Politics & Government

Film Event Tackles Economic Localization

Sustainability group Transition Mill Valley hosts a screening of "The Economics of Happiness" with live music and speeches.

“Buy Local” has long been a catchphrase for environmentally focused advocacy organizations.

But how exactly does the action of buying locally address issues like climate change, peak oil and the economic turbulence of the past three years? That’s the nexus of a multimedia event being held Tuesday night at the .

Transition Mill Valley, a local sustainability organization, is hosting a screening of the film The Economics of Happiness, which focuses on a global movement towards economic localization.

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Bay Area author and environmental activist Joanna Macy calls the film “a persuasive explanation of our ailing world.” The film intends to show that millions of people across the world are already engaged in building a better world around small-scale initiatives based around a common cause: local economies.

The film features a chorus of voices from six continents calling for a systemic economic change, including Bill McKibben, Vandana Shiva, Rob Hopkins and Samdhong Rinpoche, the Prime Minister of Tibets government in exile.

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“It connects the dots between climate chaos, economic meltdown and our own personal suffering … It presents localization as a systemic alternative to corporate globalization, as well as a strategy that brings community and meaning to our lives,” Macy says.

The screening will be preceded by the musical stylings of Mill Valley phenom Matt Jaffe, the singer-songwriter who has been entertaining audiences in the Bay Area and beyond for years despite still being only 15 years old.

The event will also feature a presentation from Trathen Heckman, president of Transition US, about economic localization and current projects here in the North Bay. Transition Mill Valley is a fledgling chapter of a national and international nonprofit coalition started in the UK by permaculture designer and author Rob Hopkins. The group hopes to foster community-based initiatives to tackle the dual challenges of climate change and peak oil.

Tuesday’s event is the latest in a series of event in Marin built around Economics of Happiness.

“This is a great way for people to come together and learn about local groups that are helping our community make the transition to a more localized economy,” said Bruce Richard of Transition Mill Valley.

The 411: Economic of Happiness screening and event, Tuesday, March 29, at 7 p.m., in the Cascade Room at the Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley. There is a suggested donation of $10. For more info, visit the Transition Mill Valley website or call 415-868-5135.


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