GrowthBusters

GrowthBusters

Dave Gardner and Stephanie Gardner on sustainability

Episodes 100
Avg. Duration 52m
Activity Highly Active
Apple Rating 4.9 (23)
Since Jul 2016
Latest Episode Apr 2026

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Schedule
Monthly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
15%
Hosting
rss.libsyn.com

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About This Podcast

Humankind has outgrown the planet, so we explore ways to recover from growth addiction. We dig into the more fascinating and hard-hitting aspects of public policy and the joy of living sustainably. It's all about ending our culture's love affair with "more," which is not making us happier and is killing our planet. No half-hearted greenwashing here; we share the brutal and joyful truth! Co-host Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Learn more about the film at www.growthbustersmovie.org. Co-host Stephanie Gardner earned a masters degree in environmental law and policy, and has expertise and experience in sustainable energy.

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Recent Episodes

97: The Wit and Wisdom of Paul Ehrlich

Apr 10, 2026 1h 27m

Continuing our tribute to the late Paul Ehrlich, we discuss the critiques and praise that followed news of his passing, and we share a VERY candid – and charming – "uncensored" 2020 Earth Day…

96: Paul Ehrlich (1932-2026): Behaving Against Our Interests

Mar 18, 2026 32m

We lost scientific and environmental icon Paul Ehlich on March 13. We're honoring his memory by revisiting Dave Gardner's first interview with Paul, outside his Stanford University office in 2007 for…

95: Technology – Fast and Furious Into Overshoot

Dec 10, 2025 20m

The academy awarding the Nobel Prize in Economics is still drinking pro-growth Kool-Aid, while spiritual leader Acharya Prashant is serving up a healthier recipe - insightful truth about ecological…

94: Reporting on Population – Sense and Nonsense

Nov 18, 2025 52m

Population growth is making headlines for the wrong reason or with a biased perspective. It's too easy to draw erroneous conclusions about dropping fertility rates around the world. A surge of news…

93: Ezra Klein's Abundance Delusion

Aug 29, 2025 40m

Just say "NO." Some approaches to "abundance" are healthy, but one brand of abundance that's been capturing the cultural moment lately is a recipe for a dead planet. Dave and Stephanie assess key…

92: Economic Wisdom from the Natural World – The Serviceberry

Aug 05, 2025 43m

In this trial run for the "GrowthBusters Book Club," we discuss The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World - by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Cannibal economies, gift economies,…

91: Growth Addiction and Water in the American Southwest – with Gary Wockner

Jun 30, 2025 1h

Prolific river protector Gary Wockner gives us the straight scoop on the state of the Colorado River (and others), and the growth obsession that keeps southwest states and cities from responding…

90: Degrowth – by Design or Disaster

Apr 25, 2025 54m

Learn about a new think tank that's doing some of the most important thinking on the planet. Matt Orsagh is co-founder of the Arketa Institute for Post-Growth Finance and co-author of a…

89: Bezos - We're Going to Need Another Planet

Mar 27, 2025 31m

Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos thinks the U.S. can grow its way out of a massive deficit. He says we need a "growth mindset." Stephanie and Dave call it a "suicide economic model," and note that…

88: Shutdown315: Start Post-Growth Living Saturday

Mar 13, 2025 41m

Unplug from an overshoot economy serving a growth-obsessed oligarchy. On March 15, the multitudes will begin a general strike across the U.S. – starving our profit and growth obsessed system. The…

87: The Shit Hits the Fan

Feb 12, 2025 25m

In the face of accelerated global warming and increasingly severe consequences of climate disruption, UN projections are outdated and understating the problem, and the U.S. is going to produce and…

S1E86 86: Projecting Optimism in the Time of Overshoot

Jan 15, 2025 52m

Is optimism required in order to alert folks to our ecological overshoot emergency? Dave and Stephanie discuss the challenge of communicating the depth and urgency of overshoot without shutting…

S1E85 85: Election 2024 – Stephanie Attempts to Talk Dave Off the Ledge

Nov 11, 2024 49m

Dave and Stephanie dig into what caused voters to ignore Donald Trump's felony convictions, indecency, incompetence, narcissism, and dishonesty – and elect him president. This includes a review of…

S1E84 84: Strong Economy Begins With Shrinking Workforce

Feb 12, 2024 26m

A new study debunks depopulation panic. For decades economists have perpetuated the false narrative, "If population growth reverses and begins to decline, the economy is doomed." This belief has so…

S1E83 83: We Roasted Elon Musk, Raising the Curiosity of Thousands

Nov 16, 2023 23m

We made it VERY clear that Musk's worries about population collapse are ill-founded, and that attracted thousands more listeners than usual to our podcast. How did that happen? What kind of comments…

S1E82 82: Governor Whitmer Unveils Ponzi Population Policy

Jul 14, 2023 43m

The Michigan Governor is apparently unaware that the world, the U.S. and even Michigan are overpopulated. Michigan population has been growing a little too slowly for her taste, so Whitmer has…

S1E81 81 Overpopulation Think Tank – Part 2

Jun 07, 2023 1h 10m

Are many vegans self-righteous, overbearing and insufferable in their efforts to recruit us? Would you believe "overpopulation" is still a taboo word? Or that human population numbers are still an…

S1E80 80 How Do We Get Out of This Mess? University Students Brainstorm

May 22, 2023 1h 23m

Students in a DU ecological economics class discuss their biggest concerns and how our society might overcome them. Overshoot, polarization, the American Dream, politics, selfish individualism, and…

S1E79 79 Overpopulation Think Tank – Part 1

Apr 25, 2023 1h 5m

Five thought leaders break the silence on the role of human overpopulation in ecological overshoot –with an informed, engaging conversation about the subject. This is what intelligent discourse…

S1E78 78 Discussing Overpopulation: Let's Clear the Minefield

Mar 30, 2023 1h 6m

Why do discussions of overpopulation often elicit emotional responses of fear, anger, or indignation? Are anger and indignation what prevents productive discussion of population? These responses in a…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does GrowthBusters have?

GrowthBusters has published 100 episodes since July 2016, covering topics in Science, Society & Culture.

Is GrowthBusters still active?

GrowthBusters is currently highly active with new episodes monthly. Average episode length is 52m.

How do I contact GrowthBusters for sponsorship or guest appearances?

Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for GrowthBusters, including email and social media links.

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