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# GrowthBusters

Hooked on Growth

## Posts

- [99: Unless Someone Like You Cares a Whole Awful Lot](https://www.growthbusters.org/unless-someone-cares/) - Who can we count on to make the dramatic changes needed in a civilization in ecological overshoot? Will it have to be the leaders of tomorrow? And are they up to it? We take the pulse of students at the University of Denver just wrapping up an ecological economics class. Who can we count on to make the dramatic changes needed in a civilization in ecological overshoot? Will it have to be the leaders of tomorrow? And are they up to it? We take the pulse of students at the University of Denver just wrapping up an ecological economics class.
- [98: In Memory of Richard Heinberg 1950 – 2026](https://www.growthbusters.org/memory-of-richard-heinberg/) - Brilliant journalist and educator Richard Heinberg passed away July 19 from pancreatic cancer. In his honor we’re sharing my last conversation with him here, about what turned out to be his last book, Power: Limits and Prospects for Human Survival.
- [Rebelling Against Black Friday Consumerism](https://www.growthbusters.org/non-material-holidays/) - The Center for Biological Diversity’s Kelley Dennings joins us in this episode of the podcast to share what she’s learned about dematerializing and greening up the holidays.
- [If You Love Kids - Don't Have Any More](https://www.growthbusters.org/love-kids-dont-have-more/) - July 11 is World Population Day. We recently passed 7.6 billion humans alive on the planet, while scientists’ best estimates place sustainable world population at about 2 billion. This is an important occasion to have a conversation about our procreative choices. Isn’t it time for the recommendation to go out far and wide that young
- [97: The Wit and Wisdom of Paul Ehrlich](https://www.growthbusters.org/wit-wisdom-paul-ehrlich/) - Continuing our tribute to the late Paul Ehrlich, we discuss the critiques and praise that followed news of his passing, and we share a VERY candid – and charming – “uncensored” 2020 Earth Day conversation.
- [96: Paul Ehrlich (1932-2026): Behaving Against Our Interests](https://www.growthbusters.org/paul-ehrlich-behaving-against-our-interests/) - We lost scientific and environmental icon Paul Ehlich on March 13. We’re honoring his memory by revisiting Dave Gardner’s first interview with Paul, outside his Stanford University office in 2007 for the documentary, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth.
- [95: Technology – Fast and Furious Into Overshoot](https://www.growthbusters.org/technology-fast-and-furious-into-overshoot/) - The academy awarding the Nobel Prize in Economics is still drinking pro-growth Kool-Aid, while spiritual leader Acharya Prashant is serving up a healthier recipe - insightful truth about ecological overshoot. We examine both in this episode.
- [94: Reporting on Population – Sense and Nonsense](https://www.growthbusters.org/reporting-on-population-sense-and-nonsense/) - Population growth is making headlines for the wrong reason or with a biased perspective. It’s too easy to draw erroneous conclusions about dropping fertility rates around the world. A surge of news stories from NPR compels us to offer both praise and criticism.
- [93: Ezra Klein’s Abundance Delusion](https://www.growthbusters.org/abundance-delusion/) - Just say “NO.” Some approaches to “abundance” are healthy, but one brand of abundance that’s been capturing the cultural moment lately is a recipe for a dead planet. Dave and Stephanie assess key points made by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson in their book, Abundance. The result, a sound thrashing.
- [92: Economic Wisdom from the Natural World – The Serviceberry](https://www.growthbusters.org/serviceberry/) - In this trial run for the “GrowthBusters Book Club,” we discuss The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World - by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Cannibal economies, gift economies, reciprocity, and doughnut economics all come up.
- [91: Growth Addiction and Water in the American Southwest – with Gary Wockner](https://www.growthbusters.org/growth-addiction-water-southwest/) - 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.
- [90: Degrowth – by Design or Disaster](https://www.growthbusters.org/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.
- [Governor Whitmer Launches Ponzi Population Policy](https://www.growthbusters.org/whitmer-ponzi-population-policy/) - The Michigan Governor is apparently unaware that the world, the U.S. and even Michigan are overpopulated. Michigan population has been growing a little too slowly for her taste, so Whitmer has appointed a Chief Growth Officer and formed the Growing Michigan Together Council.
- [89: Bezos: We’re Going to Need Another Planet](https://www.growthbusters.org/bezos-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,”....
- [88: Shutdown315: Start Post-Growth Living Saturday](https://www.growthbusters.org/shutdown315/) - 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.
- [Survey: Help Us Be Better GrowthBusters in 2025](https://www.growthbusters.org/survey/) - How are we doing? If you're here, tell us why. Tell us what we can do better. How can we help you? Please take this very brief survey to help us evaluate the work we're doing and determine what we can do better. Thank you.
- [5 Things You Wouldn’t Do on a Spaceship](https://www.growthbusters.org/5-things-you-wouldnt-do-on-a-spaceship/) - Tomorrow is Earth Day, the one day of the year we have anywhere close to a critical mass of people actually thinking about maintaining our life-support systems. Here are a few things you wouldn’t do on a spaceship: 1. Disassemble it in order to create jobs and have a robust economy 2. Pack it with
- [87: The Shit Hits the Fan](https://www.growthbusters.org/87-shit-hits-fan/) - In the face of accelerated global warming and increasingly severe consequences of climate disruption, UN projections are outdated and understating the problem, and the U.S. is going to produce and burn fossil fuels like they’re going out of business. Meanwhile Trump wants to be sure Gazans aren’t using condoms to float bombs over the border, and to be sure condoms and other family planning resources are not available the world over.
- [86: Projecting Optimism in the Time of Overshoot](https://www.growthbusters.org/projecting-optimism/) - 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.
- [85: Election 2024 – Stephanie Attempts to Talk Dave Off the Ledge](https://www.growthbusters.org/election-2024/) - 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 and enrich themselves.
- [Overshoot Playlist: Top 10 Environmental Songs (Podcast episode 30)](https://www.growthbusters.org/overshoot-playlist-top-10-environmental-songs/) - What’s the soundtrack of human civilization’s time on Earth? If we were to put ten songs into a time capsule to help historians in the future piece together what the hell humankind was doing as the planet crumbled beneath our feet, the ten songs in this episode would tell half the story.
- [Strong Economy Begins With Shrinking Workforce](https://www.growthbusters.org/strong-economy-shrinking-workforce/) - A new study debunks depopulation panic.
- [We Roasted Elon Musk, Raising the Curiosity of Thousands](https://www.growthbusters.org/roasted-elon-musk/) - We made it VERY clear that Musk’s worries about population collapse are ill-founded, and that attracted thousands more listeners than usual to our podcast. How did that happen?
- [Overpopulation Think Tank – Part 2](https://www.growthbusters.org/overpopulation-think-tank-part-2/) - Are many vegans self-righteous, overbearing and insufferable in their efforts to recruit us? Would you believe “overpopulation” is still a taboo word? Or that human population numbers are still an “off-limits” topic at some conferences?
- [How Do We Get Out of This Mess? University Students Brainstorm](https://www.growthbusters.org/university-students-brainstorm/) - Students in a DU ecological economics class discuss their biggest concerns and how our society might overcome them. Overshoot, polarization, the American Dream, politics, selfish individualism, and the capitalism growth imperative are among the topics explored
- [Overpopulation Think Tank – Part 1](https://www.growthbusters.org/overpopulation-think-tank-part-1/) - Five thought leaders break the silence on the role of human overpopulation in ecological overshoot –with an informed, engaging conversation about the subject. This is what intelligent discourse sounds like.
- [Discussing Overpopulation: Let’s Clear the Minefield](https://www.growthbusters.org/discussing-overpopulation-clear-minefield/) - Are anger and indignation what prevents productive discussion of population? These responses in a graduate college class provide an opportunity to explore how we might pave the way for productive conversations.
- [Fact-Checking News of China’s “Demographic Crisis”](https://www.growthbusters.org/fact-checking-chinas-demographic-crisis/) - The news that China’s massive population dropped by nearly a million people last year was almost universally reported as a “crisis.” In this episode we unpack the news coverage and take journalists to task for completely overlooking the fact that, in an overpopulated world, population contraction should be greeted with a collective sigh of relief.
- [Now HERE'S What We Call an Eco-Superhero](https://www.growthbusters.org/eco-superhero/) - Stephanie and Dave learn about climate activism with Extinction Rebellion, sharing quirky sustainability life hacks on social media, and the joy of a 58-hour train trip – from Stephanie’s former co-worker and friend, James Comiskey.
- [A Vasectomy Could Save Herschel Walker a Lot of Money](https://www.growthbusters.org/vasectomy-herschel-walker/) - More men are stepping up and taking responsibility for avoiding unplanned parenthood. Dave celebrates this trend as he shares GrowthBusters plans for the new year in this special year-end mini-episode.
- [Bleak Friday, 8 Billion Post-Mortem and Damage Done by Guilt](https://www.growthbusters.org/bleak-friday/) - Examining news coverage and commentaries about human population passing 8 billion on November 15, we unpack the reasons far too many of us avoid discourse about human overpopulation.
- [8 Billion is Too Many: Don’t be a Twit About Overpopulation](https://www.growthbusters.org/8-billion-is-too-many/) - While Elon Musk erroneously claims population collapse is our biggest worry, world population is hitting 8 billion, adding the latest billion faster than any time in history.
- [Upping Our Game Alerting the World to Limits to Growth: New Online Community](https://www.growthbusters.org/upping-our-game/) - World population may peak this decade and start dropping, over 60% of Coloradans are fed up with the negative consequences of growth of their communities, a new online community and resource for sustainability advocates, Elon Musk keeps populating our conversations, and should Dave run for President of the U.S.?
- [New Resource For Sustainability Advocates: GrowthBusters Online Community](https://www.growthbusters.org/new-online-community/) - If you’re interested in moving from discussion to real action, or finding ways to make the discussions more effective, consider joining the new online GrowthBusters community.
- [GrowthBusters Online Sustainability Activists Community](https://www.growthbusters.org/growthbusters-online-community/) - Have you had a chance yet to check out the new GrowthBusters online community? We've recently created this community to be a resource for those who want to improve our work as sustainability activists and advocates. Whether you've joined already or have yet to kick the tires, I want to share a little more detail
- [World Population Day 2022: We’re Overpopulated, Pass It On.](https://www.growthbusters.org/world-population-day-2022-overpopulated/) - As we approach the 8 billion population milestone, activist/author Valorie Allen thinks it’s high time we stop avoiding the overpopulation subject. Yet here we are, on World Population Day 2022, and the UN is still beating around the bush, journalists rarely report on the subject (and almost never accurately), and most environmental groups run and hide from it.
- [Paul Ehrlich on The Limits to Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/ehrlich-limits-to-growth/) - Biologist Paul Ehrlich reflects on the 1972 MIT study, The Limits to Growth, on its 50th anniversary – including the fact that it has been refuted (poorly), ignored, and confirmed.
- [Chickens are Coming Home to Roost](https://www.growthbusters.org/chickens-home-to-roost/) - While nary a week goes by that we don’t get a new report of the destruction we’re wreaking on our home planet, the news has been particularly bad over the last few weeks. Plus: Bill Maher, usually praised by us for speaking the truth, needs to get there on the benefits of a shrinking economy.
- [Paul Ehrlich, Unfiltered (Special Earth Day Episode)](https://www.growthbusters.org/paul-ehrlich-unfiltered/) - Paul Ehrlich discusses the COVID pandemic, overpopulation, The Population Bomb (including an amusing mistake on the cover), dinner with Johnny Carson, the deficits of our university system, the climate crisis, and human civilization’s prospects.
- [Obsessive-Compulsive’s Guide to Cutting Your Carbon Footprint](https://www.growthbusters.org/cutting-carbon-footprint/) - We NEED to be obsessed with shrinking our footprint, and Lloyd Alter did the research, the spreadsheet, and the book to help us all do our part.
- [Can Living a 1.5 Degree Lifestyle Make a Difference?](https://www.growthbusters.org/can-1-5-degree-lifestyle-matter/) - Should we be sitting around eating burgers and driving pickup trucks, and just wait for the system change needed to live sustainably on this planet? We attempt here to put to rest the tired and misdirected debate about whether individual footprint-shrinking action is a distraction that slows needed systemic change, and whether it's worth doing.
- [Part-Time Position Open: Join the GrowthBusters Team](https://www.growthbusters.org/part-time-position-open-join-the-growthbusters-team/) - Paid Intern Position: Engagement/Outreach Coordinator - enhance and exercise your activist/advocacy/engagement chops, and pitch in on the world's most critical cause.
- [What Do College Students Think Their Future Holds?](https://www.growthbusters.org/college-students-think/) - OK, boomers, you blew it. Our best hope is that younger generations are aware and smart enough to save the planet. What do they know, and what are their planet-saving intentions?
- [Is Parenthood an Entitlement?](https://www.growthbusters.org/is-parenthood-an-entitlement/) - On an overpopulated planet, does society have an obligation to make parenthood possible, practical, convenient, and/or affordable to all? Ethicist Philip Cafaro joins us to discuss the motivations and morality of public policies designed to make it easier for couples to have children.
- [Stuck in Traffic? Head to Mars](https://www.growthbusters.org/stuck-in-traffic-head-to-mars/) - “If people don’t have more children, civilization is going to crumble,” according to Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” – Elon Musk. He is, of course, dead wrong. Plus growthbusting news.
- [World Leaders COP Out](https://www.growthbusters.org/world-leaders-cop-out/) - The climate pact achieved at COP26 was woefully inadequate. We could be in for over four degrees Fahrenheit of warming this century over pre-industrial temperatures, and some scenarios would put us closer to eight degrees. In this episode, Paul Sutton shares his observations from Glasgow, and we get assessments from a few other noted experts.
- [Populating and Plundering the Universe](https://www.growthbusters.org/populating-plundering-universe/) - We’re running out of booty on planet Earth, so billionaires are racing to mine and populate the rest of the universe.
- [Too Much of a Good Thing: Richard Heinberg](https://www.growthbusters.org/too-much-of-a-good-thing/) - “Once a species becomes powerful enough to take over a planet, then is it also intelligent enough to understand the limits to its own power?” This is a question posed in the new book, Power: Limits and Prospects for Human Survival.
- [Billionaires in Space](https://www.growthbusters.org/billionaires-in-space/) - Are Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson and Elon Musk doing civilization a favor and advancing science? Are they preparing to colonize space like the Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation? Or are they seeking status and boosting their egos – AND their carbon footprints – with expensive toys?
- [Overshoot: World’s Best Introduction](https://www.growthbusters.org/overshoot-worlds-best-introduction/) - Everything your friends, family, colleagues, journalists and elected representatives need to know about Earth Overshoot Day.
- [Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Green New Deal (podcast ep 56)](https://www.growthbusters.org/real-green-new-deal/) - What do the Green New Deal, Santa Claus and the tooth fairy have in common? Find out as we talk with the founder of The REAL New Green Deal Project.
- [More Fun, Less Stuff (Podcast Ep 55)](https://www.growthbusters.org/more-fun-less-stuff/) - “We need to end the game of Monopoly and start playing the game of sustainability – recognizing the limitations of the planet and building our systems to live within those.”
- [The Good Ancestor: Following the Intergenerational Golden Rule (podcast episode 54)](https://www.growthbusters.org/good-ancestor/) - How often do you think about the effect of your actions today on the wellbeing of future generations? What do we owe our children’s children?
- [Finding Common Ground (podcast episode 53)](https://www.growthbusters.org/common-ground/) - When it seems like we can’t agree on even the simplest choices, one has to wonder if humanity will ever find common ground and a way out of the climate crisis. Seattle authors Kevin Wilhelm and Natalie Hoffman help answer these questions in their book, How to Talk to the Other Side: Finding Common Ground in the Time of Coronavirus, Recession and Climate Change.
- [Shrinking Your Travel Footprint (podcast episode 52)](https://www.growthbusters.org/shrinking-your-travel-footprint/) - #post_excerptIs flying always the worst travel choice for climate stability? Is traveling by rail always the best? You might be surprised.
- [Philosophy of Shrinking Footprints (podcast episode 51)](https://www.growthbusters.org/philosophy-of-shrinking-footprints-podcast-episode-51/) - A broad exploration of philosophical issues related to all kinds of footprint-shrinking actions, especially travel.
- [Taking a Vacation from Carbon Emissions (podcast episode 50)](https://www.growthbusters.org/vacation-from-carbon-emissions/) - Travel and tourism: how far will you go in your quest to shrink your carbon footprint?
- [Sarah’s Wildlife Friendly Wedding (podcast episode 47)](https://www.growthbusters.org/wildlife-friendly-wedding/) - The idea of a virtual wedding seemed pretty geeky a year ago, but in the COVID era, suddenly the notion isn’t so far-fetched. But if you’re not going virtual, we have some other recommendations for you to shrink the footprint of your wedding.
- [Damn, It's Earth Overshoot Day Already! (podcast episode 49)](https://www.growthbusters.org/damn-earth-overshoot-day-already/) - If we were on a spaceship, the end really would be near – August 22. That is Earth Overshoot Day for 2020. This bonus episode of GrowthBusters features the Conversation Earth special, Welcome to Overshoot: Have a Nice Day.
- [Things are Not Fine (podcast episode 48)](https://www.growthbusters.org/things-are-not-fine/) - Physician Sofia Pineda Ochoa became so concerned about the future of life on Earth that she wrote, produced and directed the new documentary, Endgame 2050. “There is no human health without planetary health,” she tells us.
- [1-See Planet of the Humans; 2-Resolve Overshoot (podcast episode 46)](https://www.growthbusters.org/see-planet-of-humans-resolve-overshoot/) - What should we do in response to the key messages of the 2020 documentary, Planet of the Humans? This is a continuation of the discussion begun in part one of the webinar, Planet of the Humans: a Sequel.
- [Planet of the Humans: What Did the Film Get Right? (podcast episode 45)](https://www.growthbusters.org/planet-of-the-humans/) - Planet of the Humans presents us with some inconvenient truths – far more inconvenient than just the greenhouse gas effect. Yet because the film skewers some renewable energy advocates for painting an overly rosy picture that’s not 100% accurate, there’s been a lot of backlash and effort to keep the film from being seen. We think the most important messages of the film are just too critical to avoid, so GrowthBusters teamed up with World Population Balance to co-host the webinar, Planet of the Humans: a Sequel. You can view a video replay of that webinar here. Or you can listen to the audio of the webinar in this episode of the GrowthBusters podcast.
- [Just Sitting Around Waiting for the World to End (podcast episode 44)](https://www.growthbusters.org/just-sitting-around-waiting-for-the-world-to-end-podcast-episode-44/) - Is there any use in choosing to live more sustainably if you’re surrounded by an unsustainable system? Is it difficult to skinny up your life when you live within a system that needs structural change? Who can you turn to for good advice on this? An astrophysicist, of course!
- [Paul Ehrlich - Uncensored on Earth Day 50th Anniversary (podcast episode 43)](https://www.growthbusters.org/ehrlich-earth-day-2020/) - Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich reflects on more than 50 years of effort to educate the public about the unsustainability of endless economic and population growth.
- [The Silver Lining of COVID Induced Recession (podcast episode 42)](https://www.growthbusters.org/silver-lining-covid-recession/) - Coronavirus has brought the economies of the world to a grinding halt. There is a small, but rising chorus of hopeful speculation that the increasingly apparent deficiencies of our growth-obsessed economic system make it ripe for this crisis to shock it onto a more sustainable path.
- [Bury Mom in the Back Yard? The Ins & Outs of Green Burial (Podcast Episode 41)](https://www.growthbusters.org/bury-mom-in-the-back-yard/) - Did you know we bury enough metal in caskets each year to build a new Golden Gate Bridge? You’re living your life trying to be green. Have you given any thought to the impact of the way you exit the planet?
- [Is GrowthBusters a Good Earth Day Movie? (podcast episode 40)](https://www.growthbusters.org/podcast-40/) - 8 Years Later, Community Screenings Still Strike a Nerve The documentary, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth is guaranteed to provoke conversations. Over eight years after it originally premiered, it’s still being screened. Is it still relevant? What kind of conversations does it spark? After he first watched, famed Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich wrote, “This could be
- [You Have to Stay Poor – I’m Having a Steak (podcast episode 39)](https://www.growthbusters.org/stay-poor-having-a-steak-39/) - On a full planet, where human civilization is already in overshoot and in the process of crippling life-supporting ecosystems, it’s unfortunately not possible for the world’s poor, en masse, to rise out of poverty and live as richly as the even the average family in the industrialized world. There’s not enough biocapacity for 8 billion people to live high on the hog, and technology has not changed that. But “reputable” economists and technology Pollyanna’s like Andrew McAfee routinely fail to recognize this.
- [Sustainable New Year’s Resolutions (podcast episode 38)](https://www.growthbusters.org/sustainable-new-years-38/) - Today’s episode of the GrowthBusters podcast welcomes the New Year with the Telegraph’s 11 Green New Year’s Resolutions That Put the Planet First. But do they really?
- [A Finer Future? (podcast episode 37)](https://www.growthbusters.org/a-finer-future/) - According to the four scholars who wrote A Finer Future, we are already experiencing some of the dramatic changes our system must undertake in order for our planet to meet the needs of future generations. This episode features a conversation with L. Hunter Lovins about the wellbeing economy and how sustainable behavior makes good business sense.
- [Don’t Make Me Stop this Spaceship! (podcast episode 36)](https://www.growthbusters.org/dont-make-me-stop-this-spaceship-podcast36/) - When the world’s scientists are concerned enough about something that they issue a warning – to the world, you might think we’d all take notice. Once you get to three warnings, however, well, you start to wonder just how intelligent we humans really are.
- [Decoupling Nonsense (podcast episode 35)](https://www.growthbusters.org/decoupling-nonsense/) - Technological innovation cannot take the environmental destruction out of economic growth. Get the real facts, not the blind faith and hope, about whether “decoupling” can allow more and more “prosperity” for more and more people without also delivering more and more ecosystem collapse.
- [Coming Out as Childfree (podcast episode 34)](https://www.growthbusters.org/comingoutaschildfree/) - More and more young women are declaring their intention not to conceive children. BirthStrike, Conceivable Future and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have all made headlines on this point. Erika and Dave unpack the issues surrounding womanhood without motherhood in this conversation with the author of the new book, Childfree by Choice, sociologist Amy Blackstone. Amy is a
- [Is the End Near? (Podcast episode 33)](https://www.growthbusters.org/episode-33/) - There may be beer in your fridge when you open it, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t in the early stages of climate catastrophe. The crisis is now, this is a present threat, not a future threat, according to our guest on this episode, Jeff Nesbit. Is Nesbit predicting the end of the world? Listen to this episode to find out.
- [We’re in Deep: Earth Overshoot Day 2019 (Podcast Episode 31)](https://www.growthbusters.org/in-deep-earth-overshoot-day-2019/) - In seven months humanity has burned through the resources it takes the Earth a full year to replenish. This is overshoot, and yes, it is a very big deal. In 2019, Earth Overshoot Day falls on July 29. Find out how we know when “Earth Overshoot Day” falls, how and why we’re operating in ecological deficit, what it means for us and our children, and what – if anything – we can do about it.
- [Welcome to Overshoot: Have a Nice Day! (podcast episode 32)](https://www.growthbusters.org/welcome-to-overshoot/) - Since 1972, study after study, and report after report, has warned we are in overshoot – the sum total of human activity is too much for the Earth’s ecosystems to bear. Welcome to Overshoot explores overshoot’s causes, effects, and possible solutions, as well as some of the barriers to solving the problem. The best scientific estimates tell us human civilization is in overshoot. Were you aware of this? Do you know what overshoot is? This year (2019), Earth Overshoot Day falls on July 29.
- [Avengers: Endgame – I Cut the Population in Half; Don’t Make Me Do This Again! (Podcast Episode 29)](https://www.growthbusters.org/endgame-episode-29/) - Did Thanos solve the overshoot problem when he killed off half the beings in the universe to end overpopulation? Should the Avengers undo his deed? Dave and Erika dissect Avengers: Endgame and how it treats these sustainability issues.
- [Masturbate, Don’t Procreate (Podcast Episode 28)](https://www.growthbusters.org/masturbate-dont-procreate/) - Bill Maher and Steven Colbert become the first honorees on the GrowthBusters podcast’s “Wall of Excellence.” Plus: Why are millennials having fewer children? Maher celebrates the declining birth rate in the over-developed world because it is the single most effective thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. On the other hand, Senator Mike Lee thinks having more babies will solve climate change. Thanks to Steven Colbert for a send-up.
- [Climate Change Will Take Food Off Your Table (Podcast Episode 27)](https://www.growthbusters.org/climate-change-food-off-table-27/) - Will you be able to feed your family in ten or fifteen years? Mass starvation in industrialized countries due to climate change – in the near future – is a real probability, according to Michael Brownlee, author of Taking Back Our Food Supply.
- [Running Out of Gas (Podcast Episode #26)](https://www.growthbusters.org/running-out-of-gas-podcast-episode-26/) - Things Go Better with Degrowth What if we told you the coming climate catastrophe MAY not turn out to be as bad as we all thought? I’m not sure I’m ready to buy that, but one of our guests on this episode tells us just that. IPCC worst-case scenarios seem to forget peak oil. Limited
- [How to Have a Green Wedding (Podcast Episode #25)](https://www.growthbusters.org/green-wedding-episode-25/) - Love is in the air on Valentine’s Day, so this seems the perfect time to learn what you can do to green up your wedding. With over 2 million weddings per year just in the U.S., greening your wedding can make a real difference. The Center for Biological Diversity’s Sarah Baillie shares low-impact wedding tips
- [Wild Hope - Nature Rocks! (Podcast Episode #24)](https://www.growthbusters.org/wild-hope-episode-24/) - When you’ve had a tough day and need some comfort, do you go for a long hike and commune with nature, or do you get on Amazon? What gives us joy, yet what do we strive to achieve? Are we in dominion over nature, or are we part of nature? Suez Jacobson (believe it or
- [What Do You Do When The End is Near? (Podcast Episode #23)](https://www.growthbusters.org/the-end-is-near-episode-23/) - How do we handle the despair of knowing we may not win this battle with climate change (which is really a battle with ourselves)? Should we keep fighting? And if we do, WHO needs to be making the drastic changes we know are needed to avoid the worst of climate change disaster? Is it you
- [Cleaning up Our Dirty Laundry (Podcast episode 22)](https://www.growthbusters.org/clean-up-dirty-laundry/) - Don’t shrink your clothes, shrink the footprint of washing them When you think of laundry, typically you’re after the whitest whites, and no shrinkage. How about we think outside the box and “green” our laundry practices by shrinking their footprint? This episode answers your questions and offers advice on how to minimize the environmental impact
- [Drink More Wine, Eat More Chocolate (Podcast Episode 21)](https://www.growthbusters.org/drink-more-wine-eat-more-chocolate-podcast-episode-21/) - Life expectancy is declining in one of the richest countries on Earth, the U.S., due to suicides and drug overdoses. Several noted millionaires have checked out in the last few years. Why? Do you fear you’re a failure because you aren’t ahead of the Joneses? Are you unhappy because you don’t have it all? Are
- [Pick One: Catastrophe or Disaster (Podcast Episode 20)](https://www.growthbusters.org/pick-one-catastrophe-disaster/) - Do climate change lights and sirens change anything? A climate emergency has finally been declared. Grace and Dave explain the bad news from the IPCC and evaluate media, public and policymaker response. Has sugar-coating the news and projections in the past been useful? Is it time to “take the gloves off?” Some say even this
- [Hurricanes, Climate Change & Contraception (Podcast Episode #19)](https://www.growthbusters.org/hurricanes-climate-change-contraception-podcast-episode-19/) - Yes, they are related. Our business-as-usual response to Hurricane Florence last month starts the conversation. (This episode was recorded before Hurricane Michael devastated the Florida panhandle.) Grace and Dave do also share some good news: climate change is getting more attention (of course the recent IPCC report has turned that volume up to 11, and
- [How Fast is Our Goose Being Cooked? (podcast episode 18)](https://www.growthbusters.org/how-fast-goose-cooked-episode18/) - Is Earth Overshoot Day meaningful? How sound is ecological footprint and biocapacity data behind it? Dave and Grace examine a critique from Robert B. Richardson, Associate Professor of Sustainable Development at Michigan State University. Plus: This summer’s heat and fires are NOT “the new normal.” (It will get worse. Sorry.) More forest fire destruction comes
- [Trump Can't Keep It Up (Economic Growth) - Podcast Episode #17](https://www.growthbusters.org/trump-cant-keep-it-up/) - We should NOT be celebrating (or pursuing) 4.1% economic growth, according to co-host Dave Gardner. Listen to this podcast to find out why pursuing GDP growth today is suicidal. Also on tap, listener comments about Earth Overshoot Day (the subject of our last podcast), and more single-use plastics we want to avoid. Dave stumps us
- [Earth Overshoot Day (Podcast Episode 16)](https://www.growthbusters.org/earth-overshoot-day-podcast-episode-16/) - Did you know we are in overshoot? What does that mean, and what should we do about it? Also in this episode, which has a smaller footprint – milk, or milk alternatives like almond milk? Dana informs us that, “Eating food is one of the worst things you can do for the environment.” Are some
- [Do Only Villains Care About Overpopulation? (Podcast Episode 15)](https://www.growthbusters.org/do-only-villains-care-overpopulation/) - In Avengers: Infinity War the villain Thanos wants to solve overpopulation by exterminating half the population of the universe. Whenever overpopulation pops up in the movies, it’s always a villain with an inhumane solution. Dave and Dana discuss whether this helps or harms the cause of achieving a sustainable human population (yes, the world IS overpopulated today,
- [Paving Paradise Podcast – TapDancing Around Overpopulation on World Population Day](https://www.growthbusters.org/tapdancing-around-overpopulation/) - World Population Day (today, July 11, 2016) seems a fitting date to launch our new podcast, Paving Paradise: Tales from the Front Lines of GrowthBusting. On a somewhat regular basis I intend to share news, information and commentary to help you stomp out growth addiction in your community. You can play today's episode right here:
- [Enlighten Yourself - New GrowthBusters Podcast Launched](https://www.growthbusters.org/enlighten-yourself-new-growthbusters-podcast-launched/) - The new GrowthBusters podcast is now active, with three episodes available now for your enjoyment and enlightenment. Why a GrowthBusters podcast? Many lively discussions begin on our webinars, on my media bias analysis at www.growthbiasbusted.org, and in response to Facebook posts. And those have continued here in the office (thanks to the presence of our
- [Growth Addiction Set Stage for Hurricane Disasters in Houston & Florida - GrowthBusters Podcast](https://www.growthbusters.org/growth-addiction-hurricane/) - Hurricanes Harvey and Irma highlight the fact that cities have prioritized growth over safety, valued concrete over nature, and bought into the myth of prosperity from growth over sustainability. Dave, Kaitlyn and Ben discuss the civic addiction to growth. What would be more appropriate metrics for success than high rates of population growth? Also: Living
- [Cities Must Bend Over & Accept Population Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/cities-must-bend-over-accept-population-growth/) - One of the fastest growing cities in the U.S., Bend, Oregon has doubled in population over the past two decades. Still, it has at least some intelligent thinking about growth. Our newest episode of the GrowthBusters podcast explores urban growth. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, or Stitcher so you never miss an episode. Podcast co-host
- [Changing the World Starts at Home](https://www.growthbusters.org/changing-the-world-starts-at-home/) - Is reducing child-tax credits to encourage smaller families a good idea? Can a city "win" the Amazon Headquarters Sweepstakes? Do undiscovered joys grace your life when you begin stepping up to trim your footprint on the planet? The GrowthBusters team tackles these questions in the 6th episode of our GrowthBusters podcast. Tax reform bills on
- [More Kids, Fewer Kids, or No Kids?](https://www.growthbusters.org/more-kids-fewer-kids-or-no-kids/) - Are children bad for the health of the planet, and therefore human civilization? Should we stop making them? Or do we need to step it up and make lots more than we’re currently making (does anyone have a good recipe)? Or does the intelligent answer lie somewhere in-between? The GrowthBusters podcast team doesn’t shy away
- [Trashing the Planet is Macho](https://www.growthbusters.org/trashing-the-planet-is-macho/) - A new study reveals some men feel environmental stewardship is not manly. Is this just one more reason we should leave the women in charge? Or should we market green behavior the same way we sell pickup trucks? In Episode 10 of the GrowthBusters Podcast, the team explores the ins and outs of masculinity and
- [Would You Eat a Bug to Save the Planet?](https://www.growthbusters.org/would-you-eat-a-bug-to-save-the-planet/) - To what extremes are we willing to go, to fit more and more people and bigger and bigger economies on a finite planet? It seems we’re willing to give up many freedoms, conveniences, safety and security, but we’re not willing to acknowledge we’re overpopulated or overconsuming. Addressing those root causes is not an option. 
- [Small is Beautiful After All](https://www.growthbusters.org/small-is-beautiful-after-all/) - A new episode of the GrowthBusters podcast is out.  On tap: If you haven’t yet committed to avoid purchasing or drinking factory-bottled water, a recent study offers one more reason. Learn more on the podcast. Although I do encourage you to, as I’ve done, commit to avoid bottled water at all costs, let me
- [Green Cars, Coffee and Kitchen Scraps](https://www.growthbusters.org/green-cars-coffee-and-kitchen-scraps/) - Can Americans get over our love affair with big, gas-guzzling pickups and SUVs? Are you considering environmental impact when you choose your car or coffee maker? One of our goals at GrowthBusters is to make it second nature to consider your footprint in all you do. The newest episode of the GrowthBusters podcast examines EPA
- [Are We Too Stupid to Manage the Planet? (Podcast)](https://www.growthbusters.org/too-stupid-to-manage-planet/) - Are human beings too stupid to manage the planet? Just asking the question invokes some misplaced conceit; we’ve wreaked havoc on the Earth largely because of our assumption that Earth is all about us. The truth is, we have no business trying to “manage” the planet. But, the scale of the human enterprise has become
- [One Thing That Will Guarantee Climate Disaster (Podcast Episode 14)](https://www.growthbusters.org/one-thing-guarantee-climate-disaster/) - While the U.S. announced intention to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement is bad news, it seems to have inspired a lot of carbon-reducing promises at other levels across the country. And that is good news. In this episode of the GrowthBusters podcast, Dana and Dave lament the biggest hurdle in the path to
- [Downsize Me (Podcast Episode 13)](https://www.growthbusters.org/downsize-me/) - Imagine you can live large – trophy house, fancy toys, caveman diet – but the costs are miniscule. Would you find that appealing? Or would you rather simplify your lifestyle and make your footprint the thing that’s miniscule? Is downsizing simply a way to supersize your consumption without maximizing your footprint? The latest episode of
- [Is the Public Ready to Consider Carbon Footprint in Family-Size Decisions?](https://www.growthbusters.org/is-the-public-ready-to-consider-carbon-footprint-in-family-size-decisions/) - This question is finally on the table here at GrowthBusters, as I’ve observed mainstream media finally giving ink and airtime to the heavy environmental impact of each additional child brought into the world. Why is that? One reason is that scientists have now documented choosing to conceive just one fewer child will reduce your carbon
- [Webinar June 14: Great Transition Initiative](https://www.growthbusters.org/webinar-june-14-great-transition-initiative/) - Learn about an exciting paradigm-shifting initiative at the next free GrowthBusters webinar. Please join me for an engaging conversation about how we can catalyze the needed paradigm shift to a life-sustaining society. You’re invited to join this GrowthBusters webinar at no cost. I’ve invited Andrew Gaines of the Great Transition Initiative to tell us more
- [Webinar: Joy of a Steady State Economy](https://www.growthbusters.org/webinar-joy-of-a-steady-state-economy/) - REGISTER FOR THIS WEBINAR Did you know our relentless pursuit of robust economic growth is liquidating the planet of vital resources much faster than it can regenerate them? We are "burning down the house to keep warm." There is another way. If this idea intrigues you, please join us for an enlightening conversation February 15, 2017
- [Obstacles in Path to Sustainable Population](https://www.growthbusters.org/obstacles-in-path-to-sustainable-population/) - This is installment 6 of questions from our Solving Overshoot webinar. I’m sharing questions we didn’t have time to address and including comments received from Madeleine Somerville and Paul Ehrlich, our panelists. If you missed the first few installments, start here with installment one. Your comments are welcome below. If you don't want to miss
- [Reduce Immigration and Go Vegan?](https://www.growthbusters.org/reduce-immigration-and-go-vegan/) - Here's the 7th and final installment of questions from our Solving Overshoot webinar. I'm sharing the questions we didn't have time to address, and I'm including comments received from Madeleine Somerville and Paul Ehrlich, our panelists. If you missed the first few installments, start here with installment one. Your comments are welcome below. I've jumped
- [Planetary Emergency Calls for Drastic Measures](https://www.growthbusters.org/planetary-emergency-drastic-measures/) - Here's the 5th installment of questions from our Solving Overshoot webinar. I'm sharing the questions we didn't have time to address, and I'm including comments received from Madeleine Somerville and Paul Ehrlich, our panelists. If you missed the first few installments, start here with installment one. Your comments are welcome below. I think today's questions
- [Easier to Alter Population or Consumption?](https://www.growthbusters.org/easier-pop-or-cons/) - Here's the 4th installment of questions from our Solving Overshoot webinar. I'm sharing the questions we did not have time to address, and including any comments I received from Madeleine Somerville and Paul Ehrlich, our panelists. If you missed the first few installments, start here with installment one. Your comments are welcome. 12. Brian Sanderson
- [Accusation of Eugenics Persists](https://www.growthbusters.org/accusation-of-eugenics-persists/) - I'm continuing today to share leftover questions from the GrowthBusters webinar, Solving Overshoot: End Overpopulation or Stop Overconsumption. I'm including responses later provided by our panelists, Paul Ehrlich and Madeleine Somerville. Find more information about the panelists, plus the first 3 questions and answers here. 4. Karen Pitts asked Paul Ehrlich: “Paul Ehrlich, how much money
- [Where is Overpopulation's Rosie the Riveter?](https://www.growthbusters.org/where-is-overpopulations-rosie-the-riveter/) - Here's installment #3 in our series of questions unanswered during the GrowthBusters webinar, Solving Overshoot: End Overpopulation or Stop Overconsumption. I'm including responses later provided by our panelists, Paul Ehrlich and Madeleine Somerville. Find more information about the panelists, the first 3 questions and links to all these follow-ups here. 8. Terry Spahr asked (in relation to Paul
- [Roles of Population and Consumption in Overshoot](https://www.growthbusters.org/roles-of-population-and-consumption-in-overshoot/) - The second in the GrowthBusters webinar series, Solving Overshoot: End Overpopulation or Stop Overconsumption, went by too quickly. At the end of the hour there were 26 questions we hadn't had a chance to address. Our panelists, Paul Ehrlich and Madeleine Somerville, were kind enough to provide written responses to these. I will share these
- [We Just Lost Our Paddle: The Election in the Context of Overpopulation](https://www.growthbusters.org/we-just-lost-our-paddle-the-election-in-the-context-of-overpopulation/) - Guest Post by Dr. Karen I. Shragg I write this as a devastated overpopulation activist, social justice activist, and women’s rights activist. I write it as a free-thinking atheist who is not burdened by ancient doctrine. BUT I do not write this from a perspective of shock. I am not surprised by the rise to power
- [Free Webinar to Settle Controversy on Overshoot](https://www.growthbusters.org/free-webinar-to-settle-controversy-on-overshoot/) - One of the three podcasts I host is called The Overpopulation Podcast, a project of World Population Balance. One episode this year featured a conversation with author Laura Carroll about making the choice to be childfree. One listener emailed this comment: “Dear Dave, It’s not population as population is leveling off. It’s consumption, consumption, consumption.”
- [Starting a Family? Think Small (World Population Day 2014)](https://www.growthbusters.org/starting-a-family-think-small-world-population-day-2014/) - As we approach World Population Day 2014 (July 11), it’s well past time we seriously consider the role of human population level in the sustainability of our civilization. Over the last century the scale of the human enterprise has mushroomed, eventually surpassing the capacity of the Earth to sustainably support us. Scientists at the Global
- [You'll Want to Be a Part of This](https://www.growthbusters.org/youll-want-to-be-a-part-of-this/) - Together, we'll find the cure for growth addiction. It’s tempting to write that growthbusting is not for amateurs. After all, that proton energy pack on my back for trapping growth profiteers is very powerful. You do not want the beams to cross! "Are we doomed?" The truth, though, is that we all need to be
- [See GrowthBusters Free - Limited Time](https://www.growthbusters.org/see-growthbusters-free/) - For ten days, from November 23 to December 2, I’ve arranged for you to be able to stream GrowthBusters into your living room whenever you like - for free.
- [Free Webinar: "Population Taboo" Banished](https://www.growthbusters.org/webinar-population-taboo-banished/) - Ten years ago I described for a freelance journalist my fledgling documentary project, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth. Her advice? "Just don't get into population. That's deadly." Recent events, however, indicate that it's becoming "okay" to address the subject.
- [Making Fewer Babies Eclipses Replacing Light Bulbs](https://www.growthbusters.org/babies-eclipses-bulbs/) - I am not alone. That’s the message I got from the results of our recent Green Living Survey. I didn’t expect to have so much company on a number of fronts. Let’s go through the highlights: 1. How are we currently leaving the Earth each year? A whopping 92% of respondents understand that we’re currently injuring
- [How GREEN are you living?](https://www.growthbusters.org/how-green/) - I am obsessed with minimizing my impact on the planet. Am I the only one? I want to know (take this survey).
- [Top 10 Ways to Delay Earth Overshoot Day](https://www.growthbusters.org/top-10-earth-overshoot-day/) - If, like me, you’re concerned about the myriad crises created by our huge footprint, crises which truly threaten our future (not to mention our present), you can sit around, waiting for world leaders to change public policy, or you can join the growing number of world citizens changing their own lives and leading the charge toward more sustainable living.
- [Who Ya Gonna Call?](https://www.growthbusters.org/who-ya-gonna-call/) - If you suspect paranormal activity in your neighborhood, call the Ghostbusters. But what if the kind of activity disturbing your peace is growth mania? Who can you call? I was inspired over the weekend. My wife and I went to see the new Ghostbusters: Answer the Call movie, and it exceeded my expectations. I’d heard
- [World Environment Day - We Saw It Coming But We Still Bought It](https://www.growthbusters.org/world-environment-day-we-bought-it/) - Today is World Environment Day. The United Nations established the day and informs us it’s the most important day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of our environment. It strikes me as odd the theme for this year’s World Environment Day is the illegal trade in wildlife. Themes like this are woefully
- [Mother's Day Economics](https://www.growthbusters.org/mothers-day-economics/) - This Mother’s Day, growth-boosting economists the world over want you to know that becoming a mother may be rough on the planet, but it is good for GDP.
- [Remembering Al Bartlett](https://www.growthbusters.org/remembering-al-bartlett/) - Too few environmentalists and sustainability advocates are willing to eschew political correctness and put “smart growth” into the unsustainable dung heap in which it belongs, right next to “dumb growth.” Too few scientists have been willing to take respected journals and magazines to task for engaging in a conspiracy of “silent lies,” leaving overpopulation unmentioned
- [The Return of ‘Limits to Growth’?](https://www.growthbusters.org/the-return-of-limits-to-growth/) - By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org. It’s shocking, but a mainstream media outlet has actually mentioned the idea of limits to growth and limits of nature. The New York Times, no less, has run a front-page story on the drought in California, invoking the concept of limits, in an article titled “California Drought Tests History of Endless
- [Partial Advice is No Advice At All](https://www.growthbusters.org/partial-advice-is-no-advice-at-all/) - Guest Post by Karen I. Shragg Ed.d. A new global analysis by University of Minnesota ecologists David Tilman and Michael Clark provides some interesting food for thought. Their study says over the next 35 years the populations of the world will try to emulate the western diet in their journey towards development. According to their
- [Free Screening of GrowthBusters on Black Friday 2014](https://www.growthbusters.org/free-screening-of-growthbusters-on-black-friday-2014/) - This Friday, the 28th of November, is Black Friday, what’s become a national holiday celebrating consumption. As much of the rest of the world strives to emulate the over-consuming ways of the U.S., the Black Friday shopping tradition is spreading around the world. Especially in the U.S., all eyes are on how much money shoppers
- [Movie Stars Think Small is Beautiful, Too](https://www.growthbusters.org/movie-stars-think-small-is-beautiful-too/) - Voters in Malibu, California are deciding in tomorrow’s election whether to wrest control over the quality of their community from a system that has been failing them. While this kind of battle is near and dear to my heart as a GrowthBuster, I might not have learned about it were it not for the star
- [World Population Day 2014: I’ll Have What She’s Having](https://www.growthbusters.org/world-population-day-2014-ill-have-what-shes-having/) - Two months ago today, South Park producer/animation director Eric Stough –addressing the 2014 graduating class at University of Colorado – offered some life-saving advice (at 13:48 in this video): “In less than two hours you’ll walk through those gates with your hard earned diploma and it’s time to think about work, getting a job, climbing
- [5 Ridiculous Reasons Overpopulation is Politically Incorrect](https://www.growthbusters.org/5-ridiculous-reasons-overpopulation-is-politically-incorrect/) - One would have to live in a hole to be unaware of the crushing crises we face thanks to the growing scale of the human enterprise on our planet. It’s a subject we desperately need to address. Discussion of the overpopulation part of this equation, however, remains a mere whisper in public discourse. When making
- [World Water Day – Are We Nuts???](https://www.growthbusters.org/world-water-day-are-we-nuts/) - Saturday is World Water Day, as declared by the United Nations. As good folks around the world wring their hands over the looming shortage of freshwater for a growing world population, I’d like to take this opportunity to point out the obvious: If a growing population is creating the problem, then let’s stop growing the
- [The Most Loving Act on Valentine’s Day](https://www.growthbusters.org/the-most-loving-act-on-valentines-day/) - It’s Valentine’s Day and romance is in the air. Every year at this time I feel it’s a good time to remind loving couples of the most loving and compassionate act they can take – being very intentional about when and whether they conceive a child, and making the informed, responsible decision to have a
- [The Good and Bad of Crowd Behavior in Sustainable Living](https://www.growthbusters.org/the-good-and-bad-of-crowd-behavior-in-sustainable-living/) - How can the herding instinct hinder or help us in our shift to a sustainable civilization? Fracking, tar sands, and potential Arctic drilling have some convinced we’ve delayed Peak Oil for years and years. There are many experts, however, who present a solid case for ignoring the boosters’ optimism. Some expect we’ll be experiencing serious
- [Super Bowl Extravagance or Big Family Indulgence? Choose One](https://www.growthbusters.org/super-bowl-extravagance-or-big-family-indulgence-choose-one/) - Sunday over 100 million people were glued to television screens in 232 countries watching the Seattle Seahawks humiliate the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. Tens of thousands flew to New York to see the rout in person and participate in a week of parties and promotional events. 80,000 spectators packed MetLife Stadium, drinking their
- [One-Child Thinking](https://www.growthbusters.org/one-child-thinking/) - This week Huffington Post published a blog by Julie Cole titled 6 Reasons to Have 6 Kids. Im not sure how much attention anyone is paying over there to what their bloggers are doing, but Cole’s piece cannot be defined as “progressive.” Progressive thinking about family size will take into account several factors that go
- [Vote for Best Reality TV](https://www.growthbusters.org/vote-for-best-reality-tv/) - Okay, I admit it, I watched an entire episode of Dog the Bounty Hunter while researching this topic. It was like a train wreck; I couldn’t look away. Many of us have a weakness for one or another of these shows. But let’s face it, for the most part it’s not reality they offer, but
- [No Spin Zone: GrowthBusters Needs YOU](https://www.growthbusters.org/no-spin-zone-growthbusters-needs-you/) - In my 30 years creating films for big corporations, the rules of spin were drilled into me. Dwell on the positive aspects of a product. Don’t bring up the complaints or flaws. Make it sound like the company or product is a big winner and everyone is turning to it. Like sheep, customers will follow.
- [Got the Urge to ‘Shop, Baby, Shop?’ Stay Home and Watch GrowthBusters on Black Friday](https://www.growthbusters.org/got-the-urge-to-shop-baby-shop-stay-home-and-watch-growthbusters-on-black-friday/) - This year on Black Friday (the day U.S. retailers and shoppers kick off the holiday shopping season (and the biggest shopping day of the year), we’re offering the world an alternative to mayhem at the mall. We’ll be screening our groundbreaking documentary, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, free on the Internet for audiences around the world.
- [Al Bartlett Week – Day 5](https://www.growthbusters.org/al-bartlett-week-day-5/) - Today, on the last day of Al Bartlett Week, I have 3 special clips of Al to share. In the first we get to enjoy Al’s musings about the late Julian Simon. Simon was in many ways Lex Luther to the sustainability Superman of Al Bartlett (and Paul Ehrlich). Al enjoys pointing out Simon’s innumeracy.
- [Al Bartlett Week – Day 4 – World Contraception Day](https://www.growthbusters.org/al-bartlett-week-day-4-world-contraception-day/) - Since today is World Contraception Day we’re sharing 3 excellent video clips of the late Al Bartlett about ending population growth. The last two also touch on why we’re finding that so difficult. After viewing these brief clips, check out this excellent commentary by Population Connection’s John Seager. Al Bartlett Quotes Martin Luther King, Jr.
- [Al Bartlett Week – Day 3](https://www.growthbusters.org/al-bartlett-week-day-3/) - The late physics professor Al Bartlett knew you cannot have a sustainable world made up of unsustainable communities. So, while he lectured around the world and wrote prolifically about global population and economic growth, he also had a real knack for pointing out the sheer lunacy of the beliefs and policies of local policymakers. Today’s
- [Al Bartlett Week – Day 2](https://www.growthbusters.org/al-bartlett-week-day-2/) - Our week-long tribute to the late Professor Al Bartlett continues. We’re changing things up for the rest of the week. Yesterday I posted a new blog entry for each video clip we posted, but that makes for a lot of emails for those of you subscribed to the blog. So for the rest of the
- [Al Bartlett Week – You Can’t Save Environment in Face of Population Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/al-bartlett-week-you-cant-save-environment-in-face-of-population-growth/) - This brief clip from my 2005 interview with the late physics professor Al Bartlett rings so true. The environmental movement long ago chickened out on the issue of overpopulation (with the notable exception of the Center for Biological Diversity). To participate in Al Bartlett Week and avoid missing out, subscribe to this blog, join the
- [Al Bartlett Week – Malthus was Right](https://www.growthbusters.org/al-bartlett-week-malthus-was-right/) - Growth-pushers, boosters, profiteers and their minions have one point of agreement with eco-socialists – and even a few other good-hearted humanitarians. They are all very busy trying to convince us that “overpopulation is not the problem (as explained to us recently in both the New York Times and the UK Guardian). Al Bartlett would have
- [Al Bartlett Week – We’ve Exceeded Earth’s Carrying Capacity](https://www.growthbusters.org/al-bartlett-week-weve-exceeded-earths-carrying-capacity/) - Al Bartlett explains what seems obvious to most scientists in this clip from the interview I conducted in 2005 for the documentary, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth: To participate in Al Bartlett Week and avoid missing out, subscribe to this blog, join the event page, and/or follow us on Twitter. Add your comments. I look forward
- [Al Bartlett Week – Population Density in 700 Years](https://www.growthbusters.org/al-bartlett-week-population-density-in-700-years/) - The Al Bartlett Week video marathon continues, with this clip from my 2005 interview for GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth: To participate in Al Bartlett Week and avoid missing out, subscribe to this blog, join the event page, and/or follow us on Twitter. Add your comments. I look forward to reading and sharing your thoughts throughout
- [Al Bartlett Week – Greatest Shortcoming of Human Race](https://www.growthbusters.org/al-bartlett-week-greatest-shortcoming-of-human-race/) - Here’s the latest in our Al Bartlett video marathon, from an interview I did with Al in 2005 for the documentary, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth. To participate in Al Bartlett Week and avoid missing out, subscribe to this blog, join the event page, and/or follow us on Twitter. Add your comments. I look forward to
- [Al Bartlett Week – Bacteria in a Bottle](https://www.growthbusters.org/al-bartlett-week-bacteria-in-a-bottle/) - We kick off our Al Bartlett video marathon with this segment from GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth. Although I interviewed Al in 2005, it wasn’t until 2011 I was finally able to get into a classroom to film Bartlett doing what he ultimately did over 1,700 times around the world. It was fun to add some
- [Al Bartlett Week – In Remembrance](https://www.growthbusters.org/al-bartlett-week-in-remembrance/) - A Week-Long Marathon of All Things Al Bartlett Al Bartlett left this Earth on September 7, 2013. If you had asked him, I’m afraid he would have said he didn’t leave it better than he found it. Still, Al made a big difference in this world. In the Fall of 2005 I filmed the very
- [A GrowthBuster’s Work is Never Done](https://www.growthbusters.org/a-growthbusters-work-is-never-done/) - Today we announced to the world a crowdfunding campaign for our new TV series (in development), Conversation Earth. If you support our GrowthBusters work, you’ll want to help us meet and exceed the modest $15,000 goal. Why a TV series? An opinion piece in Saturday’s New York Times purported humans are above nature. It claimed
- [Planetary Overload: Faked Out by the Holy Grail of Economic Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/planetary-overload-faked-out-by-the-holy-grail-of-economic-growth/) - Today (August 20) is Earth Overshoot Day, according to scientists at Global Footprint Network. That means in about eight months we’ve consumed the renewable resources the Earth takes a year to replenish. If we want to live sustainably and leave our children a world worth inheriting, we need to turn off the lights, stop eating,
- [Your Prediction of Earth Overshoot Day](https://www.growthbusters.org/your-prediction-of-earth-overshoot-day/) - In 1980 William Catton published a book titled Overshoot, which outlined how the scale of the human enterprise had outgrown our planet. Every year scientists at the Global Footprint Network calculate the day humanity crosses into overshoot for that year. They’ve dubbed it Earth Overshoot Day, and it’s coming up. I’m inviting you at the
- [Should We Stop Worrying and Love the (Population) Bomb?](https://www.growthbusters.org/should-we-stop-worrying-and-love-the-population-bomb/) - Today is World Population Day, observed in many ways around the world. Every year at this time I survey the landscape and assess our progress toward achieving a sustainable world population. There is good news and bad. Overall I think progress is being made on my goal of getting overpopulation onto our radar screens. More
- [Top 10 Population Films of All Time](https://www.growthbusters.org/top-10-population-films-of-all-time/) - As we observe World Population Day (July 11) I thought I’d share some of the most interesting films about human population, or least films with significant population themes. I posted a list of the films I was considering, and invited you to vote for your favorite (or nominate others), so I could rank them by
- [Top 10 Reasons to Choose a Small Family](https://www.growthbusters.org/top-10-reasons-to-choose-a-small-family/) - One of the key roots of so many of the challenges and crises we face is remarkably simple to fix, yet for many reasons the solution has evaded us for decades. The root is population, and the simple fix is for every couple around the world to make responsible, informed decisions about family size. Everyone
- [Vote for Top 10 Population Films](https://www.growthbusters.org/vote-for-top-10-population-films/) - At GrowthBusters we consider World Population Day (July 11) an annual opportunity to bring the topic of overpopulation into sharper focus. We have some interesting things in store for you this year in the days leading up to World Population Day. Subscribe to this blog to be kept apprised of our World Population Day posts
- [Stop and Smell the Environment on World Environment Day](https://www.growthbusters.org/stop-and-smell-the-environment-on-world-environment-day/) - Typically every morning I rise when the sunlight streams into the room. This time of year that means 6 or even 5:30. I sit down with a cup of skinny cafe mocha and go through my email in-box, which invariably is full of interesting bits of communication from all over the world. Much of it
- [Honey, I Shrunk the Family](https://www.growthbusters.org/honey-i-shrunk-the-family/) - On Earth Day many were thinking of ways to be green. Few of us were considering what is probably the greenest behavior of all. My Earth Day contribution was to pass out Endangered Species Condoms at some events over this past weekend. These condoms are a wonderful project of the Center for Biological Diversity, aimed
- [President Renounces Economic Growth Goals](https://www.growthbusters.org/president-renounces-economic-growth-goals/) - U.S. President Barack Obama announced Saturday that “restoring robust economic growth is no longer Job One” at the White House. “All the rhetoric around job creation, economic growth, and the American Dream are just political necessities for anyone wanting to be elected or reelected,” the President admitted. ” I no longer need to worry about
- [Costs of Growth Coming to Your Neighborhood](https://www.growthbusters.org/costs-of-growth-coming-to-your-neighborhood/) - I’ve been missing-in-action lately from the global GrowthBusting scene. Duty called for growthbusting of an unusual variety in my own community. I believe the best citizens think globally and act locally, so I had to step up and offer my help when my hometown of Colorado Springs came under frack attack. Yes, I’ve been frackbusting
- [Hot Valentine’s Day App](https://www.growthbusters.org/hot-valentines-day-app/) - Happy Valentine’s Day! Today we celebrate love. With all the loving going on today, we at GrowthBusters want to introduce a new app we think should get heavy use in bedrooms around the world tonight. One of the best ways you can express your love is to take charge of your reproduction: take measures to
- [Hillary Clinton Runs and Hides from Overpopulation Issue](https://www.growthbusters.org/hillary-clinton-runs-and-hides-from-overpopulation-issue/) - Maybe you haven’t heard about it. After all, it’s a taboo. We tiptoe around the subject of population growth as though it could give you a bad case of leprosy. Even when the topic is addressed, the word “overpopulation” is frequently avoided. Presidents, journalists, and humanitarian and environmental organizations head for the hills when the
- [Do We Want to Live in FrackNation?](https://www.growthbusters.org/do-we-want-to-live-in-fracknation/) - The new movie, FrackNation, is a propaganda piece that shucks and jives around the truth in effort to assure us we can safely, and should, frack, baby, frack. This film had its broadcast debut last night on AXS TV. FrackNation is less about the science behind hydraulic fracturing to free up oil and gas from
- [Getting Along With the End of Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/getting-along-with-the-end-of-growth/) - Okay, I get that we are at the end of growth. What should I do with that information? Yesterday I had a nice conversation on the air with the hosts of Spread Peace Radio. You can hear our discussion here (the 1/19/13 episode), which was wide-ranging, but did touch on what we can or should be
- [GrowthBusters Named Best Film at 33rd Annual Global Media Awards](https://www.growthbusters.org/growthbusters-named-best-film-at-33rd-annual-global-media-awards/) - Last night I gratefully accepted a Global Media Award for best film or miniseries for my film, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth. The Global Media Awards are presented annually by the Population Institute to recognize significant contribution to public discussion and understanding of issues related to population growth. I’m thrilled the film is getting this recognition,
- [Climate disruption not the whole story of our sad predicament](https://www.growthbusters.org/climate-disruption-not-the-whole-story-of-our-sad-predicament/) - We risk a global collapse of our civilization as we know it. Climate change is just one of our problems. We cannot avert calamity without tackling it and other pressing ecological concerns in concert. Ehrlich perspective in Proceedings of the Royal Society: Can a collapse of global civilization be avoided? By Paul R. Ehrlich and Anne H. Ehrlich
- [I Want to Give You a Film Crew T-Shirt](https://www.growthbusters.org/i-want-to-give-you-a-film-crew-t-shirt/) - Film Crew T-Shirt Contest Help us choose the GrowthBusters Film Crew T-shirt you will soon be wearing! (click on a photo to enlarge it) 3 votes I’d like to send you a Film Crew T-shirt, but you do have to be on the crew to get it. The good news is that when you make
- [Help Us Eliminate Unsustainable Pro-Growth Media Bias](https://www.growthbusters.org/help-us-eliminate-unsustainable-pro-growth-media-bias/) - Please help us eliminate pro-growth bias in the news media. A flurry of news reports this morning reinforce the cultural myth that population growth is a sign things are going well. This keeps our culture hooked on growth. Over a lifetime it programs us to seek and celebrate growth. The U.S. Census released new state
- [Who Ya Gonna Call in 2013? GrowthBusters!](https://www.growthbusters.org/who-ya-gonna-call-in-2013-growthbusters/) - As a kid I watched a TV series about a Canadian Mountie patrolling the wilds of the Yukon. At the end of every episode Sergeant Preston would hug his faithful dog and say, “Well, King, this case is closed.” 13 months ago GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth held its world premiere to a packed house at
- [Blackened Turkey: 3 Alternatives to Black Friday Shopping to Have a Wonderful Life](https://www.growthbusters.org/blackened-turkey-3-alternatives-to-black-friday-shopping-to-have-a-wonderful-life/) - This Thursday many families in the U.S. will observe the Thanksgiving holiday. Some will push their plates away after a celebratory feast, get up from the table and head out the door to wreck the planet. Most of them won’t be aware of the dire consequences of their shopping sprees. Black Friday is the biggest
- [Paul Ehrlich Post-Election Thoughts](https://www.growthbusters.org/paul-ehrlich-post-election-thoughts/) - Stanford biologist and longtime sustainability advocate Dr. Paul Ehrlich is in Australia on a research project. He has given me permission to share his thoughts about the recent U.S. election, sent via email late last night, after the presidential election had been called. At GrowthBusters we try to remain apolitical, but of course we admonish
- [Who Will Get This Economy Moving?  No One](https://www.growthbusters.org/who-will-get-this-economy-moving-no-one/) - “We’ve got to get this economy going again!” Unless your cave lacks wifi, cable or satellite, you’ve heard this once or twice in the last four seconds. Job creation and economic growth dominate the November election in the U.S. — perhaps more than any election in history. Campaign ads for local, state and national candidates
- [6 Myths About Overpopulation](https://www.growthbusters.org/6-myths-about-overpopulation/) - One year ago today world population quietly passed through the 7 billion mark. It was not treated as a major news item. I took note, because I had given up the previous 6 months of my life working night and day to finish the GrowthBusters documentary in time for an October 31 release. It seemed
- [Going Green in World’s Greenest City](https://www.growthbusters.org/going-green-in-worlds-greenest-city/) - Vancouver’s young generation embraces higher density News item: “Micro suites” planned for Vancouver-area development Janet and Bob (pictured) of Vancouver, BC — a jurisdiction heralded around the world as “the model city” by planners and politicians from afar who drop in for two-day visit of wining , dining and smoozing — represent the new generation
- [A Day to Take Note of Our Irrational Behavior](https://www.growthbusters.org/a-day-to-take-note-of-our-irrational-behavior/) - Today is a day like any other. The morning paper is on the front step. Traffic is backed up. Another ozone alert. Homebuilders are optimistic new home starts are on the rise. Too few jobs were created last month. Consumers didn’t spend as much as manufacturers and retailers hoped. A global slowdown is making tough
- [Return of the Population Bombers](https://www.growthbusters.org/return-of-the-population-bombers/) - Canadaian Ecosocialist Ian Angus is determined to undermine efforts to achieve sustainable population levels. He’s convinced we can only choose one remedy for our society’s unsustainable ills. I disagree strongly with this view, and I take great exception to several of his misassumptions and generalizations about sustainable population advocacy. So it is tempting NOT to
- [World Population Day – 6 Obstacles to Sustainable Population](https://www.growthbusters.org/world-population-day-6-obstacles-to-sustainable-population/) - The world is overpopulated. Overpopulation is everywhere. It is a major cause of most of the crises we face. We can fix it…humanely, voluntarily, and starting today. Six things stand in our way. This week a few human rights and too few environmental organizations will observe World Population Day. In 1989, as world population passed
- [World Population Day 2012](https://www.growthbusters.org/world-population-day-2012/) - On July 11 a few people and organizations observe World Population Day. I write “few” because the subjects of population growth and overpopulation are too often ignored or even avoided. Even those organizations which do make note of the day generally tapdance around the issue. They talk about “population dynamics” rather than “population growth.” They
- [New Book – 2052: A Global Forecast for the Next Forty Years](https://www.growthbusters.org/new-book-2052-a-global-forecast-for-the-next-forty-years/) - Jorgen Randers is an optimist. When I met him in Washington DC in March at a Limits to Growth symposium hosted by the Smithsonian and the Club of Rome, I found him to be a delightful, cheerful man. Yet he has given up on humankind. The biggest take-away from his new book, the latest decadal
- [The Magic of Mountainfilm](https://www.growthbusters.org/the-magic-of-mountainfilm/) - A few days after last November’s world premiere of GrowthBusters, the program director of Mountainfilm in Telluride asked to see the film. Mountainfilm was planning a daylong symposium on population in conjunction with its annual film festival on Memorial Day weekend, and Paul Ehrlich was urging Emily to screen GrowthBusters at the festival. It seemed
- [Needed: Paradigm Shift](https://www.growthbusters.org/needed-paradigm-shift/) - It would have been nice for me to share today’s guest post with you on Earth Day, as that occasion drove some of these comments. However, maybe it’s even more appropriate today, almost 3 weeks after Earth Day 2012. Did we change the world on April 22? Did you change your life? Earth Day 2012:
- [Working Upstream](https://www.growthbusters.org/working-upstream/) - Karen Shragg is a naturalist in Minneapolis I’ve come to know through World Population Balance. Karen is a sustainable population advocate and is a very active member of WPB’s board of advisors. I might mention I am a huge fan of the work being done by World Population Balance. Explore the organization’s website. Don’t stop
- [Demolishing the Decoupling Myth](https://www.growthbusters.org/demolishing-the-decoupling-myth/) - While down under for the Australian theatrical premiere of GrowthBusters, I had the good fortune to spend several hours sitting on the porch of George Trembath’s home near Maleny, sipping tea and coffee and having a deep conversation with George (of Pachacuti Project) and ecological economist Richard Sanders. I jokingly called it the Maleny Summit.
- [Ideology of Catastrophe](https://www.growthbusters.org/ideology-of-catastrophe/) - On the plane a few weeks ago I read an opinion piece that begged for this critique. The Ideology of Catastrophe (Wall Street Journal, 10 April, 2012) was written by Pascal Bruckner, who fancies himself a philosopher. He is certainly not a social or physical scientist. His piece attempts to discredit those who warn our
- [Unsustainable Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/unsustainable-growth/) - “The current human trajectory of growing population and rising consumption is simply not sustainable. Something has to give.” I had originally intended to end our series honoring the 40th anniversary of The Limits to Growth (the landmark MIT study commissioned by the Club of Rome), on Earth Day. I have so much good material yet to
- [Better World Forum Starts Tomorrow](https://www.growthbusters.org/better-world-forum-starts-tomorrow/) - Imagine sitting in your home office this weekend having a cup of coffee with Deepak Chopra, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Bill McKibben, and Joan Blades. That’s just what you can do, thanks to my good friend Steven Zuckerman. Over the next two weekends he’s bringing some of the world’s most innovative thinkers to you – via
- [The Titanic Code](https://www.growthbusters.org/the-titanic-code/) - One hundred years ago April 15, the Titanic disappeared beneath the icy waters of the North Atlantic. Several have marked this anniversary by noting the similarities between the Titanic and human civilization. In Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron, on the National Geographic channel, James Cameron, director of the blockbuster film, Titanic, aptly turned
- [Think Small Pledge a Bust?](https://www.growthbusters.org/think-small-pledge-a-bust/) - For a month now I’ve been urging people to take our Pledge to Think Small. And I’ve been asking supporters to spread the word and encourage others to take it. I’ve been stupefied by the response. A measly 177 pledgers so far. That is very disappointing. No one likes to admit defeat, and all my
- [GrowthBusters Hits New York](https://www.growthbusters.org/growthbusters-hits-new-york/) - Greetings from New York City, where GrowthBusters hits the big screen this Thursday. Yesterday was the first day of the SOHO International Film Festival, and it was quite exciting to meet other filmmakers, just as committed to their vision as I am to mine. Get your tickets now to see the New York City premiere
- [Titanic – What Keeps Us From Turning the Ship?](https://www.growthbusters.org/titanic-what-keeps-us-from-turning-the-ship/) - Saturday, 14 April, marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic. This happened late in the night. A few hours later, on the 15th of April, the unsinkable behemoth went down. The GrowthBusters project is proud to partner with the Club of Rome in using this anniversary to inspire
- [Exponential Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/exponential-growth/) - As our series honoring the 40th anniversary of The Limits to Growth study (and best-selling book) continues, I thought we should review our progress in the exponential growth demonstration experiment started with this post on March 11 . Please don’t forget to take the Pledge to Think Small, and to join our Worldwide GrowthBusters House
- [Knowing Pachamama](https://www.growthbusters.org/knowing-pachamama/) - I recently attended the Australian premiere of GrowthBusters, thanks to the Stable Population Party of Australia. While down under I had the good fortune to spend time getting to know George Trembath, who wrote the novel, Pachacuti, and organized the Pachacuti Project. Pacha means “the world,” and cuti means “upside down” or “restoring balance.” (Pachacuti
- [Exponential Economist Meets Finite Physicist](https://www.growthbusters.org/exponential-economist-meets-finite-physicist/) - Today’s guest post in our Limits to Growth 40th anniversary series is courtesy of Tom Murphy. Tom is an associate professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego. He has simultaneously posted this entertaining conversation on his popular blog, Do the Math. More about Tom after the conversation. While there are economists, like Herman Daly,
- [Pollyannas of Population Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/pollyannas-of-population-growth/) - Today’s guest commentary in our series honoring the 40th anniversary of The Limits to Growth Study comes from Paul and Anne Ehrlich. Paul is, of course, famous for penning The Population Bomb in 1968. You might be interested to know that his wife, Anne co-wrote the book. She and Paul have written many more books
- [I am a Growthbuster](https://www.growthbusters.org/i-am-a-growthbuster/) - Today’s guest post in our Limits to Growth 40th anniversary series is by Andrew Gaines, co-founder of Transform Australia. I spent a wonderful afternoon sitting with Andrew in a coffee shop in Sydney two weeks ago, plotting the salvation of our civilization. Andrew understands and evangelizes about the need for system change. Check out his
- [Birthing the New Economy](https://www.growthbusters.org/birthing-the-new-economy/) - Our series honoring the 40th anniversary of the Limits to Growth study continues. Today, a guest post from Rick Heller. Through www.seeingtheroses.org, Rick is helping us recognize the joys of getting unhooked from our unsustainable, growth-addicted ways. Today he offers a report on the Transition to a New Economy conference. First, let’s pick up our exponential
- [Join the Worldwide GrowthBusters House Party](https://www.growthbusters.org/join-the-worldwide-growthbusters-house-party-2/) - 5oo GrowthBusters Screenings Earth Day Weekend If you’re subscribed to this blog, the daily posts will continue for just 3 more weeks – until Earth Day on April 22. As Earth Day approaches this year, I sense growing awareness that we are fast approaching Al Bartlett’s one minute before 12, and a sense that it’s
- [I Was Wrong – There are NO Limits to Growth!](https://www.growthbusters.org/i-was-wrong-there-are-no-limits-to-growth/) - Last night, with the lights out during Earth Hour, I had an epiphany. It hit me: “Wow, it’s pretty dark.” So I took advantage of that darkness to step outside of the rational, logical thought processes I discovered have been limiting me. I realized the only thing that limits humankind is limited thinking. For 6
- [Observe Earth Hour Tonight & Take the Think Small Pledge](https://www.growthbusters.org/observe-earth-hour-tonight-take-the-think-small-pledge/) - I encourage you to join millions of people around the world tonight in observing Earth Hour. From 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. turn off all your lights and unnecessary electrical devices, in a gesture acknowledging you understand and will continue to do something about the urgent need to, individually and collectively, reduce our use of fossil
- [Is Earth Hour a Crock?](https://www.growthbusters.org/is-earth-hour-a-crock/) - Tomorrow at 8:30 pm people around the world will be turning off their lights for one hour in a symbolic gesture. What does that symbolize? On the plus side, it’s a symbol of widespread awareness of the impact of humankind’s activity on the climate. It also serves as a reminder each of us has the
- [Job Creation Replaces Apple Pie](https://www.growthbusters.org/job-creation-replaces-apple-pie/) - Job creation is THE mantra of every elected official and political candidate these days. Indeed, just about any act – even if foolish or dangerous – is considered desirable if it “creates jobs.” A classic example is this ad campaign funded by the American Petroleum Institute, an oil and natural gas industry trade association: Today,
- [Toward a Sustainable World Economy](https://www.growthbusters.org/toward-a-sustainable-world-economy/) - Today’s guest post in our series honoring the 40th anniversary of the landmark Limits to Growth study is by William Rees. Rees, along with Mathis Wackernagel, originated ecological footprint analysis. My interview with Dr. Rees for GrowthBusters was one of the last conducted before completion of the film. I left that interview thinking I could
- [What the World Needs Now](https://www.growthbusters.org/what-the-world-needs-now/) - One of the joys of growthbusting has been the discovery that living lighter on the planet is very consistent with other values I’ve come to embrace in my quest to live a fulfilling and meaningful life. A constant goal in my life is to be present in the moment, stepping out of the frantic thought
- [Ian Johnson on Limits to Growth and The Club of Rome](https://www.growthbusters.org/ian-johnson-on-limits-to-growth-and-the-club-of-rome/) - We’re in the middle of a series of demonstrations, essays and videos related to the topic of limits to growth. This is to recognize the 40th anniversary this year of the landmark Limits to Growth study, first published in March of 1972. That study was commissioned by The Club of Rome and conducted by a
- [GrowthBusters Australia Tour – Report 1](https://www.growthbusters.org/growthbusters-australia-tour-report-1/) - I thought I’d interrupt the series of posts honoring the Limits to Growth 40th anniversary today, as tonight I leave Australia and head home after two weeks of GrowthBusters screenings, great audience response, intelligent conversations and warm friendship. I regret I did not get to see every Australian who has supported and cheered on the
- [Limits to Growth – Rex Weyler vs. Ronald Reagan](https://www.growthbusters.org/limits-to-growth-rex-weyler-vs-ronald-reagan/) - “There are no such things as limits to growth, because there are no limits to the human capacity for intelligence, imagination, and wonder.” - U.S. President Ronald Reagan “Oh, yeh? - Greenpeace International co-Founder Rex Weyler What more can I say? This is a moment from a wonderful interview with environmental leader and journalist
- [Perspectives on Limits to Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/perspectives-on-limits-to-growth/) - On March 1 the Club of Rome and the Smithsonian co-hosted an historic, day-long symposium, Perspectives on Limits to Growth, offering reflections on The Limits to Growth, the landmark study released in 1972. Two of the scientists involved in that study (who went on to author the book, as well as updates ten, twenty and
- [Living Better on Less](https://www.growthbusters.org/living-better-on-less/) - I skipped a day in this Limits to Growth blog series and the exponential growth demonstration. My Australia tour had me exhausted and something had to give. But today I’m back, with day five on the demonstration. Yesterday we were at 8 grains of wheat. Today, double that for 16. Be sure to take the Think
- [Think Small – Take the Pledge](https://www.growthbusters.org/think-small-take-the-pledge/) - For a week we’ve explored the 1972 Limits to Growth study and the power of exponential growth (yet to be apparent in our wheat doubling demonstration). If you’re just now joining the conversation, explore the series here. We’ll have more, but right now you may be wondering what you can do with this information. It
- [Limits to Growth – Dennis Meadows Reflects](https://www.growthbusters.org/limits-to-growth-dennis-meadows-reflects/) - This is day three of our exponential growth experiment/demonstration. It’s not too late to jump into this little adventure – and bring your kids, your class or your co-workers along for the fun. You can catch up quite quickly. We began with an empty beaker (you can substitute a jar, pitcher, test tube, etc.) and
- [Limits to Growth – What is the Club of Rome?](https://www.growthbusters.org/limits-to-growth-what-is-the-club-of-rome/) - This is day two of our exponential growth demonstration. I hope you’re doing this at home or school or the office. We began two days ago with one grain of wheat. Yesterday we doubled the wheat, and here’s what we got… Today let’s double that. Here’s a quick summary of Limits to Growth, courtesy of the
- [Limits to Growth – A Visit With Jorgen Randers](https://www.growthbusters.org/limits-to-growth-a-visit-with-jorgen-randers/) - This is day two of our lab experiment demonstrating the power of exponential growth. Yesterday we placed one grain of wheat in our beaker. Here’s what that looked like: Today we will double the number of grains in our beaker. Tomorrow we’ll double that. This represents just under 3% growth per hour. It’s not too
- [Australia: New Political Party Promotes Sustainable Population](https://www.growthbusters.org/australia-new-political-party-promotes-sustainable-population/) - There are two components to making our civilization truly sustainable. One is changing our own personal behavior – how much energy and resources we consume in our daily lives, as well as how many children we have and how soon we start our families. The other is changing the system – public policy goals and
- [Limits to Growth – 40th Anniversary](https://www.growthbusters.org/limits-to-growth-40th-anniversary/) - 40 years ago today, a group of MIT scientists made their first public report on a study that came to be known as Limits to Growth. They had used systems dynamics to build a computer model of human activity on Earth. They called the model World3. Today I want to share a clip from GrowthBusters
- [Limits to Growth – Bacteria in a Bottle](https://www.growthbusters.org/limits-to-growth-bacteria-in-a-bottle/) - Retired physics professor Al Bartlett (to whom the GrowthBusters movie was dedicated), is world famous both for his Laws Related to Sustainability and his lecture about exponential growth. Audiences frequently tell me this segment from GrowthBusters is one of the most powerful. Share it with your lab partners (for the experiment we’re starting tomorrow, see below). And
- [Try This Exponential Growth Experiment](https://www.growthbusters.org/try-this-exponential-growth-experiment/) - On Monday the GrowthBusters project begins a campaign to honor the 40th anniversary of the landmark Limits to Growth study. If you’re not already subscribed to my blog, please do so – you won’t regret it. During March and April I’ll be sharing insights from the leading thinkers in sustainability, economics, population and environment. I’ll
- [Techno-Optimism or The Good Life?](https://www.growthbusters.org/techno-optimism-or-the-good-life/) - Morning Joe on MSNBC is one of my favorite programs. It’s on from 4 to 7 in the morning where I live, so I watch while I’m stretching and making my first cup of, well, joe. This morning’s program had this interesting segment about a book called Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think.
- [You Should be Doing This](https://www.growthbusters.org/you-should-be-doing-this/) - Achieving a healthy, sustainable local economy. This is a good example of local growth busting. I just sent this letter to my local county regarding its growth-centric draft strategic plan: Tim Wolken Director, Community Services Department El Paso County 2002 Creek Crossing Colorado Springs, CO 80905 Dear Mr. Wolken: I wish to provide this input
- [Focus Our Outrage Where it Will Count](https://www.growthbusters.org/focus-our-outrage-where-it-will-count/) - Focus Our Outrage Where it Will CountLast night I finally had a chance to see the film, GASLAND, which I highly recommend. It’s a fairly simple film, but one with heart and authenticity. The film shares the experiences of several families and communities whose water wells were poisoned by contaminants introduced into the groundwater system
- [President Stands up to Growth Boosters; Redford Applauds](https://www.growthbusters.org/president-stands-up-to-growth-boosters-redford-applauds/) - I’ve long admired Robert Redford for the active role he plays in making this a better world. I’m sharing this commentary from Redford today because he lauds President Obama for “standing up” to “Big Oil.” “Big Oil” is a major growth booster. And the $12 million Redford mentions in congressional campaign contributions over the last
- [Fear of Rejection](https://www.growthbusters.org/fear-of-rejection/) - Film festival season is upon us. Sundance begins this week, followed by dozens of festivals over the next 4 months. I feel festivals should be a key part of the distribution strategy for GrowthBusters. The film easily attracts enlightened audiences who already understand the scale of the human enterprise has outgrown the planet. We’ve reached
- [How Do I Become a Growthbuster?](https://www.growthbusters.org/how-do-i-become-a-growthbuster/) - I just finished a great conversation via Skype with an audience in Salem, Oregon who viewed GrowthBusters tonight. Thanks to the Salem Progressive Film Series, I was able to answer questions and participate in the event without jumping on a jet airplane, increasing my footprint, and decreasing my bank account. The questions and comments indicated
- [Growth Culture Page-Turners](https://www.growthbusters.org/growth-culture-page-turners/) - People have asked what I’m reading, so I thought I’d spend a few blog posts sharing the titles on my desk, on my kitchen counter, on my coffee table, on the nightstand, and on the floor next to that night stand. Today I will list some novels that explore these issues. Because of the overwhelming
- [Don’t Shop!](https://www.growthbusters.org/dont-shop/) - Even if we could, it wouldn’t be in our best interest to consume our way out of recession. Today is the biggest shopping day of the year, known as Black Friday. Is that something to celebrate? Or is it something we should try to change? In the U.S., the National Retail Federation is expecting a
- [GrowthBusters Premiere Report](https://www.growthbusters.org/growthbusters-premiere-report/) - I’ve heard from a few of you anxious for a report on the GrowthBusters World Premiere. Apologies for keeping you in suspense. The last four weeks were a whirlwind of activity for me. First was the presentation and sneak preview of clips at the Center for Environmental Filmmaking on October 25. The next week was
- [Network Takes Aim at GrowthBusters, Allows Anti-Contraception Advocate to Mislead](https://www.growthbusters.org/network-takes-aim-at-growthbusters-allows-anti-contraception-advocate-to-mislead/) - The Christian Broadcasting Network took a swipe at GrowthBusters last week – the day before our world premiere. I will admit I hope the release of this film generates increased national and global dialogue about overpopulation. So I’m glad CBN felt called to report on our film. We were even discussed by Pat Robertson (9:00
- [Explore New Paths Forward](https://www.growthbusters.org/explore-new-paths-forward/) - Now that you’ve seen the GrowthBusters film, if you’re curious about where we go from here, this is a place to start. Let me begin by assuring you I don’t have all the answers. I just have a lot of the questions. My hope is we can all contribute here our ideas on forging a
- [7 Billion – And Your Community Wants Its Share](https://www.growthbusters.org/7-billion-and-your-community-wants-its-share/) - There’s a good chance you’ve heard world population will pass 7 billion on Halloween. Most of us in the developed world haven’t given it a second thought. The hungry children whose photos accompany these news stories are not our children. Most of us don’t think of population growth as something we can or should do
- [GrowthBusters World Premiere in 3 Days](https://www.growthbusters.org/growthbusters-world-premiere-in-3-days/) - I stopped into the West End Cinema Friday to do a technical check (make sure my film gets along with their projection equipment) and it hit me – the sudden realization that I’ve made my first feature film. After 6 years of gestation my baby is being born! It was exciting. Theatre manager Josh Levin
- [Screening Report – Center for Environmental Filmmaking](https://www.growthbusters.org/screening-report-center-for-environmental-filmmaking/) - Last night I was the guest of legendary filmmaker Chris Palmer (author of Shooting in the Wild: An Insider’s Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom) at his Center for Environmental Filmmaking. This is one of several outstanding programs in the School of Communications at American University in Washington DC. I shared clips from
- [Great News! Economic Recovery Stalls](https://www.growthbusters.org/great-news-economic-recovery-stalls/) - This essay was published today in the Daly News from Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy. Economic news last Friday was quite positive. Annualized U.S. GDP growth was less than one percent in the first half of 2011. However, I would hazard a guess that, oh, some 99.9 percent of the world
- [GrowthBusters Film Premieres November 2 – Order Now](https://www.growthbusters.org/growthbusters-film-premieres-november-2-order-now/) - It’s been a long, hard climb, and I am pleased to report the GrowthBusters documentary is finished. It’s nearly killed me to complete the film prior to the sad population milestone of world population passing 7 billion this October 31. 16-hour work-days, occasional all-nighters, and 8-day weeks have been the norm for several months. But
- [Phone Call to the Pope](https://www.growthbusters.org/phone-call-to-the-pope/) - Check out this sneak preview from the upcoming GrowthBusters documentary. I called the Vatican to have a little chat with Pope Benedict XVI regarding the Catholic Church’s official position on contraception. Even though the vast majority of Catholics use contraception, the Catholic Church continues to wield political power that prevents access to family
- [Newspaper Warns of Demographic Poverty](https://www.growthbusters.org/newspaper-warns-of-demographic-poverty/) - Pardon my French, but demographic poverty, my butt! My local daily newspaper, The Gazette, has been on a crusade lately to warn of impending doom from declining population. The latest installment was in a July 15 editorial titled We Have Far Worse Than a Debt Crisis: This is a Dawning of Demographic Poverty. I find
- [World Population Day – Expect More](https://www.growthbusters.org/world-population-day-expect-more/) - July 11 is World Population Day, meaning only that today the news media, and perhaps a bigger share of the public, are giving overpopulation the attention it should get every day. Why it doesn’t normally get this attention is one of the subjects explored in my upcoming documentary, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth. It is too
- [Condoms – Vote for Best Slogan](https://www.growthbusters.org/condoms-vote-for-best-slogan/) - Please help us choose the best slogan for these packages of GrowthBusters Condoms. (Click on the picture to see full-size and to vote.) Here at GrowthBusters one of our guiding principles is borrowed from the advertising industry. William Kroll, onetime chair of ad agency giant Young & Rubicam, once said, “Only the unusual in communication
- [Quote of the Day: Smart Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/quote-of-the-day-smart-growth/) - “Oregonians really dislike two things: they dislike sprawl; and they dislike density.” – Oregon Governor John KitzhaberThank you for supporting GrowthBusters on Kickstarter (click below)!
- [We have met the enemy…](https://www.growthbusters.org/we-have-met-the-enemy/) - …and if you remember that famous Pogo cartoon, the enemy is us. I’d like to introduce you to a smart man, interesting book, fascinating website and worthy movement all rolled into one. George Trembath is a permaculturalist and lay philosopher residing in Queensland, Australia. We found each other thanks to word of GrowthBusters spreading around
- [Will Direct to Save Civilization](https://www.growthbusters.org/will-direct-to-save-civilization/) - We just launched our final fundraising drive for the GrowthBusters documentary on Kickstarter. We just need to raise a final $20,000 to finish the film well. Just? Yes, it is a scary number, especially when you consider that on Kickstarter, supporters PLEDGE to give, but no money changes hands unless we reach our $20,000 goal.
- [Atlas Shrugged – A Confession at 34,000 Feet](https://www.growthbusters.org/atlas-shrugged-a-confession-at-34000-feet/) - I’m writing this above the Gulf of Mexico, in flight from Cancun, Mexico to my home in Colorado. I’m acutely aware of the contribution I’m making to the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. I’m also a little sad this may be one of the last times I can make a trip like this. If you’ve
- [GrowthBusters Earth Day 2011 Soundtrack Includes Pete Seeger](https://www.growthbusters.org/growthbusters-earth-day-2011-soundtrack-includes-pete-seeger/) - Fundraising Soundtrack Now Available Buy It Here I want to honor musicians who’ve devoted their artistry to finding the cure for growth addiction and those who have offered to help the GrowthBusters documentary film project. To do that we decided to publish a “soundtrack” album for Earth Day, featuring music inspiring or inspired by
- [Are GrowthBusters Modern Hippies?](https://www.growthbusters.org/are-growthbusters-modern-hippies/) - I was recently interviewed by Modern Hippie Mag. Founder and editor Jaszy McAllister has become a fan of the GrowthBusters film project. You can listen to the interview here on Modern Hippie Radio. Jaszy founded Modern Hippie Mag to “share a love for all things ‘green’, conscious living, and sustainability.” That was enough to get
- [Growth-Worship Kool-Aid in the Local Papers](https://www.growthbusters.org/growth-worship-kool-aid-in-the-local-papers/) - The newest GrowthBusters podcast is available now on NextGen. Thanks to NextGen’s Steve Zuckerman for making this soap box available to me. I encourage you to check out the thoughtful, outside-the-box programming at NextGen. This week’s podcast is the audio version of a blog I posted last week about pro-growth propaganda found in my hometown
- [Newspaper Celebration of Population Growth Perpetuates Cultural Myth](https://www.growthbusters.org/newspaper-celebration-of-population-growth-perpetuates-cultural-myth/) - It’s my mission to point out the programming that keeps our culture speeding toward a cliff, fueled by its destructive addiction to MORE. My radar is finely tuned to pick up not just themes and premises, but even the subtleties of word selection that reinforce our society’s belief that bigger is better. Sometimes it’s subtle,
- [Walking the Walk While Talking the Talk](https://www.growthbusters.org/walking-the-walk-while-talking-the-talk/) - In making a film about becoming a sustainable civilization, it is far too easy to focus on the big picture – the changes needed in our consumptive, growth-worshipping system – and ignore individual behavior. I am certainly guilty of excusing, say, a filming trip by airplane to Toronto or Los Angeles, as a worthwhile environmental
- [Musicians: GrowthBusters Earth Day Fundraiser Soundtrack Needs You](https://www.growthbusters.org/musicians-growthbusters-earth-day-fundraiser-soundtrack-needs-you/) - Many musicians, upon hearing about the GrowthBusters film, have offered their music and talents to the project. So I’ve decided a neat way to honor them is to release a special soundtrack album of music inspired by or inspiring the film. If you’ve recorded a song relevant to sustainability, consumption, sufficiency, simplicity, overpopulation or urban
- [ASAP Busting Growth in Virginia](https://www.growthbusters.org/asap-busting-growth-in-virginia/) - In Support Your Local GrowthBuster I wrote about the need to act locally - precisely because that is how we change the world. Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population are busy doing just that in Charlottesville, Virginia. I spoke with ASAP President Jack Marshall recently for the GrowthBusters podcast on This Is Next Gen. This group
- [Top Ten Population Essays](https://www.growthbusters.org/top-ten-population-essays/) - There are smart voices raising awareness of the global challenges presented by population growth. I thought I’d share some of the best. Is this list really the cream of the crop? I invite you to nominate other candidates for this list by commenting below. Listed here are the pieces that have stood out for me
- [Support Your Local GrowthBuster](https://www.growthbusters.org/support-your-local-growthbuster/) - The topic of overpopulation is getting a lot of focus this month since February is the month for Global Population Speak Out. I have an unusual perspective to share today, but first I want to stress that most sustainable population advocates recognize stabilizing and reducing population only gets us halfway to sustainable equilibrium. We also
- [What’s in the Kool-Aid? Worship of Growth Everlasting](https://www.growthbusters.org/whats-in-the-kool-aid-worship-of-growth-everlasting/) - The evidence doesn’t suggest, it shouts, that we have outgrown our planet. Our numbers and our appetites have reached deadly proportions. So why do we still insist on growing our economies? Why are we still adding over 200,000 people per day to the planet? Why is increasing production and consumption a worldwide goal? Part of
- [Growth-Busting the Kochs in Rancho Mirage](https://www.growthbusters.org/growth-busting-the-kochs-in-rancho-mirage/) - We just finished this brief highlights video of the KochBusters Uncloak the Kochs event in Rancho Mirage. Last weekend billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch held their semiannual “Billionaires Caucus” at a posh resort near Palm Springs, California. These invitation-only meetings have in the past been kept quiet, but details surfaced last Fall when the
- [Global Population Speak Out](https://www.growthbusters.org/global-population-speak-out/) - Our world is overpopulated. There, I said it. Lightning didn’t strike me dead. And you’re still reading. It is okay to mention the word overpopulation. It’s okay to acknowledge population growth is not a sound success strategy for civilization. In fact it’s imperative we recognize the huge role population size plays in our efforts to
- [TV Worth Watching](https://www.growthbusters.org/tv-worth-watching/) - I’ve interviewed some very smart people for my GrowthBusters documentary, but Chris Martenson has to be one of the brightest. At the very least he is an amazing communicator. If you haven’t seen his wildly popular Crash Course, your education is not complete. If we’d all seen Martenson’s Crash Course instead of reading Tip and
- [GrowthBusters Team in Full Swing](https://www.growthbusters.org/growthbusters-team-in-full-swing/) - As we enter the homestretch to complete the GrowthBusters documentary, I’m going to offer more frequent updates and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the production process. This week we’ve been joined in the office by assistant editor and production associate Lynsey Jones. Lynsey left home in Oakland, California to spend a month at what we lovingly call
- [Cities with Stable Population Outperform Fast Growing Cities](https://www.growthbusters.org/cities-with-stable-population-outperform-fast-growing-cities/) - Metro areas in the U.S. with a stable population are proving growth is not the path to prosperity. Eben Fodor, community planning consultant and author of Better, Not Bigger, has just released a study comparing the fastest-growing metro areas of the U.S. with the slowest-growing, to test conventional wisdom that cities benefit from growth. This
- [How to Growthbust at Home](https://www.growthbusters.org/how-to-growthbust-at-home/) - Here’s an example of how you can do some growthbusting in your own back yard: I just posted this comment to the state of Colorado’s Draft SWSI 2010 Municipal and Industrial Water Conservation Strategies Report: In addressing long-term water needs and strategies, the state of Colorado needs to treat population projections not as a fait
- [David Gray & Annie Lennox: We Saw It Coming But We Still Bought It](https://www.growthbusters.org/david-gray-annie-lennox-we-saw-it-coming-but-we-still-bought-it/) - An addict usually has plenty of evidence his habit is destructive. Yet he persists. An addiction’s death grip can be so strong - psychologically and physically - that we knowingly march right into the center of the death spiral of destructive behavior. Thanks to Steven Salmony for bringing this tremendous song to my attention. Steve is a
- [GrowthBusters Update – Nov 2010](https://www.growthbusters.org/growthbusters-update-nov-2010/) - Documentary Release: First Half of 2011 We’ve completed nearly all shooting and are now finishing the script and editing the film. GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth will be released early next year — not an easy task for an operation running on volunteer power and a shoestring budget. We still need money for completion, publicity and
- [Hooked on Growth: Find the Cure](https://www.growthbusters.org/hooked-on-growth-find-the-cure/) - I’m inviting your vote. The trailer posted on our homepage has been up for a year, and we’ve been thinking it’s time for an update. Soon we’ll post a trailer that gives you a more complete picture of what the film will look like. But for now, I think we’ve come up with something short and
- [Involuntary Simplicity](https://www.growthbusters.org/involuntary-simplicity/) - Some people assume I’m a wealthy Hollywood producer, flush with cash to fund a little hobby-film about growth addiction. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Producing the documentary, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth has turned out to be an exercise in involuntary simplicity. The first few years I continued taking on corporate film projects —
- [Growth Addiction: Help us find the cure!](https://www.growthbusters.org/growth-addiction-help-us-find-the-cure/) - Some visitors to GrowthBusters, and maybe even many of our fans, may not realize we are depending on financial contributions (tax-deductible in the U.S.) to produce our non-profit documentary, Hooked on Growth. A glance at the fundraising thermometer upper right will show you we’re making progress, but we have a long way to go. We’ll
- [Enter GrowthBusters Ad Design Contest](https://www.growthbusters.org/enter-growthbusters-ad-design-contest/) - Submit your creative design in the Growthbusters ad design contest to help develop ads for use by organizations, bloggers and other supporters on the web. You and other supporters will vote, and we’ll use the best to spread the word about the Growthbusters Hooked on Growth documentary project. To enter, email your ad to community@growthbusters.org.
- [Million Dollar Prize to Cure Growth Addiction](https://www.growthbusters.org/million-dollar-prize-to-cure-growth-addiction/) - A few weeks ago I got a phone call from Australia. A gentleman named Dick Smith was on the line and he was very complimentary about our film project. Quickly I was brought up to speed on this man and his new, noble effort to get the world talking about limits to growth and into
- [Heading for a Cliff With Thelma & Louise](https://www.growthbusters.org/heading-for-a-cliff-with-thelma-louise/) - That’s my line in the opening tease for this recent conversation on Peak Moment TV. If I do say so myself, this is a good metaphor to explain how we’re fiddling around at the margins while we fail to recognize we’re participants in a growth-seeking system that has us locked on a collision course with
- [GrowthBusters Update Aug 4, 2010](https://www.growthbusters.org/growthbusters-update-august-4-2010/) - Where in the world is GrowthBuster Dave Gardner? The GrowthBusters project really kicked into high gear this year. The pace has kept me from sending updates with any regularity. I’ll try to do better! Lots to share… THE VANCOUVER DE-GROWTH CONFERENCE in May was the catalyst for a 10-day shoot trip from Vancouver to San
- [Sustainable 1000 TV Interview](https://www.growthbusters.org/sustainable-1000-tv-interview/) - One of the challenges that come with appearing in the film you’re directing is you have to get over your vanity. To be authentic, you have to be willing to show the warts along with the good moments. So in that spirit I’m sharing this interview which wasn’t one of my best. I have my
- [World Population Day (and we're still avoiding the subject)](https://www.growthbusters.org/world-population-day-and-were-still-avoiding-the-subject/) - Today fifteen on-camera performers and a volunteer crew of 10 will be joining me in a big Hollywood production. We’re shooting a video visualizing what our world might look like in a future where continued overpopulation and over-consumption have led to worldwide resource scarcity and social conflict. It will be a scary picture. Will this
- [Everything You Wanted to Know About GrowthBusters](https://www.growthbusters.org/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-growthbusters/) - Want a detailed explanation of my film, Hooked on Growth – why I’m making it, why we need it, what I hope to accomplish, how the film will be seen? Then drop in for a few beers with Steve! I’m the guest on the popular podcast, Two Beers With Steve. You can hear my episode
- [GrowthBusters Network Pitches In For West Coast Shoot](https://www.growthbusters.org/growthbusters-network-pitches-in-for-west-coast-shoot/) - I’m sitting in a coffee shop in San Francisco, on the final day of a ten-day West Coast filming trip. In my 30 years traveling the globe directing films for airlines, energy and chemical companies, software firms and public television, I always had a decent expense account. So this is the first time I’ve couch-surfed
- [Miracle Cure for World's Environmental Problems](https://www.growthbusters.org/miracle-cure-for-worlds-environmental-problems/) - I found a great cause that can feed the hungry, reduce poverty, cut CO2 emissions, provide clean water for all, help us survive after peak oil, reduce sprawl, preserve wildlands, eliminate traffic congestion, restore collapsing fisheries and save endangered species. How could there possibly be one solution to all these challenges? Without a doubt, there
- [Too Big to Succeed! Bill McKibben’s new book, Eaarth](https://www.growthbusters.org/too-big-to-succeed-bill-mckibbens-new-book-eaarth/) - “The future ain’t what it used to be.” Yogi Berra Who knew Yogi Berra would be so prescient? I just finished Bill McKibben’s newest book, Eaarth: Making A Life On A Tough New Planet, and I am giving it three thumbs up. The book chillingly catalogs how the human enterprise has remade the face of
- [Stewart Udall, January 31, 1920 – March 20, 2010](https://www.growthbusters.org/stewart-udall-january-31-1920-march-20-2010/) - “Go well, do well, my children. Cherish sunsets, wild creatures and wild places. Have a love affair with the wonder and beauty of the earth.” The environmental and sustainability movements lost a great champion Saturday with the passing of Stewart Udall. Mr. Udall left an indelible mark on the planet by protecting vast areas of
- [Save the Polar Bear in Your Bedroom](https://www.growthbusters.org/save-the-polar-bear-in-your-bedroom/) - It’s been a great night. Romantic dinner for two. Fine organic wine. A little dancing in the living room. John Klemmer’s saxophone is putting you in the mood. It’s the right time of the night…for making love. Good thing you have the right tool in your hands to save the polar bear – an endangered
- [Might as Well Face It; We’re Addicted to Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/might-as-well-face-it-were-addicted-to-growth/) - My hometown has been making international headlines lately. Colorado Springs has become the poster child for local governments slashing services in response to declining sales tax revenue. The budget-balancing challenges facing Colorado Springs are worsened by the recession and by voter reluctance to embrace tax increases. But the real story is that of an addict
- [Population Taboo – Kiss it Adieu!](https://www.growthbusters.org/population-taboo-kiss-it-adieu/) - Today marks the beginning of Global Population Speak Out. It’s human nature to blend in with the crowd. Nobody wants to be the only one with a given viewpoint. The cultural taboo on discussing overpopulation renders politicians, scientists and other opinion leaders reluctant to mention population when discussing both causes and solutions of modern challenges.
- [What if Growth Isn't Possible? See the cartoon!](https://www.growthbusters.org/what-if-growth-isnt-possible-see-the-cartoon/) - Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist – Kenneth Boulding This week, world leaders, politicians, pundits and a solid majority of the population continue a global vigil – praying the world’s economies will return to robust growth. We hold our breath with
- [Colorado Water: Working on the Wrong Problem!](https://www.growthbusters.org/colorado-water-working-on-the-wrong-problem/) - Recently I was unable to attend and film an important public meeting about future water supply planning for Colorado. Glen Colton was able to attend, and offered this incisive commentary about Colorado water planning. Glen points out some deficiencies in thinking that can apply to numerous resources in many parts of the world, so Glen
- [What Copenhagen Demonstrators Want You to Know](https://www.growthbusters.org/what-copenhagen-demonstrators-want-you-to-know/) - What was the message of the demonstrators in Copenhagen? Some groups, such as Bill McKibben’s 350.org, were pushing for nations to agree to ambitious goals to get carbon dioxide levels down to 350 ppm. According to environmental journalist Zoe Cormier, many were trying to get the word out that we cannot get CO2 levels down as
- [Growth Begins at Home](https://www.growthbusters.org/growth-begins-at-home/) - In my film, Hooked on Growth, I’m charting fairly unoccupied territory in linking the growth-addictive behavior of cities with global unsustainability. Sure, some cities are making efforts to reduce their carbon or overall ecological footprint, but most expectations of sustainable behavior focus either on individual behavior or national policy. Discussions of overpopulation, for example, tend
- [>What Fuels Our Quest for Economic Exuberance?](https://www.growthbusters.org/what-fuels-our-quest-for-economic-exuberance/) - One of the benefits of getting Copenhagen reports from environmental journalist Zoe Cormier has been a quick education about Canada’s gigantic tar sands project. (See also Are Canadian tar sands the answer to our oil needs? and Pumping in Dirty Oil From Canada’s Tar Sands) It helps Canada rank as the biggest supplier of oil
- [Copenhagen: Mass Demonstrations Made a Few Points](https://www.growthbusters.org/copenhagen-mass-demonstrations-made-a-few-points/) - Wednesday was a wild day in Copenhagen. Our embedded environmental reporter, Zoe Cormier gives us a peek behind the scenes at the U.N. Climate Change Conference, and offers her perspective on what the demonstrations proved.
- [Copenhagen Update – Klimaforum, Aggressive Police, and Economic Sleight-of-Hand?](https://www.growthbusters.org/copenhagen-update-klimaforum-aggressive-police-and-economic-sleight-of-hand/) - Our “embedded” reporter at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference was delayed in filing these three reports from Tuesday due to police action. I hope to have today’s action up before noon on Thursday. Zoe must be exhausted! REPORT FROM KLIMAFORUM POLICE GOT IN OUR WAY THE OTHER “OTHER” FORUM
- [Copenhagen: Business-as-Usual or the Vision and Backbone to Act?](https://www.growthbusters.org/copenhagen-business-as-usual-or-the-vision-and-backbone-to-act/) - Climate change is getting a lot of attention this week as the U.N. Climate Change Conference heats to a climax in Copenhagen. Climate disruption due to increasing concentration of CO2 in our atmosphere joins the growing evidence of an unsustainable human footprint on the planet. I’m following the Copenhagen talks with interest, wondering whether we’ll
- [Copenhagen Needs Daylight: Overpopulation & Addiction to Economic Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/copenhagen-needs-daylight-overpopulation-addiction-to-economic-growth/) - All eyes are on Copenhagen today as the Climate Summit begins its two-week sprint to set the planet on a survival course. Here’s the official Climate Change Conference website, for you to see schedules and get more information. While I encourage world leaders to get very serious about reducing emissions as seriously and quickly as
- [Cast a vote for GrowthBusters](https://www.growthbusters.org/cast-a-vote-for-growthbusters/) - Our documentary project has a great opportunity to recieve $15,000 worth of web/creative services from Free Range Studios, the wonderful folks behind Annie Leonard’s remarkable internet sensation/film, Story of Stuff. Your votes will ultimately choose who wins this grant. Please visit the grant/voting site and consider casting your votes for GrowthBusters. The deadline is December
- [Why Joining our e-mail list is crucial](https://www.growthbusters.org/why-joining-our-e-mail-list-is-crucial/) - A large support network is critical to distributing the film. Every day I hear from people around the world who’ve discovered this film project and want to encourage me. Yet frequently I find they have not joined our e-mail list. Why would they skip such a quick and easy way to support this project? I
- [No Impact Man – The year of living less dangerously](https://www.growthbusters.org/no-impact-man-the-year-of-living-less-dangerously/) - Today I’d like to draw your attention to a modern superhero – No Impact Man. I first learned about this un-caped crusader two years ago when mild-mannered Colin Beavan was in the midst of his year of living less dangerously for the Earth. He and his family were attempting to live for one year with
- [World Population Day: let overpopulation topic out of closet](https://www.growthbusters.org/world-population-day-let-overpopulation-topic-out-of-closet/) - July 11 is World Population Day, as declared by the United Nations in 1989 to raise awareness of global population issues. Sadly, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of awareness out there. Of the 6.77 billion people on the planet, too few have either the courage or the awareness to weigh in or do something
- [Holy Grail of Economic Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/holy-grail-of-economic-growth/) - In a classic scene from the film City Slickers, Jack Palance holds up one gloved finger as he counsels Billy Crystal that the secret of life is just “one thing” that is all-important. “You stick to that and everything else don’t mean shit.” Eventually Billy Crystal figures out that “one thing,” the key to life.
- [Bon voyage to a super-volunteer](https://www.growthbusters.org/bon-voyage-to-a-super-volunteer/) - Today we sadly bid a fond farewell to Ursula Sommer, our incredible volunteer assistant editor for the past two months. Ursula is a recent Colorado College graduate who became excited about my documentary, Hooked on Growth (in production). She wanted to work on this film. In this era of tight finances, we were unable to
- [ABC NEWS SNUBS POPULATION SOLUTION](https://www.growthbusters.org/abc-news-snubs-population-solution/) - Earth 2100 is an ABC News (U.S.) special that will air the evening of June 2. At the show’s little-tended website one finds hope for a remarkably candid (especially for the U.S.) look at the sustainability predicament we find ourselves in. From the program description: What could our world look like over the next one hundred
- [Bring on the baby boom – Are you kidding me?](https://www.growthbusters.org/bring-on-the-baby-boom-are-you-kidding-me/) - This opinion piece in USA Today really gave me pause. Author Laura Vanderkam celebrates the fact that U.S. fertility rate rose 22% from 1976 to 2007. And she suggests increasing it even further is a worthy goal. I’m not kidding. Here is her rationale: Between bank bailouts and the stimulus package, it’s no secret that
- [Growth No Longer Creates Community Prosperity](https://www.growthbusters.org/growth-no-longer-creates-community-prosperity/) - Physical expansion & population growth are costly I owe you an election report on my recent city council run in my hometown of Colorado Springs. I wasn’t sure the citizens were ready to embrace a modern, sustainable economic model that recognizes perpetual growth is impossible. But I thought I might get traction from the fact
- [Happy Triage Day](https://www.growthbusters.org/happy-triage-day/) - Since today is Earth Day it seems fitting to write something about the event and our efforts to Save the Planet. Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with wanting to save the planet, though apparently many self-centered human beings do. So, even more fitting, on Earth Day, is a humorous yet deadly serious Earth Day
- [Think Globally – Act Locally](https://www.growthbusters.org/think-globally-act-locally/) - This documentary takes a unique slant on sustainability by examining how public policies and superstitions at every level of government affect the sustainability of our behavior. I often ask, “How can we expect to achieve global sustainability if our planet is full of communities acting unsustainably?’ Of course I’ve been working on that very issue
- [How Do We Become a Sustainable Civilization?](https://www.growthbusters.org/how-do-we-become-a-sustainable-civilization/) - URBAN GROWTH | POPULATION GROWTH | OVERCONSUMPTION | ECONOMIC GROWTH This film explores the most critical question of our time. Locally, nationally, and globally, modern society worships Growth Everlasting above all else. Economists preach the gospel of growth. We’ve built a system that has us addicted to growth. Real estate developers, chambers of commerce and
- [Hooked on a system that no longer serves](https://www.growthbusters.org/hooked-on-a-system-that-no-longer-serves/) - The economic crisis continues to dominate the news and is a common topic in holiday party chatter. CNN calls it “Issue #1.” As a documenter of growth mania, I find this crisis an irresistible and fascinating opportunity. Step back as I do, and take a detached, thoughtful look at our behavior. Ponder the following questions,
- [Troubled Waters](https://www.growthbusters.org/troubled-waters/) - “Do you have…protection?” The U.S. Border Patrol officer patted his holster as he asked. “No, do I need to? I replied. He suggested to his supervisor perhaps one of them should escort me. This section of the U.S.-Mexico border has been one of the most dangerous. That’s a 16-foot border fence behind me in the
- [Economic System Broke(n)](https://www.growthbusters.org/economic-system-broken/) - While the pain we all feel in the current economic meltdown is very real, the system we’re attempting to revive was broken long before the latest bubble and recession. Our economy has come to depend on perpetual growth. Whether that growth is real (as in increasing throughput and the inherent liquidation of finite resources) or
- [Progress on the film](https://www.growthbusters.org/progress-on-the-film/) - Phoenix, San Francisco, Dallas and Kansas City were in my viewfinder over the past six months as we passed a milestone: over 75% of Hooked on Growth has been shot. From volunteers crewing our shoots to authorities I’m interviewing about population, urban growth or the psychology of climate change denial, everyone I meet is cheering
- [Birth Rate Hogwash](https://www.growthbusters.org/birth-rate-hogwash/) - Gazette reporter Perry Swanson invested considerable time into trying to understand why I discount growth boosters’ preoccupation with using “net natural increase” and “net migration” figures to give the impression fertility is the biggest contributor to our burgeoning local population. So it surprised and disappointed me to see a gross figure, birth rate, compared with
- [Growth: Just Say No](https://www.growthbusters.org/growth-just-say-no/) - Your Turn Published August 8, 2002 in The Colorado Springs Independent It’s time we talk frankly about development, baseball stadiums, convention centers, traffic and water. Someone has to be the first to stand up and say the emperor has no clothes! Jeff Smith wants to build a baseball stadium downtown. Rocky Scott works to attract
- [Eyes Wide Open](https://www.growthbusters.org/eyes-wide-open/) - “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” - Mahatma Gahdhi The growth industry circled the wagons on the op/ed pages of The Gazette January 4, 2004, in an effort to quell the rising voices questioning claims our community benefits financially from growth. While we rejoice the
- [Banning Lewis Ranch](https://www.growthbusters.org/banning-lewis-ranch/) - Op Ed submitted by Dave Gardner to The Gazette (it was edited down and printed as an LTE) The Gazette’s story Sunday about Banning Lewis Ranch (BLR) could only scratch the surface of implications for our city’s future. BLR is very significant to our community because, as the story pointed out, the massive 24,000 acre
- [Artificial Growth Stimulant Unwise](https://www.growthbusters.org/artificial-growth-stimulant-unwise/) - I urge you to consider carefully your approach to development application fees this month, and generally your approach to assessing new development for all its impacts – not just on the city general fund but directly on every local resident. These fees are a relatively small step, but we must start somewhere in revising our
- [Challenging Conventional Wisdom](https://www.growthbusters.org/challenging-conventional-wisdom/) - Rocky Scott of the Greater Colorado Springs Economic Development Corp. recently told the group, “Jobs are needed for the 200,000 new residents expected in El Paso County in the next 20 years.” That summarizes the plan our leaders have for this town. This, when we are so painfully reminded there isn’t much water around here.
- [Our Choice: Misguided Growth or True Prosperity](https://www.growthbusters.org/our-choice-misguided-growth-or-true-prosperity/) - Our world is obsessed with growth. Headlines celebrate growth in jobs, GDP, housing starts and consumer spending. Revenue and earnings growth are the Holy Grail for businesses. Entrepreneurs grow their companies. Of course, everyone wants to earn more money. Few would question these goals. But let’s take a critical look at our methods and results.
- [Sales Tax Hikes: We Keep Begging for Them](https://www.growthbusters.org/sales-tax-hikes-we-keep-begging-for-them/) - Dave Gardner Founder & Chair, SaveTheSprings I happen to be one who believes we need the defeated countywide sales tax increase. While the election is behind us, 2009 city and county budgets are yet to be balanced, and we face a future that offers the certainty of both death and taxes. In fact, there is
- [Response to Cheyenne Edition Publisher](https://www.growthbusters.org/response-to-cheyenne-edition-publisher/) - Dear Mr. Walter, Your “ramblings” in the May 30 Cheyenne Edition about the Springs gaining local residents who feel no one else should be allowed into “our little circle,” call for a response, especially since your comment was in part precipitated — I suspect — by remarks I made in a recent Cheyenne Edition interview.
- [EDC Job Application and Slogan](https://www.growthbusters.org/edc-job-application-and-slogan/) - October 26, 2003 Rocky Scott President Greater Colorado Springs Economic Development Corporation Dear Mr. Scott, I read recently that the Greater Colorado Springs Economic Development Corporation is looking for a new chief recruiting officer. Look no more! I’m your man. I’m excited about the potential growth of this vibrant town. I know how to lure
- [Enjoy It While You Can](https://www.growthbusters.org/enjoy-it-while-you-can/) - Chair, SaveTheSprings I have deep respect for Editions editor David Vickers because of his thorough news stories and thoughtful editorials. So I’m confident he’ll be happy to share with readers my perspective on his latest editorial. In Do both! (4/21/06) Vickers advises us to plan on piping in more water than the Southern Delivery System
- [The Influence of Donella Meadows and Limits to Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/the-influence-of-donella-meadows-and-limits-to-growth/) - One prominent public figure was able to match Reagan’s hopefulness and ability to inspire. She was a humble writer and farmer, but first and foremost, she was a scientist who rooted her analyses in the laws of physics and ecology (she certainly never tried to gain support by resorting to fantasy-land notions such as infinite growth on a finite planet).
- [Exploiting People - We Are Not a Commodity](https://www.growthbusters.org/exploiting-people-we-are-not-a-commodity/) - Has our society become so obsessed with economic growth that people have become a commodity? Two items in my morning newspaper strongly suggest the answer to be an emphatic, shameful YES....People are not financial assets. We are not drones to be exploited in service to corporate profits or government tax coffers. We are not products to be produced or imported.

## Pages

- [GrowthBusters: The Movie](https://www.growthbusters.org/growthbusters-the-movie/) - GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth is a 54-minute documentary completed and released November, 2011. This film is a non-profit project.
- [GrowthBusters Earth Day Film Festival 2026](https://www.growthbusters.org/earth-day-film-festival-2026/) - The first Earth Day, in 1970, arose from concern about very serious environmental threats – a major oil spill off the California coast, pollutants on fire on the surface of an Ohio river, and aerial spraying of the toxic insecticide DDT, to name a few. But it’s been too easy to organize Earth Day
- [GrowthBusters Podcast](https://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/) - Humankind has outgrown the planet, so we're exploring ways to recover from growth addition. We're here to help you come to terms with limits to growth. Whether it's lifestyle, science or politics, we dig into the more fascinating and hard-hitting aspects of sustainable living. It’s all about ending our culture’s love affair with “more,” which
- [GrowthBusters Campus Tour](https://www.growthbusters.org/campus-tour/) - We're excited to begin virtual, thought-provoking presentations led by industry experts on a variety of topics, including overconsumption, steady state economics, and sustainability. We’ve assembled a “faculty” of speakers to educate about limits to growth - both economic and population, who are available to speak to college classes, department gatherings, and student organizations.
- [Free Screening](https://www.growthbusters.org/free-screening-signup/) - GROWTHBUSTERS: HOOKED ON GROWTH is now available free on YouTube. Special family screening playlist. Learn more about the project. Become a GrowthBuster. Subscribe to email updates.
- [Board of Directors](https://www.growthbusters.org/board-of-directors/) - Who's in control? Who makes the decisions? Who do you want to ask questions to? Our Board of Directors
- [A Bright Future](https://www.growthbusters.org/overshoot/) - We’re in ecological overshoot – demanding more of the planet than she can sustainably provide. If we remain in overshoot, our children will inherit a dead planet. A Great New Year's Resolution: To give our kids a bright future, let's all pitch in to lighten our load on the planet. To learn more… Messages
- [About the Filmmaker](https://www.growthbusters.org/about-the-filmmaker/) - Learn about Dave Gardner,the Filmmaker, and his reasons for making GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth
- [Buy The Film](https://www.growthbusters.org/buy-the-film/) - Want to own GrowthBusters: Hooked On Growth? You can! How awesome is that?
- [Support Our Critical Work](https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/) - Give our kids a good chance at a great life. Support this, non-profit, public education project with a tax-deductible donation.
- [Contact](https://www.growthbusters.org/contact/) - No matter if you've got a question or want to take a larger part, contact us and we've help in any way we can!
- [GrowthBusters Community](https://www.growthbusters.org/community/) - We're excited to announce GrowthBusters Community Groups! Within this community, we want to explore and create ways to raise awareness of the overarching role our culture of eternal economic and population growth plays in contributing to our planet's environment decay. We are helping the world accept and act on the reality of limits to economic and population growth.
- [Overpopulation](https://www.growthbusters.org/population-growth/) - More people equal smaller economies. Bigger economies equal smaller populations. It's just about that simple.
- [Store](https://www.growthbusters.org/our-store/) - We no longer sell any products. There are some outstanding growthbusting thank-you gifts available with donations. To learn about these and make a donation that triggers a thank-you gift, visit our crowdfunding page.
- [](https://www.growthbusters.org/highlights/) - Follow @growthbusters
- [Economic Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/economic-growth/) - Economic Growth is the conflict of a Continually rising GDP and a goal of sustainability: leaving enough resources for future generations
- [GrowthBusters Webinar Archive](https://www.growthbusters.org/growthbusters-webinar-archive/) - If you appreciate this content... Sign up for twice-monthly GrowthBusters email updates Listen/subscribe (free) to the GrowthBusters podcast Make a donation to support this non-profit project THANK YOU! #1 Is The Population Taboo Behind Us? - The New Conversation Around Overpopulation (Oct 26, 2016) Panel: Alan Weisman, journalist and author of Countdown and The
- [Several Ways To Donate](https://www.growthbusters.org/12reasons/) - Give our kids a good chance at a great life. Support this, non-profit, public education project with a tax-deductible donation.
- [Watch GrowthBusters](https://www.growthbusters.org/watch-growthbusters/) - Buy the film or rent it online. Your choice!
- [Screening/Event Schedule](https://www.growthbusters.org/screeningevent-schedule/) - Find out just whats going on and when
- [Our Predicament](https://www.growthbusters.org/our-predicament-sessions/) - SESSIONS FROM THE LOCAL FOOD SUMMIT 2017 #1 What Condition Our Condition Is In - Dave Gardner (Anchor) What’s happening around the globe today that warrants a “revolution” in the way we feed our communities? Dave Gardner, director of the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth and host of the syndicated radio series Conversation Earth provides
- [It's Cool to Choose a Small Family](https://www.growthbusters.org/think-small-family-stickers/) - Cool in more ways than you think (cooler planet)! We’ll send a window sticker for your car as a thank you for your donation supporting the non-profit work of GrowthBusters. Stickers are clear vinyl with white stick figures. Choose from: Stopped at Zero, Child-Free, Stopped at One and Stopped at Two. SHOW YOUR PRIDE & ENCOURAGE OTHERS
- [Survey Thank You](https://www.growthbusters.org/post-survey-thank-you/) - Thank you for taking our survey. We'll discuss the results in a free webinar (details below). Please feel free to register and attend. If you prefer not to register, but would like us to email the survey results to you, sign up here for survey results. Free GrowthBusters Webinar - Register Here 9 to
- [Webinar - Fewer Children: A Moral Responsibility](https://www.growthbusters.org/webinar-fewer-children/) - Free GrowthBusters Webinar - Register Here 9 to 10:15 pm U.S. Eastern Daylight Time, August 9, 2017 Fewer Children: A Moral Responsibility Webinar will last 1 hour and 15 minutes. A replay link will be sent to all who register to attend. Panel: Travis Rieder, bioethicist & author of Toward a Small Family Ethic Madeleine Somerville,
- [Let the Conversation Continue](https://www.growthbusters.org/let-the-conversation-continue/) - Thank You for Joining the Conversation! Within 48 hours we'll send you a link to view the webinar if you'd like to review, or to show it to someone you know. We'll also follow up with anything we promised during the webinar (links, etc.) and important news about going forward. Join Us In Acting on What We've
- [Webinar - Great Transition Initiative](https://www.growthbusters.org/webinar-great-transition/) - Free GrowthBusters Webinar - Register Here 9 to 10:15 pm U.S. Eastern Daylight Time, June 14, 2017 Great Transition Initiative Webinar will last 1 hour and 15 minutes. A replay link will be sent to all who register to attend. Andrew Gaines of the Great Transition Initiative joins us to explore how we can align to
- [Webinar - Joy of a Steady State Economy](https://www.growthbusters.org/webinar-steady-state-economy/) - Webinar: Joy of a Steady State Economy Register here for this webinar Did you know current economic objectives are "pulling the rug" out from under our children's future? What kind of economy will be sustainable in the 21st century? Join Brian Czech, author of Supply Shock and founder of the Center for the Advancement of
- [Webinar - Joy of a Steady State Economy (members access)](https://www.growthbusters.org/webinar-steady-state-economy-members/) - MEMBERS REGISTER FOR THIS WEBINAR Webinar: Joy of a Steady State Economy Join Brian Czech, author of Supply Shock and founder of the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy, for a conversation about the need for a steady state economy, what a steady state economy is, the benefits, and how we get there. Each
- [It's Cool to Choose a Small Family](https://www.growthbusters.org/its-cool-to-choose-a-small-family/) - Cool in more ways than you think (cooler planet)! We’ll send a window sticker for your car as a thank you for your donation supporting the non-profit work of GrowthBusters. Stickers are clear vinyl with white stick figures. Choose from: Stopped at Zero, Child-Free, Stopped at One and Stopped at Two. SHOW YOUR PRIDE & ENCOURAGE OTHERS
- [Solving Overshoot: End Overpopulation or Stop Overconsumption?](https://www.growthbusters.org/solving-overshoot-webinar/) - FREE WEBINAR - click to register Wednesday, December 14 9-10 pm U.S. Eastern Time The evidence is clear: the scale of the human enterprise has outgrown our planet. We need to scale back in order for the children of the world to have a chance to live decent lives. But what is
- [Free Screening](https://www.growthbusters.org/free-screening/) - … This content is for Growth Buster, Strategy Council and Visionaries Circle members only.Upgrade Your Membership Already a member? Log in here
- [Join Our 'Film Crew'](https://www.growthbusters.org/membership-account/film-crew-membership-levels/) - Member Price: $37.95 Back to the GrowthBusters Shop Our Film Crew T-Shirts are only available to select GrowthBuster donors. Already a member? Click to login Level Price Strategy Council GrowthBuster Perks Plus: Guide GrowthBusting Strategy (2 Online Strategy Meetings Each Year) Eligible to Order Film Crew T-Shirts $60.00 per Month. Select Visionaries Circle Strategy
- [Membership Invoice](https://www.growthbusters.org/membership-account/membership-invoice/) - [pmpro_invoice]
- [Membership Confirmation](https://www.growthbusters.org/membership-account/membership-confirmation/) - [pmpro_confirmation]
- [Membership Checkout](https://www.growthbusters.org/membership-account/membership-checkout/) - [pmpro_checkout]
- [Membership Cancel](https://www.growthbusters.org/membership-account/membership-cancel/) - [pmpro_cancel]
- [Membership Billing](https://www.growthbusters.org/membership-account/membership-billing/) - [pmpro_billing]
- [Membership Account](https://www.growthbusters.org/membership-account/)
- [Compliments, Complaints & Endorsements](https://www.growthbusters.org/compliments-complaints-endorsements/) - Find out what others had to say about the film and growth in general
- [Noteworthy Quotes from the Movie](https://www.growthbusters.org/noteworthy-quotes-from-the-movie-hooked-on-growth/) - Looking for that perfect quotable quote from the film? Look no further!
- [Log In](https://www.growthbusters.org/login/)
- [Log Out](https://www.growthbusters.org/logout/)
- [Register](https://www.growthbusters.org/register/)
- [Lost Password](https://www.growthbusters.org/lostpassword/)
- [Reset Password](https://www.growthbusters.org/resetpass/)
- [Overpopulation: The New Conversation](https://www.growthbusters.org/overpopulation-the-new-conversation/) - FREE WEBINAR - click to register Is the Population Taboo Behind Us? Population growth and overpopulation are back in the public conversation. Is this an opportunity to put us on track toward a sustainable human population? Two authors and a filmmaker/media analyst share their observations and experiences, and discuss the changing landscape of public
- [Green Living Survey](https://www.growthbusters.org/greenlivingsurvey/) - Over 7 billion of us are alive on this planet today. Twice as many as in 1969. Our $80 trillion global economy has doubled since 2003. Are we doing what it takes so our children can live good lives? Take this quiz and let's see how we're doing! (Survey ends midnight 5 October 2016)
- [Order DVD or Blu-ray](https://www.growthbusters.org/order-dvd-or-blu-ray/) - Our DVD store is temporarily out of service. To order a DVD or Blu-ray, please call +1-719-576-5565 or send an email. Our apologies for any inconvenience.
- [Credits](https://www.growthbusters.org/credits/) - A list of the most important people endplates who helped out with the film
- [Media](https://www.growthbusters.org/media/) - Here's a collection of tools to help you spread the word about pro-growth Bias and to lead others away from The Church of Growth Everlasting
- [Accomplishments](https://www.growthbusters.org/accomplishments/) - Things we've done to educate everyone that we're proud of. Come see why GrowthBusters is a big deal
- [View The Film Now - Via Digital Download](https://www.growthbusters.org/view-the-film-now-via-digital-download/) - Watch The GrowthBusters: Hooked On Growth Film right now on your computer, via digital download.
- [Reviews of the Movie](https://www.growthbusters.org/reviews/) - Just what do people have to say about the film GrowthBusters: Hooked On Growth?
- [blog](https://www.growthbusters.org/blog/) - Share your thoughts and see what others have to say about growth.
- [Photographs For Use In Articles](https://www.growthbusters.org/photographs-for-use-in-news-stories-blog-posts/) - Reporting on over growth? Use these photographs free and clear of charge!
- [Volunteer](https://www.growthbusters.org/volunteer/) - Do your part in ending pro-growth bias by engaging the public around these issues.
- [Host a House Party](https://www.growthbusters.org/host-a-house-party/) - Help move the world toward true sustainability by inviting people over and watching the film.
- [Join the Movement](https://www.growthbusters.org/join-the-movement/) - Join the Movement in busting Pro-Growth Bias!
- [Urban Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/urban-growth/) - Economic development organizations, chambers of commerce, developers and homebuilders perpetuate the myth of "Grow or Die".
- [Over-Consumption](https://www.growthbusters.org/over-consumption/) - Over-Consumption is the product of the human population exceeding the Earth's carrying capacity.
- [Are you interested in participating?](https://www.growthbusters.org/organize-a-screening/) - Are you interested in participating? Start here!
- [Board of Advisors](https://www.growthbusters.org/board-of-advisors/) - The film's Board of Advisors and generally amazing individuals
- [Meet the Crew](https://www.growthbusters.org/meet-the-crew/) - The award winning team behind the award winning film: Dave Gardner, Rick DeHoff, Christina Haley, Adrienne Boese, and, Lynsey Jones
- [Interviewed In The Film](https://www.growthbusters.org/interviewed-in-the-film/) - Here's a run-down of people who's voices mattered in the film.
- [Trailer](https://www.growthbusters.org/trailer/) - Watch the trailer made for the film and share it around!
- [About the Film](https://www.growthbusters.org/about-the-film/) - Get some insight on the film, what went into making it, and why.
- [About the Issue](https://www.growthbusters.org/about-the-issue/) - Learn more about Growth and its toll on each of us.
- [GrowthBusters: The Issues](https://www.growthbusters.org/growthbusters-the-issue/) - Learn about our biggest challenge: removing ourselves from the Church of Growth Everlasting.
- [test](https://www.growthbusters.org/test/) - Creation Care Team GrowthBusters screening 12 Jan/7 pm 700 South Snelling Ave.Saint Paul, MN Screening to take place at the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. Sponsored by the Creation Care Team at Gloria Dei and Wetlands & Water Committee, North Star Chapter of Sierra Club. The Waysmeet Center GrowthBusters screening 12 Jan/5pm-8pm 15 Mill Rd.Durham, NH
- [Sample Page](https://www.growthbusters.org/sample-page/) - asssss

## Categories

- [About](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/about/)
- [Trailer](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/trailer/)
- [Credits](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/credits/)
- [Compliments, Complaints & Endorsements](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/compliments-complaints-endorsements/)
- [Interviewes](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/interviewes/)
- [Screening & Event Schedule](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/screening-event-schedule/)
- [Buy The Film](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/buy-the-film/)
- [Filmmaker](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/filmmaker/)
- [Crew](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/crew/)
- [Board Of Directors](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/board-of-directors/)
- [Board of Advisors](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/board-of-advisors/)
- [Organize a Screening](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/organize-a-screening/)
- [Issues](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/issues/)
- [Consumption Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/consumption-growth/)
- [Economic Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/economic-growth/)
- [Population Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/population-growth/)
- [Urban Growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/urban-growth/)
- [Join the Movement](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/join-the-movement/)
- [Host a House Party](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/host-a-house-party/)
- [Volunteer](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/volunteer/)
- [Donate](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/donate/)
- [Blog](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/blog/)
- [Media](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/media/)
- [Contact](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/contact/)
- [About the Film](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/about-the-film/)
- [Landing Page - The Movie](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/lp-movie/)
- [Landing Page - Blank](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/lp-blank/)
- [Page Template - No big header](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/page-template-no-big-header/)
- [Podcast](https://www.growthbusters.org/category/podcast/)

## Tags

- [overpopulation](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/overpopulation/)
- [economic growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/economic-growth/)
- [sustainability](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/sustainability/)
- [World Environment Day](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/world-environment-day/)
- [music](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/music/)
- [overshoot](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/overshoot/)
- [World Population Day](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/world-population-day/)
- [population growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/population-growth/)
- [over-consumption](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/over-consumption/)
- [family size](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/family-size/)
- [film](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/film/)
- [documentary](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/documentary/)
- [Black Friday](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/black-friday/)
- [webinars](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/webinars/)
- [overconsumption](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/overconsumption/)
- [economy](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/economy/)
- [landing page](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/landing-page/)
- [white](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/white/)
- [family planning](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/family-planning/)
- [contraception](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/contraception/)
- [Climate Change](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/climate-change/)
- [urban growth](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/urban-growth/)
- [economic development](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/economic-development/)
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- [podcast](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/podcast/)
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- [local food](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/local-food/)
- [technology](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/technology/)
- [Earth Day](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/earth-day/)
- [Paul Ehrlich](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/paul-ehrlich/)
- [ecological footprint](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/ecological-footprint/)
- [travel](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/travel/)
- [transportation](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/transportation/)
- [politics](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/politics/)
- [renewable energy](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/renewable-energy/)
- [energy](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/energy/)
- [public policy](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/public-policy/)
- [activism](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/activism/)
- [China](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/china/)
- [students](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/students/)
- [community](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/community/)
- [Elon Musk](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/elon-musk/)
- [election](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/election/)
- [president](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/president/)
- [oligarchy](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/oligarchy/)
- [messaging](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/messaging/)
- [optimism](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/optimism/)
- [depopulation panic](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/depopulation-panic/)
- [growth addiction](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/growth-addiction/)
- [degrowth](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/degrowth/)
- [ecological economics](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/ecological-economics/)
- [water](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/water/)
- [economics](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/economics/)
- [sustainable population](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/sustainable-population/)
- [news media](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/news-media/)
- [baby bust](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/baby-bust/)
- [science](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/science/)
- [Earth Day 2026](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/earth-day-2026/)
- [Film Festival](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/film-festival/)
- [politicians](https://www.growthbusters.org/tag/politicians/)