An inspiring one-day Economics of Happiness conference was held on Sunday November 11th at Meiji Gakun University in Tokyo, Japan. Next to a wide range of Japanese and international speakers, there were also panel discussions on TPP, agriculture, food and seeds, and on ‘Blessed Unrest’ in Japan (both in Japanese).Visit EOH Japan's website for more information … [Read more...]
Jeonju, South Korea 2018
Local Futures continues its unique and ongoing collaboration with the city government of Jeonju. On the 8th and 9th of November, 2018, we cohosted the fourth Economics of Happiness conference in a row in Jeonju City*.Since the first landmark conference in 2015, resulting in the Jeonju Declaration on the Economics of Happiness, the local government, headed by Mayor Kim Seung-soo, has been committed to: “shift[ing] its administrative system away from a paradigm that prioritizes growth and … [Read more...]
Bristol, UK 2018
From Friday, October 19th to Sunday, October 21st 2018 Local Futures held an Economics of Happiness conference in the bustling city of Bristol, UK.This highly participatory Economics of Happiness conference was set to coincide with the Annual Summit of the Global Parliament of Mayors. It was Local Futures' eighteenth international conference aimed at catalyzing a new economy that works for both people and planet.Local Futures co-hosted the conference with Happy City (UK) – an NGO focused … [Read more...]
Prato, Italy 2018
On Saturday, September 29th and Sunday, September 30th 2018 another Economics of Happiness conference was held in the city of Prato near Florence, Italy.A number of stimulating workshops took place on September 29th in the beautiful Villa San Leonardo al Palco on such topics as rethinking progress, decolonizing our imaginations, local food and farming, media and the fabrication of thought, happiness and place, culture and education, happiness and health. The conference took place in Teatro … [Read more...]
London, UK 2016
Economics of Happiness: Creating a More Equitable WorldWhat if human well-being didn’t have to be at the expense of the environment? What if we could simultaneously increase genuine prosperity, reduce social inequality, and tackle climate change? With some simple economic shifts, all this becomes possible. That’s because so many of our current crises—financial, social and ecological—are linked to the scale of the economy. Localisation is a solution-multiplier that systemically reduces … [Read more...]
Tokyo, Japan 2017
Local is Beautiful! The Economics of Happiness World Forum was held on November 11th and 12th, 2017 at the Japan Education Center in Tokyo. This event focused on strengthening existing movements and forging alliances for a fundamental shift in society towards human and ecological well-being. It provided a big-picture framework that unites those concerned with the outer/political and those focused on the inner/spiritual.Local Futures collaborated with a large number of Japanese organizations … [Read more...]
Port Townsend, Washington, USA 2017
Let’s create an economy that works for us all! On October 27th, 2017 the Economics of Happiness conference was held at the Fort Worden, a beautiful State Park on Puget Sound in Port Townsend, Washington and was jointly organized by Local Futures, the Living Economies Forum, and The Happiness Project.During this two-day conference we discussed, discovered and devised better systems for now and the future. The program included plenaries, panels, interactive workshops and other participatory … [Read more...]
South Royalton, Vermont, USA 2017
Localize It: What Resilience Looks Like This two-day conference was held on October 21st and 22nd, 2017 at the Chase Community Center of the Vermont Law School in South Royalton and was co-organized by Local Futures, BALE (Building A Local Economy), Vermonters for a New Economy, Sustainable Future Fund of the Vermont Community Foundation, New England Resilience and Transition Network, and the New Economy Law Center.The conference included both plenary talks and breakout sessions on … [Read more...]
Yellow Springs, Ohio, USA 2017
The Economics of Happiness Conference was held on October 20th and 21st, 2017 at the Antioch University in Yellow Springs, Ohio. This conference, organized in collaboration with Community Solutions, focused on localization initiatives, indigenous cultures and community rights, and included plenaries, workshops, keynotes, tours, a preview of Jim Merkel’s film Saving Walden’s World, and a Saturday evening performance by the World House Choir.Topics included the economics of local food systems, … [Read more...]
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA 2017
Reconnecting to our local future On October 12th - 14th, 2017 the Economics of Happiness Conference was held in Santa Fe at the the James A. Little Theater of the New Mexico School for the Deaf. We have explored and explained how we humans can shift direction – environmentally, economically, and spiritually – from a globalized system of exploitation, inequality, and environmental degradation toward local cultures and economies that support renewal, resilience, and human and planetary … [Read more...]