Our team
The Local Futures team can be found on four continents, with main offices in the USA, Australia and the UK.
Helena Norberg-Hodge
Founder and Director
Helena founded Local Futures in 1978. Helena is the author of Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh' and 'Local is Our Future', and producer of 'The Economics of Happiness'. She is the recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the 'Alternative Nobel Prize'; the Goi Peace Prize for her pioneering work towards a new economy; and the Arthur Morgan Award. Read full bio here.
John Page
Creative Content Director
John coordinated the technical and cultural programmes of the Ladakh Project for ten years. He produced our videos, The Future of Progress and 'Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh', and co-directed 'The Economics of Happiness'. He is the co-author of 'From the Ground Up: Rethinking Industrial Agriculture'. His series of photographs depicting the spread of the global monoculture have been used by NGOs around the world.
Steven Gorelick
Financial Officer, Board of Directors
Steven has worked with Local Futures in a wide range of capacities since 1987: including as co-director of‘ 'The Economics of Happiness', author of Small is Beautiful, Big is Subsidized, and co-author of 'Bringing the Food Economy Home'. He is currently on the Local Futures board, in which capacity he continues to function as Chief Financial Officer. Steven runs a small-scale organic farm with his wife and two children in Vermont.
Anja Lyngbaek
Managing and Programs Director
Anja has been a spokesperson for localization on several continents for decades. She holds a BSc in Rural Resource Management, and a MPhil. in Agroforestry. Anja is a passionate food grower and is happiest with her hands in the soil. She divides her time between a Mexican ecovillage and a small island in the Danish Archipelago.
Marjana Kos
Executive Assistant
Marjana has worked with Local Futures since 2006. She holds a Master's degree in Holistic Science from Schumacher College. She is active in raising awareness about globalization, new economics, the money system and complementary currencies. She lives in Slovenia with her partner and young son, together they're creating a one-hectare forest garden and building a low-impact, natural home.
Henry Coleman
Project Coordinator
Henry connected with Local Futures at age 15, and has worked with the organization in Ladakh, India and Australia since 2015. Now fluent in Ladakhi, he helps to coordinate our projects there. He also represents Local Futures at public events in Australia, and works on various writing projects. In 2017, he co-founded the NGO Wildspace, where he has further developed his capacity as a community organizer and activist.
Alex Jensen
Research and Project Coordinator
Alex does research for Local Futures, and co-coordinates our Ladakh Project. He has worked with cultural affirmation, natural building and agroecology projects in a number of countries. He is involved in numerous networks and movements, including degrowth, Global Tapestry of Alternatives, Vikalp Sangam/Alternatives Confluence (India), and environmental health.
Sally Cusack
Research and Project Coordinator
Sally lives in Northern NSW, Australia and is a passionate advocate for human and planetary health through localization and community building. Sally is trained as a lawyer and is co-founder of Relocalise Northern Rivers, the secretary of Maternity Choices Australia, co-founder of Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond Media and manager of PBB Media's weekly free baby/toddler clothes swap and drop-in centre.
Anja Light
Social Media Coordinator
Anja has spent most of her life as an environmental and indigenous rights campaigner, project manager and workshop leader. She is a co-founder of the Sloth Club - the leading organisation of the 'Slow' movement in Japan. Strongly influenced by deep ecology philosophy and through living with tribal peoples and local communities, her work with Local Futures has a strong foundation in direct campaign and life experiences.
Jonny Tomlinson
Social Media Coordinator
Jonny has worked with Local Futures since 2020. Working within the field of design and marketing, Jonny uses his skills to spread the Local Futures message to new and existing audiences. Jonny is based in London, UK and spends his time working on various creative projects, whilst also enjoying cycling and photography.
Samantha Salmon
Webmaster and Product Manager
Samantha maintains the website(s) and works on a range of administrational tasks, as well as video editing projects since 2014. She has a degree in Culture, Organization and Management. She has traveled all over Asia and is the founder of the Laxmi Support Foundation Nepal. She lives with her husband and two daughters on Dartmoor, UK.
Bertrand Raguet
Audio and Visual Editor
Bertrand is an abstract painter, keen writer and a passionate tennis player of French origin. Since 2006, he has been living off-grid in a cloud forest in the mountains in Veracruz, Mexico, with his wife and two children. Bertrand has assisted Local Futures, with the subtitling and editing of its audio-visual materials since 2015.
Nina Karnikowski
Writer and Communications Strategist
Nina works with Local Futures to shape stories that make localization accessible, inspiring and activating. She has been writing travel stories for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian Financial Review, Condé Nast Traveller, and is the author of four books, including The Mindful Traveller.
Kunzang Deachen
Ladakh Project Associate
Kunzang is a community organiser supporting young farmers, mindful tourism, and cultural vitality in Ladakh, India. Since 2020, she has been coordinating Local Futures’ Ladakh Project, developing an ever-deeper commitment to protecting land-based wisdom and traditional skills in the face of globalising forces. She has become a leader of the localization movement in Ladakh.
Padma Rigzin
Ladakh Project Associate
Padma came in contact with Local Futures in 2019, and since then, he has had an enduring association with the organisation. He has worked with the team as a Research Associate, which is complemented by his academic pursuits in social anthropology. He engaged with youth, community leaders, NGOs, and policy stakeholders to facilitate workshops and dialogues on food systems, tourism and alternative economic practices in Ladakh.
Stanzin Dothon
Ladakh Project Associate
A young environmental advocate from Ladakh working on themes like environmental education, youth, women empowerment and community building through interactions, games and traveling. With the Local Futures Ladakh Project, Stanzin is working on involving more youth in the movement of localization.
Advisory board
Wendell Berry, Fritjof Capra, Diana Rose, Jonathan Rose, Vandana Shiva, Michael Shuman, David Suzuki, and Alice Waters
Volunteer translators
Stella Sage
Stella is a writer and educator from Germany whose mission is to help reconnect humans with nature in body and spirit and to create awareness around the climate crisis. She is the producer of the podcast, Sage Talking. Stella loves to be in nature, read and learn about regenerative farming and Permaculture. She's been doing German translations for Local Futures since 2021.
Elena Fedina
Elena was born and raised in Moscow, Russia. Her professional path led her to New York City, where she currently resides. She has spent the last few years learning about regenerative agriculture, sustainability and meaningful ways to make a change in the world. Elena has translated for Local Futures since August 2019.
Lily Ortega
Lily was born and raised in Mexico but came to the United States to become a certified Montessori teacher. Since then, she has earned a Masters Degree in Social Work and translated a partnering book into Spanish. Lily has translated for Local Futures since 2019.
Georgia Erato Triantafyllidi
Georgia resides in Athens, Greece where she was born and educated. She has also lived in Norway, and Belgium. Although a city dweller and ‘letters’ person’, she has always been interested in Nature, wildlife, arts and crafts. Georgia has done a lot of natural living and child care voluntary work. She's an expert at languages and translates for Local Futures since 2019.