Delicatessen. Established in 1982 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the Deli quickly became a local institution. As a result of their success, rather than opening dozens of additional Delis across the country, Zingerman’s founders chose to stay local and provide growth opportunities for people in their community. They created Zingerman’s Community of Businesses—a collection of Zingerman businesses, each with its own specialty, each contributing to the success of the others, and all located in the Ann Arbor area.
There are currently ten Zingerman businesses, employing over 700 people. Some of the businesses include: a bakery, a creamery, a candy manufactory, a coffee shop, a publishing company, an event space, and a training space known as ZingTrain. Zingerman’s success has been attributed to their new and sustainable approach to work known as the “Zingerman’s model”. Created to share and teach this unique business model, ZingTrain offers in-person seminars and workshops, virtual workshops, customized training classes, books and pamphlets, and a variety of eLearning offerings.
You can learn more about Zingerman’s and their network of local small businesses by visiting Zingerman’s Community of Businesses website. If you are curious to know more about their business model, such as their use of open book management, visit the “Library” tab on ZingTrain’s website.