Copyright © 2025 Growing Out Of Growth
The goal of this short guide is to create space for reflection and curiosity. Don’t get into the conversation hoping you will change someone’s mind right away.
1. Start by creating a space for discussion by asking questions and actively listening. What’s a big challenge for them right now? It could be anything from the cost of fresh food to the lack of free time, or a concern about the climate or waste. The current economic system impacts our lives in many ways.
2. Create space for alternatives by questioning assumptions. Once you have identified the shortcomings or absurdity of the economic system that manifests in this person’s life, you can help them think about the possibility of an alternative.
3. Highlight degrowth points that are relevant to their lives. Understand their context so you can bring in the most interesting elements of degrowth.
Inspired by:
How to Talk About Degrowth
Guide on transformative conversations from Ella Baker School
Additional materials for dialogue:
“Talking across the divide” summary notes
Setting up a book club is a good way to learn about and critically assess degrowth’s ideas. You can start small: gather a few friends, give each other enough time to read, and keep it casual and fun.
Here are a few books to start with:
Invite interested people to join you at a café, park or a local community centre for a discussion about degrowth and practical steps for implementing it. We suggest preparing a few initial questions or ideas to spark dialogue. To break the ice and create a relaxed atmosphere, you could also include a fun game or activity related to degrowth. Make this gathering a regular event—weekly or monthly—so participants can connect and develop new ideas together.
Consider starting your own offline or online exchange group—a (virtual) space where people can share their needs and offers. For example, you can share rarely used items, extra food, other resources or skills.
If you would like to organize an in-person exchange, consider doing it in or in front of your building, at local community centers, or libraries. For online exchanges, you can use messaging apps, social media platforms, or community forums.
Whichever way you choose, it is important to establish clear rules for participation. Include what can be offered, how to communicate, and any safety measures.
Take a look at the list of regional groups addressing degrowth
If you are ready to present about degrowth to an audience, we suggest checking out the starter slides on degrowth provided by:
01.02.2025
We’ve been primed to think that “less” always means a loss. But what if “less” could mean “more”?
Let’s imagine a world where something extraordinary has happened: economic activity has slowed down, and not by mistake–this act is known as degrowth. We produce and consume fewer things–or rather, we produce only what is important, making sure everyone’s basic needs are met. In this reality, the products and services that harm the environment and do not serve our well-being have been abandoned.
What would this world look like? It would mean less work–because we produce less and more time to make art, hang out with our loved ones, and meet with friends at the park. It would prioritize affordable, fresh food from local producers. It would be underpinned by high-quality education, public transport, and healthcare. Instead of our energy and resources being spent on meaningless profit-driven pursuits, they would be harnessed for our benefit.
This isn’t about deprivation—it’s about focus. For those of us who have enough, we can live better with less. It’s not about abandoning technology but ensuring it serves us. For example, psychologists could enhance social cohesion instead of driving consumerism with retail psychology. While new technologies would prioritize public benefit over profit, like using clean public transport or prioritizing decentralized, user-controlled social media.
We cannot phase out industries that harm people and the planet without political power. But we can start small: by changing our perspectives and behaviours to bring about cultural change. The challenge lies in reimagining our priorities. Today’s system rewards destruction. Mining, and dumping plastic into the oceans are currently more profitable than recycling and cleaning up ecosystems, while care and sustainability remain undervalued.
Embracing a post-growth economy would liberate us from the endless need for economic growth at the expense of the planet’s resources and our own wellbeing. By slowing down and consuming more mindfully, we would be free to focus on different kinds of innovations that benefit societal cohesion and environmental rehabilitation, rather than the pursuit of profit through extraction and overproduction. To put this in context, Earth Overshoot Day fell on 1st August in 2024. This is the day by which humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services that year exceeds what Earth’s ecosystems can regenerate. It’s easy to see that with the world’s current focus on relentless growth, we’re living beyond the planet’s means - with disastrous consequences.
At its heart, degrowth is about social justice. We need to raise living standards for most of the world, while the world’s wealthiest must learn to live with less. In the first 10 days of 2025, the world’s wealthiest 1% used up their fair share of the carbon budget for the year. In just 10 days. By contrast the world’s poorest 50% would take nearly three years to match this.
In week one of Degrowthuary, let’s start simply. What could we do without? How could we imagine a better future, where technology and innovation is focused on improving society and wellbeing? And what can we do to live happier with less?
Copyright © 2025 Growing Out Of Growth