Where in the world is GrowthBuster Dave Gardner?

The GrowthBusters project really kicked into high gear this year. The pace has kept me from sending updates with any regularity. I’ll try to do better! Lots to share…

THE VANCOUVER DE-GROWTH CONFERENCE in May was the catalyst for a 10-day shoot trip from Vancouver to San Francisco with multiple stops. A highlight was finally interviewing Bill Rees, originator of Ecological Footprint Analysis.

Rees co-authored, Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth back in 1995. In 40 minutes he brilliantly and comprehensively addressed nearly every topic in our film! Check out this Rees presentation: Is Humanity Sustainable? . . .

One of the challenges that come with appearing in the film you’re directing is you have to get over your vanity. To be authentic, you have to be willing to show the warts along with the good moments. So in that spirit I’m sharing this interview which wasn’t one of my best. I have my good days (in which I’m brilliant!) but there are also days I can’t think as fast as my mouth moves.

Apparently last Wednesday was one of those, but the conversation was still meaningful.

I was glad to meet Shane Snipes, who stopped in as part of his Eco-Road Trip across the 48 contiguous United States. Every day he webcasts a live interview, which is pretty impressive. Those interviews are archived here, and at Shane’s website, www.sustainable1000.com/ you can find links to his YouTube channel, blogs, etc. . . .

Today fifteen on-camera performers and a volunteer crew of 10 will be joining me in a big Hollywood production. We’re shooting a video visualizing what our world might look like in a future where continued overpopulation and over-consumption have led to worldwide resource scarcity and social conflict.

It will be a scary picture. Will this kind of shock therapy work? Will audiences view this science fiction scenario and immediately change their own lives, get over the taboo on discussing responsible family-size decisions, and step up efforts to change a system hooked on growth?

The truth is we don’t know. Some sustainability advocates advise that instead of pointing out the dangers of where we’re headed, we should focus on painting an optimistic picture of where we want to go. They’re dead certain doom and gloom won’t sell an idea. And they may be right. Yet, there is no evidence it’s any more effective to follow the advice of that old song: “eliminate the negative, and accentuate the positive.” . . .

Want a detailed explanation of my film, Hooked on Growth – why I’m making it, why we need it, what I hope to accomplish, how the film will be seen? Then drop in for a few beers with Steve! I’m the guest on the popular podcast, Two Beers With Steve. You can hear my episode here.

Steve Patterson tells me Two Beers With Steve started as a podcast about what they are doing to us, but it has evolved into a podcast about what we can do for ourselves and our communities. According to Steve, “we started looking for ways to become not so dependent on a flawed system. We cover topics about economic and financial chaos all the way to what method we should use in our gardens.” Patterson has some smart followers, covers great topics, and features some prominent guests (including Crash Course’s Chris Martenson, James Howard Kuenstler, and quickly-becoming-infamous GrowthBuster Dave Gardner). . . .

I’m sitting in a coffee shop in San Francisco, on the final day of a ten-day West Coast filming trip. In my 30 years traveling the globe directing films for airlines, energy and chemical companies, software firms and public television, I always had a decent expense account. So this is the first time I’ve couch-surfed rather than stay at hotels, the first time I’ve dined in the car or a grocery store instead of Outback Steakhouse. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and water have gotten us by.

Necessity was behind the decision to tap the GrowthBusters support network for accomodations. Since we’ve so far raised only a modest percentage of our production budget for the film, Hooked on Growth, I have to be creative to capture the material we need while spending as little as possible. . . .