Helena Norberg-Hodge
Encyclopedia
Helena Norberg-Hodge is an analyst of the impact of the global economy on cultures and agriculture worldwide, a pioneer of the localisation movement, and the articulator of the core ideas of Counter-development
. She is producer and co-director of the award-winning documentary, The Economics of Happiness and is the founder and director of the International Society for Ecology and Culture
(ISEC). Based in the US and UK, with subsidiaries in Sweden
, Germany
, Australia
, and Ladakh
, ISEC's mission is to examine the root causes of our social and environmental crises, while promoting more sustainable and equitable patterns of living in both North and South. Its activities include The Economics of Happiness, The Ladakh Project, a Local Food program and Global to Local Outreach.
, including studies at the doctoral level at the University of London and at MIT, with Noam Chomsky
. Fluent in seven languages, she has lived in and studied numerous cultures at varying degrees of industrialisation, giving her a unique international perspective.
, a 68 minute documentary made by ISEC in 2011. The film describes a world moving simultaneously in two opposing directions. On the one hand, government and big business continue to promote globalization and the consolidation of corporate power. At the same time, all around the world people are resisting those policies, demanding a re-regulation of trade and finance—and, far from the old institutions of power, they’re starting to forge a very different future. Communities are coming together to re-build more human scale, ecological economies based on a new paradigm – an economics of localization.
The Economics of Happiness has been shown around in the world and been featured in more than twenty film festivals. It won Best in Show at the Cinema Verde Environmental Film and Arts Festival in Florida and Best Director Award at the EkoFilm Festival in the Czech Republic.
were crucial in enabling her to understand the impact of conventional development and globalisation on people and the environment. Ladakh, also known as Little Tibet, is a remote region on the Tibetan plateau
. Although it is politically part of India
, it has more in common culturally with Tibet
. Helena first went to Ladakh in 1975 as part of a film crew. The Indian government had recently made a decision to open up region to development, yet the traditional culture was still very much intact. Previous to the 1970s, Ladakh had experienced little change from year to year, from generation to generation. Now, however, external forces began descending on the Ladakhis like an avalanche, causing massive and rapid disruption. There were changes at every level—environmental, cultural, economic, social, psychological; conventional development leaves nothing unaltered. The profound changes in the way people thought and how they interacted with each other were reflected in the Ladakhi landscape. She describes these changes: "When I first arrived in Leh, the capital of 5,000 inhabitants, cows were the most likely cause of congestion and the air was crystal clear. Within five minutes' walk in any direction from the town centre were barley fields, dotted with large farmhouses. For the next twenty years I watched Leh turn into an urban sprawl. The streets became choked with traffic, and the air tasted of diesel fumes. 'Housing colonies' of soulless, cement boxes spread into the dusty desert. The once pristine streams became polluted, the water undrinkable. For the first time, there were homeless people. The increased economic pressures led to unemployment and competition. Within a few years, friction between different communities appeared. All of these things had not existed for the previous 500 years."
Ms. Norberg-Hodge went on to found The Ladakh Project, for which ISEC is now the parent organisation. She has helped establish several indigenous organisations in Ladakh including the Ladakh Ecological Development Group (LEDeG) and the Women's Alliance of Ladakh (WAL).
, based on her first-hand experience of the effects of conventional development in Ladakh. Ancient Futures has been described as an "inspirational classic" by The Times and together with a film of the same title, it has been translated into 42 languages. A new edition was published in 2009 by Random House. She is also co-author of Bringing the Food Economy Home and From the Ground Up: Rethinking Industrial Agriculture.
Ms. Norberg-Hodge has written many articles and book chapters. Recent articles include:
Recent presentations include:
, or the "Alternative Nobel Prize" as recognition for her work with LEDeG.
In 1993, she was named one of the world's 'Ten Most Interesting Environmentalists' by the Earth Journal. Her work has been the subject of more than 250 articles in over a dozen countries.
In Carl McDaniel's book Wisdom for a Liveable Planet (Trinity University Press, 2005), she was profiled as one of eight visionaries changing the world today.
magazine and a co-founder of the International Forum on Globalisation and the Global Ecovillage Network
.
Counter-development
Counter-development is a strategy and world-view advocated by Helena Norberg-Hodge and the Indian organization Ladakh Ecological Development Group. In her book, Ancient Futures, Helena Norberg-Hodge entails "traditional" ways of life employed by the Ladakh people in the Punjab region of India and...
. She is producer and co-director of the award-winning documentary, The Economics of Happiness and is the founder and director of the International Society for Ecology and Culture
International Society for Ecology and Culture
The International Society for Ecology and Culture is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to raise awareness about what it identifies as the root causes of contemporary social, environmental and economic crises....
(ISEC). Based in the US and UK, with subsidiaries in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and Ladakh
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
, ISEC's mission is to examine the root causes of our social and environmental crises, while promoting more sustainable and equitable patterns of living in both North and South. Its activities include The Economics of Happiness, The Ladakh Project, a Local Food program and Global to Local Outreach.
Education
Norberg-Hodge was educated in Sweden, Germany, Austria, England and the United States. She specialised in linguisticsLinguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, including studies at the doctoral level at the University of London and at MIT, with Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
. Fluent in seven languages, she has lived in and studied numerous cultures at varying degrees of industrialisation, giving her a unique international perspective.
The Economics of Happiness
Helena Norberg-Hodge is co-director and producer of The Economics of HappinessThe Economics of Happiness
The Economics of Happiness is a 2011 documentary film directed by Helena Norberg-Hodge, Steven Gorelick, and John Page, and produced by the International Society for Ecology and Culture...
, a 68 minute documentary made by ISEC in 2011. The film describes a world moving simultaneously in two opposing directions. On the one hand, government and big business continue to promote globalization and the consolidation of corporate power. At the same time, all around the world people are resisting those policies, demanding a re-regulation of trade and finance—and, far from the old institutions of power, they’re starting to forge a very different future. Communities are coming together to re-build more human scale, ecological economies based on a new paradigm – an economics of localization.
The Economics of Happiness has been shown around in the world and been featured in more than twenty film festivals. It won Best in Show at the Cinema Verde Environmental Film and Arts Festival in Florida and Best Director Award at the EkoFilm Festival in the Czech Republic.
Ladakh
Helena's experiences in LadakhLadakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
were crucial in enabling her to understand the impact of conventional development and globalisation on people and the environment. Ladakh, also known as Little Tibet, is a remote region on the Tibetan plateau
Tibetan Plateau
The Tibetan Plateau , also known as the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau is a vast, elevated plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai, in addition to smaller portions of western Sichuan, southwestern Gansu, and northern Yunnan in Western China and Ladakh in...
. Although it is politically part of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, it has more in common culturally with Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
. Helena first went to Ladakh in 1975 as part of a film crew. The Indian government had recently made a decision to open up region to development, yet the traditional culture was still very much intact. Previous to the 1970s, Ladakh had experienced little change from year to year, from generation to generation. Now, however, external forces began descending on the Ladakhis like an avalanche, causing massive and rapid disruption. There were changes at every level—environmental, cultural, economic, social, psychological; conventional development leaves nothing unaltered. The profound changes in the way people thought and how they interacted with each other were reflected in the Ladakhi landscape. She describes these changes: "When I first arrived in Leh, the capital of 5,000 inhabitants, cows were the most likely cause of congestion and the air was crystal clear. Within five minutes' walk in any direction from the town centre were barley fields, dotted with large farmhouses. For the next twenty years I watched Leh turn into an urban sprawl. The streets became choked with traffic, and the air tasted of diesel fumes. 'Housing colonies' of soulless, cement boxes spread into the dusty desert. The once pristine streams became polluted, the water undrinkable. For the first time, there were homeless people. The increased economic pressures led to unemployment and competition. Within a few years, friction between different communities appeared. All of these things had not existed for the previous 500 years."
Ms. Norberg-Hodge went on to found The Ladakh Project, for which ISEC is now the parent organisation. She has helped establish several indigenous organisations in Ladakh including the Ladakh Ecological Development Group (LEDeG) and the Women's Alliance of Ladakh (WAL).
Publications
She is the author of Ancient Futures: Learning from LadakhAncient Futures: Learning from Ladakh
Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh is a book by Helena Norberg-Hodge. The book was published in 1991. The 1st part of the book described the untouched land of Ladakh, when Helena first arrived in 1975, on how everyone is so happy and contented. In the "olden" world, Ladakhis women enjoyed high...
, based on her first-hand experience of the effects of conventional development in Ladakh. Ancient Futures has been described as an "inspirational classic" by The Times and together with a film of the same title, it has been translated into 42 languages. A new edition was published in 2009 by Random House. She is also co-author of Bringing the Food Economy Home and From the Ground Up: Rethinking Industrial Agriculture.
Ms. Norberg-Hodge has written many articles and book chapters. Recent articles include:
- "The North-South Divide" The Ecologist magazine, 22 June 2008.
- "Encouraging Diversity and Sustainability through Localisation" World Women's Forum 2008.
- "The Economics of Happiness" Resurgence magazine, November/December 2007.
- "Thinking Globally, Eating Locally" Totnes Transition Town Guide, 2007.
- "Going Local" Kindred magazine, December 2007
- "Poverty and the Buddhist Way of Life" Ecology and Buddhism in the Knowledge-based Society, May 2006
Films, Television and Online Media
- Helnna was interviewed on the Dylan Ratigan Show on MSNBC
- Helena narrates and is featured in Ancient Futures, a film by the International Society for Ecology and Culture based on Helena's book.
- Local Futures, the film sequel to Ancient Futures, by the International Society for Ecology and Culture.
- Helena is featured in Paradise with Side Effects, a German/French documentary on ISEC's Reality Tours program by Claus Schenk.
- Helena is featured in The Economics of HappinessThe Economics of HappinessThe Economics of Happiness is a 2011 documentary film directed by Helena Norberg-Hodge, Steven Gorelick, and John Page, and produced by the International Society for Ecology and Culture...
, a feature length film by ISEC on environmental, social and economic impacts of globalisation, as well as the multiple benefits of localisation.
- In South Korea, Helena has been interviewed for television by Jungbo Park of the Korea Educational Broadcasting System and Kyung-Joo Suh of the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation.
- Several interviews with Helena are featured on BigPicture.tv, a website devoted to streaming video clips of leading thinkers and activists in environmental and social sustainability.
Lectures, Workshops and Presentations
Helena lectures extensively in English, Swedish, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Ladakhi. Over the years, lecture tours have brought Ms. Norberg-Hodge to major universities, government agencies and private institutions. She has made presentations to parliamentarians in Germany, Sweden, and England; at the White House and the US Congress; to UNESCO, the World Bank and the IMF; and at Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, Cornell and numerous other universities. She also teaches regularly at Schumacher College in England. She frequently lectures and gives workshops for community groups around the world working on localisation issues.Recent presentations include:
- October 2011- "The End of Growth" with Richard Heinberg. Orion Magazine live online discussion.
- July 2011-"The Economics of Happiness." TEDx, Christchurch, New Zealand
Recognition
Over the years, she has received support from many world leaders, including H.R.H. Prince Charles, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, H.H. the Dalai Lama, and Indian Prime Ministers Indira and Rajiv Gandhi. In 1986, she received the Right Livelihood AwardRight Livelihood Award
The Right Livelihood Award, also referred to as the "Alternative Nobel Prize", is a prestigious international award to honour those "working on practical and exemplary solutions to the most urgent challenges facing the world today". The prize was established in 1980 by Jakob von Uexkull, and is...
, or the "Alternative Nobel Prize" as recognition for her work with LEDeG.
In 1993, she was named one of the world's 'Ten Most Interesting Environmentalists' by the Earth Journal. Her work has been the subject of more than 250 articles in over a dozen countries.
In Carl McDaniel's book Wisdom for a Liveable Planet (Trinity University Press, 2005), she was profiled as one of eight visionaries changing the world today.
Affiliations
Ms. Norberg-Hodge is on the International Commission on the Future of Food and Agriculture, launched with the support of the government of Tuscany. She is also a member of the editorial board of The EcologistThe Ecologist
The Ecologist is a British environmental publication founded in 1970 by Edward Goldsmith. It addresses a wide range of environmental subjects and promotes an ecological systems thinking approach through its news stories, investigations and opinion articles. The Ecologist encourages its readers to...
magazine and a co-founder of the International Forum on Globalisation and the Global Ecovillage Network
Global Ecovillage Network
The Global Ecovillage Network is a global association of people and communities dedicated to living "sustainable plus" lives by restoring the land and adding more to the environment than is taken...
.