Film screening showcases alternative to current economic chaos

As the global financial system continues to experience turmoil and turbulence, a ‘new way’ of thinking is being showcased in a film presentation taking place in deepest Devon this week.

“The Economics of Happiness”, an hour long documentary produced by Helena Norberg-Hodge that charts the clear advantages of a localised approach to commerce and ecology over globalisation, is being shown at the United Methodist Church on Fore Street in Totnes on Tuesday 20th September.

It’s one of hundreds of screenings of the film across the world and highlights the plight of the Ladakh region of Kashmir in India where the stark effects of global markets are shown to have a very negative impact on well established, traditional ways of living and local environments.

Helena Norberg-Hodge, founder and director of the International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC) and numerous projects projects across Ladakh, commented: “The Economics of Happiness presents a way in which communities can operate and trade effectively in order to preserve their cultures and protect their environments and it’s never been more relevant.

“We are experiencing a real crisis of the human spirit and this film shows that there is another way that draws upon well established methods nurtured over millennia.

“Markets across the world are racked by uncertainty and instability and the whole financial system along with our way of life and environment is under serious threat.

“We need a new way. If we continue to bury our heads in the sand then we will soon discover that our global system is built on quicksand. The Economics of Happiness presents an approach that has far more solid, localised foundations. It really is the only pathway forward.

“All of the warning signs are there but this film offers a practical, progressive and apolitical alternative to the existing malaise,” added Helena.

The film screening is sponsored by Transition Towns Totnes, a dynamic, community-led charity that is strengthening the local economy, reducing the cost of living and preparing for a future with less oil and a changing climate.

Rob Hopkins, co-founder of the Transition Network and Transition Town Totnes, said of the film: "This passionate film presents a clear and articulate vision of what a shift in the scale at which we do things would look like. Very timely and powerful."

For more details visit www.isec.org.uk