There’s a good chance you’ve heard world population will pass 7 billion on Halloween. Most of us in the developed world haven’t given it a second thought. The hungry children whose photos accompany these news stories are not our children. Most of us don’t think of population growth as something we can or should do anything about. It’s a problem for someone else, somewhere else.

There are signs, however, that the planet has filled up. On a full planet, problems don’t blow away. We can’t move away from them. China’s emissions affect air quality in the western U.S. The relentless march of humankind across the planet is eliminating forests and species. It’s heating our atmosphere and acidifying our oceans. Our appetite is decimating fisheries. We’re over-appropriating and fouling fresh water supplies. We’re depleting the planet’s fertile soils and many precious elements. . . .

Last night I was the guest of legendary filmmaker Chris Palmer (author of Shooting in the Wild: An Insider’s Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom)  at his Center for Environmental Filmmaking. This is one of several outstanding programs in the School of Communications at American University in Washington DC.

I shared clips from GrowthBusters and answered questions about the film and the issues it raises. I’m pleased to report it got a very enthusiastic reception. Most of the crowd stayed beyond the appointed end time, and it took me another half hour to get out the door (I’m not complaining).

I’ve been looking forward to this moment for several years – the point in time when the public can begin to rally. Based on the comments I got, as more and more people see this film there is going to be a groundswell. More and more screenings will be organized. Word is going to travel! Cross your fingers. This is our moment! This is our children’s moment. And their children’s. In my film, sociologist Juliet Schor called the movement toward localization and self-provisioning “a ‘change the world’ movement.” The GrowthBusters movie could make this a “change the world moment.” . . .

I stopped into the West End Cinema Friday to do a technical check (make sure my film gets along with their projection equipment) and it hit me – the sudden realization that I’ve made my first feature film. After 6 years of gestation my baby is being born! It was exciting.

Theatre manager Josh Levin put our poster up on the wall, and our local event manager, Johanna Barron, informed me we had reservations to fill half the theatre within 24 hours of our invitations going out.

It’s pretty clear we’ll fill the theatre. What remains to be seen is if we start a buzz that travels around the planet: “Here’s a film that dares to tell us the truth. You must see it!” Most of the news media is ignoring us. They may recognize we are a threat, a threat to their growth-dependent, growth-obsessed, blissful ignorance. They’d rather we fade quickly into oblivion. That’s not going to happen. . . .

It’s been a long, hard climb, and I am pleased to report the GrowthBusters documentary is finished. It’s nearly killed me to complete the film prior to the sad population milestone of world population passing 7 billion this October 31. 16-hour work-days, occasional all-nighters, and 8-day weeks have been the norm for several months.

But enough about my blood, sweat and tears. What you want to know is that the film can now be ordered. Community screenings can be scheduled. The world premiere is set for Washington DC on November 2. A Colorado premiere in my hometown (prominently featured in the film) is scheduled for November 9.

“This could be the most important film ever made.  It tackles the three lethal taboos that threaten our civilization, those against discussing overpopulation, overconsumption, and the nonsensical idea that economic growth itself is a net benefit even in rich countries and can and must continue forever.” . . .

This essay was published today in the Daly News from Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy.

Economic news last Friday was quite positive. Annualized U.S. GDP growth was less than one percent in the first half of 2011.

However, I would hazard a guess that, oh, some 99.9 percent of the world considered this bad news. It was characterized in the New York Times as a “snail’s pace.” Journalists and commentators around the world are predictably typing out words like weak, anemic, malaise, gloomy, bleak, doldrums and stagnation.

So why would I celebrate? Do I get perverse, morbid pleasure at seeing my fellow humans unemployed, upside down in their mortgages, or dining at soup kitchens? I do not. The fallout of the recession is real, it’s painful, and it’s sad. But steady or declining GDP is not bad news. Nor is the drop in consumer spending reported Tuesday. . . .