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Helena Norberg-Hodge: The future is local – how local economies can be the answer to global crises

helena norberg-hodge

We are happy together with ABF Stockholm, The Real Economy and Arena Idé to welcome Helena Norberg-Hodge, who has spent several decades working on four continents to demonstrate that localization is the most strategic solution to our intersecting social and ecological crises. She is coming to the ABF-huset on 4th of June to talk on how localization of economies help us heal from global corporate capitalism and renew ecological and social well-being.

Time: Thu 2026-06-04 18.00 - 19.30

Location: ABF-Huset, Sveavägen 41, Stockholm

Language: English

Participating: Helena Nordberg-Hodge

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Globalization’s promises of efficiency have contributed to the climate crisis, fragile supply chains and growing inequality. But are there alternatives that work in practice?

Helena Norberg-Hodge, founder of Local Futures, has been a leading voice in the movement to strengthen local economies for over half a century, with a particular focus on food systems.​ Localization, as she calls it, means more jobs, less waste and pollution, stronger and more prosperous communities – and institutions that people can trust.

Helena is a recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, and is one of the most influential voices in the new economy movement. Her work calls for a new orientation – one that prioritizes the real needs of people and the planet over corporate profits.

During the evening, the following will be discussed:

  • ​How we can strengthen local economies
  • Concrete examples of functioning local economies
  • What is required for a more resilient and human-rooted economy
  • How globalization affects local communities and democracy

For whom? For those interested in:

  • ​climate and transition issues
  • economy
  • sustainable development
  • democracy

What you will get:

  • Concrete examples of how economic systems can be organized in smaller, more resilient and democratically rooted contexts.


The lecture is in English. Introduction by Fatima Osman Abdalla, co-founder of The Real Economy.

Tickets and registration at ABF Stockholm here  or at Tickster
Location: ABF-Huset, Sveavägen 41, Stockholm
Time: 18.00-19:30 

Proceeds support ABF's activities promoting lifelong learning, democracy, and equality.

Helena Norgberg-Hodge
Photo by Diane van der Marel

Helena Norberg-Hodge  is a linguist, author, and filmmaker, and founder of Local Futures , an international nonprofit promoting ecological and social well-being through localization. Her book Ancient Futures  has been translated into over 50 languages, and her documentary The Economics of Happiness  has been screened in more than 50 countries. She has spent over four decades demonstrating that stronger local economies offer solutions to today’s social and ecological crises.

This talk is organised by The Real Economy, ABF Stockholm, Arena Idé and KTH Environmental Humanities Laboratory at KTH Royal Institute for Technology,

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