The Schumacher Lectures

“No empire can be felled by beauty, but, thankfully, a human being can.” In his October 2021 E.F. Schumacher Lecture, Julian Aguon discusses the history of colonization in his homeland of Guam, as well as the cultural, environmental, and health impacts of these empire-building activities. But he also shares how the Indigenous Chamorro people are fighting for justice and self-determination in spite of the growing U.S. military buildup on the island. Aguon describes a limestone forest which the U.S. military plans to develop into a gun range—a forest which houses key medicinal plants as well as the remarkable eight-spot butterfly. Through fierce resistance to this proposed project, Aguon shares how Indigenous groups in Guam are demonstrating “the centrality of beauty in the struggle for collective liberation.”

In the culminating episode of the Schumacher Conversations series, distinguished farmer-activists Winona LaDuke and Leah Penniman connect to speak about climate-resilient agriculture, food justice, the solidarity economy, healing through land, and cultivating a resilient regional economy. Moderated by Jodie Evans, Schumacher Center board member and co-founder of CODEPINK: Women for Peace.

In this episode of the Schumacher Conversations series, Hazel Henderson and Juliet Schor offer their thoughts on the gig economy, platform cooperatives, moving beyond the growth imperative, UBI, how to transition to decentralized economic models, and more. Moderated by David Bollier, Director of the Schumacher Center's "Reinventing the Commons" program.

In the ninth installment of the Schumacher Conversation series, longtime stalwarts of the new economy movement, Neva Goodwin and Stewart Wallis, discuss regenerative agriculture, soil carbon sequestration, the well-being economy model, and the importance of diverse coalitions of changemakers. Moderated by Schumacher Center board member, Alice Maggio.

In the eighth episode of the Schumacher Conversation series, Otto Scharmer and Matt Stinchcomb reconnect to talk appropriate technology, innovative education practices, place-based collective action, and moving beyond the growth paradigm. Moderated by John Fullerton of the Capital Institute.

In the seventh episode of the Schumacher Conversations, Mary Berry and Bill McKibben emphasize the importance of imagining new models for living and being while resisting predominant economic, social, and ecological paradigms. They discuss the conditions necessary for implementing good farming practices on a wide scale as a way to combat the climate crisis. Moderated by Schumacher Center board member and CODEPINK co-founder, Jodie Evans.

Nwamaka Agbo and Stacy Mitchell discuss restorative economics, monopoly power, and individual versus collective ownership within the context of Black Lives Matter, coronavirus, and mass incarceration. Moderated by Schumacher Center board member, Niamh Leonard.

In this Schumacher Conversation, longtime friends Wes Jackson and David Orr skillfully exchange stories to reveal hidden truths about the present moment. The discussion ranges from sustainable agriculture and a potential back to the land movement, to the role of politics and the need to repair racial and economic injustices. This conversation took place on August 13, 2020 and was moderated by David Bollier, Director of the Schumacher Center's Reinventing the Commons Program.

In the fourth episode of the Schumacher Conversations series, longtime friends and colleagues Greg Watson and John Todd reconnect and talk ecological design, biomimicry, civic synergy, the future of farming, and racial justice. The conversation took place on August 6, 2020 and was moderated by Natasha Hulst, Director of the Schumacher Center's European Land Commons Program.

In this Schumacher Conversation, John McKnight and Gar Alperovitz discuss the centrality of community and appropriate scale in building a new economy, deliberate the necessary balance between the local and the global, and reflect on the importance of perseverance in creating meaningful change. The conversation took place on July 22, 2020 and was moderated by Jodie Evans, Schumacher Center board member and co-founder and co-director of CODEPINK.