Restore the Land, Protect the Seas and Inform the Earth’s Stewards.
-New Alchemy Institute motto
The Green Center Inc., is a non-profit educational institute that evolved from The New Alchemy Institute. We are the custodian and distributor of New Alchemy’s ecological research publications. We also support projects that demonstrate ecologically-derived forms of energy, agriculture, aquaculture, housing, and landscapes, and how people can live in harmony with nature.
From 1971 to 1991, The New Alchemy Institute conducted research and education on behalf of the planet. A 1989 publication called Promise Rediscovered : New Alchemy’s First Twenty Years gives a nice overview of this research.
Among our major tasks is the creation of ecologically derived human support systems – renewable energy, agriculture, aquaculture, housing and landscapes. The strategies we research emphasize a minimal reliance on fossil fuels and operate on a scale accessible to individuals, families and small groups. It is our belief that ecological and social transformations must take place at the lowest functional levels of society if humankind is to direct its course towards a greener, saner world…
Our programs are geared to produce not riches, but rich and stable lives, independent of world fashion and the vagaries of international economics. The New Alchemists work at the lowest functional level of society on the premise that society, like the planet itself, can be no healthier than the components of which it is constructed. The urgency of our efforts is based on our belief that the industrial societies which now dominate the world are in the process of destroying it.-Fall 1970
Bulletin of the New AlchemistsCurrent and New Alchemy publications are available for download via Adobe PDF format.
Current work
We take an active role in our community, advocating for ecologically sound alternatives to sewers such as eco-toilets and aquaculture. In addition to our work with local and regional planners, we run the Cape Cod Eco-Toilet Center as a physical and virtual resource for people interested in taking responsibility for their own “waste” by nutrient recycling.
The Green Center sponsors Nature’s Circle, a free program of nature walks and classes about clean water, recycling, land management, and other aspects of our relationship with nature in Falmouth, Massachusetts. We’re also involved with climate issues, as members of the Falmouth Climate Action Team.
I remember going to the New Alchemy Institute in the 80s. It was great to take my kids there to see new ideas in nature and recycling. My son sent me something on facebook that showed fish being raised in barrels with vegetables growing in the opening of the barrels. I remembered seeing such a thing at New Alchemy.
I now live in Portsmouth, NH. Star Island (off the coast of Portsmouth, NH) is using many of similar waste recycling because they are an island and have limited water resources available (eco-toilets, recycled waste water for gardening, solar panels, etc).
Thank you for continuing their work.
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Love the work that you do. We plan to put a link to your site on our website.
http://www.UrbanSeaCorp.com
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Hello! I can’t understand why it took so long for me to find “The Institute” again, but very happy to have done so.
Back in the 70’s and 80’s The New Alchemy institute was one of my go to places for sustainable living. Marriage, children, running the rat race got in the way of trying to change our life style (as I am sure with many others as well) and fell into the life of “buy now, pay later” instead of “waste n, want not”.
Luckily, it is never to late to make changes, and with the cooperation of my darling daughters, I am once again on the right path. Currently doing research on creating a NetZero house and knew that the Institute would be an invaluable resource.
Thank you all for keeping the torch burning.
Sincerely
Jorge Benitez
Glassworks Studio
Orlando, Florida
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