Going Local: Hope in a Time of Crisis Online Webinar

Charles Eisenstein (USA) is a speaker and writer focusing on themes of human culture and identity. He is the author of several books, most recently Sacred Economics and The More Beautiful World our Hearts Know is Possible. His background includes a degree in mathematics and philosophy from Yale, a decade in Taiwan as a translator, and stints as a college instructor, a yoga teacher, and a construction worker. He currently writes and speaks full-time. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and four children. Read more about Charles at http://charleseisenstein.net.

Damon Gameau (Australia) is a director, producer, activist, author, and nominee for Australian of the Year. In 2015 he released his first feature film That Sugar Film, which became the highest grossing Australian documentary across Australia and New Zealand of all time. The accompanying book, That Sugar Book, was a best seller in Australia and has since been released in over 20 countries and 8 languages. Damon has recently completed the documentary 2040, which has also become one of the highest grossing Australian documentaries of all time. The 2040 ‘Regeneration’ impact campaign has brought many of the solutions shown in the film to life and has motivated people to take positive action on climate change. 

Helena Norberg-Hodge (Australia) 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 over 40 years. She is the producer and co-director of the award-winning documentary The Economics of Happiness, and is the author of Local is Our Future and Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh. She was honored with the Right Livelihood Award for her groundbreaking work in Ladakh, and received the 2012 Goi Peace Prize. Helena is also a founding member of the International Forum on Globalization, the International Commission on the Future of Food and Agriculture, and the Global Ecovillage Network.

Dr. Michelle Maloney (Australia) is a lawyer and change maker working to ensure human societies live within their ecological limits, respect the Rights of Nature to exist and thrive, and build effective economic systems that support social justice and ecological health. Michelle is Co-Founder and National Convenor of the Australian Earth Laws Alliance (AELA); Co-Founder and Director of the New Economy Network Australia; Director of Future Dreaming Australia and Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Griffith University Law Futures Centre. Michelle is passionate about building diverse, local economies in Australia, that ensure we can all be part of a fairer and more just society and that we can thrive within healthy, biodiverse bioregions.

Mandy Nolan (Australia) is a stand-up comedian for well over 28 years, and with a background in journalism, Mandy has performed at the South Pacific Conference for Women Parliamentarians, chaired a panel on GDP and Economic Growth at the Brisbane Ideas Festival, and headlined the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow. She is an event facilitator and panel chair at the Byron Writers Festival each year. She has worked with QLD Health two years running, delivering ‘Funny in the Head’. She also developed Stand Up for Dementia – a nationally recognized therapeutic program for people with dementia. A published author of four books, Mandy is also a regular contributor to Mamamia and is the host of their latest 8-part podcast for Westpac, ‘The Split’.

Ella Rose Goninan (Australia) is a social change agent, activist, artist, event manager based in Northern Rivers NSW.  She is the founder and director of COREM, a community-owned renewable energy group; Renew Fest, an annual festival of ecological, economic and social renewal; and First Light, a peer support network for people experiencing extreme mental health crisis. Ella is also one of the directors of the Community Power Agency and a team member of Culture Aware, and has worked for Kulcha Jam and the Bob Brown Foundation.

Ella Noah Bancroft (Australia)is a Bundjalung woman based in Northern NSW. She is an artist, storyteller, director, mentor and founder of “The Returning” and Yhi Creations. Ella is passionate about re-wilding, and her work discusses themes of identity, intersectionality, culture, sexuality, the feminine force and living a life of integrity, connection and creativity.