Local Futures works to renew ecological, social, and spiritual
well-being by promoting a systemic shift towards economic localization.
A pioneer of the new economy movement, Local Futures has been raising awareness for four decades about the need to shift direction – away from dependence on global monopolies, and towards decentralized, regional economies.
It all started in 1978 when Helena Norberg-Hodge and John Page founded ‘The Ladakh Project’ in India, which was in essence the start of Local Futures (formerly called ISEC). The Ladakh Project provided residents of the Ladakh region of northern India with information about the impact of conventional development on other parts of the world, while exploring more sustainable patterns of development in Ladakh itself, based on the use of local knowledge and resources. Local Futures continues to promote economic resilience and ecological stability in Ladakh along with a constellation of local partner organizations.
The scope of Local Futures’ work has become increasingly international. We currently produce books, films, and other ‘education for action’ tools, as well as organizing activist-oriented conferences and workshops worldwide. Our award-winning film The Economics of Happiness, launched in 2011, highlights the importance of localization as a way to repair our fractured world – our ecosystems, our societies and our selves. We also host numerous Economics of Happiness conferences around the world, to kick-start broad critical debate about the global corporate economy, and on exploring alternatives that benefit society as well as the environment.
These programs are helping to catalyze a global movement for systemic change. Recognition of the importance of local economies is at an all-time high. Through our events and resources, we promote a holistic view of what it will take to heal the damage caused by the corporate-run economy and build structures that foster human and ecological wellbeing.
Read more about our projects, our events, our publications, and how to get involved.
Who We Are
Author and filmmaker Helena Norberg-Hodge is the founder and director of Local Futures. A pioneer of the ‘new economy’ movement, she has been promoting an economics of personal, social, and ecological well-being for more than thirty years.
She has given public lectures in seven languages, and has appeared in broadcast, print, and online media worldwide, including MSNBC, The London Times, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Guardian.
She was honored with the Right Livelihood Award (or ‘Alternative Nobel Prize’) for her groundbreaking work in Ladakh, and received the 2012 Goi Peace Prize for contributing to “the revitalization of cultural and biological diversity, and the strengthening of local communities and economies worldwide.”
The Local Futures team is spread out across the globe, with main offices in the USA and the UK.
History
Four decades ago, Local Futures was founded to support Ladakh’s indigenous culture from being overwhelmed by idealized images of Western culture that were flooding into the region through tourism and development. In 1986 Helena Norberg-Hodge won the Right Livelihood Award for her groundbreaking sustainability work in the region.
Norberg-Hodge’s book Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh, was published by Local Futures in 1991. The book is a moving portrait of tradition and change in Ladakh, a scathing critique of the global economy, and a rallying call for economic localization. An award-winning film of the same title premiered in 1993. A new edition of the book, including a foreword of the Dalai Lama, was published in 2016.
As Local Futures’ focus expanded to encompass the entire globe, we produced the film The Economics of Happiness (2011) to take the lessons of Ladakh and disseminate them around the world. The Economics of Happiness spells out the social, spiritual, and ecological costs of today’s global economy, and also highlights the benefits of a shift towards the local.
Helena Norberg-Hodge’s latest book, Local is Our Future, published by Local Futures in 2019, expands on these ideas, connecting the dots between our social, economic, ecological and spiritual crises, and revealing how a systemic shift from global to local can address these seemingly disparate problems simultaneously.
Further Resources
Our
Projects
Our projects encompass a wide range of focus areas and media, but center on the importance of localization to people and planet.
Learn and
Take Action
Our learning guides and free materials walk you through the impacts of
the global economy, and the many benefits of local economies.
Our
Publications
Find here a complete overview of our books, films and reports,
which have collectively been translated into over 40 languages.
We are a 501(c)3 organization incorporated in California. We adhere to Bylaws adopted in 1991, including oversight by a Board of Directors. Our funding comes largely from individual donors and foundations, as well as from the sale of publications and videos, and lecture and writing fees.