Degrowth California | Notes From a Radical Ecologist
by Ariane Solwell
Over here at Degrowth California we are spreading awareness of and excitement for a degrowth future. Degrowth is both a philosophy and a movement, and holds that transforming our economy away from one centered on infinite growth and towards one focused on wellbeing and ecological stability is the only viable option we have to ensure a livable planet for all beings. Our global financial system’s quest for limitless profit has come at a staggering cost. The system is gambling with the most fundamental elements of life on our planet – drinkable water, swimmable oceans, breathable air, blooming plants, a stable climate, and the rich tapestry of biodiversity in which we are embedded – and yet, the destruction continues. Moreover, this system – which purports to provide equal opportunities to everyone – enriches a very few while disproportionately harming those deemed expendable in the global north and the vast majority of the global south.
Degrowth offers a vision of a different system – one with caps on resource extraction; one that hinges upon economic democracy so laborers may decide where their labor and profits are directed; one organized around a life of dignity and fulfillment for all by guaranteeing services such as universal healthcare and childcare, employment, and decommodified housing; and one where the global North bears some of the responsibility for redistributing resources so the global South may meet its people’s needs. Furthermore, degrowth models show that capping resource extraction, shifting economic output away from profit-driven growth and to the services people need to thrive, and limiting working hours are the key changes we need to significantly lower greenhouse gases, reduce ecosystem pressures, and avoid ecological catastrophe and runaway climate change.
To bring about a degrowth future, we will need shifts large and small. This brief comes to you from California, home to the fourth largest economy in the world. A single state with such tremendous power is in a unique position of having the opportunity and responsibility to utilize this economic influence for good. Economic and political decisions in California impact not only its residents, but also ripple across the United States and the world. In addition to California’s global standing providing an important leverage point for economic transformation, many of its current conditions make it a microcosm of national and international challenges. Despite being an economic powerhouse (as measured by GDP), California exemplifies extreme inequality – we are the state with the most billionaires as well as the highest poverty rate (when adjusted for the local cost of living). We are experiencing a housing, affordability, and houselessnes crisis even while we continue to produce an extremely high ecological footprint. And yet, we have a storied history of formidable social and environmental movements, and are known for our high innovation capacity. All of these actualities make California an important and consequential place to implement novel economic and social structures as well as to experiment with and incubate the scalability of degrowth.
Degrowth California is working towards establishing these structures by offering educational presentations, leading communication workshops, building alliances with other organizations, and experimenting with what degrowth looks like at a grassroots level. We operate as a remote, distributed organization, but are in the process of launching a network of on-the-ground hubs across the state. These hubs provide people the opportunity to gather in-person and organize to meet local needs. Hubs’ focuses include organizing book clubs and movie screenings; building local solidarity economy asset maps; advocating for more walkable and bikeable routes; elevating the visibility of degrowth-aligned organizations, businesses, and policies; and holding public barters and swaps.
Through our work two things have become very clear. Firstly, there is an indisputable appetite for a degrowth society, and secondly, there are a plethora of people, organizations, and businesses who are already building the framework for this society, albeit not always under a degrowth moniker. Our presentations, workshops and dialogues yield rich and thoughtful conversations with people from a diversity of backgrounds who are all exploring how we might build systems to better serve us and the living world. People want to know – What is next? How do we get involved? Where do we go from here? We’ve connected with organizations working toward energy democracy, creating immersive experiences around future visions of the United States, and aligning against fossil fuels. And we’ve seen the creativity and innovation small businesses use to build new solutions, such as repair cafés, worker-owned environmental consulting firms, community fridges, technology collectives, and entrepreneur cooperatives. The seedlings of a thriving, joyous future are here. It is our work to draw them together under the canopy of degrowth and build the movement that will bring this future into being.
Ariane Solwell is an organizer and educator who lives with her family among the redwoods of coastal California. She has been engaged in community organizing for eight years, first with the Sunrise Movement and now with Degrowth California. She is grateful for the community, hope, and determination movement work brings to her life and she is devoted to helping bring about a joyous and thriving future for all. She holds a Master in Teaching and Teacher Education and is trained in climate grief ritual facilitation, collaborative leadership practices, and western herbalism. When she’s not organizing, she loves to trail run, dance west coast swing, and explore mountain creeks with her children.