GrowthBusters

When you think of laundry, typically you're after the whitest whites, and no shrinkage. How about we think outside the box and "green" our laundry practices by shrinking their footprint? This episode answers your questions and offers advice on how to minimize the environmental impact of washing your clothes. Also an often forgotten, but important aspect, of making recycling work. Did you know 75 t...

Life expectancy is declining in one of the richest countries on Earth, the U.S., due to suicides and drug overdoses. Several noted millionaires have checked out in the last few years. Why? Do you fear you're a failure because you aren't ahead of the Joneses? Are you unhappy because you don't have it all? Are you short on time or money? Are you constantly scrapping for something you don't have? The...

A climate emergency has finally been declared. Grace and Dave explain the bad news from the IPCC and evaluate media, public and policymaker response. Has sugar-coating the news and projections in the past been useful? Is it time to "take the gloves off?" Some say even this new, alarming report is understating the seriousness of what we face. What should we be doing about it? Now that denial of the...

Yes, they are related. Our business-as-usual response to Hurricane Florence last month starts the conversation. (This episode was recorded before Hurricane Michael devastated the Florida panhandle.) Grace and Dave do also share some good news: climate change is getting more attention (of course the recent IPCC report has turned that volume up to 11, and we'll discuss that in the next episode).  Al...

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 b...

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 s...

Did you know we are in overshoot? What does that mean, and what should we do about it? Also in this episode, which has a smaller footprint – milk, or milk alternatives like almond milk? Dana informs us that, "Eating food is one of the worst things you can do for the environment." Are some health departments preventing bulk filling of reusable containers? Carrying reusable utensils and napkin on yo...

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 se...

While the U.S. announced intention to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement is bad news, it seems to have inspired a lot of carbon-reducing promises at other levels across the country. And that is good news. 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...

Imagine you can live large – trophy house, fancy toys, caveman diet – but the costs are miniscule. Would you find that appealing? Or would you rather simplify your lifestyle and make your footprint the thing that's miniscule? Is downsizing simply a way to supersize your consumption without maximizing your footprint? The latest episode of the GrowthBusters podcast examines these questions, as explo...

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 in...

America'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 b...

One 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...

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...

A new study reveals some men feel environmental stewardship is not manly. Is this just one more reason we should leave the women in charge? Or should we market green behavior the same way we sell pickup trucks? 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...

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. I...

Is 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 Lea...

One of the fastest growing cities in the U.S., Bend, Oregon has doubled in population over the past two decades. Still, it has at least some intelligent thinking about growth. 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. Ac...

Hurricanes Harvey and Irma highlight the fact that cities have prioritized growth over safety, valued concrete over nature, and bought into the myth of prosperity from growth over sustainability. Dave, Kaitlyn and Ben discuss the civic addiction to growth. What would be more appropriate metrics for success than high rates of population growth? Also: Living with your parents is green. So is patroni...

Are 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?...

The 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 o...

New 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 thin...

In 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 don...

How 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 g...

GrowthBusters 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?