Towards a Localized Future 2016, UK

Helena Norberg-Hodge is pioneer of the worldwide localisation movement, and recipient of the Goi Peace prize and the ‘Alternative Nobel Prize’. She is the producer of the award-winning The Economics of Happiness and author of Ancient Futures – based on her in-depth knowledge of ancient Tibetan culture. She is the founder of Local Futures and International Alliance for Localization (IAL) and a founding member of the International Forum on Globalisation (IFG) and The Global Ecovillage Network.

James Skinner is an environmental economist and passionate promoter of renewable energy. He specialises in sustainable urban transport initiatives, and is the owner of R&D companies that focus on clean transport and energy. As former chairman and present trustee of the New Economics Foundation,, he has worked for decades to promote alternative economics, both nationally and internationally.

Molly Scott Cato is a Member of the European Parliament, an economist and writer. She grew up in Bath and has spent most of her adult life in the West Country. She studied politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford University and later gained a doctorate in economics from Aberystwyth. Aside from her work as an economist, Molly’s areas of special interest include land ownership and food production; renewable energy, especially when it is owned by local communities; co-operatives and self-managed firms; and issues concerned with peace and opposing nuclear weapons and nuclear power. Molly joined the Green Party in 1988, has stood for election at all levels and spent several years as co-chair of its regional council. For the past 15 years Molly has spoken for the Green Party on economics and finance.

Rupert Read works closely with environmental scientists, in eco-philosophy, at the University of East Anglia. His publications include his popular book, Philosophy for Life: Applying Philosophy in Politics and Culture. He was a Green Party Councillor from 2004-2011, and helped write the first draft of the Green 2009 Euro-election manifesto. He writes on environmental reframing at Green House and Green Words.

Bruno Lacey is the founder of Urban Growth Learning Gardens, a social enterprise that improves the well-being of Londoners through providing Education, Employment and Environmental Transformation. Urban Growth supports vulnerable groups into sustainable, rewarding employment by transforming neglected urban spaces into thriving community oases.

Charlotte O’Connor works with Loughborough Farm, a community food growing project, which produces local food for local consumption. Loughborough farmers harvest produce for a monthly farm stall (1st Saturday of each month) and for sale at local restaurants.

Shaun Chamberlin is managing director of the Fleming Policy Centre and has been involved with the Transition Network since its inception. He co-founded Transition Town Kingston and authored The Transition Timeline. His work has featured on the BBC and been discussed across the UK press, including the Guardian, Sunday Times, Independent and Daily Express, as well as internationally by Time magazine, Bloomberg News and the Financial Times. He was shortlisted for the Sheila McKechnie Foundation Environmental Campaigner Award and was named Kingston’s ‘Green Champion’ by the council and Kingston Guardian newspaper. His writings, research and activism can be found at Dark Optimism.

Anja Lyngbaek has worked with Local Futures on a number of specific projects since 1986, including the UK Local Food Program. Anja currently lives in Mexico on a small-holding with her family. She is co-founder and Programs Director of “Microcuenca del Rio Citlalapa”- a local NGO in Veracruz, focused on sustainable community development. She has co-founded a rural primary school with this in mind. Anja gives talks, holds workshops and teaches on a variety of subject related to food and farming, localization and eco-technologies to children and adults.

Michael H. Shuman is an economist, attorney, author, and entrepreneur, and one of the world’s leading experts on community economics. He has authored, coauthored, or edited eight books.  His most recent book, just published by Chelsea Green, is Local Dollars, Local Sense:  How to Move Your Money from Wall Street to Main Street and Achieve Real Prosperity. His previous book, The Small Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses Are Beating the Global Competition (Berrett-Koehler, 2006), received as bronze prize from the Independent Publishers Association for best business book of 2006. He is a cofounder and research director with Cutting Edge Capital LLC and a founding board member of BALLE (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies). He has lectured in almost every U.S. state and eight countries. He is a fellow with the Post Carbon Institute. (Michael Shuman will share a special message at the event by video.)