398) Helena Norberg-Hodge: Artisanal futures and economics of happiness

“Once you start rebuilding more localized systems, they are almost without exception, going to be kinder to the environment and kinder to people structurally. ” In this episode, we are honored to welcome back our guest Helena Norberg-Hodge, a linguist, author, and filmmaker, and the founder of the Local Futures. As a pioneer and proponent of localization (decentralization), as well as her experience living in deep relation with the people of Ladakh over a 40-year period, Helena encourages “locality” grounded in community accountability, slowness, and (bio)diversity. Join Helena and our host Kamea as we explore the systemic barriers surrounding notions of philanthropy and investment, gift economies, and re-structuring community fabric from the bottom up. Throughout the conversation, Helena urges us to sit with the complexities of modern economic and agricultural practices that extract, monopolize, and homogenize cultures and lifeforms. Ultimately she asks: how might we avoid falling into the pit of “shame and blame” responses to these atrocities, and rather, shed light on historical matrices that have shaped where we are today? In doing so, how can we encourage and learn from existing practices and cultural paradigms that embody localization at its core? (The musical offering featured in this episode Drop the Stone by Oropendola. The episode-inspired artwork is by Art Twink.) This episode was brought to you by our supporting listeners. Join us on Patreon to help us keep our show alive: www.greendreamer.com/support