GrowthBusters

Dave Gardner and Stephanie Gardner on sustainability
GrowthBusters

Humankind has outgrown the planet, so we explore ways to recover from growth addiction. We dig into the more fascinating and hard-hitting aspects of public policy and the joy of living sustainably. It’s all about ending our culture’s love affair with “more,” which is not making us happier and is killing our planet. No half-hearted greenwashing here; we share the brutal and joyful truth! Co-host Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared “could be the most important film ever made.” Learn more about the film at www.growthbustersmovie.org. Co-host Stephanie Gardner earned a masters degree in environmental law and policy, and has expertise and experience in sustainable energy.

  1. JUN 30

    91: Growth Addiction and Water in the American Southwest – with Gary Wockner

    Prolific river protector Gary Wockner gives us the straight scoop on the state of the Colorado River (and others), and the growth obsession that keeps southwest states and cities from responding rationally to increasingly scarce water resources.   TODAY, nearly half the world’s population experiences severe water shortages at least part of the year. So far, fresh water issues in the American Southwest amount – mostly - to first world problems – like “I can’t water my lawn whenever I want,” “it’s hard to keep the golf course lush and green with less water,” or “How can I develop my next residential project if there’s no water?” But the future could be grim, if we can’t get the cities and states into a 12-step program to break the growth addiction habit. Our guest, Gary Wockner, works globally as an advocate and consultant for protection of rivers. He founded and directs: Save the Colorado Save the Poudre Colorado River chapter of CASSE He also cofounded Tell the Dam Truth, a nonprofit that supports river-protection groups by engaging with federal and state agencies to make sure that the greenhouse gas emissions caused by dams and reservoirs are counted, reported, and then considered during policy making, rulemaking, and legislation. He most recently led opposition to the Northern Integrated Supply Project. He filed a lawsuit to stop it, and recently settled the suit. He shares about the settlement in this episode. Gary is also author of numerous books, including: River Warrior: Fighting to Protect the World’s Rivers Comeback Wolves Pulse of the River LINKS:   News stories, opinion pieces, books and more related to Gary Wockner’s work: https://garywockner.com/all-garys-writing-advocacy/    Disaster Capitalism on the Colorado River - Column by Gary Wockner: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/03/27/colorado-river-drought-destruction-interior-moonshot-disaster-capitalism-column/80468488/   Save the Colorado: https://savethecolorado.org/   Save the Poudre: https://www.savethepoudre.org/   Tell the Dam Truth: https://tellthedamtruth.com/ Colorado River Chapter of CASSE (Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy): https://steadystate.org/meet/chapters/   Colorado River Basin Climate and Hydrology: State of the Science: https://wwa.colorado.edu/resources/colorado-river-resources/CRBreport   Colorado River States Still Have No Unified Long-Term Management Plan and ‘Are Just About Out of Time,’ Experts Warn – May 31, 2025 Denver Post story: https://www.denverpost.com/2025/05/31/colorado-river-negotiations-2026-deadline/   Water Supply Uncertainty Could Slow Growth in Colorado Springs – May 2024 news story KRDO13 Colorado Springs: https://youtu.be/rvGGqZHwHdM?si=bimFT2BSWlCq_c5C   Officials Fear 'Complete Doomsday Scenario' for Drought-Stricken Colorado River -  The Washington Post, December 1, 2022: https://www.yahoo.com/news/officials-fear-complete-doomsday-scenario-202316932.html?guccounter=1   Give Us Feedback: Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/ On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society’s growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture’s obsession with, and pursuit of, growth. Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared “could be the most important film ever made.” Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy. Join the GrowthBusters online community https://growthbusters.groups.io/ GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo Join the conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/ Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/growthbusting/ Follow us on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/growthbusters.bsky.social Make a donation to support this non-profit project. https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/ Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/ Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:

    1 hr
  2. 90: Degrowth – by Design or Disaster

    APR 25

    90: Degrowth – by Design or Disaster

    Learn about a new think tank that’s doing some of the most important thinking on the planet. Matt Orsagh is co-founder of the Arketa Institute for Post-Growth Finance and co-author of a just-published white paper, By Disaster Or Design: How Finance Can Evolve to Avoid the Worst of the Ecological Challenges We Face and Enable the Transition to a Better Economic Model. That paper, and this episode, offer an introduction to degrowth, the rational response for a society in ecological overshoot. Degrowth is “an equitable downscaling of production and consumption that increases human well-being and enhances ecological conditions at the local and global level, in the short and long term.” We also explore how the financial industry needs to evolve as we transition to a post-growth economy. Matt is also author of the Substack column, Degrowth is the Answer. The Arketa Institute is working to “normalize the conversation around ecological economics and degrowth in the financial world.” Steve Rocco and Anastasia Linn are co-founders with Matt Orsagh. The white paper was written by the three of them, and edited by Nicholas Harland. Some upcoming events of note: April 29: Webinar to discuss the paper 'By Disaster or Design'. Register here: https://eu.bigin.online/org20104687142/forms/by-disaster-or-design-webinar May 7-9: Matt, Anastasia and Steve will attend and present at the in-person gathering of the Barcelona Action Circle of Financial Leaders. This is the culmination of a months-long engagement organized by the world-renowned team at Research & Degrowth: https://degrowth.org/ May 13-15: Matt will attend the Finance Montreal Sustainable Finance Summit in Montreal, Canada: https://www.sommet-financedurable.com/en/home July 26-29: Matt will speak at the Degrowth Institute’s inaugural DeSchool event in Chicago: https://www.degrowthinstitute.org/events/deschool-2025 Fall 2025: Arketa Institute will survey global financial professionals on their understanding of ecological economics and post-growth ideas to inform a report to be published by the end of 2025. LINKS: By Disaster or Design: How Finance Can Evolve to Avoid the Worst of the Ecological Challenges We Face and Enable the Transition to a Better Economic Model https://www.arketa-institute.org/resources/by-disaster-or-design What We're Doing Isn't Working: It's Time for a New Approach – Episode 9 of Dave the Planet podcast https://davetheplanet.substack.com/p/what-were-doing-isnt-working Behavior Change to Provide a Bright Future – Episode 15 of Dave the Planet podcast https://davetheplanet.substack.com/p/behavior-change-to-provide-a-bright Planetary Boundaries – Stockholm University https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/planetary-boundaries.html The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World - by Robin Wall Kimmerer (author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants) https://www.robinwallkimmerer.com/books FURTHER READING: Post-Growth: The Science of Wellbeing Within Planetary Boundaries https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(24)00310-3/fulltext This Isn’t Capitalism — It’s Growthism, and It’s Bad for Us by Umair Haque, Harbard Business Review, October 28, 2013 https://hbr.org/2013/10/this-isnt-capitalism-its-growthism-and-its-bad-for-us Growthism: Its Ecological, Economic and Ethical Limits - by Herman Daly https://www.paecon.net/PAEReview/issue87/Daly87.pdf https://www.pelicanweb.org/solisustv15n04page15.html Essays Against Growthism, by Herman Daly, published by World Economics Association Books.  Pdf or ebook https://www.worldeconomicsassociation.org/files/Essays-Against-Growthism-Herman-Daly-PDF.pdf https://www.worldeconomicsassociation.org/library/essays-against-growthism/ The Entropy Law and the Economic Process https://content.csbs.utah.edu/~lozada/Adv_Resource_Econ/En_Law_Econ_Proc_Cropped_Optimized_Clearscan.pdf Quantity of Metals Required to Manufacture One Generation of Renewable Technology Units to Phase Out Fossil Fuels https://www.researchgate.net/publication/367682085_Quantity_of_Metals_Required_to_Manufacture_One_Generation_of_Renewable_Technology_Units_to_Phase_Out_Fossil_Fuels   Give Us Feedback: Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/ On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society’s growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture’s obsession with, and pursuit of, growth. Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared “could be the most important film ever made.” Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy. Join the GrowthBusters online community https://growthbusters.groups.io/ GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo Join the conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/ Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/growthbusting/ Follow us on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/growthbusters.bsky.social Make a donation to support this non-profit project. https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/ Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/ Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:

    55 min
  3. 89: Bezos - We’re Going to Need Another Planet

    MAR 27

    89: Bezos - We’re Going to Need Another Planet

    Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos thinks the U.S. can grow its way out of a massive deficit. He says we need a “growth mindset.” Stephanie and Dave call it a “suicide economic model,” and note that growth addiction is exactly what afflicts most policymakers around the world. The dynamic duo discuss the little-understood fact that a shrinking economy can be healthy – when it accompanies a contracting population. Bezos also proposes that we plunder the universe in order to protect Earth “we've sent robotic probes to all of the planets in this solar system. This is the good one.”) Also: The Congressional Budget Office lowers U.S. population projections, further stoking the fires of depopulation panic – the result of a lack of overpopulation literacy Isaac Asimov’s “metaphor of the bathroom,” about the need for more regulation as our population grows (we dug up great video of Asimov; see link below) The parable of the Mexican fisherman A great poem, Rather Than by Sandy Trust. Featured in an episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Planet Critical (see link below)   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Congressional Budget Office Lowers U.S. Population Projections https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61164#_idTextAnchor003 Immigrants Fill the Birth Dearth: U.S. Population Will Crater Without Newcomers New York Daily News editorial https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/01/17/immigrants-fill-the-birth-dearth-u-s-population-will-crater-without-newcomers/ The Interview: From Amazon to Space — Jeff Bezos Talks Innovation, Progress and What’s Next – 2024 New York Times DealBook Summit, with Andrew Ross Sorkin https://youtu.be/s71nJQqzYRQ?si=uTMCtPVaXw8WnDeD The Four Hour Work Week - by Tim Ferriss https://fourhourworkweek.com/ The Story of the Mexican Fisherman https://bemorewithless.com/the-story-of-the-mexican-fisherman/ A blog post on the website of Courtney Carver, author of Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More, and Gentle: Rest More, Stress Less, and Live the Life You Actually Want Isaac Asimov on World of Ideas – 1988 Interview by Bill Moyers https://youtu.be/CWovZtCQWfE?si=nnxiJJb8LmC026Q_ Planetary Solvency – Finding Our Balance With Nature – report by Institute and Faculty of Actuaries https://actuaries.org.uk/news-and-media-releases/news-articles/2025/jan/16-jan-25-planetary-solvency-finding-our-balance-with-nature/ Planetary Solvency: Sandy Trust – episode of Planet Critical with Rachel Donald Sandy Trust responds to one question with his poem, Rather Than https://www.planetcritical.com/p/planetary-solvency-sandy-trust Give Us Feedback: Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/ On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society’s growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture’s obsession with, and pursuit of, growth. Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared “could be the most important film ever made.” Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy. Join the GrowthBusters online community https://growthbusters.groups.io/ GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo Join the conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/ Make a donation to support this non-profit project. https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/ Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/ Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:

    31 min
  4. 88: Shutdown315: Start Post-Growth Living Saturday

    MAR 13

    88: Shutdown315: Start Post-Growth Living Saturday

    Unplug from an overshoot economy serving a growth-obsessed oligarchy. On March 15, the multitudes will begin a general strike across the U.S. – starving our profit and growth obsessed system. The commoners will reclaim power taken by the elite. Learn about Shutdown315 as Stephanie and Dave discuss, and chat with two Shutdown315 movement organizers, Chet and Bones. We’re excited to share this with you, because Shutdown315 may be a great on-ramp to post-growth living. It starts March 15, 2025, and continues. We also launch the GrowthBusters book club – listen to learn our first book selection. And we offer a few comments about actor Kieran Culkin’s appeal to his wife to give him four kids in his Oscar acceptance speech, of note because the Earth cannot meet the needs of our current 8 billion population without damaging critical life-supporting ecosystems. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: GrowthBusters Survey – https://growthbusters.org/survey Shutdown315 website – https://shutdown315.org Will the Wealthy Consume Less? That would be helpful – by Matt Orsagh https://degrowthistheanswer.substack.com/p/will-the-wealthy-consume-less What Is #Shutdown315? Nationwide Plan to Shut Down USA for 1 Day - Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/what-shutdown315-nationwide-plan-shut-down-usa-one-day-2030742 Bright Future Project from Dave’s Presidential Campaign - https://brightfutureproject.us Shutdown315 Subreddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/shutdown315/ Shutdown315 Substack - https://substack.com/@theshutdown315movement Donate - https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/ Small-Family Stickers - https://youtu.be/jz_wVCPKyVY?si=0jNikVEPyTMHtFCj Donate and write to us at podcast at growthbusters.org to get yours GrowthBusters Online Community - https://growthbusters.groups.io/ The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World - by Robin Wall Kimmerer https://www.robinwallkimmerer.com/books Give Us Feedback: Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/ On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society’s growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture’s obsession with, and pursuit of, growth. Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared “could be the most important film ever made.” Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy. Join the GrowthBusters online community https://growthbusters.groups.io/ GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo Join the conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/ Make a donation to support this non-profit project. https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/ Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/ Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:

    42 min
  5. 86: Projecting Optimism in the Time of Overshoot

    JAN 15

    86: Projecting Optimism in the Time of Overshoot

    Is optimism required in order to alert folks to our ecological overshoot emergency? Dave and Stephanie discuss the challenge of communicating the depth and urgency of overshoot without shutting people down. Also: Dave shares how he and a group of local growthbusters projected a guerilla “pop-up” billboard on New Year’s Eve – attempting to provide an honest reality check, but not put revelers off (or entice police or security personnel to stop them) The wisdom in U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s “malaise” speech Congestion pricing results in kids walking, riding bikes, or taking public transit to school China wants to goose consumption in order to keep high GDP growth Rampant growthism in reporting on UK economic contraction Incoming Trump advisors count on economic growth to balance the budget The enormous carbon footprint of stadium concerts and sporting events A new book by Robin Wall Kimmerer: The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: President Jimmy Carter’s “Malaise” Speech https://youtu.be/sXwZSzy9Ies?si=ekyAsmL0FokRvpCc London Saw a Surprising Benefit to Fining High-Polluting Cars: More Active Kids https://grist.org/cities/london-fining-polluting-cars-more-active-kids/ How the Debt Could Topple Trump’s Growth Agenda https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/16/trump-ceos-american-debt-plan-00194362 The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World - by Robin Wall Kimmerer https://www.robinwallkimmerer.com/books   Give Us Feedback: Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/ On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society’s growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture’s obsession with, and pursuit of, growth. Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared “could be the most important film ever made.” Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy. Join the GrowthBusters online community https://growthbusters.groups.io/ GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo Join the conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/ Make a donation to support this non-profit project. https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/ Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/ Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:

    52 min
  6. 85: Election 2024 – Stephanie Attempts to Talk Dave Off the Ledge

    11/11/2024

    85: Election 2024 – Stephanie Attempts to Talk Dave Off the Ledge

    Dave and Stephanie dig into what caused voters to ignore Donald Trump’s felony convictions, indecency, incompetence, narcissism, and dishonesty – and elect him president. This includes a review of the 50-year war waged by the mega-rich and corporations to undermine civility, compassion, equity and rule of law, to elevate the free enterprise system, rob the working class and enrich themselves. The Lewis Powell Memo kicked this into high gear 50 years ago. They also propose theories about why Dave’s campaign for president failed in its mission to alert the public, media and policymakers to the ecological overshoot emergency. Clips: Desi Lydic on The Daily Show on Comedy Central and Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC. Mentioned in this episode: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Elon Musk, Steven Spielberg, Bill Gates, Chris Hedges, Thom Hartmann, William Kristol, Andrew Egger, Dan Lashoff of World Resources Institute, American Petroleum Institute, Guttmacher Institute, American Enterprise Institute, Hoover Institution, Cato Institute, Heritage Foundation, Mercatus Center, Warren Beatty, Jane Fonda, Terry Spahr, John McCain, Reagan, Bush, Grist. We invite your feedback, including thoughts about the recent election, and promise to share some of your comments on the next episode. Call and leave a voice message (which we may play on that episode) by dialing +1-719-402-1400. Or send an email to podcast at growthbusters dot org. LINKS:  Desi Lydic Reacts to Trump's Election Win & the Media's Blame Game | The Daily Show https://youtu.be/hPHH5trgC1w?si=vww-V3qoIRpLCgmH Jimmy Kimmel Reacts to Donald Trump Winning the Presidential Election https://youtu.be/5JxELubSgJg?si=v9LRIHd5FqDZCQLf Strong Economy Begins With Shrinking Workforce - Episode 84 of the GrowthBusters podcast https://www.growthbusters.org/strong-economy-shrinking-workforce/ Dave the Planet – Dave’s campaign Substack column https://davetheplanet.substack.com I’m Withdrawing from the Race for U.S. President - Episode 21 of the Dave the Planet podcast https://davetheplanet.substack.com/p/im-withdrawing-from-the-race-for Welcome to Overshoot: Have a Nice Day – episode of the Conversation Earth podcast http://www.conversationearth.org/welcome-to-overshoot-2020/ Trump Wins, Planet Loses – by Tik Root on Grist https://grist.org/article/the-massive-consequences-trumps-re-election-could-have-on-climate-change/ If Trump Wins, Is It Game Over? – by David Todd McCarty on Medium https://medium.com/rome-magazine/if-trump-wins-is-it-game-over-26f1cc296342 The Billionaires Won: The 50-Year War on Democracy That Built Trump's Oligarchy and Killed the American Dream – by Thom Hartmann https://hartmannreport.com/p/the-billionaires-won-the-50-year-841 The Lewis Powell Memo: A Corporate Blueprint to Dominate Democracy https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/democracy/the-lewis-powell-memo-a-corporate-blueprint-to-dominate-democracy/ Tentacles of Rage: The Republican Propaganda Mill, a Brief History – by Lewis Lapham https://msuweb.montclair.edu/~furrg/gned/laphamtentacles04.pdf Dave the Planet Substack column https://davetheplanet.substack.com/ Dave Gardner for President https://davetheplanet2024.com Give Us Feedback: Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/ On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society’s growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture’s obsession with, and pursuit of, growth. Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared “could be the most important film ever made.” Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy. Join the GrowthBusters online community https://growthbusters.groups.io/ GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo Join the conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/ Make a donation to support this non-profit project. https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/ Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/ Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:

    49 min
  7. 84: Strong Economy Begins With Shrinking Workforce

    02/12/2024

    84: Strong Economy Begins With Shrinking Workforce

    A new study debunks depopulation panic. For decades economists have perpetuated the false narrative, “If population growth reverses and begins to decline, the economy is doomed.” This belief has so frequently been repeated by economists, politicians, business people and the public, that it is generally taken as gospel. Psychologists have characterized the phenomenon as the illusory-truth effect, or believing something to be true if it’s repeated often enough, even if it is false. For the first time in modern history, a handful of countries are witnessing actual population declines. The data is now available to separate reality from what has heretofore been baseless theory. An October 2023 study conducted by Professors Theodore Lianos, Anastasia Pseiridis and Nicholas Tsounis, published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications and featured on Nature.com examined volumes of economic data of twenty countries experiencing population declines. To their surprise, virtually every country with a contracting population enjoyed reduced unemployment, increased wages, and a larger real GDP per capita! Guest-host Terry Spahr, Executive Director of Earth Overshoot, speaks with the study’s authors to illuminate their findings that dispel the firmly entrenched false notion that endless growth is the only path to economic salvation. Guests: Theodore Lianos  Professor, Athens University of Economics and Business Anastasia Pseiridis Assistant Professor of Economics, Department of Economics and Regional Development Panteion University Regular co-hosts Dave Gardner and Stephanie Gardner are taking a break from the podcast while Dave runs for U.S. President this year. If you would like to guest-host a podcast, email us with details of the episode you would like to produce and host. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Declining Population and GDP Growth https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-023-02223-7 Summary published at The Overpopulation Project https://overpopulation-project.com/declining-population-and-gdp-growth/ Earth Overshoot https://www.earthovershoot.org/ Dave Gardner's Campaign https://davetheplanet2024.com   Give Us Feedback: Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/ On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society’s growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture’s obsession with, and pursuit of, growth. Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared “could be the most important film ever made.” Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy. Join the GrowthBusters online community https://growthbusters.groups.io/ GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo Join the conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/ Make a donation to support this non-profit project. https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/ Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/ Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:

    26 min
4.9
out of 5
23 Ratings

About

Humankind has outgrown the planet, so we explore ways to recover from growth addiction. We dig into the more fascinating and hard-hitting aspects of public policy and the joy of living sustainably. It’s all about ending our culture’s love affair with “more,” which is not making us happier and is killing our planet. No half-hearted greenwashing here; we share the brutal and joyful truth! Co-host Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared “could be the most important film ever made.” Learn more about the film at www.growthbustersmovie.org. Co-host Stephanie Gardner earned a masters degree in environmental law and policy, and has expertise and experience in sustainable energy.

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