Local Futures Podcast

Described by journalist George Monbiot as “one of the greatest thinkers of our age,” Jeremy Lent is the founder of the Liology Institute and the author of ‘The Patterning Instinct’ and, most recently, ‘The Web of Meaning’. His work investigates the underlying causes of our civilization’s existential crisis, and explores pathways toward a life-affirming future. In his own words, his work: “has been a journey of many years, during which I dedicated myself full time to deep research in disciplines such as neuroscience, history, and anthropology, and to exploring the great traditions of Buddhism, Taoism, Neo-Confucianism, and Indigenous wisdom.” In this conversation with Helena Norberg-Hodge, Jeremy unpacks many of the assumptions and world views that underpin modern society’s destructive trajectory. Together, they outline worldview transformations that contribute to a vision for a more sustainable and humane future – a future that both Helena and Jeremy truly believe to be within our grasp.   See our new - Localization Action Guide. Please write to info@localfutures.org with any comments and ideas for future topics/guests. Intro music by Gillicuddy (CC BY-NC 3.0).

Brazilian researcher and activist Dr. Camila Moreno has attended almost all the major climate conferences in the last decade. In this conversation with Helena Norberg-Hodge, she offers a rare glimpse into the internal workings of the multilateral negotiations. She explains how the narrow focus on carbon is turning climate itself into a tradable commodity for profit, and how the "decarbonization" agenda is linked to technocracy and increased surveillance.We are left with greater clarity, and a stark choice between a human future and a high-tech dystopia.This is key listening for climate/environmental activists. See our new - Localization Action Guide. Please write to info@localfutures.org with any comments and ideas for future topics/guests. Intro music by Gillicuddy (CC BY-NC 3.0).

You would struggle to find three individuals more equipped to navigate the big picture of global economic mega-structures and civilizational transformation than Tyson, Alnoor and Helena. Between them, they share a wealth of diverse experiences, radical analysis and bold future-visioning, as well as a healthy dose of banter and laughter. Their far-reaching conversation analyses conspiracy theory, the global financial system and capitalist ideology, while outlining the power of localization and sacred activism to build a radically different future. This one is well worth a listen. Please write to info@localfutures.org with any comments and ideas for future topics/guests. Intro music by Gillicuddy (CC BY-NC 3.0).

Tyson Yunkaporta, author of Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World, joins Local Futures’ director Helena Norberg-Hodge to explore “right story” - cognitive frameworks that can help us navigate through the neo-colonial, techno-globalist age, and towards more interconnected, land-based futures. Touching on everything from marginal identities to electromagnetic pulses, from the local food movement to civilizational “apocalypse”, they outline the great necessity for all people to experience a “right of return”: to land, to community, to the local.     Related links: - Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World

In this episode, we cover the inspiring story of the Copenhagen Food Coop, a member-owned alternative to mainstream grocery stores which allows people to not only have regular access to fresh local food, but also to make decisions about what foods the coop purchases and how the coop is run.   NOTE: This episode was recorded before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though some of the activities mentioned in this episode - such as community harvest celebrations and group farm visits  - are currently 'on hold', the work of the Copenhagen Food Coop and other groups to build strong local food economies has never been more important.   Related links: - Website of the Copenhagen Food Coop - Ökostart (toolkit for starting a food coop, created by the Copenhagen Food Coop) (site in Danish) - Planet Local library   Intro music by Gillicuddy (CC BY-NC 3.0).   Please write to info@localfutures.org with any comments and ideas for future topics/guests!

In this episode we speak with Judith Hitchman, the president of Urgenci, an international network of community-supported agriculture groups (CSAs). The conversation touches on decommodifying food, ISDS clauses, local food policy councils, and many more topics related to local food.     Related links: - Urgenci - the international CSA network - Article: 'Saving Japan’s seed heritage from “free trade”' - Article: 'Tosepan - Resistance and Renewal in Mexico' - Booklet: 'Localization: Essential Steps to an Economics of Happiness' - Links to Organizations for Change - 'Insane Trade' factsheet and short film   Photo by Peg Diaz (http://pegdiaz.com/) Music by Gillicuddy: 1; 2; 3 (CC BY-NC 3.0).   Please write to info@localfutures.org with any comments and ideas for future topics/guests!

Juan del Río is a co-founder of the Spanish Transition Network, and author of the first book about the Transition movement to be published in Spanish. In this interview from the New Economy and Social Innovation (NESI) forum, he gives us his thoughts on economic transition, how different economic systems encode different values, how trade treaties threaten community resilience, and what we can do about it all.     Related links: - Read about our work in Ladakh over the years - Read the foreword to Juan's book about the Transition movement in Spain, by Transition founder Rob Hopkins - The Spanish Transition Network (Red de Transición)   Photo: Juan giving a talk on the Transition movement. Music by: Gillicuddy and Podington Bear (CC BY-NC 3.0).   Please write to info@localfutures.org with any comments and ideas for future topics/guests.

From social enterprises to credit unions, a new wave of not-for-profit businesses is pushing back against the assumption that consumerism and competition must drive the economy. In this episode, we speak with Jen Hinton of the Post Growth Institute, co-author of a forthcoming book about how the line between businesses and not-for-profit organizations doesn’t have to be as rigid as you might think.     Related links: - How On Earth - the website for the forthcoming book. - 'Beyond capitalism: not-for-profit business ethos motivates sustainable behaviour', by Jen Hinton and Donnie Maclurcan, Oct 2014. - Community-Wealth.org's factsheets about worker cooperatives, social enterprises, municipal enterprises, community development corporations, and community financial institutions.   Photo: Goodwill Industries, one of the first entities to blur the line between business and nonprofit. Music by: Gillicuddy (CC BY-NC 3.0), Chris Zabriskie (CC BY 3.0), and Podington Bear (CC BY-NC 3.0).   Please write to info@localfutures.org with any comments and ideas for future topics/guests.

In this episode, we chat with Diego Isabel La Moneda of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WE-All), a growing group of people and organizations around the world focused on co-creating a new economic system. The goal of WE-All is to bring businesses, NGOs, policymakers, faith-based groups, academics and citizens all together into a coherent global new economy movement, with a vision for change and a set of strategies for how to achieve it. Related links: - The Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WE-All) website   Photo by Pierre Ferron. Music by Chris Zabriskie (CC BY 4.0).   Write to info@localfutures.org with your comments and ideas for future topics/guests.  

Francisco Grau is a co-founder of Feria Verde, one of the largest and oldest organic farmers markets in Costa Rica. In this episode, Local Futures' Associate Programs Director Anja Lyngbaek, sits down with Francisco to talk about how the market got started, how it’s kept itself running and thriving for nearly a decade, and what lessons Feria Verde has to offer for people thinking about starting farmers markets in their own communities. Related links: - Feria Verde's website (in Spanish) - Feria Verde on Facebook   Photo by Francisco Grau. Music by Chris Zabriskie (CC BY 4.0), Doctor Turtle (CC BY 4.0), and Gillicuddy ("Jupiter the Blue" & "Springish"; CC BY-NC 3.0).   Write to info@localfutures.org with your comments and ideas for future topics/guests.