May 30, 2019
While reviewing early Schumacher Center newsletters, we found this April 1985 reminder of Martin Buber’s contribution to new economic/social thinking. Buber On The Social Future We came to trust Martin Buber for his careful record of the human spirit in its process of observing itself in relation to the universe. In his book I And Thou, Buber … Continued
May 10, 2019
Fogo Island is located northeast of the island of Newfoundland. 150 square miles in size, it is home to 2,500 persons. Beginning in 1954 the Canadian government introduced a resettlement plan for Newfoundland that encouraged populations in remote areas to relocate to more inhabited centers, arguing that government could not continue to provide needed services … Continued
April 24, 2019
Shallots, radish, peas, chard, lettuce, onions, and cilantro seeds are in the ground. The remaining garden beds must wait until May when the soil is warmer. Our excuse for planting so much is the anticipation of having summer lunches with visitors at the Schumacher Library. But the truth is, planting seeds in April, in the … Continued
February 13, 2019
We are pleased to share Greg Watson’s review of John Todd’s newly released book Healing Earth: An Ecologist’s Journey of Innovation and Environmental Stewardship (2019, North Atlantic Books). John Todd has been a pioneer in the field of ecological design and engineering for nearly five decades. Greg Watson first worked with Todd in the 1970’s at the New Alchemy Institute on Cape … Continued
January 24, 2019
In her June 2018 TEDxYouth talk at Mount Everett Regional School, Alice Maggio, former Director of Programs at the Schumacher Center and Executive Director of BerkShares Inc., described a perennial economy that we can build together. “What could be an image for the kind of economy that we want to build (one that is much more … Continued
December 31, 2018
Forty years ago the Institute for Community Economics, led by Robert Swann in Cambridge, Massachusetts, launched the first investment fund with positive criteria. Until that time investment screens used negative criteria– no alcohol or tobacco stocks, for instance. Pax World Fund excluded military supply companies from its portfolio. Students were lobbying universities to pull out of investments in South … Continued
December 24, 2018
In his article for Non-Profit Quarterly, Steve Dubb examines how community wealth can be built through land. He sees the development of community land trusts as a strategy for achieving broader land redistribution. We are grateful to NPG for their permission to republish Dubb’s article for Schumacher Center friends. Best wishes for the New Year, Schumacher Center Staff … Continued
December 21, 2018
On Saturday, October 27th, Leah Penniman and Ed Whitfield delivered the 38th Annual E. F. Schumacher Lectures celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of W. E. B. Du Bois. Ed Whitfield, co-founder and co-managing director of the Fund for Democratic Communities, has written and spoken extensively on non-extractive finance, reparations, and building investment structures that support community self-determination. … Continued
December 18, 2018
Above is Greg Watson’s wonderful drawing of the “big room” upstairs at the Schumacher Center’s Library. Strolling through, Bob Swann is smiling to see all the eager young researchers in the building that he designed and constructed. Jane Jacobs, wearing her iconic glasses, is mentoring a young community economist just as she mentored our own … Continued
December 7, 2018
Since 1981 the Schumacher Center has envisioned, organized, and conducted its Annual E. F. Schumacher Lectures program, inviting speakers from around the globe to share their stories and their view of the world as it could and should be. Together they are responsible for the creation of multiple organizations, initiatives, and publications that are addressing … Continued
December 4, 2018
Below is Greg Watson’s latest piece on offshore wind power and the opportunity of diversifying wealth in its production. We are pleased to share it to you. Best wishes, Schumacher Center Staff “Wealth is the technological ability to protect, nurture and support the needs of life.” -Buckminster Fuller, “Buckminster Fuller Talks Politics” by Lightning … Continued
October 30, 2018
“A culture is not a collection of relics or ornaments, but a practical necessity, and its corruption invokes calamity. A healthy culture is a communal order of memory, insight, value, work, conviviality, reverence, aspiration. It reveals the human necessities and the human limits. It clarifies our inescapable bonds to the earth and to each other. It … Continued