New Doc The Economics of Happiness: Solutions to Global Problems in Localized Economies

The San Francisco Bay Area launch of The Economics of Happiness, a 1 hour documentary about the worldwide movement for economic localization, will take place in Berkeley, California, at the David Brower Center, on Thursday, January 13, 2011. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with special guests. This event is free and open to the public ($15 donation greatly appreciated).

The Economics of Happiness demonstrates that millions of people are already engaged in building a better world. The film shows that countless small scale initiatives around the world are exploring potential solutions to the multiple crises we face—climate chaos, economic meltdown, and our own personal suffering such as stress, loneliness, and depression. These initiatives are united around a common cause: rebuilding more democratic, human scale, ecological and local economies – the foundation of an “economics of happiness”.

Some of the local efforts profiled in the film range from urban gardens in Detroit, Michigan, the Transition Town movement in England, hands-on education in Japan, ecological development in Ladakh, cultural preservation in Peru, and much more.

The film features acclaimed environmentalists, scholars and authors including, Vandana Shiva, Bill McKibben, David Korten, Juliet Schor, Richard Heinberg, accomplished Bhutanese film director Khyentse Norbu, and the first Prime Minister of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile Samdhong Rinpoche among others.

The San Francisco Bay Area launch of The Economics of Happiness will highlight local examples of a global movement of community-based initiatives dedicated to addressing the multiple crises we face. Partner organizations from the Bay Area will be profiled at the event.

The film will be followed by a panel discussion with co-director Helena Norberg-Hodge, author Richard Heinberg, and representatives from Bay Localize and the Sustainable Economies Law Center.

Co-sponsored by the Post Carbon Institute, Bay Localize, Sustainable Economies Law Center, Bay Area Community Exchange, Shareable.net, Other Worlds, Transition Albany, and others to be confirmed.

Film co-director Helena Norberg-Hodge is the founder and director of the International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC) and its predecessor, the Ladakh Project. She is a co-founder of the Ladakh Ecological Development Group which was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, aka, the “Alternative Nobel Prize,” in 1986. She is also a co-founder of the International Forum on Globalization. Norberg-Hodge is the author of Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh, the basis for the 1993 award-winning documentary film of the same name. Ancient Futures producer John Page co-directed The Economics of Happiness, along with Helena Norberg-Hodge and Steven Gorelick.