Shows
GrowthBusters91: Growth Addiction and Water in the American Southwest – with Gary WocknerProlific 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 p...2025-06-301h 00
Forward Radio podcastsSustainability Now! | Dave Gardner | GrowthBusters | 6-30-25This week on Sustainability Now!, your host, Justin Mog, goes growth-busting with Dave Gardner, co-host of the GrowthBusters podcast, which is all about coming to terms with limits to growth (https://growthbusters.org) and producer of the documentary, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth (http://www.growthbustersmovie.org/). 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 aff...2025-06-3058 min
GrowthBusters90: Degrowth – by Design or DisasterLearn 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 ecol...2025-04-2554 min
GrowthBusters89: Bezos - We’re Going to Need Another PlanetAmazon 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: 2025-03-2731 min
GrowthBusters88: Shutdown315: Start Post-Growth Living SaturdayUnplug 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...2025-03-1341 min
GrowthBusters87: The Shit Hits the FanIn 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. P...2025-02-1225 min
GrowthBusters86: Projecting Optimism in the Time of OvershootIs 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 Chin...2025-01-1552 min
GrowthBusters85: Election 2024 – Stephanie Attempts to Talk Dave Off the LedgeDave 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 emerge...2024-11-1149 min
GrowthBusters84: Strong Economy Begins With Shrinking WorkforceA new study debunks depopulation panic. For decades economists have perpetuated the false narrative, “If population growth reverses and begins to decline, the economy is doomed.” This belief has so frequently been repeated by economists, politicians, business people and the public, that it is generally taken as gospel. Psychologists have characterized the phenomenon as the illusory-truth effect, or believing something to be true if it’s repeated often enough, even if it is false. For the first time in modern history, a handful of countries are witnessing actual population declines. The data is now available to separate realit...2024-02-1226 min
GrowthBusters83: We Roasted Elon Musk, Raising the Curiosity of ThousandsWe 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? What kind of comments did we get? Find out in this episode. And get important truths about overshoot and overpopulation. Plus, learn how we’ll give YOU the mic for an episode of the GrowthBusters podcast. We explain the long wait for this episode, and share our offer to listeners to “adopt” a future episode to discuss an aspect of limits to growth important to you. If you do...2023-11-1623 min
GrowthBusters82: Governor Whitmer Unveils Ponzi Population PolicyThe 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. Not surprisingly, her bottom line is to “spur economic growth.” In an episode you should share with YOUR governor, you’ll get the details and find out why this news puts “a bee in Dave’s bonnet,” plus news about some outstanding new studies, a wonderful commentary in Newsweek, a crazy podcast you’ll like, and a...2023-07-1443 minGrowthBustersOverpopulation Think Tank – Part 2Are 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? This episode continues the conversation we began in episode 79 with five smart people: Nandita Bajaj, executive director of Population Balance Sarah Bexell, director of humane education at the Institute for Human Animal Connection at University of Denver Paul Sutton, professor of geography & the environment at DU Stephanie Gardner, co-host of the GrowthBusters podcast Dave Gardner, co-host of the GrowthBusters podcast MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Popul...2023-06-071h 10GrowthBustersHow Do We Get Out of This Mess? University Students BrainstormStudents 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 – as GrowthBuster Dave Gardner sits down with leaders of tomorrow. Dave is joined by Professor Paul Sutton at the University of Denver and students Lilia Davis, Julia Gainey, Cassienne Levan, Nathan Cox, Mikey Ford, Geordie Shonk, Elsa Krantz, and Alexandra Van de Water. Surprisingly, all the students seem to have a clear picture of how deadly serious our overshoot predicament is, but...2023-05-221h 23GrowthBustersOverpopulation Think Tank – Part 1Five 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. For thirty years, many people – some well-intentioned – have been trying to silence discourse about human overpopulation. One of our goals on the GrowthBusters podcast is to break that silence, and this episode does that well by bringing together three great thinkers – actually five, educators and crusaders on the subject. The occasion was a visit to Colorado by Nandita Bajaj, executive director of Population Balance and co-host of The Over...2023-04-251h 05GrowthBustersDiscussing Overpopulation: Let's Clear the MinefieldWhy do discussions of overpopulation often elicit emotional responses of fear, anger, or indignation? 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. Our guest in this episode, Professor Christopher Bystroff of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute wonders whether a “global therapy session” could end what he describes as a “global, sullen silence.” We need intelligent discourse on the subject, but too often it is being shut down. Open, honest, and factual discussion of the human overpopulation crisis c...2023-03-301h 06GrowthBustersFact-Checking News of China’s “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. The population news was accompanied by an announcement that China’s economy grew by only three percent, less than half the previous year’s 8.1 percent. This, too, was reported as bad news for China. Of course, obsession with GDP growth is what’s dri...2023-02-1155 minGrowthBustersNow Here's What We Call an Eco-SuperheroGetting take-out in your own reusable container, recycling bubble-wrap properly, and getting arrested – it’s all in a day’s work for an 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. Find out... why James is angry and thinks he has a right to be if #AmtrakLife should be your new favorite hashtag why Steve Bannon wears three shirts at one time why Dave proposes we organize a conference...2023-01-161h 18GrowthBustersA Vasectomy Could Save Herschel Walker a Lot of MoneyMore 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. A typical vasectomy takes about ten minutes. It’s much less invasive, and less expensive, than the equivalent procedure for women. GrowthBusting highlights for next year: GrowthBusters online community continues into its second year, developing resources and providing support for sustainability activists. GrowthBusters Campus Tour now has 8 impressive speakers to virtually enter your classroom, campus event, conference, workshop, seminar, symposium, forum, colloquium, service cl...2022-12-2806 minGrowthBustersBleak Friday, 8 Billion Post-Mortem and Damage Done by GuiltExamining 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. Why are we tap-dancing around the very dialogue needed so people around the world can make informed, responsible family-size decisions? We conclude the guilt many feel about their privilege is actually hurting those who don’t share our fortune. Also, find out why Black Friday was really bleak, and how TV networks refused to run Buy Nothing Day commercials. Plus, should Dave get over his obsession with phantom power and wall wa...2022-12-0155 minGrowthBusters8 Billion is Too Many: Don’t be a Twit About OverpopulationWhile 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. The UN has declared world population will surpass 8 billion on November 15, 2022. We persist in adding about 80 million people to the planet every year, despite overwhelming evidence we’ve outgrown our planet. Christopher Tucker, author of A Planet of 3 Billion: Mapping Humanity’s Long History of Ecological Destruction and Finding Our Way to a Resilient Future, joins Dave in a conversation intended to help cure the rampant overshoot illiteracy resulting from misguided sile...2022-11-091h 08GrowthBustersUpping Our Game Alerting the World to Limits to Growth: New Online CommunityWorld 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.? Stephanie and Dave sit down with professors Paul Sutton and Chris Bystroff for a conversation that includes an update on Chris’ contraceptive vaccine and Paul’s COP26 experience. We announce the launch of a new GrowthBusters online community for sustainability advocates. If you want to bring a spe...2022-10-061h 14GrowthBustersWorld Population Day 2022: We’re Overpopulated. Pass It On.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 when they do, it's usually with a pro-growth bias), and most environmental groups run and hide from it. Allen believes that we can bend the long-rising population curve soon and begin the needed contraction. But we must stop avoiding the subject, and we need to make a project of it. As we...2022-07-091h 09GrowthBustersPaul Ehrlich on The Limits to GrowthBiologist 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. The study was done by a team of scientists commissioned by the Club of Rome to develop a computer model to simulate the interaction of earth and human systems. It revealed that continuation of the then-current trends in population, industrialization, resource use and pollution would result in overshooting the carrying capacity of the Earth and result in a general collapse at some point in the first half of the 21st century....2022-06-011h 15GrowthBusters69 Chickens are Coming Home to RoostWhile 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. We devote half of this episode to the news, and half to our swelling file of listener feedback. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Population Decline is Part of the Solution - YouTube video (by GrowthBusters)https://youtu.be/XXyyCY5IM6Q...2022-05-1153 minGrowthBustersPaul Ehrlich, Unfiltered (Special Earth Day Episode)A reprise of Paul Ehrlich’s candid conversation with us on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, in April of 2020. We discuss 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 (“I'm very pessimistic about the future but very optimistic about what we could do”). Dr. Paul Ehrlich is most famous for co-writing The Population Bomb (1968). He is Bing Professor of Population Studies, Emeritus at Stanford University, and founded the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanf...2022-04-191h 20GrowthBustersObsessive-Compulsive’s Guide to Cutting Your Carbon FootprintChickens, Tomatoes and Cars: The Wonky Numbers Behind Your 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. Did you know you can cut your carbon footprint from food in half? In a continuation of last episode’s conversation, Lloyd Alter, author of Living the 1.5 Degree Lifestyle: Why Individual Climate Action Matters More than Ever, shares what matters most from what he learned while shrinking his annual carbon footprint to meet the carbon budget allowed to meet 1.5°C g...2022-03-301h 13GrowthBustersCan Living a 1.5 Degree Lifestyle Make a Difference?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. Joining us in this conversation is Lloyd Alter, former managing editor of Treehugger, and author of a fairly new book, Living the 1.5 Degree Lifestyle. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Living the 1.5 Degree Lifestyle – by Lloyd Alter https://newsociety.com/bo...2022-03-091h 14GrowthBustersWhat Do College Students Think Their Future Holds?OK, boomers, we 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? We went straight to the source, and sat down with a University of Denver Ecological Economics class to get their perspective. This conversation explores awareness and solutions – for inequity, poverty, hunger, and overconsumption, but mainly for the climate crisis and overshoot. A very big thanks to Professor Paul Sutton and the members of his Ecological Economics class: Angie Cody Tim Uma Baysal Taynah Fernandes Ma...2022-02-161h 56GrowthBusters64 Is Parenthood an Entitlement?Get married, buy a house, raise a family. For many of us, that’s the expected life trajectory. Are we entitled to meet that expectation? If many follow the typical trajectory, including having two or more children, then we drive human civilization right off a cliff. On an overpopulated planet, does society have an obligation to make parenthood possible, practical, convenient, and/or affordable to all? Public policy on the table in the U.S. today is designed to make it easier for couples to have children. Ethicist Philip Cafaro joins us to discuss the motivations behind th...2022-01-261h 12GrowthBustersStuck 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. We briefly explore that in this episode, and offer our take on Musk’s stone-age solutions to traffic congestion. We also share thoughts about several growthbusting news items: Recent Arctic and Antarctic Research News Smart Perspective on Falling Birth Rates News (in India) Buzzkill Condoms Google Displays Emissions Info Systemic vs. Individual Climate Solutions A Black Box to Record Demise of Human Civilization Give Us Feedback: Record a voi...2021-12-281h 01GrowthBustersWorld Leaders COP OutThe 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. Policymakers are not willing to embrace any climate actions that give up economic growth, but economic growth virtually guarantees climate disaster. The bottom line: only drastic policy and behavior changes will avoid a very bleak future. Sutton is...2021-12-061h 10GrowthBustersRebelling Against Black Friday ConsumerismWe generate 23% more waste during December than other months of the year, but more than three in four Americans wish the holidays were less materialistic. Our retail and consumer culture have gotten out of hand over holiday gift-giving. 9 in 10 believe holidays should be more about family and caring for others than about giving and receiving gifts. It’s too easy to hit Amazon or just grab something off the shelf at a store. Non-material gifts require more thought, so they are valued more by the recipients. The Center for Biological Diversity’s Kelley Dennings joins us to shar...2021-11-1749 minGrowthBustersPopulating and Plundering the UniverseWe’re running out of booty on planet Earth, so billionaires are racing to mine and populate the rest of the universe. In this follow-up to our Billionaires in Space episode, we examine and applaud points made by economist Tim Jackson in his recent essay, Billionaire Space Race: The Ultimate Symbol of Capitalism’s Flawed Obsession with Growth. We also share an update on the crowdfunding campaign to make the documentary, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth free, as of its 10th anniversary on November 3, 2021. We are very close to making our goal. MENTIONED IN THIS...2021-10-2738 minGrowthBustersToo Much of a Good Thing: Richard Heinberg“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. Author Richard Heinberg is a Senior Fellow at Post Carbon Institute and author of 13 books, including Power Down, The Party’s Over, and The End of Growth. Richard shares what his research has revealed about humankind’s cultivation of power, including how we abuse it and how that now threatens our very existence. “The sheer power...2021-10-1243 minGrowthBustersBillionaires in SpaceAre 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? July was a big month for space travel, with two billionaires blasting into space. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic sold seats and launched space tourists into near space and promised many repeat performances. Elon Musk’s SpaceX plans manned Earth orbits before the year ends. 2021-08-2248 minGrowthBustersOvershoot: World's Best IntroductionEverything your friends, family, colleagues, journalists and elected representatives need to know about Earth Overshoot Day. Every other week, another scientific report is added to the stack of evidence human civilization has outgrown the planet. What are we doing about it? Earth Overshoot Day is the point in time during the year at which we’ve already burned through the renewable resources it takes the Earth a year to regenerate. Earth Overshoot Day in 2021 is July 29. Global Footprint Network continuously analyzes UN data and satellite imagery to estimate the planet’s capacity to meet our need...2021-07-2852 minGrowthBustersSanta Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Green New DealWhat 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. Megan Seibert thinks we’re being sold a fantasy – that we can run our current, materialistic, growth-obsessed economy forever on solar and wind (what she calls “faux renewables”). “It’s not about what we want..., it’s about what is possible. And what is possible is defined by ecological limits.” She advises we need to “engineer a planned, intelligent descent.” It may be painful, but you don’...2021-07-0944 minGrowthBustersMore 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.” Those are the wise words of Mike Nickerson, author of Life, Money & Illusion: Living on Earth as If We Want to Stay. In this episode Mike explains why he is promoting the mantra, “more fun, less stuff.” We’re in a “tailspin consumerist debacle,” according to Mike, and he’s quite sure we need to be “liberated from the materialist cult.” Our discussion includes the American Dream, the voluntary s...2021-06-1843 minGrowthBustersThe Good Ancestor: Is There an Intergenerational Golden Rule?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? Are we capable of responsibly delivering on that debt? Philosopher Roman Krznaric explored these questions in the book, The Good Ancestor: A Radical Prescription for Long-Term Thinking. Krznaric thinks we do, and we can: “...humankind has always had the innate ability to plan for posterity and take action that will resonate for decades, centuries, even millennia to come. If we want to be good ancestors and be remembered well by the generations who foll...2021-04-2054 minGrowthBustersFinding Common GroundCan we achieve some unity without giving up our integrity and core values? That’s a very current conundrum, so this seems the perfect time for us to publish this conversation. We confess we recorded this conversation last May! Apologies to our guests for the long delay. We could not make up a believable excuse that would keep our integrity intact. 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. Kevin Wilhelm and...2021-02-0450 minGrowthBustersShrinking Your Travel FootprintIs flying always the worst travel choice for climate stability? Is traveling by rail always the best? You might be surprised. In this episode of GrowthBusters, Dave shares his research on this subject with co-host Erika Arias and frequent guest Joshua Spodek. We also share a great cheat-sheet, Getting There Greener – The guide to Your Lower Carbon Vacation, from the Union of Concerned Scientists. We’d like to remind listeners that while it may seem like the system is stacked against us, we really do have choices about how to transport ourselves. With a little bit of creativity, personal agen...2020-12-2859 minGrowthBustersPhilosophy of Shrinking FootprintsWe set out to make this the second of a series of episodes about shrinking our travel footprint, but the conversation ended up being a broader exploration of philosophical issues related to all kinds of footprint-shrinking actions. Erika and Dave are joined by recurring guest, Joshua Spodek, host of the This Sustainable Life podcast. The conversation includes: The joy of not flying Generating a lot less waste Is the new iPhone really green? And plastic, plastic, plastic. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Donate to Support this Podcast (yes, it’s...2020-12-2642 minGrowthBustersTaking a Vacation from Carbon EmissionsHow far will you go in your quest to shrink your carbon footprint? What’s eco-tourism, and is it really ecologically responsible? International tourism accounts for 8% of all carbon emissions in the world, and transportation of all types accounts for an even greater proportion of of our carbon emissions. In the first of several episodes about shrinking our travel footprint, Dave and Erika chat with Dr. Michael Hall, Professor in the Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship at University of Canterbury in New Zealand. According to Hall, “tourism leads to the short and long term decline of natu...2020-10-271h 07GrowthBustersDamn, It's 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. We all know we can’t graze 100 head of cattle for long on a one-acre patch of land. We’d have a barren wasteland and a bunch of dead cattle in no time. It’s a little more challenging for us to make this calculation about meeting the needs of 7.8 billion people on a larger patch of land – the entire planet. But the laws of physics equally apply. Analysts at Global Footprint Network do an impressive job of performing...2020-08-1552 minGrowthBustersThings Are Not FinePhysician 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. She interviewed several notable experts in the film, but musician/environmental activist Moby provided the most brutally candid assessment of our situation: “Things are not fine.” He told Sofia we “are destroying the only home that we know of in the universe that will support life…. if we can’t change ourselves, if we can’t learn how to live in sustainable harmony with the only world t...2020-08-051h 04GrowthBustersSarah’s Wildlife Friendly WeddingIf you're planning your wedding, or have a friend planning theirs, this episode is for you. 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. In this follow-up to episode 25 of the GrowthBusters podcast, Sarah Baillie reports on how she made her wedding “wildlife friendly.” Sarah wrote the Wildlife Friendly Wedding Guide, and told us about this before her own wedding in episo...2020-07-0842 minGrowthBusters1-See Planet of the Humans; 2-Resolve OvershootWhat 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. In part 2, our panel explores actions we can take now – to avoid terminating human civilization. Both parts of the webinar addressed the roles of overpopulation, overconsumption and economic growth in the most serious environmental crises we face. The webinar was co-hosted by GrowthBusters and World Population Balance. Panelists: Kristine Mattis: An interdisciplinary environmental scholar with a bac...2020-06-121h 35GrowthBustersPlanet of the Humans: What Did the Film Get Right?“There are too many human beings, using too much, too fast.” Those are the words of Richard Heinberg in a controversial new documentary executive produced by Michael Moore. 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. In the film, director Jeff Gibbs notes: “It was becoming clear that what we had been calling...2020-05-281h 32GrowthBustersJust Sitting Around Waiting for the World to EndIs there any use in choosing to live more sustainably if you’re surrounded by an unsustainable system? There are those who argue there is little value in making efforts to trim your own ecological footprint. They lament, “It’s difficult to skinny up your life when you live within a system that needs structural change,” built to drive itself off a cliff. The GrowthBusters disagree. But who can you turn to for good advice on this? An astrophysicist, of course! We’re joined in this episode by NYU professor Joshua Spodek. Yes, he has a degree in astroph...2020-05-0857 minGrowthBustersPaul Ehrlich - Uncensored on Earth Day 50th AnniversaryStanford biologist Paul Ehrlich reflects on more than 50 years of effort to educate the public about the unsustainability of endless economic and population growth. In this special Earth Day 50th Anniversary episode, Ehrlich discusses the challenges of getting a good university education, his work with butterflies, and a few of his over 40 books, including The Population Bomb (he shares a 50-year-old secret about a mistake on the front cover). Plus: Dinner with Johnny Carson, butterfly graffiti, and why the climate crisis has never captured our full attention like the COVID-19 pandemic has. We also make...2020-04-221h 18GrowthBustersThe Silver Lining of COVID Induced RecessionCoronavirus has brought the economies of the world to a grinding halt. The world is (almost) universally mourning the recession – almost. 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. We invited Brian Czech, executive director of the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy (CASSE) to explain how this recession is “setting up a brighter future for the generations to come.” Our “suicidal obsession with economic growth has caused us to ma...2020-04-0954 minGrowthBustersBury Mom in the Back Yard? The Ins & Outs of Green BurialDid 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? What’s your final act? In this episode we explore how to exit gracefully, with a lighter footprint. Funeral director Elizabeth Fournier is known as the “green reaper,” for her and work to make information about “going green,” as your last heroic act of volunteerism, readily available to the public. Families can feel pressure, sometimes of their own...2020-03-1535 minGrowthBustersIs GrowthBusters a Good Earth Day Movie?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 the most important film ever made.” You may want to screen the film in your community around Earth Day this year. It sparked such a spirited discussion as part of an Earth Day screening attended by filmmaker Dave Gardner in 2019, that he invited one of the audience members to joi...2020-02-1350 minGrowthBustersYou Have to Stay Poor – I’m Having a SteakOn 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. In this episode, Dave and Erika respond to the surge of listener feedback fro...2020-01-2346 minGrowthBustersSustainable New Year’s ResolutionsWe’re back! 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? Whether you’re considering switching to electric, eating less meat, or choosing some combination of this year’s most popular green resolutions, Dave and Erika unpack the good and the confusing, and pick apart the not-so-great. “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference...2020-01-0846 minGrowthBustersA Finer Future?We could use some good news. 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. Interestingly, this book grew out of a homework assignment from the King of Bhutan. Please think of us in your year-end giving. GrowthBusters is a non-profit project funded by YOU. DONATE HERE Hunter...2019-12-121h 12GrowthBustersDon’t Make Me Stop this Spaceship!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. After a 1992 warning, and another in 2017, world scientists have this month issued what our guest, Stuart Scott, has termed, a “final notice.” In this episode we visit with the man who offered to help the world’s scientists step up to the microphone and be heard. Scott is the founder and Executiv...2019-11-1557 minGrowthBustersDecoupling NonsenseTechnological 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. Decoupling is Not a ThingIn this episode, Dave and Erika take serious exception to Andrew McAfee’s misguided thesis in his latest book, More from Less: The Surprising Story of How We Learned to Prosper Using Fewer Resources—and What Happens Next. Erika really likes Sam Harris’ podcast, Making Sense, but when it comes to his episode...2019-10-311h 01GrowthBustersComing Out as ChildfreeMore 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 professor of Sociology at the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at University of Maine. Her research into the childfree choice has appeared in a variety of academic and media sources including the New York Times, National Public Radio, and other nati...2019-10-041h 07GrowthBustersIs the End Near?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. He compiled an attention-getting catalog of things unraveling around the planet in his book, This Is the Way the World Ends. Is Nesbit predicting the end of the world? Listen to this episode to find out. In their discussion of Jeff’s book and interview, Erika and Dave agree he pla...2019-08-1455 minGrowthBustersWelcome to Overshoot: Have a Nice DaySince 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. This is an in-depth follow up to episode 31 of the GrowthBusters podcast, which included a lengthy conversation with Mathis Wackernagel, co-originator of ecological footprint analysis and founder of Global Footprint Network. The best scientific estimates tell us human civilization is in overshoot. Were you aware of thi...2019-07-2452 minGrowthBustersWe're in Deep: Earth Overshoot Day 2019In 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. Ecological footprint co-originator Mathis Wackernagel joins Erika and Dave for an in-depth discussion of overshoot. He explains the rigorous analysis done by the Global Footprint Network (w...2019-07-241h 30GrowthBustersOvershoot Playlist: Top 10 Environmental SongsWhat’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. We’ll have to share another ten songs in a future episode to tell the rest of the story. So here’s our top ten (five curated by Erika and five picked by Dave). Music licensing restrictions prevent us from sharing these songs in full...2019-06-1544 minGrowthBustersAvengers: Endgame – I Cut the Population in Half; Don’t Make Me Do This AgainDid the heroes solve a problem or make it worse? Did super-villain Thanos in the blockbuster movie, Avengers: Infinity War, solve the overshoot problem when he killed off half the beings in the universe to end overpopulation? Should the Avengers undo his deed if they can? Dave and Erika dissect Avengers: Endgame and how it treats these sustainability issues. We’re looking for a podcast editor or producer with great audio editing skills. If you’re interested, email us. LINKS: The Science of Avengers: Endgame Proves Thanos Did Nothing Wrong by JV Ch...2019-05-3040 minGrowthBustersMasturbate, Don't ProcreateBill Maher and Steven Colbert become the first honorees on the GrowthBusters podcast’s “Wall of Excellence.” You’ll find out why in this episode. We want to thank and celebrate influencers who help alert the public that we are in overshoot, demonstrate sustainable living in their own lives, or help educate the public about important ways we can shrink our footprints. New co-host Erika Arias introduces herself. She is very interested in the voluntary child-free choice and hopes to do research in this area in the future. She shares a clip from a recent episode of Real Tim...2019-05-1537 minGrowthBustersClimate Change Will Take Food Off Your TableWill 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 not something we read or hear about. But it’s a real probability, according to Michael Brownlee, author of Taking Back Our Food Supply: How to Lead the Local Food Revolution to Reclaim a Healthy Future. In this fascinating conversation Brownlee explains that not only is the global industrial food system the largest contributor to climate change; it also will not be able to feed us as we weather the storm. In t...2019-04-0259 minGrowthBustersRunning Out of GasWhat 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 fossil fuel supplies on the planet could be a factor. But don’t break out the champagne; we still have enough fossil fuels to screw things up pretty badly. See what you think! Our two guests for this episode: Dr. James Ward, a sustai...2019-03-141h 13GrowthBustersHow to Have a Green WeddingLove 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 from the new Wildlife-Friendly Wedding Guide. Listen for more tips and information. And by all means get the guide if you have a wedding to plan! Your choice of wedding location can make a big difference. So can menu...2019-02-1330 minGrowthBustersWild Hope - Nature Rocks!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 not, an economics professor) shares why she produced the film Wild Hope, which premieres February 23, 2019 at the Colorado Environmental Film Festival. The film includes Naomi Klein, Bill McKibben, George Monbiot and several other luminaries, including Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario. Ho...2019-02-0852 minGrowthBustersWhat Do You Do When The End is Near?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 and me? The big corporations? Or is it our elected policymakers? Are we assuming too much personal responsibility for goosing climate change or not enough? Are we in such a dire situation that we shouldn’t even bother “greening” up our lives, because that is so...2019-01-1954 minGrowthBustersCleaning up Our Dirty LaundryWhen 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 of washing your clothes. Also an often forgotten, but important aspect, of making recycling work. Did you know 75 to 90 percent of the energy your washer uses goes to warming up the water? You can save $60 or more per year on your energy bill by washing in cold water, according to Consumer Report...2019-01-0325 minGrowthBustersDrink More Wine, Eat More ChocolateLife 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 you short on time or money? Are you constantly scrapping for something you don’t have? The conversation in this episode may start you on a course that can set you free and bring you peace of mind.It may be your...2018-12-0644 minGrowthBustersPick One: Catastrophe or DisasterA 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 new, alarming report is understating the seriousness of what we face. What should we be doing about it? Now that denial of the science is pretty much behind us, what stands in the way of an appropriate response? Is apathy an issue? Saturday Night Live may have summed up our pred...2018-11-0455 minGrowthBustersHurricanes, Climate Change & ContraceptionYes, 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 we’ll discuss that in the next episode). Also in this episode: Does Dave need to shut up already about using condoms? How reliable are various forms of contraception? A challenge to the top environmental NGOs to start telling the truth about the uns...2018-10-1339 minGrowthBustersHow Fast is Our Goose Being Cooked?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 with climate change. If you want to be a green hero, recycling is not nearly enough. How women who decide not to have children are treated. Men should take more responsibility for contraception. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: The Co...2018-09-2042 minGrowthBustersTrump Can't Keep It Up (Economic Growth)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 with this question: What single-use disposable item do we want to see used more widely? Try to guess before Dave gives you the answer halfway into this episode. In this episode we hear U.S. President Donald Trump brag about economic growth at...2018-08-1043 minGrowthBustersEarth Overshoot DayDid 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 health departments preventing bulk filling of reusable containers? Carrying reusable utensils and napkin on your travels. And choosing carefully the trash can in which to deposit your refuse. August 1, 2018 is Earth Overshoot Day. Data collected and analyzed by the Global Footprint Network tells us thi...2018-07-2551 minGrowthBustersDo Only Villains Care About 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, and the forecasts are to add several billion more). Aren’t there humane, noble solutions to overpopulation? Plus: Are we hardwired to reproduce? Population control, Paul Ehrlich, Thomas Malthus, Dan Brown’s Inferno novel and movie, Soylent Green, ZPG, and Da...2018-07-1058 minGrowthBustersOne Thing That Will Guarantee Climate DisasterWhile 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. Dana and Dave lament the biggest hurdle in the path to a survivable climate – the fact that economic growth is the number one public policy goal around the world. In many cases it is the one thing policymakers won’t sacrifice in efforts to curb the growth of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. We seem to be putting all our...2018-06-2738 min
GrowthBustersDownsize MeImagine 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 the GrowthBusters podcast examines these questions, as explored in the film, Downsizing. “Downsizing may be about a small world, but it is an audacious, out-sized peach of a picture.” Ian Freer, Empire Magazine The film, starring Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig, is now avai...2018-06-1134 min
GrowthBusters#12: Are We Too Stupid to Manage the 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 so gargantuan, that – in many respects – we ARE managing the planet (managing it into oblivion). In the newest episode of the GrowthBusters podcast, we discuss a Raw Story interview with the great, great grandson of Charles Darwin. One of Chris Darwin’s thoughts is that we are...2018-05-1842 min
GrowthBustersGreen Cars, Coffee and Kitchen ScrapsAmerica’s love affair with big, gas-guzzling vehicles is up for discussion. Is your environmental impact in mind when you decide whether to buy a pickup truck or SUV? How about when you choose your coffee-maker? EPA plans to rollback auto fuel efficiency standards. Then: Are there ways to make K-Cups more sustainable? Is Dave an “eco-god?” What’s greener – running your car’s air-conditioning, or baking in a hot car? Plus: the joys of composting (and you don’t need to have your own garden to do it). Links: The movie: http://www.growthbustersmovie.org EPA Moves to Weaken Fuel Efficienc...2018-04-2042 min
GrowthBustersSmall is Beautiful After AllOne more reason to avoid factory-bottled water, why Californians may have to allow high-rise buildings in their quiet residential neighborhoods, and why we’re now being encouraged to give up traditional meats and start eating insects. Kaitlyn and Ben are on Spring Break, so GrowthBusters director Dave Gardner goes solo in this episode (episode #10). Explore the growth/sustainability issue in more depth at http://www.growthbusters.org Get the film, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, at http://www.growthbustersmovie.org Links mentioned in this episode: World Health Organization to Review Reports of Microplastic Contamination in Bottled Water https://www.salon.com/2018/03/15/wo...2018-04-0216 min
GrowthBustersWould 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. So, get ready to give up that dream home, meat, golf, rock concerts and air travel; and start whipping up a batch of cricket smoothies. The GrowthBusters team discusses the newest footprint-shrinking strategies and whether we’ll adopt them before things are “semi-apocalyptic.” How far will...2018-03-0138 min
GrowthBustersTrashing the Planet is MachoA 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? The GrowthBusters team explores the ins and outs of masculinity and femininity in relation to being green. Also: Ben does something shocking with carrots. For links to the study and stories, see the complete show notes at: https://www.growthbusters.org/trashing-the-planet-is-macho/2018-01-1330 min
GrowthBustersMore 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 from tough topics when the fate of human civilization hangs in the balance. In this episode, Ben, Kaitlyn and Dave discuss recent news headlines about fertility rates and offer their opinions on the views of Matt Lewis (The Daily Beast) and Travis Rieder (Berm...2017-12-0740 min
GrowthBustersChanging the World Starts at HomeIs reducing child-tax credits to encourage smaller families a good idea? Is it “coercive” public policy? Would it be good for your city to be the winner in the Amazon Headquarters Sweepstakes? Do undiscovered joys grace your life when you begin stepping up to trim your footprint on the planet? Special guest Joshua Spodek, author of Leadership Step by Step, shares why he’s launching the podcast Leadership and the Environment. Plus: turning down the heat and skipping toilet flushes. Here’s the website mentioned to check out Spodek’s new podcast: http://joshuaspodek.com/podcast Explore these issues further at http...2017-11-2047 min
GrowthBustersCities Must Bend Over & Accept Population GrowthOne 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. Tom Hickmann, Bend Oregon’s director of engineering and infrastructure planning, shares the fast-growing city’s somewhat unique approach to city planning, and discusses Oregon’s requirement that cities accommodate growth. According to Tom, cities get challenged if they have a “pattern and practice of rejecting growth.” Tom shares the newest infrastructure planning tool, genetic algorithms, explaining how it allows cities to plan better and grow more efficiently. Planners can put th...2017-10-2548 min
GrowthBustersGrowth Addiction Set Stage for Hurricane Disasters in Houston & FloridaHurricanes 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 with your parents is green. So is patronizing restaurants that source locally, and skipping the plastic bags offered in the produce department. Links of Interest: Does Population Growth Mean a City is Thriving? http://www.governing.com/topics/urban/gov-population-city-growth-thriving.html Conversation Earth interviews: http...2017-10-0659 min
GrowthBustersWilliam & Kate Plus 8Are Prince William and Kate Middleton setting a bad example by having a third child in an overpopulated world? Should we do away with child tax credits and dependent deductions? Plus: Rising numbers of visitors are clogging America’s most beautiful natural places. Fees, reservation systems and vehicle bans are among proposed solutions. Are they temporary band-aids when your population is growing? Co-host Dave Gardner has the ultimate solution. Also discussed: recycling plastic grocery bags, cloth napkins, dairy-free ice cream and reusing beer pong cups. Ben Bacher and Kaitlyn Hickmann co-host. Learn more and explore the issues at http://www.gr...2017-09-2158 min
GrowthBustersWater Insanity in the West & Sustainable Ecological FootprintThe Colorado River rarely flows all the way to its delta, and the state of Colorado has determined demand for water will far outstrip supply if anticipated population growth continues. Yet the state advertises for people and companies to move to Colorado. The GrowthBusters team discusses this with Gary Wockner, executive director of Save the Colorado. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper has been one of the most pro-growth governors the state has had, in Wockner’s view. But no one is willing to talk about the population growth issue. Wockner raises the issue of having growth pay its way. He shares ho...2017-09-081h 05
GrowthBustersWelcome to GrowthBusters Podcast #1New study reveals conceiving one fewer child eclipses all other CO2 reduction strategies. Why Japan’s birth dearth isn’t bad news. What countries are overpopulated? Should the overdeveloped world focus on cutting consumption or reducing births? Could we downshift to a simpler lifestyle? Family planning cuts in the U.S. and how that won’t reduce abortions. Reducing our footprint: are the small things worth doing? Kaitlyn’s pet peeve about veganism. Does peeing in the shower save water? The GrowthBusters team is Dave Gardner, Kaitlyn Hickmann and Ben Bacher. They bring you the latest thinking on living sustainably in a gro...2017-08-211h 01
GrowthBustersPaving Paradise #3: Drinking the Pro-Growth Kool-AidIn spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, what keeps us convinced that growth leads to widespread prosperity? It's a never-ending stream of pro-growth propaganda in the media. Dave Gardner finds a wealth of examples of pro-growth media bias in his local paper over less than a month's time. Explore this subject further at http://www.growthbiasbusted.org, and support this podcast with a donation at http://www.growthbusters.org/donate2016-09-0634 min
GrowthBustersPaving Paradise #2: The Local Growth MachineHow the growth machine games the system in your community. Real estate developers, homebuilders, construction companies and banks are most likely pulling the strings. They use the myth of prosperity from growth to con us, and election contributions to wield undue influence over public policy. The result? The public pays much of their cost of doing business. Community watchdog Walter Lawson joins growthbuster Dave Gardner to share details about pressure from developers in Colorado Springs to reduce the public's right to appeal land use decisions.2016-07-2642 min
GrowthBustersPaving Paradise #1: World Population Day & Water in the WestGrowthBusters director Dave Gardner examines the insanity of watching water levels in Lake Mead drop while campaigning to grow the population in places like Arizona and Nevada. Also, why no mention of overpopulation or population growth by the UN on World Population Day?2016-07-1120 min