September 26, 2014
Judy Wicks will deliver a Schumacher Lecture on October 10th at the John Dewey Academy, Searles Castle. Her talk “Building a New Economy: What’s Love Got to Do With It?” draws upon her extensive experience as a leader in the localization movement. She has been called the Alice Waters of the Northeast for her role … Continued
September 9, 2014
The pursuit of a new economics has broad implications. Our Earth is in crisis; our communities are in crisis. At the heart of these twin issues is an economic system that treats land, air, water, and minerals—our common inheritance—as commodities to be bought and sold on the market. An economic system that distributes the income … Continued
August 5, 2014
A growing number of young people know what must be done to cure our ailing global economy. They are not only protesting a failing system but are also building its replacement. New agrarians are being met by fellow new economists in urban neighborhoods, small towns, and remote villages. They are coming home—a Generation Local. You will … Continued
July 18, 2014
In his new book, With Liberty and Dividends for All: How to Save Our Middle Class When Jobs Don’t Pay Enough, Peter Barnes continues the current discussion about wealth inequality. In his argument that the middle class will be unable to sustain their lifestyle on wages alone, he echoes the analysis of Thomas Piketty in Capital … Continued
July 7, 2014
Thomas Piketty’s book Capital in the 21st Century has placed a proverbial line in the sand for all those concerned with inequality of wealth distribution. Piketty is an economic historian. In his book he documents the fact that owners of capital assets – including stocks, bonds, and real estate – have historically realized a financial return higher … Continued
July 4, 2014
In his presentation at the 1974 Agriculture for a Small Planet Symposium in Spokane, Washington, Wendell Berry remarked: “Few people, whose testimony would have mattered, have seen the connection between the modernization of agricultural techniques and disintegration of the culture and the communities of farming.” “This community killing agriculture, with its monomania of bigness, is not primarily the work … Continued
June 30, 2014
In her opening address at the 2014 BALLE conference held in Oakland, California in June, Michelle Long set out 12 steps for building strong local economies that serve both people and planet. Promote a culture of local, cooperative and community ownership Build entrepreneurial capacity to meet local needs and to innovate for the greater good Align workers, … Continued
May 22, 2014
We are pleased to share the following news and resources: Welcome to New Board Members Matt Stinchcomb is Vice President of Values and Impact at Etsy, a marketplace where people around the world connect to buy and sell unique goods. The Company’s mission, inspired by the work of E. F. Schumacher, is to re-imagine commerce in … Continued
May 2, 2014
At a seminar held in the Schumacher Center Library this fall, Gar Alperovitz provocatively posed the question: “If you don’t like Capitalism and you don’t like Socialism, what do you want?” The responses he received indicated both a confidence in solutions initiated by citizens working in their local economies and a distrust of purely political … Continued
April 21, 2014
Wes Jackson does not apologize for thinking long-term. He knows such visioning is a practical necessity for achieving a transition to an agriculture that restores and conserves the health of the soil while mitigating the effects of climate change. He is a plant geneticist, after all, trained to consider future generations. At The Land Institute, … Continued
April 14, 2014
What does a new economy built on principles of fairness and sustainability look like? How do we model it; where is it emerging; how do we collectively strategize to fully implement it? These are the pressing questions of our time. The Schumacher Center’s speakers are pioneers in the development of a new economy. Together they … Continued
April 8, 2014
A new generation of young, well-prepared, and sustainable farmers is on the rise, ready to establish themselves securely on the land. Inspired by the opportunity to do meaningful, healthy, and productive work by rebuilding regional food systems, these entrepreneurs form a powerful force for the future of ecologically informed agriculture. By raising food locally for … Continued