Laurence Brahm is an environmentalist, international lawyer, author, and chief economist of the New Earth Institute. He is currently serving as Senior Advisor to China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and the EU Director General of Environment on China’s green growth policy. He is architect of two fresh economic paradigms,the Himalayan Consensus (www.himalayanconsensus.org) and the African Consensus (www.africanconsensus.org). These evolved from decades advising on development, while pioneering one of the earliest social enterprises,Shambhala Serai Heritage Hotels, located in western China (www.shambhalaserai.com) He is member of the “United Nations Theme Group on Poverty and Inequality,” served as civil society spokesperson to the United Nations Earth Summit 2012 (Rio+20), was selected by ScenaRio as “100 Opinion Leaders Advising Rio+20,”and recipient of UNDP Award for Bio-Diversity and Cultural Protection in China. In 2009 he was recognized by China’s Central Television as one of the “ten personalities contributing to China’s reform and opening,” and as the only non-Chinese in the group.He is author of over 30 books on Asia including “China’s Century” and “China Elements – Gold, Fire, Earth Water, Wood”, China’s national gift during the 2008 Olympics. The “Himalayan Notes” Trilogy of three books (“Searching for Shangri-la”, “Conversations with Sacred Mountains”, and “Shambhala Sutra”) were written during three expeditions across western China. The film footage from these journeys is now available on APPS and LETV.