Stuck inside due to Corona-virus? Feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world? Join Local Futures and the New Economics Network Australia (NENA) this Sunday the 22nd of March (9:30 am AEDT/UTC +11) for an interactive, online webinar, exploring far-reaching visions for systemic change.

The webinar, ‘Going Local: Hope in a Time of Crisis’ will bring together pioneering thinkers and activists from the worldwide localisation and ‘new economy’ movements, including Charles Eisenstein, Damon Gameau, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Dr Michelle Maloney, Mandy Nolan, Aidan Ricketts and Ella Noah-Bancroft. See below for full speaker bios.

Sunday 22nd Online Program:

9:30 am
We will hear from Charles Eisenstein, who will be joining us from the US. Charles will explore the interlinkages between the crises humanity faces in today’s world. He will frame the economic, philosophical and spiritual transition we need to make. Charles will be taking questions from webinar participants.
10:15 am
A conversation between Damon Gameau and Helena Norberg-Hodge will be live-streamed. In this discussion, the two experts will tackle some of the biggest questions: What is the most strategic path towards fundamental economic change? What is working around the world? What does localisation really mean, and how can we see through some common misconceptions surrounding it? What do localised futures look like?
11 - 11:30 am webinar participants will engage with the experts in a Q&A session.

11:30 am -1 pm: LUNCH BREAK

1pm - 1:10: Mandy Nolan: post-lunch energising and introduction to afternoon session.
1:10 - 1:30: Ella Goninan on decentralised renewable energy and commitment to grassroots activism.
1:30 - 2pm: Dr Michelle Maloney on Earth Laws, New Economics and bioregionalism, including short Q&A.
2pm - 2:40: Ella Noah Bancroft and Helena Norberg-Hodge in conversation about cultural and spiritual renewal in post-colonial societies, and rediscovering feminine, nature-based and indigenous ways of being.
2:40 – 3pm: Wrap-up and next steps with Helena Norberg-Hodge. Big-picture activism, grassroots initiatives for local food, and community building.

Full Speaker Bio's

Charles Eisenstein. Charles is a speaker and writer focusing on themes of human culture and identity. He is the author of several books, most recently Sacred Economics and The More Beautiful World our Hearts Know is Possible. His background includes a degree in mathematics and philosophy from Yale, a decade in Taiwan as a translator, and stints as a college instructor, a yoga teacher, and a construction worker. He currently writes and speaks full-time. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and four children. Read more about Charles at http://charleseisenstein.net.
Damon Gameau. Damon is a director, producer, activist, author, and nominee for Australian of the Year. In 2015 he released his first feature film That Sugar Film, which became the highest grossing Australian documentary across Australia and New Zealand of all time. Damon has recently completed the documentary 2040, which has also become one of the highest grossing Australian documentaries of all time. The 2040 ‘Regeneration’ impact campaign has brought many of the solutions shown in the film to life and has motivated people to take positive action on climate change.
Helena Norberg-Hodge. Helena is the founder and director of Local Futures. A pioneer of the new economy movement, she has been promoting an economics of personal, social and ecological well-being for over 40 years. She is the producer and co-director of the award-winning documentary The Economics of Happiness, and is the author of Local is Our Future and Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh. She was honoured with the Right Livelihood Award for her ground-breaking work in Ladakh, and received the 2012 Goi Peace Prize. Helena is also a founding member of the International Forum on Globalization, the International Commission on the Future of Food and Agriculture, and the Global Ecovillage Network.
Dr. Michelle Maloney. Michelle is a lawyer and change maker working to ensure human societies live within their ecological limits, respect the Rights of Nature to exist and thrive, and build effective economic systems that support social justice and ecological health. Michelle is Co-Founder and National Convenor of the Australian Earth Laws Alliance (AELA); Co-Founder and Director of the New Economy Network Australia; Director of Future Dreaming Australia and Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Griffith University Law Futures Centre. Michelle is passionate about building diverse, local economies in Australia, that ensure we can all be part of a fairer and more just society and that we can thrive within healthy, biodiverse bioregions.
Mandy Nolan. Mandy is a stand-up comedian for well over 28 years, and with a background in journalism, Mandy has performed at the South Pacific Conference for Women Parliamentarians and headlined the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow. She has worked with QLD Health two years running, delivering ‘Funny in the Head’ – a comedy performance by people with lived experience of mental health issues, which reframes social stigma and stereotypes. She also developed Stand Up for Dementia – a nationally recognized therapeutic program for people with dementia, and is a published author of four books.
Ella Rose Goninan. Ella is a social change agent, activist, artist, event manager based in Northern Rivers NSW. She is the founder and director of COREM, a community-owned renewable energy group; Renew Fest, an annual festival of ecological, economic and social renewal; and First Light, a peer support network for people experiencing extreme mental health crisis. Ella is also one of the directors of the Community Power Agency and a team member of Culture Aware, and has worked for Kulcha Jam and the Bob Brown Foundation.
Ella Noah Bancroft. Ella is a Bundjalung woman based in Northern NSW. She is an artist, storyteller, director, mentor and founder of “The Returning” and Yhi Creations.Ella is passionate about re-wilding, and her work discusses themes of identity, intersectionality, culture, sexuality, the feminine force and living a life of integrity, connection and creativity.