Schumacher College is proud to announce the first screening of the forthcoming film ‘Animate Earth’, a documentary film written and presented by the College’s resident ecologist Dr Stephan Harding.
For this month’s newsletter, we focus in on our postgraduate programmes which are now open for applications. Alongside our MSc Holistic Science and our MA Economics for Transition which started this academic year, we are excited to announce a pioneering programme – MSc Sustainable Horticulture and Food Production – which is currently in development for 2012.
Clearly it’s time for new thinking on the future of economics, but what solutions are available to us? What forms of enterprise can replace the unsustainable businesses of today and what models of organisation could lead to healthier and more resilient enterprises that can weather economic storms whilst treading more lightly on the planet?
How can we find the energy and enthusiasm for sustainable living if we don’t take care of our own health and wellbeing? To see you into the autumn with renewed vitality, we start the academic year with some great opportunities for rest, reconnection, reading and rethinking.
For many of us, sustainability is a dynamic and active process of changing the environmental, social and economic components of existence that we simply cannot sustain. However, building changes in our communities and in the wider world can be a complicated and difficult task without the knowledge and skills to help drive them.
Governments across the globe have gone to enormous lengths to prop up failing financial institutions on the understanding that these interventions will bring about stability and end the threat of further financial collapse. But is the economic crisis really over? Is this ‘business as usual’ mentality destined to produce more of the same instability?
As the resources we’ve depended on our whole lives are in decline (cheap oil, stable climate, and a growing economy), and as looming government cuts have yet to fully impact, there has never been a more obvious time for us to take stock of our lives and reassess our lifestyles in terms of our emotional and spiritual connection with ‘stuff’.
Taking our inspiration from nature to address this question points us towards all that can be learned from the amazing innovations and creative coping strategies that organisms have developed to minimise their use of resources – the world of biomimicry.
There is an urgent and unprecedented task in enabling learning around the many complex issues involved in sustainability.
We are delighted that the award winning Bruce Lipton will be coming to Schumacher College in September to teach a course named after his bestselling book Biology of Belief.
If you were at Schumacher College 20 years ago today you would have been involved with the first ever course we ran, taught by James Lovelock: The Health of Gaia. We have run over 250 transformational courses since then. Thanks to all of you who have made the last twenty years so wonderful.
We acknowledge that the field of Development is ever-shifting and increasingly complex. When the rest of the world wants to stop and take stock, Development must keep moving forward in new and creative directions.
These are exciting times for us here at Schumacher College, as we prepare the ground for two new strands of practically-based courses to complement our existing curriculum in the area of sustainable land use and ecological design, build and refurbishment. We need your input in designing the right courses at this time.
We are now working with like-minded people and organisations to develop a new practically based strand to our curriculum. This will include new short courses, and an undergraduate and postgraduate programme on ecological design, build and refurbishment for the HOME, and human-scale sustainable LAND use. We are currently seeking input from you to help us design this new area of work.
Recent economic events have told us that our present economic system is vulnerable. Can organisations be successful and genuinely sustainable – in the broadest sense? Is business capable of taking a different path?
Running through each of the programmes we offer, the tasks we perform and the values we observe, is the same thread of belief that we, as individual people or small groups and communities, have the capacity for great change.
Local architects firm Roderick James Architects have been chosen to undertake the design work for the new Schumacher College campus on the Dartington estate. The project will include the refurbishment of building previously used by the Dartington College of Arts as well as new features and structures to improve the learning space, energy conservation and aesthetics of the campus.
Are there alternatives to the current model of consumerism? If you believe a radical re-think of economic growth and consumption is needed, then you need to look at what alternative narratives might support new social structures and enterprises for this generation and the next.
We are looking for leaders and open-minded thinkers who are looking for a place to explore opportunities, co-create solutions and learn from the experience of others.
Most of us accept that we need to re-think the way we live on this planet – but how do we go about it? And, will it make a difference anyway? _ …our lives have great impact and meaning and the choices we make now will affect the lives of each generation to come._
We invite you to help co-design this programme by telling us what you imagine it to be like. What inspiration, knowledge and skills are needed to support a new generation of leaders and activists in creating an economy fit for the future?
Each year in July the literary festival, Ways With Words, comes to Dartington. If you would like to stay at Schumacher College during the festival please contact us.
Schumacher College is delighted to be partnering with PPL training in delivering courses specifically developed for people wanting to learn essential practical skills in renewable energy systems.
For nearly 20 years, Schumacher College has been pioneering radical new thinking in economics attracting participants and inspirational teachers from around the globe. Now we are working with like-minded people and organisations to develop a Masters program in economics to inspire, skill and support a new generation of leaders and activists in creating an economy fit for the challenges of the 21st century. The programme should open for application later this year to start in 2011.
At Schumacher the growing, gathering, preparation and eating of food are all essential parts of the Schumacher experience, integral to all our courses. Many people who want to expand their horizons are doing so in addition to busy lives and jobs. With that in mind…
Next year, 2011, is the 20th anniversary of the opening of Schumacher College. It is also the centenary of the birth of E.F. Schumacher, the author of Small is Beautiful, whose work was an inspiration in the founding of the College. We are ever mindful of the major economic and environmental issues facing our world and remain encouraged by our friends and supporters that now, more than ever, our College can play a leadership role in addressing these issues.
This Summer we welcome a number of teachers here to help ensure we view these crises’ together and share the exploration for solutions. We look forward to both deeply satisfying and practical experiences for participants.
Schumacher College- the International Centre for Sustainability and Dartington Hall Trust are proud to announce a collaboration with Salzburg Global Seminar based in Austria, the Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development and Goodenough College in London to present an international leadership seminar in the centre of London in April.
We are seeking to make a new appointment to enable us to address more effectively the urgent imperatives of climate change, economic crisis and social upheaval. As Open Learning Project Manager you will the project champion and leader in the ongoing development of a strategy and implementation plan for Open Learning for Schumacher College.
The Dartington Hall Trust will be officially unveiling its new hydro-electric turbine at Lower Tweed Mill at the Cider Press Centre at 9:30am on Wednesday, 10th March 2010.
Challenging the status quo whilst retaining academic credibility is at the heart of what we do at Schumacher College. We are currently recruiting for our year-long Masters in Holistic Science degree programme for 2010/11, whilst we look forward to welcoming Fritjof Capra, Sean Kelly and Rupert Sheldrake to join our own Stephan Harding to teach our science-themed short courses this Summer.
Growth ‘drowns-out’ efficiency gains. Environmental ‘tolerance thresholds’ being pushed too far making a growing economy and a safe climate incompatible according to new modelling from nef (the new economics foundation) and Schumacher College.
People will be discussing the Copenhagen climate conference for years to come. Opinions will be mixed as to whether it was a step forward or a failure. Only history will tell whether it was a turning point or a tipping point…. What Copenhagen made blindingly clear is how the world has changed. Malini Mehra, founder and chief executive of Centre for Social Markets.
We need, in this new century, a radically different yardstick of progress and development, to measure what matters most: well-being and happiness. We need to adopt well-being and collective happiness as the orienting principles of our governance… Dasho Karma Ura
We leave you this year with a taste of our exciting course areas for the year to come including: organisational change, leadership and facilitation; refocusing after Copenhagen; and the meeting of Gaia and consciousness.
At this time we are living during with a “crisis of perception.” People tend to see the world’s problems as largely unrelated and fragmented, with limited understanding of their common ecological basis. At Schumacher College, we are continuously inviting visionary and inspired teachers who eloquently challenge these misperceptions. Our new year courses will explore this crisis through three approaches: science and spirit, economics and happiness, and the implications Copenhagen summit. The time to challenge the crisis of perception is here. Join us at Schumacher College.
How do we find a way through to a more enlightened understanding of our role on this planet, which embraces the wonderful intellectual achievements of our age whilst putting them in a context of responsibility, sustainability and wisdom?
The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) taking place in Denmark in December of this year is viewed by many as a landmark in human history, whatever the outcomes. Future historians will point to it as the moment when global political leaders either had the courage to take drastic action to protect future generations’ wellbeing or failed to move beyond their own national self-interests and continued business as usual – with potentially catastrophic results.
As we approach the winter solstice, the longest night and the season for natural hibernation Schumacher College invites you to a Winter Warmer Week. Two courses will run during the week to inspire and nourish you: Baking for a New Food Culture and Darkness and Transformation.
Schumacher College was founded upon the convictions that the dominant world view has serious limitations, and that a new vision is needed for human society and our relationship to the Earth. Since it is our scientific understanding that largely informs this world view, Schumacher College has been dedicated to the exploration of a vision that is informed by a new “holistic science,” through a programme of science-themed residential courses and the revolutionary one-year Masters in Holistic Science degree programme.
A systemic disconnect: Money and happiness | The current economic crisis provides the opportunity to look at personal and group values in the context of our role in the world and our relationship with the planet. What exactly is the connection between money and happiness at a psychological and a systemic level?
Applications for the new Dartington Certificate in Sustainable have exceeded expectations. The high demand for this new course reflects the urgent need for new ways of running in the UK and across the world.
Last week for Autumn courses at early booking rate. So do visit our course pages for more information about our exciting programme which includes hands-on on topics like ethnobotany to creative approaches to educating on sustainability
Autumn booking open – early booking discounts available on many courses
There are early booking discounts for a limited number of applicants, and normal pricing will resume after 24 July. Take advantage of early booking – go straight to on-line booking for all courses
Telegraph newspaper coverage
We humans like to think we’re pretty good at design and technology – but we often forget that Mother Nature had a head start of 3.6 million years. Now, the way that geckoes climb walls, or hummingbirds hover, is at the centre of a burgeoning industry: biomimicry, the science of “reverse-engineering” clever ideas from the natural world.
On June 1, the theologian Thomas Berry passed away peacefully at the age of 94. The following day, participants on our Small is Beautiful Revisited course remembered him at the morning meeting, with a reading from one of his books, The Great Work.
Where biomimicry seeks design solutions from the natural world, Community Ecological Governance looks to Nature to derive human governance systems, built upon a foundation of ecoliteracy.
Maintaining biocultural diversity is an act of supreme collective intelligence according to Gary Martin, Director of the Global Diversity Foundation. Local community knowledge may hold the keys to addressing global challenges like climate change, ecosystem health and food security.
Courses for the autumn include Biotecture in Practice: Building an Earthship; Exploring Ethnobotany: Plants as healers; and Growth and Consequence: Rethinking our economic future. We have released the initial course details so you can put the dates in your diary. Why not register your interest in one or more courses and you will be the first to know when the courses open for booking, with further details and any early-bird discounts.
Welcome to the Dartington Schumacher College newsletter. We have ideas on G20 and the relevance of Schumacher today, eletric vans as a way forward, information about employment opportunities at Dartington, and extract from Frijof Capra’s new book and further details on our pioneering course – Valuing Diversity.
In his famous book, Small is Beautiful: Economics as if people mattered, E.F. Schumacher brilliantly articulated the need to align economics with natural resources.
Spring has now arrived in the Northern Hemisphere and the day are lengthening and getting warmer. During May we are delighted to be welcoming back Fritjof Capra and Thomas Moore who are both returning to Schumacher after a few years.
The opening weeks of 2009 have been optimistic at Schumacher College as participants joined us for two challenging yet highly rewarding courses Exploring Science, Matter and Consciousness and the timely Embedding Holistic Economics: For a global community. The forthcoming courses for spring/summer 2009 are equally relevant and inspiring.
Welcome to a special seasonal issue of the Schumacher College newsletter. As we celebrrate the season and look forward to the New Year we have news of staff changes, exciting courses and a wonderful range of events, where we invite you to meet our tutors, visit the college and discuss the hot topics of the day.
Schumacher College is inviting applications for the new Certificate in Sustainable Health which starts in February 2009.
Welcome to the October issue of the Schumacher College newsletter. This month we are featuring two fantastic programmes: the transformative and inspirational Certificate in Education, and brand new Certificate in Sustainable Health.
We hope, like us, you are excited by the potential of this programme to really engage the individual as well as have a creative and lasting effect on education for sustainability across the globe. We look forward to welcoming you, or someone you know, soon.
Schumacher College, at Dartington is welcoming four legal experts on the growing and topical legal specialism of Earth Jurisprudence or wild law, to consider how the legal system and other forms of governance may be harnessed to protect the natural world and to learn from real examples while exploring the philosophy and theory underpinning this exciting and evolving area of law. The course is timely, given events of the past week involving the court case between Greenpeace activists and energy giant E.ON.
Welcome to a new academic year at Schumacher College. We have lots of new information about next years courses, more on the brilliant Allan Jones – teaching here in October, how you can help your enterprising contacts find us, and other news about a new book, a new DVD and articles on-line.
We know many of you are still keen to take advantage of our summer deal – so we have extended this offer until the end of July, see below for details. Also here – more details about some of the exceptional teaching in-store on our sustainability and leadership courses in the autumn, experiences from the first year of the Certificate in Education and information about a temporary post at Schumacher College
This month we are pleased to be featuring two courses geared towards professionals seriously looking for innovative, creative solutions within the multi-faceted disciplines of industrial/product design, business strategy and organisational change: Biomimicry and Systems Thinking in Practice.
Many of you have contacted us asking for more information about the exciting area of Earth Jurisprudence, and our forth-coming course by the same title. This email is an introduction to resources now available on our website about Earth Jurisprudence.
We are delighted that Starhawk will be teaching on our forthcoming course Sacred Activism this summer. Starhawk is the author or co-author of ten books including The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess, and is internationally known for reviving earth-based spirituality, bringing techniques and creative power of spirituality to political activism.
This issue of our newsletter will give you new course details from our brand new programme. We realise that the ‘credit crunch’ may be making it hard for some of you to participate and have therefore drastically reduced the fees for the majority of courses in the new programme and again, offered you an early booking discount. More below.
Also in this newsletter, we have new dates for the next term of open evenings, news of the much-awaited Gaia’s Kitchen and an article from faculty member Brian Goodwin.
This newsletter brings you the thoughts of two of our teachers – visiting teacher on a summer course, Mary Aver with a sneek preview of some of her writing on the power of nature, faculty member Stephan Harding on Intellengent Growth, an update on the Certificate in Education and more…
This summer, Schumacher College is running a series of courses focusing on the interconnections between nature, art, science and activism. This is a wonderful time of year to stay at the College and enjoy the bounteous gardens and natural beauty of Dartington.
This is a very hands on issue of the newsletter. We have news from Satish, talking of India and of Dartmoor on the BBC, of the Schumacher College garden in transition, of ideas for using your wallet to be more ethically minded with Julia Hailes and of the new forum which lets YOU do the talking. So without another word…
Dear MSc students, past and present
We invite you to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the MSc in Holistic Science with a ‘conference’ that will explore and promote the holistic vision in different areas of education and action…
You may have seen that we are running a seminar event in London. It would be lovely to see you in March, and we also encourage you to bring a friend and introduce them to the College through this event.
Wishing you all a very happy winter season and a positive new year!
Here are bite sized pieces of news for you, including the first Schumacher College website forum, an article from Vandana Shiva, the reprint of Gaia’s Kitchen and our new programme of Open evenings. Something for everyone – local to global.
We have a new seminar in London, new teachers, a whole new programme to plan and some of you are joining us in setting up your new enterprises in a course later this month.
A thought-provoking view of capitalism by Sir John Whitmore.
The latest interview with College Director, Karen Blincoe.
Early-bird discounts and other course news.
