About the Film

Everything you thought you knew is wrong!

This documentary turns our world upside down to see what makes it tick, as it explores the most critical question of our time: How do we become a sustainable civilization?

Hooked on Growth takes a unique approach to peak energy, peak food, peak water, biodiversity loss and climate change. It doesn’t just raise the volume of the debate, cataloging the facts or preaching change. Instead, this film examines the cultural barriers that prevent us from reacting rationally to this evidence current levels of population and consumption are unsustainable. It asks why the population conversations are so difficult to have. Why it’s more important to our society to have GDP growth than clean air. And why communities seek and subsidize growth even when it destroys quality of life and increases taxes. Our growth-centric system is broken. It’s not providing the happiness or the prosperity we seek. But that’s good news; it means a shift to a sustainable model will NOT require sacrifice and inflict pain. A transformation will allow us to be happier AND more prosperous.

We’re approaching the end of growth. Will we embrace it, or go down fighting? Individual and public policy decisions today are informed by a powerful pro-growth cultural bias. We worship at the church of growth everlasting. Undeterred by the facts, we’re on a collision course powered by denial and the myth that growth brings prosperity. Before we can shift our civilization meaningfully, effectively, and substantially toward true sustainability, the world must be “prepped” – to be more receptive to the concept of true sustainability.

How does a film have some fun as we shake up the fundamental underpinnings of our modern civilization? We follow the travails of an everyman who dares to stand up in his own community and declare, “The emperor has no clothes!” We follow his adventures as he attempts to provide an intervention in a community addicted to growth. The cultural resistance to getting unhooked is amply illustrated as filmmaker/activist Dave Gardner spars with his city council, chamber of commerce and growth profiteers. All the while, we follow Dave’s adventures in getting this film made. He nearly goes broke as humanitarian foundations fund band-aids for environmental ills or pockets of poverty, but don’t have the courage or vision to fund a film that dares to challenge the system creating those problems. As the film plays out, we find belief in growth everlasting is deeply entrenched around the world.

From Las Vegas to Atlanta, Mexico City to Mumbai, the White House to the Vatican, Hooked on Growth takes us on a whirlwind tour of growth mania. It’s Wild Kingdom with a twist: the cameras are turned on humanity as our own survival skills are examined. Hooked on Growth looks into the psychology of denial and crowd behavior. It explores our obsession with community growth and economic growth, and our reluctance to address overpopulation issues head-on. This documentary holds up a mirror, encouraging us to examine the beliefs and behaviors we must leave behind, and the values we need to embrace, in order that our children can survive and thrive.

GrowthBusters is a non-profit public education project of Citizen-Powered Media.