“Oregonians really dislike two things: they dislike sprawl; and they dislike density.”
– Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber

Thank you for supporting GrowthBusters on Kickstarter (click below)!

…and if you remember that famous Pogo cartoon, the enemy is us.

I’d like to introduce you to a smart man, interesting book, fascinating website and worthy movement all rolled into one.

George Trembath is a permaculturalist and lay philosopher residing in Queensland, Australia. We found each other thanks to word of GrowthBusters spreading around the world a little more than usual the last few weeks (thanks to our Kickstarter project to raise final finishing funds for the film – please make your pledge here).

George and a group of like-minded citizens have been building a movement and online community called Pachacuti. The goal is to raise awareness and debate on the intertwined subjects of human footprint, sustainability, social equality, and cultural practicality – on a global basis. And they are making very interesting use of entertainment media for much of this. There is a novel, an album of music, some very cool e-cards, and possibly a feature film in the future. I encourage you to explore the Pachacuti website. . . .

We just launched our final fundraising drive for the GrowthBusters documentary on Kickstarter. We just need to raise a final $20,000 to finish the film well. Just? Yes, it is a scary number, especially when you consider that on Kickstarter, supporters PLEDGE to give, but no money changes hands unless we reach our $20,000 goal.

We created a very clever video with a surprise twist, just for this campaign. It’s short and fun.
Check it out!
I’m amazed daily by the number of people who step up to support this project. We had a cast and crew of about 40 volunteer on this shoot. I hope we can tap the power of our thousands of supporters worldwide to make this campaign a success. We must raise $20,000 to cover the costs of finishing this film properly – music score, sound mix, color correction, archival film clip licensing, plus promotion and distribution expenses. . . .

Has our society become so obsessed with economic growth that people have become a commodity? Two items in my morning newspaper strongly suggest the answer to be an emphatic, shameful YES....People are not financial assets. We are not drones to be exploited in service to corporate profits or government tax coffers. We are not products to be produced or imported.

I’m writing this above the Gulf of Mexico, in flight from Cancun, Mexico to my home in Colorado. I’m acutely aware of the contribution I’m making to the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. I’m also a little sad this may be one of the last times I can make a trip like this.

If you’ve been following my adventures producing the GrowthBusters documentary, you might be shocked at the news I jetted off to Mexico to plant my butt on a beach for 5 days. Or — if you haven’t yet learned this lifestyle will soon become extinct — you’re wondering what the hell I’m writing about. Why am I feeling guilty? Why are these fabulous vacations not in my future? . . .