Helena Norberg-Hodge
Linguist, author and film maker, Helena Norberg-Hodge is the founder and director of the international non-profit organisation, Local Futures, a pioneer of the new economy movement, and the convenor of World Localization Day.
Helena is the author of several books, including 'Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh', an eye-opening tale of tradition and change in Ladakh, or “Little Tibet”. Together with a film of the same title, Ancient Futures has been translated into more than 40 languages, and sold half a million copies.
Linguist, author and film maker, Helena Norberg-Hodge is the founder and director of the international non-profit organisation, Local Futures, a pioneer of the new economy movement, and the convenor of World Localization Day.
Helena is the author of several books, including 'Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh', an eye-opening tale of tradition and change in Ladakh, or “Little Tibet”. Together with a film of the same title, Ancient Futures has been translated into more than 40 languages, and sold half a million copies.
Her latest book is 'Local is Our Future: Steps to an Economics of Happiness'. Other publications include 'Bringing the Food Economy Home' and 'From the Ground Up: Rethinking Industrial Agriculture'.
"the inspirational classic”
- Random House -
“Localization is the only hope for the future. Read this book!“
- Iain McGilchrist -
Helena is also the producer of the award-winning documentary 'The Economics of Happiness'.
“What’s our favourite documentary of all time? The one film we wish everyone could see? Hands down, this is it. It is truly one of the most important and useful films for inspiring change that has been made in a generation.”
- Films for Action -
Educated in Sweden, Germany, Austria, England and the United States, Helena specialized in linguistics, including studies at the University of London and with Noam Chomsky at MIT. Her work, spanning almost half a century, has received the support of a wide range of international figures, including Jane Goodall, HH the Dalai Lama, HRH Prince Charles and Indira Gandhi. From 1975, Helena worked with the people of Ladakh, to find ways of enabling their culture to meet the modern world without sacrificing social and ecological values. She was the first outsider in modern times to become fluent in the language.
Helena is also the producer of the award-winning documentary 'The Economics of Happiness'.
“What’s our favourite documentary of all time? The one film we wish everyone could see? Hands down, this is it. It is truly one of the most important and useful films for inspiring change that has been made in a generation.”
- Films for Action -
Educated in Sweden, Germany, Austria, England and the United States, Helena specialized in linguistics, including studies at the University of London and with Noam Chomsky at MIT. Her work, spanning almost half a century, has received the support of a wide range of international figures, including Jane Goodall, HH the Dalai Lama, HRH Prince Charles and Indira Gandhi. From 1975, Helena worked with the people of Ladakh, to find ways of enabling their culture to meet the modern world without sacrificing social and ecological values. She was the first outsider in modern times to become fluent in the language.
She has helped to initiate localization movements on every continent, particularly in South Korea and Japan, and co-founded both the International Forum on Globalization and the Global Ecovillage Network. Helena is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Right Livelihood Award (aka the “Alternative Nobel Prize”), the Arthur Morgan Award and the Goi Peace Prize for contributing to “the revitalization of cultural and biological diversity, and the strengthening of local communities and economies worldwide.” Helena received the The Special Appreciation Award for her decades-long contribution to cultural and environmental conservation in Ladakh at the 9th edition of dPal rNgam Dus-sTon celebration in August 2025. Read more here.
Helena has lectured in seven languages and appeared in broadcast, print and online media worldwide, including MSNBC, The Times, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Guardian. She has written numerous articles and essays, and her work has been the subject of thousands of articles worldwide.
Helena was profiled in The New York Times, titled 'What if Local and Diverse Is Better Than Networked and Global?'. Download the article (PDF). Visit the Media room for more articles, interviews, and online courses:
Explore videos
The Economics of Happiness TEDxTalk - Helena Norberg-Hodge focuses on the impact of the global economy on culture and agriculture.
Looking at the Big System - Helena Norberg-Hodge explains how research that leads to unhealthy eating habits is subsidised by tax payers.
A Simpler Way - watch the extended interview by Happen Films shot for their film 'A Simpler Way: Crisis as Opportunity'.
Blog posts by Norberg-Hodge
As COP30 gets underway, this was the media’s take on the UN Secretary-General’s announcement that 1.5 degrees of global...
