#36 Helena Norberg-Hodge

Helena Norberg-Hodge is a Linguist, author and film maker. She is the founder and director of the international non-profit organization, Local Futures, a pioneer of the new economy movement, and the convener of World Localization Day.

She is the author of several books, including Ancient Futures, which you’ll hear about in this conversation. Together with a film of the same title, Ancient Futures has been translated into more than 40 languages and sold half a million copies world-wide.

Her work, spanning almost half a century, has received the support of a wide range of international figures, including the likes of Jane Goodall and the Dalai Lama.

Starting in 1975, Helena worked in the Himalayan region with the people of Ladakh to find ways of enabling their culture to meet the modern world without sacrificing social and ecological values. She was the first Westerner in modern times to become fluent in the language. She has helped to initiate localization movements on every continent, and co-founded both the International Forum on Globalization and the Global Ecovillage Network.

I was very honored to speak with Helena after reading her first book recently. She advocates for localized alternatives to the global economy, particularly involving the creation of robust local food systems and democratic structures that can effectively resist authoritarianism.

We talked all about her work in Ladakh and the effects of global economic pressures on that place, as well as her other writings, films, and the work she does with Local Futures. You can find all that content at LocalFutures.org.