Climate Optimist Challenge #7 - Rethink Growth
Creating abundance without killing the planet
Growth in itself is not a bad thing, it’s our relationship to growth that’s become a bit skewed over the years.
Perhaps you’ve heard the concept of “degrowth”, which is ultimately the idea of ditching capitalism in an attempt to slow down our world. Although there’s a lot of truth to that, I think we should focus less on shutting down growth, and more on transitioning it into a circular kind. It’s time to aim for regrowth.
Per-Espen Stoknes believes we should mirror nature in how we think about growth. When you look at a forest, for example, it’s constantly growing, but that doesn’t mean the trees are continuously getting taller!
For nature, growth comes in circles and it gives as much as it takes. Since we are nature, we can do the same. By rethinking our economy and our relationship to “stuff”, as well as incorporating circularity in industries across the board, we can create a world of ultimate abundance.
Sounds… complicated? Allow yourself to slow down and chew on this one for a little. Is there any retruthing to be made here? How can we unlearn what we know and rethink the meaning of growth? Here comes this week’s challenge…
Challenge #7 — Rethink Growth
This week, reflect on what rethinking growth would look like in your life.
Grab a pen and paper and sit somewhere comfortable. Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes. Allow for Mother Earth to enter your body, feel her presence inside you. Now, ask her to show you (in pictures, thoughts, feelings) what healthy growth looks like. How can you achieve abundance without having to have “more” (the modern version of it)? Ask her to help you understand.
Write down ways of how you think about growth today. It can be having a bigger home, more money, fancier clothes, more stuff. Do you value prestige and climbing the career ladder? What are things you are striving for in life (knowingly or unknowingly) that you associate with growth?
Now, think about some moments when you felt boundlessly happy — happiness that wasn’t caused by any of the things mentioned above. The simple moment of closing your eyes in the sun on a park bench, a hug from your mother, a steaming hot cup of coffee to start the day? Maybe you felt it surrounded by people you love, laughing over dinner, or dancing by yourself in the dark. Write about the moments that brought you pleasure and joy with no strings attached. Also, allow yourself to feel the same feelings of love and joy as you write them down.
Now, ask Mother Nature once again what we can learn from her practice of growth. How can we have more of this — more abundance, love, joy — without depleting ourselves, others, and the planet? What would you be striving for in life if what you ultimately sought were more feelings of this? If anything comes to you, write it down.
*I recommend playing soothing music or the sound of nature, like the forest or ocean waves, while doing this exercise.
Circular Economy/ Cradle-To-Cradle
This regrowth movement is already shape-shifting across the globe with more and more businesses trying to move into a circular, cradle-to-cradle economy. This means that anything that is produced can either be dissembled and reassembled again into a new product, or that the materials are made in a way where they can safely return to Earth.
Imagine a future where you don’t buy a dishwasher, but rent it and pay for it per use! Let’s say you rent a machine for your home that promises 10,000 uses before it goes back to the company for repair and/or recycling. If this was the case, the company would be incentivized to create a product that lasts as long as possible so that they won’t lose money having products sent back that need to be replaced.
When the customer rents a product rather than owns it, there is no point in creating low-quality products that will become useless after only a few years (which the current business model is very much structured like.) Imagine how much better for the Earth and for our pockets!
We see this already happening in the fashion industry where rental and second-hand markets are becoming the new cool. Sustainable fashion is also taking center stage with more and more garments being made from an organic material that can biodegrade once worn to its last party.
If we continue to challenge our current growth structures and find the courage to move away from the status quo of what “more” should look like, we can realign with our Mother and once again live in harmony with the Earth.
Do you believe it can be done? We must start by at least thinking there’s a chance!
Learn More!
I highly recommend checking out this episode with Per-Espen Stoknes where we talk about his most recent book, Tomorrow’s Economy - A Guide to Creating Healthy Green Growth.
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