htps:/w w.localfut res.org/

https://www.localfutures.org/

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

DIRECTOR’S NOTE
The truth is, globalisation has no future. Because of it, political stability is athing of the past; climate chaos is intensifying; anxiety disorders are of
epidemic proportions; and extremism and fundamentalism are becoming thenorm. And yet we cling to the wreckage. Politicians of every hue continue tobe in thrall to global corporations. To challenge “free trade”, which gives global
players ever more power, is all but unthinkable.
But challenge it we must. And replace it. Having identified the need for greaterawareness of the link between the economy and environmental and social
issues, we continued over the past year to connect allies and offer big
picture education through online offerings and in-person events. As always,
we promote economic localisation as the antidote to the dead-end path ofcorporate-led expansionism, and our mission to nurture a personal andcollective commitment to this movement is well underway.

Photo credit: Meltingpot

2This year we hosted two major events and created short films, web-basedmaterials and workshops. Through this, we provided opportunities for
networks to work together to resist the monoculture, while simultaneously
building the fabric essential for human and ecological well-being.
At the forefront of our efforts in 2023 was the successful launch of our largest
in-person event to date, the Planet
Local
Summit.
https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=gAou07Z6i_8 With a palpable vibrancy, thisthree-day conference celebrated the remarkable achievements in localisation
already happening around the world, while also raising the call for structuralchange to support a dramatic shift towards the local. Through talks led byspeakers of diverse backgrounds and disciplines, participants of all ages
joined together to network, learn, and be inspired by the knowledge that the
future will be local.
And the good news is that it is already happening. Under the radar of thecorporate media, the worldwide localisation movement is gathering momentum.
On every continent people are coming together to take back control of theirown economies in order to reweave their connections to community and to theliving world.
I am proud of the work Local Futures has contributed to this movement: theinspiration and momentum of the Planet Local Summit, our fourth annual
World Localization Day, ongoing work in Ladakh, and the publication of theaudiobook Local is Our Future: Steps to an Economics of Happiness.
With a future certain to bring more upheavals of various descriptions, ourwork inspires others to not only believe in, but work toward the possibilityof real systems change. Despite our limited funding and very small team,
our organisational reach and influence continues to expand. Our network is
widening, and the movement is growing ever stronger.
Thank you for being part of it.

Helena Norberg-Hodge
Founding Director, Local Futures

3

PLANET LOCAL SUMMIT/https://planet-local-summit.
localfutures.org was a
In September, our much-anticipated three-day Planet
Local Summit
great success, proving to be our largest event to date with more than 1000
people attending in person and up to 1700 joining by livestream. With
speakers and participants representing more than 70 countries, the Summit
celebrated the remarkable achievements in localisation already happeningaround the world, while also raising the call for structural change to support
a dramatic shift towards the local. Through talks, panel discussions, andbreakout groups led by speakers from diverse backgrounds and disciplines,
participants joined together to network, learn, and be inspired.
To broaden our reach, the event was professionally live-streamed, enabling
international participants to join in the event if they were unable to travel toEngland. This served a dual purpose, as many of those recordings have also
now been posted on our website for future viewing. Our livestream coverageof the event accumulated much interest, with 3,815 live views over 3 days, andover 6,500 post-event views, and counting. Local Futures ambassador Nathalie
Kelley produced httwo
tps:/ www.youtube.com/shortwatch?v=FStWkwYMt4c video
https:/ www.youtube.com/watclips
ch?v=DsvdFj7Tjac] prior to the Summit, both of whichwere shared with her Instagram followers as part of our promotional efforts.

With the intention of creating lasting resources as a result of the Summit, wearranged for filming of plenary speeches, workshop sessions, and interviews
with key speakers which will contribute to future podcasts and films.
Summit event materials included a freebooklet, htA
tps:/ plaGlobal
net-local-summit.localfutures.orgMovement/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Planet-Local-SummiComest-A-Global-Movement-Comes-of-Age-of
by-Helena-Age,
Norberg-Hodge.pdf
distilling Helena Norberg-Hodge’s big-picture
message into a few hundred words, which
was distributed to all attendees. Blending
poetry with political critique, and philosophicalreflections with a call to action, the booklet
is intended to be a helpful companion to
those thinking globally and acting locally.

4

Networking opportunities werestrategically integrated throughout
the event, beginning with an exclusive
kick-off dinner at Square Food
Foundation. Square Food chefs
showcased locally-sourced cuisine,underscoring the importance ofsociallyandenvironmentally
responsible food choices, while
Local Futures staff set the stage
for the weekend's proceedings. A
dedicated funders’ lunch on Saturday
provided a platform for partners andsupporters to celebrate achievements
and strategize future goals.

5Following the event, key speakers convened for strategic networking
sessions to plan collaborative initiatives aimed at driving impactful change.
The first day, set in Bristol, brought over 50 Summit speakers together with
Local Futures staff to distil key take-aways from the weekend and develop
community action plans. This supplementary session offered a unique platform
for global thinkers and activists to connect in a more intimate setting, exchanging
ideas on enhancing our collective voice and advancing a global-to-local
movement. Several speakers then accompanied our founder for an additional
two days at a private estate in Badminton, intensifying collaborative efforts andoffering strategic guidance for Local Futures' upcoming initiatives.

Photo credit: Local Futures

6

REALITY TOURS
We also built upon a legacy that began in 1982 with the hosting of Reality Tours
aimed at exposing rising Ladakhi leaders to the realities of Western urban life.
These tours are designed not only to unveil the challenges such as crime,
unemployment, loneliness, and alienation that exist beneath the surface ofconsumer culture, but also to showcase initiatives dedicated to revitalisingcommunity bonds and environmental stewardship. Over the years, ourefforts have expanded to include fostering a deeper understanding between
Western and Global South communities, facilitating visits for individuals
from the latter to participate in these eye-opening tours. In Ladakh, Reality
Tours have allowed Western participants to immerse themselves in traditional
village life, fostering mutual appreciation and countering negative stereotypes
perpetuated by mainstream Western media.

After the Planet Local Summit, weorganised a special Reality Tour in
Devon, for Kunzang Deachen, who
has been instrumental in leading
Local Futures Ladakh over the past
five years, and Dolma Tsering, former
president of the Women’s Alliance ofLadakh. The tour included visits to a
local food cafe, a zero waste shop, a
repair cafe, a community kitchen, alocal market, and a nature preserve,
offering invaluable insights andinspiration for further community-driven initiatives. The visit to
Schumacher College and meetingwith Satish Kumar was also very
meaningful and memorable.

7

In June, Local Futures convened participants from 27 countries through /Worldht ps:/ worldlocalizationday.org
LocalizationDay/https://worldlocalizationday.
org (WLD) to celebrate the emerging worldwide localisation
movement and strengthen it by encouraging international collaboration.
Throughout the month of June, more than 100 initiatives and events wereshared from around the world that foster ecological economies, thriving
communities, and healthy local food systems. Examples of events were:environmental festivals and solstice celebrations, seed swaps and workshops,
online talks, film screenings, and neighbourhood feasts.
The month-long event culminated in a webinar: “Localizing Globally: Building aworldwide movement” hosted by Helena and Local Futures Project Coordinator,
Henry Coleman. This event featured Transition Town and New Economy
movement leaders and other localisation pioneers from countries as diverse
as India, Nepal, Philippines, Japan, Zimbabwe, Benin, Palestine, Macedonia,
Brazil, Spain, and the UK.
The enthusiasm for localisation culminated with the Tignano Cultural Committee
awarding Helena with the Tignano Environmental Prize in Italy. In honouring her
achievements, the committee wrote “We believe that your work is fundamental
to understanding the ruinous consequences of globalisation for our planet, oureconomy, and human relations. Your work on the defence of local cultures andeconomies is essential to remind each of us of the importance of our roots andidentity, respecting all diversity, to promote biodiversity and brotherhood
among peoples." At this occasion, a new, edited version of Ancient Futures was
published by Giannozzo Pucci / Libreria Editrice Fiorentina SRL.
From an outreach perspective, it’s worth noting that World Localization Day
2023 garnered over 10,000 web page visits, including 8,495 unique visitors,
5,000 of whom were new to Local Futures. In response to the WLD initiative,
members of the Local Futures team from Australia, USA and Ladakh have been
invited to participate in webinars hosted by organisations such as Resurgence (UK),
Reconomistas (UK), The Sloth Club (Japan), Alliance for a Local Future (Mexico),
Village Square India, and International Feminists for a Gift Economy (USA).

8

LADAKH
Within Local Futures’ commitment
to advancing economic localization—shifting towards place-based,
ecological, and human-scale activities—our https://www.localfuturesladakh.org/
Ladakh initiative champions
traditional knowledge, skills, practices,and cultures.
To kick off the year, our Ladakh teamrevitalised the vegetable garden at
Women’s Alliance Ladakh, which
had previously been dormant for
many years. We collaborated withtalented young natural builders fromthe local enterprise “Earth Building”
to host a weeklong workshop restoringa historic house in Chuchot village
using exclusively natural local materials,
primarily earth. This restored housewill serve as a venue for future Local
Futures workshops.

In April, as part of a series of Local
Futures engagements designed tobring like-minded people together
to discuss and address eco-cultural
distress in Ladakh, we held a Khunak
Gathering (a traditional gatheringon tea) at Women’s Alliance Ladakh.
Local Futures hosted regular film
screenings
andaccompanying
discussions throughout the year at
this community hub, including aseries of online discussion sessions
on topics such as gift economy andcarrying capacity study in an effort
to understand the limitations ofresources in places like Ladakh.

The Chuchot building project culminatedin the creation of a compelling video
highlighting the significance ofutilising local and sustainable building
methods and materials. This issuetranscends Ladakh, resonating globallyas traditional materials like mud,straw, wood, cob, and thatch are
increasingly replaced by costly andenergy-intensive alternatives suchas concrete and steel. Watch ourvideo “Chuchot
House Restoration”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZevQ7iB2V8&t=14s

In our ongoing collaboration with
VCIL, (the Vietnamese Community ofIntegral Learning) the Local Futures
Ladakh team organised two separate
learning tours in Ladakh during thesummer of 2023 as part of the “VCIL
Travel School”. These travel schools
teach young people from Vietnam
about the serious environmental andsocial challenges facing Ladakh
today, expose them to village living
and hands-on work, and introduce
them to various organisations andactors working towards sustainable
alternatives in Ladakhi society. The
trips have had a profound impact on
the participants, many of whom havechanged the course of their own lives
towards greater environmental andsocial engagement upon return home.

9Under our "Help in the Village" initiative, the Local Futures Ladakh teamembarked on visits to Likir, Tar and Gya villages to engage with local families andparticipate in the harvest and other agricultural and village work, in order toboth offer practical help and gain profound insights into their agricultural andcraft traditions. The mission of this initiative is to reinforce the vital importanceof keeping small-scale, traditional agriculture and villages alive, as well as theinvaluable cultural heritage preserved within these communities.

10

NORTHERN RIVERS LOCALIZATIONWEEKEND & RELOCALISE//www.localPegs
pegs.com.au/ to host a transformative
In May, we joined forces with Adam Russell of https:
Local"Localization Weekend" at The Farm in Byron Bay. The event commenced with ascreening of Local Futures film Planet Local on Friday evening, followed by an
engaging panel discussion focused on advancing the local food economy in the area.

On Saturday evening, local economy expert and US lawyer Michael Shumandelivered an enlightening presentation on the advantages of investing in local
economies and initiating impactful local investment projects. The following
day, Michael conducted a full day workshop, delving deeply into the effects ofglobalisation on local economies, the substantial benefits of local investment,
and actionable strategies for communities to foster economic relocalisation.
Tailored specifically to the Byron region, participants explored collective
initiatives to bolster and sustain a thriving future, addressing critical areas
such as food security, affordable housing, localised energy solutions, healthcare
diversity, educational opportunities, and enhancing local resilience in thelong term.
The group “Relocalise Northern Rivers” was born as aresult of this event, and continues to meet weekly on
localisation efforts. They have since partnered with
Mullum SEED which supports administration, governanceand fundraising assistance, and launched a https:
website//relocalise.org/ tohighlight and spread their message of localisation.

“LOCAL IS OUR FUTURE” AUDIOBOOKThis year, we released an audiobook version of Helena
Norberg-Hodge's most recent book, Local is Our
Future: Steps to an Economics of Happiness. In thisbook, Helena connects the dots between our social,economic, ecological and spiritual crises, revealing
how a systemic shift from global to local can addressthese seemingly disparate problems simultaneously.
Distilling the wisdom gleaned from four decadesof activism and direct experience in both theglobal North and South, Helena deconstructs theold narrative of “progress” through technologicaladvance and corporate growth, while presenting
a concise and compelling case for economic
localisation. Her arguments are supported byreal-world examples proving that – beneath theradar of the mainstream media and far from thefetishised techno-utopia of Silicon Valley – healthyand vibrant futures, built upon connection tonature and community, are already in the making.

11

GLOBAL TO LOCAL PROGRAMME
Throughout the year we brought people together from around the world tospread the localisation message far and wide. Our team spoke at conferences,educational institutions, festivals, film events, and award ceremonies allaround the world.
While our freely distributed films, podcasts, blogs, and publications continue
to ripple out across the world, Helena also filmed a 5-module htonline
tps:/ www.earthed.co/courscourse
es/localisation-with-helena-norbon
erg-hodge/
httlocalisation
ps:/ www.earthed.co/courses/localisation-with-helena-norberg-hodge/ in collaboration with Earthed, and the “Great Minds” course called“An indictment against the dark side of economic globalisation” was launched.
We produced an updated edition of our https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnGz8E4Xwzg
Local Food Can Save the World shortvideo, and a podcast episode with Alnoor Ladha on Courageous Optimism.
ht ps:/ www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZevQ7iB2V8&t=14s
As mentioned before, our Ladakh team produced a video about Chuchot
Househttps://www.youtube.Restoration.
com/watch?v=RZevQ7iB2V8&t=14s
Over the past year, Helena gave 35 live public talks in Australia, Spain, UK, Italy,
Germany and Czech Republic, as well as several online sessions, including,among others:• Keynote: “The Power of localization”
at the National Sustainable Living Festival, Melbourne;• “Why localization is the path to human wellbeing”, Resurgence Talk Series;• “Local is our Future: Steps to an Economics of Happiness”
at the Happiness & Its Causes conference, Sydney;• “Small is Beautiful Reimagined” panel discussion at Schumacher College,
UK, with Satish Kumar and Dr. Stephan Harding;• Public event “Local is Our Future: Connecting People and Places”
at Atelier Gardens in Berlin;• Two sessions at Meltingpot Forum in Ostrava, Czech Republic: “Rethinking
Globalization”, an interview moderated by John Perkins and “Local is Our
Future”, a discussion with Tomáš Hajzler;• Voicesof Meltingpot Interview (released in January 2024);
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqoVBzv2t5I• An online session “How Local Action Can Lead to Systemic Change:
Localization as a Solution-Multiplier” for Future-Ready Society
Conference 2023: The Future is Local?, IPS Singapore;• A talk at Medicine Festival, UK: “Going Local: A Structural PathOf Reconnection To Others & To Mother Gaia”.

12Local Futures staff demonstrated leadership in the following capacities:• Taught local economics as part of a 12-week university diploma course forhttps://nuevaseconomias.org/
Latin America, run by Plataforma
de Introducción a Nuevas Economías(PINE)
https://nuevaseconomias.org/ and the Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Cordoba,
Argentina (Facultad de Ciencias Economicas, Universidad de Cordoba);• Participation in the ﬁrst in-person Assembly of the Global Tapestryof Alternatives, Nanyuki, Kenya, Aug 4-10;
https://zagreb.degrowth.net/en/9_int_dg_conf/public/events/189• Presentation, “Degrowth,
deglobalization and localization”, at the 9thInternational Degrowth Conference, Zagreb, Croatia, 29 Aug-2 Sept;

https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/• Representation of Local Futures at World
Social Forum in Nepal;• Volunteerism and visits with organic farmers, local food, zero waste
entrepreneurs, and eco-tourism/biodiversity conservation centres;• Presentation at ﬁlm screening at Jagera ecovillage in Maclean, NSW, in May;
• World Localization Day talk at The Farm, Byron Bay, NSW in June;• Ongoing hosting of Local Futures ﬁlm screenings and discussions
at various events worldwide.
Numerous literary pieces were written by Local Futures staff in 2023,
including:• “Bristol 2023 - A global movement for change comes of Age”,
by Helena Norberg-Hodge. Resurgence magazine, May 2023;

https:/ greattransition.orFutures:
g/gti-forum/movement-experimThe
ents-norberg-hodge?hi
ghlight=WyJoZWxlof
bmEiLCJub3Ji
ZXJnLWhvZGdlIiwiaGVsZW5hIG5vcmJlcmctaG9kZ2UiXQ==• The essay “Local
Power
Decentralization”
by Helena Norberg-Hodge, which was featured in a new collection calledhttps://greattransition.org/gti-forum/experiments-movement-unity
Experiments in Movement Unity from the Great Transition Initiative;• “Integrating Ladakh’s Traditional Wisdom into Local Policies For Holistic
Development” by Ladakh Project Associate, Kunzang Deachen, Kashmir
Times, December 2023;
https://www.localfutures.org/a-revival-of-natural-building-in-ladakh/• Seven blogs, including “Arevival of natural building in Ladakh”
by Alex Jensen and Kunzang Deachen,https://www.localfutures.org/active-networks-for-a-rapid-global-to-local-transition/“Local Food for Rapid Transition” by Henry Coleman,and https://www.localfutures.org/putting-technology-in-its-place/“Putting technology in its place” by Helena Norberg-Hodge.

13

INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE
FOR LOCALIZATION (IAL)
As part of our work to further build a localisation movement, we have continued
tps://www.localmonthly
futures.org/programs/global-to-newsletter
local/international-al iance-localization/ to share news and views from around the world of
our htIAL
relevance to localisation. Membership in the IAL currently numbers 1800,
representing nearly 60 countries. Our video “Introduction to the IAL” hasrecently been translated to French, German, Spanish and Japanese, totalling
13 languages thanks to volunteer translators.

SOCIAL MEDIATo enhance our global networking efforts, we recognised the importance ofbolstering Local Futures social media presence this year to complement andamplify our events and initiatives. Our following currently stands at:• Instagram followers: 23,100• Facebook followers: 135,000• 'X' Local Futures followers: 8,725• 'X' Helena Norberg-Hodge followers: 3,013• Tik Tok followers: 2990; Likes: 17,600

14

FINANCIALS

Total Revenue $566,834

Donations* 453,318
Royalties and writing fees 4,232
Lecture and speaking fees 7,619
Sale of publications and videos 8,913
Screening, streaming and broadcast fees 2,591
Event tickets 75,152
Administrative support fees 373
Interest and investment income 14,634* Includes $8,620 earmarked for organisations for which ISEC is the fiscal
sponsor, and $4,144 for Ladakh programs.

Total Expenses $557,292

Management and administrative 60,189
Fundraising 9,628
Program Expenses:
World Localization Day 45,492
Planet Local Summit 238,381
Global to Local programs 137,833
Film projects 21,618
International Alliance for Localization 7,107
Ladakh programs 28,274
Australia localisation projects 8,770

15

ht ps:/ w w.localfut res.org/
https://www.localfutures.org/

TEAM MEMBERS
Helena Norberg-Hodge
John Page
Anja Lyngbaek
Steve Gorelick
Alex Jensen
Henry Coleman
Sally Cusack
Kristen Fumarola
Marjana Kos
Samantha Salmon
Jonathan Tomlinson
Anja Light
Bertrand Raguet
Kunzang Deachen
Kristen Steele

Founder and Director
Creative Content Developer
Managing Programs Director
Chief Financial Officer
Researcher and Project Coordinator
Project Coordinator
Project Coordinator
Consultant
Executive AssistantWebmaster and Product Manager
Social Media Coordinator
Social Media Assistant
Audio and Visual Editor
Ladakh Project Associate
Director of Special Projects

CREDITS
Written by: Kristen Fumarola and Local Futures Team
Designer: Nathalie Mansour
Photo credits: Front cover - Upfest | Back cover - Nadiia Vynar, Unsplash
Inner Pages - Local Futures
Local Futures/International Society for Ecology and Culture
www.localfutures.org | info@localfutures.org
USA: PO Box 36, East Hardwick, VT 05836, Tel: +1 (802) 307 9502
UK: PO Box 239, Totnes TQ9 9DP

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