The January 28 newsletter from the E.F. Schumacher Society presents an inspiring and instructive story. The Society is based in Great Barrington, MA, and is named for the author of Small Is Beautiful: Economics As If People Mattered. As their website explains:

"Building on a rich tradition often known as decentralism, the Society initiates practical measures that lead to community revitalization and further the transition toward an economically and ecologically sustainable society."

In the fall of 2008, the Society purchased and rehabilitated a building for its staff. This "practical measure" would not have been possible without the creativity and commitment of Main Street Resources, a small venture capital firm, and the people of Protective Armored Systems, a local manufacturer.

The Society's Susan Witt introduces her story with a quote from urbanist Jane Jacobs: ""Economic life develops by grace of innovating; it expands by grace of import-replacement." She continues:

"In October the E. F. Schumacher Society bought a house for staff and interns. It was not a simple transaction, rather a complex and marvelous adventure weaving our work lives together with the story of a small manufacturing company: the innovation of its founding, the history of its employees, its significance in the regional community, the role of a regional equity fund in financing its growth, and the power of the vision of the fund's founder. It was (though we did not know it at first) a story about ingredients for building strong regional economies and the grace of that process. ..."

Click here for the complete story.