Newsletters

Models of Decentralization

We are pleased to announce that Amory Lovins will be one of the speakers at the Twenty-First Annual E. F. Schumacher Lectures scheduled for October 27th in Amherst, Massachusetts. Lovin’s work to develop a hydrogen fueled car was front page story in the January 9th Wall Street Journal. The prototype Hypercar® is an elegantly designed, sports utility vehicle that boasts 99 miles to the gallon. Lovins’ determination to raise funds for full scale production of the vehicle is influencing the automobile industry to develop their own alternative models.

The Hypercar is just one of many practical approaches that Lovins has taken to foster reduction of energy consumption and encourage the decentralization of energy production. His comprehensive understanding of fossil fuel driven technologies makes his arguments persuasive. His clear analysis of the implications of escalating levels of energy consumption encourages critical dialogue between producers and consumers.

While Amory Lovins and other green energy pioneers are working to develop the technologies for a new age, the Schumacher Center continues to develop model decentralized economic institutions to complement these technologies. The Schumacher Center Library was assembled to provide a comprehensive academic resource on the history, theory, and practice of building local economies shaped by the necessities of their unique landscapes and the preferences of their local cultures. The goal of the Center over the next few years is to make the Library’s resources more broadly accessible to a new generation of leaders.

As last year’s Schumacher speakers so eloquently argue, the increasing centralization of economic and technological power into the hands of a relatively few giant corporations demands an urgent response. The Center is at the forefront of identifying, shaping, and stewarding successful models of decentralization. Please help support this effort by renewing your membership.

Share: