Our wide-ranging projects highlight the root causes of today’s many crises — from unemployment to climate change, from ethnic conflict to loss of biodiversity — while promoting grassroots and policy-level strategies for ecological and community renewal. We have worked in countries all over the world, including the UK, USA, Spain, Australia, India, Thailand, Bhutan and Japan. We currently run three main projects: Global to Local, Our Work in Ladakh and The Economics of Happiness.
Global to Local
The Global to Local Project covers a wide range of projects, each of which focuses in a different way on the importance of localization to societies and economies.
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- The International Alliance for Localization (IAL) is a cross-cultural network of thinkers, activists and NGOs dedicated to exploring new visions of development and progress. The IAL operates on two separate but closely related fronts: Resistance and Renewal. People and groups from 58 countries have joined the IAL to date. Learn more about our IAL members and join the IAL.
- The Global to Local Webinar Series, in which we discuss key issues in the global-to-local debate. These interactive online conversations are free for IAL members.
- The Local Bites Podcast, which features interviews with leaders of localization efforts from around the world.
- Planet Local, our web series showcasing inspiring localization initiatives from around the world.
- Roots of Change, a curriculum for hosting study circles featuring the voices of leading political, economic and ecological thinkers from around the world. The emphasis is on education for action: moving beyond single issues to look at the more fundamental influences that shape our lives. No academic background is required to use the curriculum. Learn more about its goals and how it works and how to start a study circle.
Our Work in Ladakh
Ladakh, also known as ‘Little Tibet‘, is a beautiful desert land in the Western Himalayas, with few natural resources and an extreme climate. Yet it has been home to a thriving culture in tune with nature for over a thousand years. When Ladakh was opened up to ‘modern development’ and the forces of the global growth economy, centuries of ecological balance and social harmony came under threat.
Since 1978, Local Futures has been providing Ladakhis with information about the impact of conventional development in other parts of the world, while exploring more sustainable patterns of development in Ladakh itself, based on the use of local knowledge and resources. Read more about our work in Ladakh.
The Economics of Happiness
Our award-winning film The Economics of Happiness, which premiered in 2011, explains the social and spiritual impact of economic globalization on local communities and economies, and highlights the many benefits of shifting towards the local. The full-length version of The Economics of Happiness, plus a 20-minute abridged version, can be watched here.
We invite any interested individuals or organizations to host a:
- Community screening of The Economics of Happiness or one of our other films;
- DIY Economics of Happiness workshop for activists and others who want to kick-start effective global-to-local action in their community or within an existing group. The DIY Workshop Toolkit and the Discussion Guide and Companion to the Film are both free of charge.