Going Local: Hope in a Time of Crisis

20-22 March, 2020 – Byron Bay, NSW

Presented by The Economics of Happiness / Local Futures and New Economy Network Australia (NENA)

Going Local poster

How can we work together to create a fundamentally different economic system and a more beautiful world?

Today, as we face a seemingly endless series of crises, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. But seeing how our problems--from climate change to our personal wellbeing--are fundamentally linked to our economic system can be deeply empowering. Decades of failure by governments to adopt a big picture approach to the future have led to down-stream solutions, self-blame and epidemics of depression and anxiety. However, in recent years, many individuals and organizations involved in separate campaigns have begun to collaborate and embrace a holistic approach that moves beyond single issues. A big picture,broad analysis is beginning to build a broad, united movement for fundamental change. We owe it to ourselves and our children to join this movement for systemic change.

The goal of this 3-day ideas festival is to explore and explain how we can shift direction—from a single globalized market towards economies that support renewal, resilience and greater human and planetary wellbeing. This gathering will emphasize the systemic root cause of our many interconnected ecological, social and economic crises, and identify key strategic shifts towards economic localization that can solve them.

From food, land, water and human settlements, to businesses, knowledge systems, innovation, production and consumption, this ideas festival focuses on translating understanding into action.

Festival Themes

Within this context, the 2020 Conference has three key themes:

1. Understanding the dominant economic system and global market and its impact on democracy and local economies.
2. Showcasing and amplifying strategies for reclaiming local economies for the benefit of people and planet.
3. Stories of success - challenging corporate domination of national, regional and local economies.

More Information

For more information, please contact: events@neweconomy.org.au