Director ’s Note
The Economics of HappinessP roduc ed by Loc al Fu tu re s
F i l m m a k e r s : H e l e n a N o r b e r g- Hodge, Ste ve n G or elic k and J oh n Pa ge

After five years of production we are please d t o an nou nc e the rele ase o f
The Economics of Happiness (2 011)
At the Local Futures (formerly known as International Society for Ecology andCulture), we have spent the last four decades raising awareness of the underlying
causes of the many crises we face today. From climate change to terrorism, financial
insecurity to the epidemic of depression – we have argued that most of our mostpressing problems can be traced back to an unsustainable global economic system.
More importantly, we have pointed to a strategic way to address these problems
simultaneously: economic localization.
The Economics of Happiness offers not only a big-picture analysis of globalization,
but a powerful message of hope for the future. The thinkers and activists weinterviewed for the film come from every continent and represent the interests of thegreat majority of people on the planet today. Their message is unambiguous: in orderto respect and revitalize diversity, both cultural and biological, we need to localize
economic activity. They argue that a systemic shift – away from globalizing economic
activity and towards the local – is an almost magic formula that allows us to reduce
our ecological footprint while increasing human well-being.
When people start connecting the dots between climate change, global economic
instability and their own personal suffering – stress, loneliness, depression – there is
the potential for a movement that will truly change the world. Featuring a wealth ofdiverse perspectives, the film illustrates these often hidden connections. We go

Local Futures
www.localfutures.org-1-beyond the narrow analysis of the mainstream to show that antagonism between
human needs and the need of nature is not inevitable.
Resistance to further economic globalization has created powerful new alliances:
deep ecologists linking hands with labour unionists, independent businessmen
collaborating with small farmers. Now, at the grassroots, localization is also bridging
divides in a completely new way – bringing people together across ethnic, religious,economic and even partisan divides.
We have found the process of making this film incredibly inspiring. Simply to see themultitude of grassroots movements afoot has been heartening – a testimony to human
goodwill and resilience. We hope that The Economics of Happiness will bring thesame inspiration to viewers around the world. It provides insight, hope, reassurance
and above all, motivation to join in the growing localization movement. Bringing theeconomy closer to home can not only save us from environmental and economic
catastrophe, but it can help us to re-discover those essential relationships – both withthe living world and with one another – that ultimately give our lives meaning andjoy.
– Helena Norberg - Hodge, Steven Gorelick, John Page
B i o o f H ele na Norb er g - Hod ge:
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Local Futures
www.localfutures.org-2-