A Trusted Voice for Positive Change

July 1, 2006

In a world troubled by the consequences of an expanding global economy, the Schumacher Center is a trusted voice for positive change and citizen action, linking people, land, and community by building local economies. In this our twenty-sixth year staff, volunteers, and board of directors: Mourned the death of Jane Jacobs, champion of regional economies, … Continued

A Water Ethic | Scale of Economics

May 20, 2006

“A Water Ethic:  Cure for the Coming Crisis” is the title of author Kirpatrick Sale’s June 2nd lecture for the Great Barrington Land Conservancy. Mr. Sale will speak about how for centuries humans have attempted to have control and dominance over the forces of nature, most especially of water, but in the 21st century we have … Continued

Exuberant Episodes of Import-Replacing

April 27, 2006

Jane Jacobs died on Tuesday, just short of her ninetieth birthday, her son by her side. The 1983 Annual E. F. Schumacher Lecture program was my first introduction to the extraordinary intellect of Jane Jacobs. In her talk “The Economy of Regions,” she argued for regional economic diversity, complexity, and interdependence. She imagined a myriad … Continued

Building Sustainable Local Economies

April 21, 2006

The Schumacher Center cordially invites you to a seminar entitled Building Sustainable Local Economies: With Erbin Crowell, Eric Harris-Braun, Elizabeth Keen, Chris Lindstrom, Stephanie Mills, Alex Thorp, Chuck Turner, Greg Watson, Susan Witt, and other guest speakers May 24th to 28th of 2006, at the Schumacher Center Library and Simon’s Rock College of Bard in … Continued

New Frontier of Money

April 3, 2006

It is nearly two years since the Schumacher Center convened the conference “Local Currencies in the 21st Century.”  The event drew nearly 300 participants from thirteen countries to Bard College on the Hudson River.  It is widely agreed that the conference was a landmark event.  Some of the things people said: This was the best … Continued

Regathering Land in Gulf Coast Neighborhoods

March 11, 2006

The role of land in the economic system has challenged philosophers, economists, and social activists through the years.  E. F. Schumacher was one of many who wrote about “the land question.”  As a response to this question, in 1967 Robert Swann and colleagues formed the first community land trust in Albany, Georgia, as a way … Continued

Women in the Global and Local Economy

March 3, 2006

Frances Moore Lappé, co-author with her daughter of Hope’s Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet, will be the keynote speaker at the 5th Annual International Women’s Day Conference at Simon’s Rock College of Bard, Saturday, March 4th. The event is titled “Women in the Global and Local Economy: The Power of Connection” and … Continued

Building Urban Villages

January 26, 2006

As the gap widens between those with wealth and those without, it’s refreshing to find a community that is actively planning and creating its neighborhood so as to promote stability and homeownership, especially among its lower-income residents.  The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, one of the most innovative and well-respected planning and organizing nonprofits in the … Continued

Magnanimity of Disorder

December 28, 2005

This email could also be titled “Elbow Room for Order and Disorder.”  In his essay “Towards A Theory of Large-Scale Organisation,” reprinted below, economist Fritz Schumacher argues for so balancing the activities of large organizations that space remains for “the creative imagination rushing in where bureaucratic angels fear to tread.”  Drawing on his experience as … Continued

Economics for People

December 23, 2005

On October 16th, the Berkshire Eagle featured a story by Judith Monachina titled “Economics for People, Thinking Small: At 25 years, E. F. Schumacher Society still Holds to its Vision.”  Judith’s good article follows for your information. Throughout its twenty five years the Schumacher Center has been supported primarily by the generosity of its members—individuals … Continued

Connecting for Change

November 3, 2005

The Marion Institute convened the First Annual Bioneers by the Bay: Connecting for Change in Dartmouth, Massachusetts the weekend of October 14-16, 2005. The conference brought together people from around the Northeast concerned with the future of the earth and its inhabitants and was held in collaboration with similar gatherings in other regions inspired by the … Continued

Twenty-Fifth Annual E. F. Schumacher Lectures

October 17, 2005

On Saturday, October 22nd, the Schumacher Center is holding the Twenty-Fifth in its prestigious Annual Lecture programs.  The lectures bring outstanding environmental, social, and economic thinkers and activists to the Berkshires for an all day event. The lectures will be held at the First Congregational Church in Stockbridge beginning at 10:00AM and featuring Nancy Jack … Continued