E. F. Schumacher Society Capital Campaign

I was just reading again this morning Sir Albert Howard's introduction to The Soil and Health, in which he says that, "one small example always outweighs a ton of theory." I think that you all, more than anybody I know, have furnished us the redeeming small examples without which we would be wandering around in theory.
— Wendell Berry

As stewards of the Fritz Schumacher's personal library and papers, we at the E. F. Schumacher Society recognize that in our care is an archive every bit as important to the sustainable development movement as Dr. Martin Luther King's library and papers are to the civil rights movement.  Schumacher was a pioneer in his integrated thinking about environmental issues.  His work offers a clear and compelling vision for a new course of action.  Properly stewarded and made more publicly accessible, his library and papers can inspire development and implementation of effective community responses to our current environmental crisis.

In order to make the library and papers of E. F. Schumacher more publicly known and available for research purposes, the E. F. Schumacher Society is undertaking a $550,000 Campaign to complete an additional 1,800 square feet of library space, and secure a full-time librarian for two years to work with the collection.

It was 1987 when the E. F. Schumacher Society bought a large, unfinished building on Jug End Mountain in the Berkshire region of Massachusetts. With the good help of many volunteers and donations from E. F. Schumacher Society Members, Robert Swann, the founding President of the Society, renovated he upper 2,000 square feet of the building he has constructed in 1980 and 1981 to house the Society's offices and the E. F. Schumacher Library. This space has served well, but as the Society's programs and library collection continue to grow, additional room and modifications are necessary to manage programs more efficiently and professionally.

The 1,800 square feet first floor of the Library building offers the perfect place for the organization to grow its activities. Over the past few years, with donations from members, additional work has been done on the building in preparation for renovation of this space.

•  A new septic system was installed to accommodate future use of the building;
•  The foundation of the building was cleaned, sealed, waterproofed, and insulated to secure the ground level ahead of renovation work;
•  Underground electric and phone services were upgraded;

On October 17, 2002, beloved E. F. Schumacher Society Director, Gustav Petersen died. Gustav was a businessman, a poet, and the brother-in-law of Fritz Schumacher. It was at his suggestion that the Society requested of Vreni Schumacher that her husband's books and papers be given to the E. F. Schumacher Library. Fritz Schumacher's collection is the jewel in the crown of this important research Library. To honor Gustav, his love of nature, and his long time association with the work of the Society, his friends have established the Gustav Petersen Memorial Orchard and Garden on the grounds of the Library building. In November of 2002, volunteers planted the trees and shrubs—an edible landscape of peaches, plums, blueberries, currants, and gooseberries, all adding to the natural beauty of the setting.

There still remains the work of completing the first level of the building which will provide an additional 1,800 square feet of office, book shelves, and meeting space.

Before his untimely death in June of 2004, architect Joe Wasserman, a long time friend of the E. F. Schumacher Society worked with suggestions from staff and with Bob Swann's original design for the building to develop plans for the lower level. The plans call for a new ground floor entrance, wheel chair accessible bathroom, librarian's office, archival storage, humidity and heat controlled environment, stairs to the upper level, lots of storage area, and a small theater space which can convert into a conference/meeting area and research room.

E. F. Schumacher Society Background

Founded in 1980, the E. F. Schumacher Society was named for British economist Fritz Schumacher, author of Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered. The Society conducts lecture and conference programs, publishes papers and books, and maintains a research library. Actively working to shape diverse regional economies based on social and ecological principles, the Society is known for its model programs that encourage citizen support of local producers and foster a culture of care and respect for people, land, and community.

The E. F. Schumacher Society is aided by the generosity of its members.
We are grateful for their continuing support.

Board of Directors: Jessica Brackman, Starling Childs, Merrian Fuller, Hildegarde Hannum, Eric Harris-Braun, Constance Packard, Joe Stanislaw, Nancy Jack Todd, and Charles Turner.

Board of Founders: Ian Baldwin, David Ehenfeld, John McClaughry, Satish Kumar, and Kirkpatrick Sale.

Advisory Board: Tanya Berry, Wendell Berry, Thomas Berry, Lisa Byers, Olivia Dreier, Hazel Henderson, Wes Jackson, Amory Lovins, John McKnight, David Orr, Michael Shuman, Cathrine Sneed, Lewis Solomon, John Todd, Greg Watson, and Arthur Zajonc.

Staff: Executive Director, Susan Witt; Special Projects Coordinator, Christopher Lindstrom; Webmaster and Publications, Peter Tiso; Outreach coordinator, Michael Gordon; Office Systems, Kristen Fix.

Tuesday Volunteers: Al Acciani, Ann Braxton, Jean Dillard, Sara Hudson, Seth Jordan, Wanda Weigert, Elinor Hamill, and others.

I have followed the work of the E. F. Schumacher Society as an interested outsider since 1983, and my observations are that it is led by responsible, experienced, tenacious, and—it would not be going too far to say—brilliant people. They are capable of bringing visions to reality and then carrying through.
—Jane Jacobs

Please join with others to help the E. F. Schumacher Society meet its Capital Campaign Goal of $550,000.

The Board of Directors thanks you for your contribution:

Please make your tax-deductible gift to:
E. F. Schumacher Society, 140 Jug End Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230 USA

Go to the secure online donation form (Visa/Mastercard) or use the printable donation form and send by mail.

To arrange a donation of stock or securities, please contact Susan Witt at the Society's office: (413) 528-1737, efssociety@smallisbeautiful.org

 

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