Pioneer Voice
More Than 50 Years Ago,
Rachel Carson Framed the Issue Facing the Human Race
One of the strongest voices calling attention to the problems of — and the need for swift and drastic changes to — mankind's stewardship of the planet: Rachel Carson, whose groundbreaking work Silent Spring ushered in a new appreciation of how destructive Homo Sapiens' impact has been on the natural world since the beginning of the Industrial Age.
Silent Spring (1962)
Carson's landmark book documented the detrimental effects of pesticides on the environment — particularly on birds — and challenged the practices of agricultural scientists and the government, calling for a change in the way humankind viewed the natural world.
Learn about Silent Spring →In the Wonderful Natural World
Where Earth Is Merely One Very Special Planet
People = Humans = Just One Species
With HUGE, OUTSIZED Destructive Power for ALL Species — and Indeed the Entire Planet
The Scope of Our Impact
Since the industrial revolution, the pace of environmental change driven by human activity has accelerated to a rate unprecedented in the geological record. Species extinction, habitat loss, ocean acidification, climate disruption — all bear the unmistakable fingerprint of our species.
The Hard Conversation
Why Our Human Species Must "DE-GROW" Our Planetary Impact
Let us face this issue square-on: Our species does NOT want to address the 'Limits of Growth.' We have used science, commerce, corporations, technology, exploitation of fossil fuels — all of human creation, invention, and ingenuity — to attempt to forestall, negate, and render unnecessary a reining-in of our consumptive behaviors.
Yet all the enormous effort and focus has not changed the basic dilemma of human existence here on planet earth — we either find a way to live in harmony and balance with the rest of the natural world (let us call it a Sustainable Way), OR we and future generations will increasingly witness and pay the price of depleting and disregulating the incredible beauty and interdependent complexity into which humans were born.
What is De-Growth?
De-Growth is an economic and social theory that challenges the notion that unlimited economic growth on a finite planet is either possible or desirable. It calls for a planned reduction of energy and resource throughput to bring the economy back into balance with the living world.
It is not poverty — it is sufficiency. A conscious choice to flourish within planetary boundaries rather than beyond them.
Find Out More: De-Growth & Why It Matters →The Core Challenge
Our economic systems reward extraction. Our political systems reward growth. Our cultures celebrate consumption. Changing these deep patterns requires nothing less than a civilizational shift in values — beginning with an honest reckoning about what we are doing to our home.
Navigate the Five Pillars