Humankind has outgrown the planet, so we explore ways to recover from growth addiction. We dig into the more fascinating and hard-hitting aspects of public policy and the joy of living sustainably. It's all about ending our culture's love affair with "more," which is not making us happier and is killing our planet. No half-hearted greenwashing here; we share the brutal and joyful truth! Co-host Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Learn more about the film at www.growthbustersmovie.org. Co-host Stephanie Gardner earned a masters degree in environmental law and policy, and has expertise and experience in sustainable energy.
Advertise on GrowthBusters
Advertise on GrowthBusters to promote your brand to thousands of podcast listeners
99: Unless Someone Like You Cares a Whole Awful Lot
2026/08/06
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. The class conversation took place in May, 2025.
Special thanks to Professor Paul Sutton for devoting a class period to this conversation (incidentally, Paul has since retired from teaching and joined the board of GrowthBusters).
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Is the Colorado River in a Climate Doom Loop? - by Gary Wockner
Gary was a guest on episode 91 of the GrowthBusters podcast a year ago:
Growth Addiction and Water in the American Southwest
Bright Future Project – Dave Gardner's presidential campaign platform
GrowthBusters Campus Tour
Give Us Feedback:
Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones.
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the GrowthBusters online community
GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube
Join the conversation on Facebook
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Bluesky
Make a donation to support this non-profit project.
Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes
Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates
Explore the issues at growthbusters.org
View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube
Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:
98: In Memory of Richard Heinberg 1950 – 2026
2026/07/24
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.
This conversation was published as Episode 59 of the GrowthBusters podcast - Too Much of a Good Thing: Richard Heinberg, in October of 2021. Learn a lot more about Richard in my introduction.
LINKS:
Devastating News: The Loss of Richard Heinberg
Richard Heinberg's website, including his monthly newsletter Museletter
His books and a few notable essays
Too Much of a Good Thing: Richard Heinberg - Episode 59 of the GrowthBusters podcast:
Give Us Feedback:
Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones.
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the GrowthBusters online community
GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube
Join the conversation on Facebook
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Bluesky
Make a donation to support this non-profit project.
Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes
Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates
Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org
View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube
Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:
97: The Wit and Wisdom of Paul Ehrlich
2026/04/10
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. Paul points out a flaw on the cover of The Population Bomb. Can you guess what it is? Listen to find out.
In our prelude and epilogue, we discuss his acerbic wit – was it helpful or did it hurt the cause of overshoot literacy? One fact is certain: Paul wasn't boring. What if thousands of scientists around the world spoke with Ehrlich's level of candor about the state of the world, and how tenuous our future really is as we continue deeper and deeper into overshoot? Plus, learn some interesting details about his relationship with Johnny Carson and NBC, failures of the university system, the relationship between population and pandemics, comparative advantage, and the vulnerability of our food system.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
GrowthBusters Earth Day Film Festival
https://earthdayfilmfestival.com
Paul Ehrlich – Uncensored on Earth Day 50th Anniversary – Episode 43 of the GrowthBusters podcast
https://www.growthbusters.org/paul-ehrlich-unfiltered/
Paul Ehrlich on The Limits to Growth - Episdoe 70 of the GrowthBusters podcast
https://www.growthbusters.org/ehrlich-limits-to-growth/
Paul Ehrlich (1932-2026): Behaving Against Our Interests – Episode 96 of the GrowthBusters podcast https://www.growthbusters.org/paul-ehrlich-behaving-against-our-interests/
Paul Ehrlich, a Scientific/Environmental/Cultural Iconoclast (1932-2026) – by Dave Gardner on Substack
https://davetheplanet.substack.com/p/paul-ehrlich-a-scientificenvironmentalcultural
Goodbye Paul Ehrlich – The Overpopulation Project
https://overpopulation-project.com/goodbye-paul-ehrlich/
The Vindication of a Public Scholar – by Tom Turner https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/magazine/entry/the_vindication_of_a_public_scholar/
Did Paul Ehrlich Help or Hurt His Cause? – by Joshua Spodeck
https://joshuaspodek.com/did-paul-ehrlich-help-or-hurt-his-cause
The Wisest One in the Room - by Thomas Gilovich and Lee Ross
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25205421-the-wisest-one-in-the-room
Ecoscience: Population, Resources, Environment – by Paul R. Ehrlich, John P. Holdren and Anne H. Ehrlich
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6348326-ecoscience
Give Us Feedback:
Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the GrowthBusters online community
https://growthbusters.groups.io/
GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube
https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo
Join the conversation on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/
Follow us on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/growthbusting/
Follow us on Bluesky
https://bsky.app/profile/growthbusters.bsky.social
Make a donation to support this non-profit project.
https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/
Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes
http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/
Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates
https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup
Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org
View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube
Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:
96: Paul Ehrlich (1932-2026): Behaving Against Our Interests
2026/03/18
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.
Ehrlich was most famous for authoring, with wife Anne Ehrlich, the bestselling 1968 book, The Population Bomb. While the book inspired widespread concern about human overpopulation, those who profited from growth worked to discredit the book, the scientist, and the notion that human numbers above 2 or 3 billion would seriously harm our life-supporting ecosystems. Undaunted by the critics, Ehrlich spent the next 58 years speaking the truth that we were testing very real limits to growth.
We'll devote several episodes of the GrowthBusters podcast to this smart and fearless scientist. This episode reprises episode 110 of the Conversation Earth syndicated radio series.
LINKS:
Conversation Earth radio series: http://www.conversationearth.org/episode-list/
GrowthBusters Podcast episodes featuring Paul Ehrlich:
#70 Paul Ehrlich on The Limits to Growth: https://www.growthbusters.org/ehrlich-limits-to-growth/
#43 Paul Ehrlich Uncensored on Earth Day 50th Anniversary: https://www.growthbusters.org/ehrlich-earth-day-2020/
New York Times obituary: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/15/books/paul-r-ehrlich-dead.html
The Population Bomb: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Population_Bomb
One With Nineveh – by Paul and Anne Ehrlich: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/282038.One_With_Nineveh
Meeting the Challenges of Population, Environment, and Resources: The Costs of Inaction – by Paul Ehrlich, Kenneth Arrow, E.O. Wilson and others: https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/820031468764393924/pdf/multi-page.pdf
Underestimating the Challenges of Avoiding a Ghastly Future – by Paul Ehrlich, Anne Ehrlich, William Ripple, Eileen Crist and others: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2020.615419/full
GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth (documentary by Dave Gardner): https://growthbustersmovie.org
Give Us Feedback:
Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the GrowthBusters online community
https://growthbusters.groups.io/
GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube
https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo
Join the conversation on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/
Follow us on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/growthbusting/
Follow us on Bluesky
https://bsky.app/profile/growthbusters.bsky.social
Make a donation to support this non-profit project.
https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/
Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes
http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/
Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates
https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup
Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org
View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube
Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:
95: Technology – Fast and Furious Into Overshoot
2025/12/10
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. Technology headlines much of the conversation. "Technology is not a way out of overshoot; it is a slower way in," according to Prashant.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Nobel Prize press release: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2025/press-release/
How Technological Progress Leads to Economic Growth, An Interview With 2025 Nobel Prize Winner Joel Mokyr: https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/joel-mokyr-tech-progress-economic-growth/
About The Sorcerer's Apprentice: https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/The_Sorcerer%27s_Apprentice
The Sorcerer's Apprentice – Part 1: https://youtu.be/B4M-54cEduo?si=eiOZ_0vIc8sxMAtX
The Sorcerer's Apprentice – Part 2: https://youtu.be/m-W8vUXRfxU?si=b8FnR0-zr8dk1wOm
The Sorcerer's Apprentice – Part 3: https://youtu.be/GFiWEjCedzY?si=XouPPdP5FfS1OJ9p
One Greed Six Earths: The Inner Emptiness Behind Global Consumption – by Acharya Prashant in the Sunday Guardian: https://sundayguardianlive.com/feature/one-greed-six-earths-the-inner-emptiness-behind-global-consumption-161464/
Acharya Prashant: https://acharyaprashant.org/
Give Us Feedback:
Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the GrowthBusters online community
https://growthbusters.groups.io/
GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube
https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo
Join the conversation on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/
Follow us on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/growthbusting/
Follow us on Bluesky
https://bsky.app/profile/growthbusters.bsky.social
Make a donation to support this non-profit project.
https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/
Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes
http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/
Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates
https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup
Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org
View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube
Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:
94: Reporting on Population – Sense and Nonsense
2025/11/18
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. Population growth appears to be coming to an end, and that's getting all the oxygen, not the fact that we have an overpopulation crisis. In fact, the word "overpopulation" is not heard even once in the 16 stories we analyzed.
Because the subject is brushed under the rug, reported infrequently or inaccurately, widespread misunderstandings among the public and policymakers persist. So, we decided 16 stories about "smaller families," "low birth rates," "depopulation," and "population decline" in 4 months from National Public Radio offered a good opportunity for us to do some analysis and offer suggestions. Our hope is that reporting might improve if journalists listen to this episode.
We specifically mention NPR's Scott Simon, Brian Mann, Sarah McCammon, and Michel Martin. We also mention Wellesley College economist Phillip Levine, and offer some praise for The Rewilding Institute's John Davis. And we hear briefly from the U.N.'s Vladimira Kantorova in one of the stories. The work of these journalists also appeared in the NPR series: John Ruwitch, Jasmine Ling, Kristin Wright, Marisa Peñaloza, Hanna Merzbach, Christina Cala, Dalia Mortada, Michelle Jokisch Polo, Clara Hulet, Anthony Kuhn, Ayman Oghanna, and Code Switch podcast hosts Gene Demby and B.A. Parker.
NOTE: The image representing this episode was AI generated.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Population Shift: How Smaller Families are Changing the World (NPR series): https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-94348/population-shift
Seven of Nine Planetary Boundaries Now Breached: https://www.stockholmresilience.org/news--events/general-news/2025-09-24-seven-of-nine-planetary-boundaries-now-breached.html
Fair Start Movement: https://fairstartmovement.org/model/
World Population Day: Rights of Children Eclipse What Parents "Want" – by Dave Gardner: https://medium.com/ending-overshoot/world-population-day-rights-of-children-eclipse-what-parents-want-e737d7b60d1b
World Scientists Warnings: https://scientistswarning.org/warnings/
The Racial History of the 'Overpopulation Time Bomb' and 'Pronatalism' Movements
Heard on Morning Edition, reported by Gene Demby and Michel Martin
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/28/nx-s1-5551128/the-racial-history-of-the-overpopulation-time-bomb-and-pronatalism-movements
How Elon Musk and JD Vance Plan to 'Save Civilization' With More Babies – episode of Code Switch podcast, with Christina Cala, Dalia Mortada, Gene Demby and B.A. Parker
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/29/nx-s1-5588605/how-elon-musk-and-jd-vance-plan-to-save-civilization-with-more-babies
Busting Only-Child Myths – episode of Overshoot podcast: https://www.populationbalance.org/podcast/lauren-sandler
The Only Child: Debunking the Myths – Time magazine story by Lauren Sandler: http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2002530,00.html
One and Only: The Freedom of Having an Only Child, and The Joy of Being One – book by Lauren Sandler
https://www.laurenosandler.com/the-book
Insist That Public Policy Respects the Rights of Children and Women – by Dave Gardner
https://fairstartmovement.org/insist-that-public-policy-respects-the-rights-of-children-and-women/
Economic Wisdom from the Natural World: The Serviceberry - episode 92 of the GrowthBusters podcast: https://www.growthbusters.org/serviceberry/
Book Club Choice:
Abundant Earth Offers a Positive Vision for the Future – review of Abundant Earth, by Eileen Crist: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal-emotions/201904/abundant-earth-offers-positive-vision-the-future
In Memory of Jane Goodall, Outspoken on Overpopulation – by Dave Gardner
https://davetheplanet.substack.com/p/in-memory-of-jane-goodall-outspoken
Dave the Planet - Dave's Substack Column: https://davetheplanet.substack.com/
Give Us Feedback:
Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the GrowthBusters online community
https://growthbusters.groups.io/
GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube
https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo
Join the conversation on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/
Follow us on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/growthbusting/
Follow us on Bluesky
https://bsky.app/profile/growthbusters.bsky.social
Make a donation to support this non-profit project.
https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/
Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes
http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/
Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates
https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup
Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org
View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube
93: Ezra Klein's Abundance Delusion
2025/08/29
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. The authors believe "America needs to build and invent more of the things it needs." They advocate eliminating regulatory barriers that are keeping us from getting more, faster. Conservation and environmental stewardship are not on the agenda.
Klein is a columnist for The New York Times and host of The Ezra Klein Show. Derek is a writer at The Atlantic and host of the Plain English podcast. They lean left, so many are suggesting the Democratic party should adopt "the abundance agenda" as it remakes itself in the wake of 2024 electoral defeat. In this episode, we make the case against that. We're not alone. Among the links we provide below are some additional thoughtful and articulate critiques of the book and agenda.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Economic Wisdom from the Natural World: The Serviceberry – episode 92 of the GrowthBusters podcast
https://www.growthbusters.org/serviceberry/
Abundance – by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176444106-abundance
The Elite's Fixation with Low Birth Rates – Overshoot podcast episode with Samuel Miller McDonald
https://www.populationbalance.org/podcast/samuel-miller-mcdonald
An Abundance of Concrete – by Ben Goldfarb
https://defector.com/an-abundance-of-concrete
Colorado Matters episode with Ben Goldfarb
https://www.cpr.org/2025/06/27/interview-ben-goldfarb-state-of-conservation/
Bezos: We're Going to Need Another Planet – episode 89 of the GrowthBusters podcast
https://www.growthbusters.org/bezos-need-another-planet/
On Abundance - by The Last Farm
https://www.resilience.org/stories/2025-07-16/on-abundance
(Note: a good critique of "abundance" but a narrow solution. It's a good part of the solution, but not complete.)
Give Us Feedback:
Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the GrowthBusters online community
https://growthbusters.groups.io/
GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube
https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo
Join the conversation on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/
Follow us on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/growthbusting/
Follow us on Bluesky
https://bsky.app/profile/growthbusters.bsky.social
Make a donation to support this non-profit project.
https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/
Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes
http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/
Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates
https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup
Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org
View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube
Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:
92: Economic Wisdom from the Natural World – The Serviceberry
2025/08/05
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.
Sally Gillespie in her Substack column, Psyche's Nest wrote this about Kimmerer's book:
"As disruptions and destructions reach our communities in all manner of ways, acts of kindness and generosity are already challenging modernity's stories of 'never enough' and 'you're on your own'. Often led by those on the margins, we are remembering how to pool resources and gather for action and care as we tend to losses, connections, breakthroughs, emergencies and emergence. It seems to me that no one word is sufficient to describe this devolving and evolving process we are now in. What we need more than a word or a phrase are stories bearing ancient roots and seeds of possibility for the future."
We also talk briefly about President Trump's "big, beautiful bill" beautifully illustrating how policymakers – cheered on by Jeff Bezos – frequently rely on the crutch of economic growth rather than a sharp pencil in balancing the budget. The increased tax revenue never ends up covering costs – because costs skyrocket, too, in a growing economy.
The hard budget-balancing work is looking at the detail, doing the math, ferreting out REAL waste, and setting and following priorities. Interestingly, Robin Wall Kimmerer wrote about this phenomenon:
"An economy based on the impossibility of ever-expanding growth leads us into nightmare scenarios. I cringe when I hear economic reports celebrating the accelerating pace of economic growth, as if that were a good thing. It might be good for the Darrens, for the short term, but it is a dead end for others – it is an engine of extinction."
Also, a note about how "record Memorial Day travel" also means record carbon emissions.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Beyond collapse: Carrying Stories of Care – by Sallie Gillespie in Psyche's Nest on Substack: https://sallygillespie.substack.com/p/beyond-collapse-carrying-stories
The Serviceberry: An Economy of Abundance - by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Original essay in Emergence Magazine: https://emergencemagazine.org/essay/the-serviceberry/
A Resolution for 2021: Be a Better Ancestor (review of The Good Ancestor): https://grist.org/climate/a-resolution-for-2021-be-a-better-ancestor/
The Good Ancestor: Following the Intergenerational Golden Rule – episode 54 of the GrowthBusters podcast featuring philosopher Roman Krznarik, author of The Good Ancestor: A Radical Prescription for Long-Term Thinking: https://www.growthbusters.org/good-ancestor/
What Doughnut Economics Can Learn From History – Roman Krznaric & Kate Raworth: https://youtu.be/FfUOs4ZJ1wM?si=dAIJjeYBUt6Amr3C
Flipping Economics on Its Head: Kate Raworth – episode 219 of Conversation Earth: http://www.conversationearth.org/flipping-economics-head-kate-raworth-219/
Thriving Economy: Not Rocket Science – Kate Raworth – episode 220 of Conversation Earth: http://www.conversationearth.org/thriving-economy-not-rocket-science-kate-raworth-220/
Kate Raworth – Exploring Doughnut Economics: https://www.kateraworth.com/
Doughnut Economics Action Lab: https://doughnuteconomics.org/
End of Ponzi Economy: Jerry Mander – episode 203 of Conversation Earth: http://www.conversationearth.org/end-ponzi-economy-jerry-mander-203/
Bright Future Project: https://brightfutureproject.us
We've been unable to find Bob Banner's essay, Why Relocalization? – A Return to the Local, so in its place:
Relocalization: A Strategic Response to Climate Change and Peak Oil – by Jason Bradford (2007, but still very relevant and informative): http://theoildrum.com/node/2598
Sustainability: Radical Solutions Inspiring Hope – edited by Bob Banner: https://www.amazon.com/Sustainability-Radical-Solutions-Inspiring-Hope/dp/0980230802
Give Us Feedback:
Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the GrowthBusters online community
https://growthbusters.groups.io/
GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube
https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo
Join the conversation on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/
Follow us on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/growthbusting/
Follow us on Bluesky
https://bsky.app/profile/growthbusters.bsky.social
Make a donation to support this non-profit project.
https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/
Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes
http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/
Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates
https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup
Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org
View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube
Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:
91: Growth Addiction and Water in the American Southwest – with Gary Wockner
2025/06/30
Prolific river protector Gary Wockner gives us the straight scoop on the state of the Colorado River (and others), and the growth obsession that keeps southwest states and cities from responding rationally to increasingly scarce water resources.
TODAY, nearly half the world's population experiences severe water shortages at least part of the year. So far, fresh water issues in the American Southwest amount – mostly - to first world problems – like "I can't water my lawn whenever I want," "it's hard to keep the golf course lush and green with less water," or "How can I develop my next residential project if there's no water?" But the future could be grim, if we can't get the cities and states into a 12-step program to break the growth addiction habit.
Our guest, Gary Wockner, works globally as an advocate and consultant for protection of rivers. He founded and directs:
Save the Colorado Save the Poudre Colorado River chapter of CASSE He also cofounded Tell the Dam Truth, a nonprofit that supports river-protection groups by engaging with federal and state agencies to make sure that the greenhouse gas emissions caused by dams and reservoirs are counted, reported, and then considered during policy making, rulemaking, and legislation.
He most recently led opposition to the Northern Integrated Supply Project. He filed a lawsuit to stop it, and recently settled the suit. He shares about the settlement in this episode.
Gary is also author of numerous books, including:
River Warrior: Fighting to Protect the World's Rivers Comeback Wolves Pulse of the River LINKS:
News stories, opinion pieces, books and more related to Gary Wockner's work: https://garywockner.com/all-garys-writing-advocacy/
Disaster Capitalism on the Colorado River - Column by Gary Wockner:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/03/27/colorado-river-drought-destruction-interior-moonshot-disaster-capitalism-column/80468488/
Save the Colorado: https://savethecolorado.org/
Save the Poudre: https://www.savethepoudre.org/
Tell the Dam Truth: https://tellthedamtruth.com/
Colorado River Chapter of CASSE (Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy): https://steadystate.org/meet/chapters/
Colorado River Basin Climate and Hydrology: State of the Science: https://wwa.colorado.edu/resources/colorado-river-resources/CRBreport
Colorado River States Still Have No Unified Long-Term Management Plan and 'Are Just About Out of Time,' Experts Warn – May 31, 2025 Denver Post story:
https://www.denverpost.com/2025/05/31/colorado-river-negotiations-2026-deadline/
Water Supply Uncertainty Could Slow Growth in Colorado Springs – May 2024 news story
KRDO13 Colorado Springs: https://youtu.be/rvGGqZHwHdM?si=bimFT2BSWlCq_c5C
Officials Fear 'Complete Doomsday Scenario' for Drought-Stricken Colorado River -
The Washington Post, December 1, 2022: https://www.yahoo.com/news/officials-fear-complete-doomsday-scenario-202316932.html?guccounter=1
Give Us Feedback:
Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the GrowthBusters online community
https://growthbusters.groups.io/
GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube
https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo
Join the conversation on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/
Follow us on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/growthbusting/
Follow us on Bluesky
https://bsky.app/profile/growthbusters.bsky.social
Make a donation to support this non-profit project.
https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/
Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes
http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/
Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates
https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup
Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org
View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube
Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:
90: Degrowth – by Design or Disaster
2025/04/25
Learn about a new think tank that's doing some of the most important thinking on the planet. Matt Orsagh is co-founder of the Arketa Institute for Post-Growth Finance and co-author of a just-published white paper, By Disaster Or Design: How Finance Can Evolve to Avoid the Worst of the Ecological Challenges We Face and Enable the Transition to a Better Economic Model.
That paper, and this episode, offer an introduction to degrowth, the rational response for a society in ecological overshoot. Degrowth is "an equitable downscaling of production and consumption that increases human well-being and enhances ecological conditions at the local and global level, in the short and long term." We also explore how the financial industry needs to evolve as we transition to a post-growth economy.
Matt is also author of the Substack column, Degrowth is the Answer. The Arketa Institute is working to "normalize the conversation around ecological economics and degrowth in the financial world." Steve Rocco and Anastasia Linn are co-founders with Matt Orsagh. The white paper was written by the three of them, and edited by Nicholas Harland.
Some upcoming events of note:
April 29: Webinar to discuss the paper 'By Disaster or Design'. Register here: https://eu.bigin.online/org20104687142/forms/by-disaster-or-design-webinar May 7-9: Matt, Anastasia and Steve will attend and present at the in-person gathering of the Barcelona Action Circle of Financial Leaders. This is the culmination of a months-long engagement organized by the world-renowned team at Research & Degrowth: https://degrowth.org/ May 13-15: Matt will attend the Finance Montreal Sustainable Finance Summit in Montreal, Canada: https://www.sommet-financedurable.com/en/home July 26-29: Matt will speak at the Degrowth Institute's inaugural DeSchool event in Chicago: https://www.degrowthinstitute.org/events/deschool-2025 Fall 2025: Arketa Institute will survey global financial professionals on their understanding of ecological economics and post-growth ideas to inform a report to be published by the end of 2025. LINKS:
By Disaster or Design: How Finance Can Evolve to Avoid the Worst of the Ecological Challenges We Face and Enable the Transition to a Better Economic Model
https://www.arketa-institute.org/resources/by-disaster-or-design
What We're Doing Isn't Working: It's Time for a New Approach – Episode 9 of Dave the Planet podcast
https://davetheplanet.substack.com/p/what-were-doing-isnt-working
Behavior Change to Provide a Bright Future – Episode 15 of Dave the Planet podcast
https://davetheplanet.substack.com/p/behavior-change-to-provide-a-bright
Planetary Boundaries – Stockholm University
https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/planetary-boundaries.html
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World - by Robin Wall Kimmerer (author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants)
https://www.robinwallkimmerer.com/books
FURTHER READING:
Post-Growth: The Science of Wellbeing Within Planetary Boundaries
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(24)00310-3/fulltext
This Isn't Capitalism — It's Growthism, and It's Bad for Us
by Umair Haque, Harbard Business Review, October 28, 2013
https://hbr.org/2013/10/this-isnt-capitalism-its-growthism-and-its-bad-for-us
Growthism: Its Ecological, Economic and Ethical Limits - by Herman Daly
https://www.paecon.net/PAEReview/issue87/Daly87.pdf
https://www.pelicanweb.org/solisustv15n04page15.html
Essays Against Growthism, by Herman Daly, published by World Economics Association Books. Pdf or ebook
https://www.worldeconomicsassociation.org/files/Essays-Against-Growthism-Herman-Daly-PDF.pdf
https://www.worldeconomicsassociation.org/library/essays-against-growthism/
The Entropy Law and the Economic Process
https://content.csbs.utah.edu/~lozada/Adv_Resource_Econ/En_Law_Econ_Proc_Cropped_Optimized_Clearscan.pdf
Quantity of Metals Required to Manufacture One Generation of Renewable Technology Units to Phase Out Fossil Fuels
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/367682085_Quantity_of_Metals_Required_to_Manufacture_One_Generation_of_Renewable_Technology_Units_to_Phase_Out_Fossil_Fuels
Give Us Feedback:
Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the GrowthBusters online community
https://growthbusters.groups.io/
GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube
https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo
Join the conversation on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/
Follow us on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/growthbusting/
Follow us on Bluesky
https://bsky.app/profile/growthbusters.bsky.social
Make a donation to support this non-profit project.
https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/
Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes
http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/
Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates
https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup
Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org
View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube
Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:
89: Bezos - We're Going to Need Another Planet
2025/03/27
Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos thinks the U.S. can grow its way out of a massive deficit. He says we need a "growth mindset." Stephanie and Dave call it a "suicide economic model," and note that growth addiction is exactly what afflicts most policymakers around the world. The dynamic duo discuss the little-understood fact that a shrinking economy can be healthy – when it accompanies a contracting population. Bezos also proposes that we plunder the universe in order to protect Earth "we've sent robotic probes to all of the planets in this solar system. This is the good one.")
Also:
The Congressional Budget Office lowers U.S. population projections, further stoking the fires of depopulation panic – the result of a lack of overpopulation literacy
Isaac Asimov's "metaphor of the bathroom," about the need for more regulation as our population grows (we dug up great video of Asimov; see link below)
The parable of the Mexican fisherman
A great poem, Rather Than by Sandy Trust. Featured in an episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Planet Critical (see link below)
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Congressional Budget Office Lowers U.S. Population Projections
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61164#_idTextAnchor003
Immigrants Fill the Birth Dearth: U.S. Population Will Crater Without Newcomers
New York Daily News editorial
https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/01/17/immigrants-fill-the-birth-dearth-u-s-population-will-crater-without-newcomers/
The Interview: From Amazon to Space — Jeff Bezos Talks Innovation, Progress and What's Next – 2024 New York Times DealBook Summit, with Andrew Ross Sorkin
https://youtu.be/s71nJQqzYRQ?si=uTMCtPVaXw8WnDeD
The Four Hour Work Week - by Tim Ferriss
https://fourhourworkweek.com/
The Story of the Mexican Fisherman
https://bemorewithless.com/the-story-of-the-mexican-fisherman/
A blog post on the website of Courtney Carver, author of Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More, and Gentle: Rest More, Stress Less, and Live the Life You Actually Want
Isaac Asimov on World of Ideas – 1988 Interview by Bill Moyers
https://youtu.be/CWovZtCQWfE?si=nnxiJJb8LmC026Q_
Planetary Solvency – Finding Our Balance With Nature – report by Institute and Faculty of Actuaries
https://actuaries.org.uk/news-and-media-releases/news-articles/2025/jan/16-jan-25-planetary-solvency-finding-our-balance-with-nature/
Planetary Solvency: Sandy Trust – episode of Planet Critical with Rachel Donald
Sandy Trust responds to one question with his poem, Rather Than
https://www.planetcritical.com/p/planetary-solvency-sandy-trust
Give Us Feedback:
Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the GrowthBusters online community
https://growthbusters.groups.io/
GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube
https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo
Join the conversation on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/
Make a donation to support this non-profit project.
https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/
Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes
http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/
Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates
https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup
Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org
View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube
Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:
88: Shutdown315: Start Post-Growth Living Saturday
2025/03/13
Unplug from an overshoot economy serving a growth-obsessed oligarchy. On March 15, the multitudes will begin a general strike across the U.S. – starving our profit and growth obsessed system. The commoners will reclaim power taken by the elite. Learn about Shutdown315 as Stephanie and Dave discuss, and chat with two Shutdown315 movement organizers, Chet and Bones.
We're excited to share this with you, because Shutdown315 may be a great on-ramp to post-growth living. It starts March 15, 2025, and continues. We also launch the GrowthBusters book club – listen to learn our first book selection.
And we offer a few comments about actor Kieran Culkin's appeal to his wife to give him four kids in his Oscar acceptance speech, of note because the Earth cannot meet the needs of our current 8 billion population without damaging critical life-supporting ecosystems.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
GrowthBusters Survey – https://growthbusters.org/survey
Shutdown315 website – https://shutdown315.org
Will the Wealthy Consume Less? That would be helpful – by Matt Orsagh
https://degrowthistheanswer.substack.com/p/will-the-wealthy-consume-less
What Is #Shutdown315? Nationwide Plan to Shut Down USA for 1 Day - Newsweek
https://www.newsweek.com/what-shutdown315-nationwide-plan-shut-down-usa-one-day-2030742
Bright Future Project from Dave's Presidential Campaign - https://brightfutureproject.us
Shutdown315 Subreddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/shutdown315/
Shutdown315 Substack - https://substack.com/@theshutdown315movement
Donate - https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/
Small-Family Stickers - https://youtu.be/jz_wVCPKyVY?si=0jNikVEPyTMHtFCj
Donate and write to us at podcast at growthbusters.org to get yours
GrowthBusters Online Community - https://growthbusters.groups.io/
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World - by Robin Wall Kimmerer
https://www.robinwallkimmerer.com/books
Give Us Feedback:
Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the GrowthBusters online community
https://growthbusters.groups.io/
GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube
https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo
Join the conversation on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/
Make a donation to support this non-profit project.
https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/
Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes
http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/
Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates
https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup
Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org
View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube
Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:
87: The Shit Hits the Fan
2025/02/12
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.
On a positive note, a small town in Canada has adopted a "Limits to Growth" policy. Learn more about it in this episode.
Please take a short survey to help us do a better job of growthbusting!
https://forms.gle/fFXMEVaGRwe92Aa97
MENTIONED:
Global Warming Has Accelerated: Are the United Nations and the Public Well-Informed? By James Hansen et al.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00139157.2025.2434494
ReproductiveRights.Gov Vanished, So We Brought It Back
https://www.theskimm.com/news/reproductive-rights-gov
District of Tofino Council Adopts 'Limits to Growth' Policy
https://www.westerlynews.ca/local-news/district-of-tofino-council-adopts-limits-to-growth-policy-7701330
86: Projecting Optimism in the Time of Overshoot
2025/01/15
Is optimism required in order to alert folks to our ecological overshoot emergency? Dave and Stephanie discuss the challenge of communicating the depth and urgency of overshoot without shutting people down.
Also:
Dave shares how he and a group of local growthbusters projected a guerilla "pop-up" billboard on New Year's Eve – attempting to provide an honest reality check, but not put revelers off (or entice police or security personnel to stop them) The wisdom in U.S. President Jimmy Carter's "malaise" speech Congestion pricing results in kids walking, riding bikes, or taking public transit to school China wants to goose consumption in order to keep high GDP growth Rampant growthism in reporting on UK economic contraction Incoming Trump advisors count on economic growth to balance the budget The enormous carbon footprint of stadium concerts and sporting events A new book by Robin Wall Kimmerer: The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
President Jimmy Carter's "Malaise" Speech
https://youtu.be/sXwZSzy9Ies?si=ekyAsmL0FokRvpCc
London Saw a Surprising Benefit to Fining High-Polluting Cars: More Active Kids
https://grist.org/cities/london-fining-polluting-cars-more-active-kids/
How the Debt Could Topple Trump's Growth Agenda
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/16/trump-ceos-american-debt-plan-00194362
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World - by Robin Wall Kimmerer
https://www.robinwallkimmerer.com/books
Give Us Feedback:
Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the GrowthBusters online community
https://growthbusters.groups.io/
GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube
https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo
Join the conversation on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/
Make a donation to support this non-profit project.
https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/
Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes
http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/
Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates
https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup
Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org
View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube
Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:
85: Election 2024 – Stephanie Attempts to Talk Dave Off the Ledge
2024/11/11
Dave and Stephanie dig into what caused voters to ignore Donald Trump's felony convictions, indecency, incompetence, narcissism, and dishonesty – and elect him president. This includes a review of the 50-year war waged by the mega-rich and corporations to undermine civility, compassion, equity and rule of law, to elevate the free enterprise system, rob the working class and enrich themselves. The Lewis Powell Memo kicked this into high gear 50 years ago.
They also propose theories about why Dave's campaign for president failed in its mission to alert the public, media and policymakers to the ecological overshoot emergency.
Clips: Desi Lydic on The Daily Show on Comedy Central and Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC.
Mentioned in this episode: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Elon Musk, Steven Spielberg, Bill Gates, Chris Hedges, Thom Hartmann, William Kristol, Andrew Egger, Dan Lashoff of World Resources Institute, American Petroleum Institute, Guttmacher Institute, American Enterprise Institute, Hoover Institution, Cato Institute, Heritage Foundation, Mercatus Center, Warren Beatty, Jane Fonda, Terry Spahr, John McCain, Reagan, Bush, Grist.
We invite your feedback, including thoughts about the recent election, and promise to share some of your comments on the next episode. Call and leave a voice message (which we may play on that episode) by dialing +1-719-402-1400. Or send an email to podcast at growthbusters dot org.
LINKS:
Desi Lydic Reacts to Trump's Election Win & the Media's Blame Game | The Daily Show
https://youtu.be/hPHH5trgC1w?si=vww-V3qoIRpLCgmH
Jimmy Kimmel Reacts to Donald Trump Winning the Presidential Election
https://youtu.be/5JxELubSgJg?si=v9LRIHd5FqDZCQLf
Strong Economy Begins With Shrinking Workforce - Episode 84 of the GrowthBusters podcast
https://www.growthbusters.org/strong-economy-shrinking-workforce/
Dave the Planet – Dave's campaign Substack column
https://davetheplanet.substack.com
I'm Withdrawing from the Race for U.S. President - Episode 21 of the Dave the Planet podcast
https://davetheplanet.substack.com/p/im-withdrawing-from-the-race-for
Welcome to Overshoot: Have a Nice Day – episode of the Conversation Earth podcast
http://www.conversationearth.org/welcome-to-overshoot-2020/
Trump Wins, Planet Loses – by Tik Root on Grist
https://grist.org/article/the-massive-consequences-trumps-re-election-could-have-on-climate-change/
If Trump Wins, Is It Game Over? – by David Todd McCarty on Medium
https://medium.com/rome-magazine/if-trump-wins-is-it-game-over-26f1cc296342
The Billionaires Won: The 50-Year War on Democracy That Built Trump's Oligarchy and Killed the American Dream – by Thom Hartmann
https://hartmannreport.com/p/the-billionaires-won-the-50-year-841
The Lewis Powell Memo: A Corporate Blueprint to Dominate Democracy
https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/democracy/the-lewis-powell-memo-a-corporate-blueprint-to-dominate-democracy/
Tentacles of Rage: The Republican Propaganda Mill, a Brief History – by Lewis Lapham
https://msuweb.montclair.edu/~furrg/gned/laphamtentacles04.pdf
Dave the Planet Substack column
https://davetheplanet.substack.com/
Dave Gardner for President
https://davetheplanet2024.com
Give Us Feedback:
Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the GrowthBusters online community
https://growthbusters.groups.io/
GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube
https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo
Join the conversation on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/
Make a donation to support this non-profit project.
https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/
Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes
http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/
Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates
https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup
Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org
View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube
Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:
Podcast reviews
Read GrowthBusters podcast reviews
4.9 out of 5
24 reviews
★★★★★
burnbizzle 2023/06/12
Excellent podcast covering the root cause of most of our current issues
I’m so glad someone is tackling this sticky problem we’ve found ourselves in, and dealing with the root cause, not just trying to treat the symptoms.
...
★★★☆☆
Lead by example ‘ 2023/06/11
The hosts should take their own advice
The Think Tank Part 2 episode made me lose a lot of respect for the 2 men hosting. Praising a vegan writer for changing his mind about overpopulation...
★★★★★
yghkhdg 2019/11/15
Future of humanity
This podcast is easy to understand and entertaining. It addresses how much better the future will be for generations to come if we quit abusing the ...
★★★★★
Joshua Spodek 2017/12/11
The essential topic to cover
Consider nearly any issue of the environment, conflict, disease, resource depletion, global warming, and so on. Follow the issue to its roots and you'...
★★★★★
Love my Community 2016/12/08
Very unique podcast
I had no idea there is so much corporate welfare going on, in secret, benefitting developers and builders, at citizen expense. Paving Paradise offers ...