Dave the Planet

21: Make EARTH Great Again – Dave the Planet Town Hall

Dave Gardner for President — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 07:00:00 -0600

“It’s not a happy time when Dave Gardner has to cancel his campaign, the last hope for a living planet.” Presidential candidate Dave Gardner, running mate Stefanie Hawks-Johnson, and key campaign team volunteers share observations of the 2024 U.S. presidential race, make an important campaign announcement, and plan for the future. They consider possible reasons the campaign failed to attract significant media attention and public support. They also discuss The Bright Future Project and post-campaign steps to ensure we don’t leave our kids a dead planet.

We also hear when Bill Maher implored his audience to “Make Earth great again,” and we hear Bruce Springsteen endorse Kamala Harris.

View the video version of this town hall: https://youtu.be/RY08zcPia44

Campaign team members who appeared in this town hall:

Ally Richardson
Chris Bystroff
Jan Mulder

Thanks also to these team members:

Florence Blondel
Robert Fireovid
Mike Hanauer
Mike Skylark
Joshua Spodek
Isaac Tate

Weekly CO2 – CO2.Earth

https://www.co2.earth/weekly-co2

New Rule: Make Earth Great Again | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

https://youtu.be/mrGFEW2Hb2g?si=rgLAOTqnDzWhe2PA

Bruce Springsteen Endorses Kamala Harris For President

https://youtu.be/DSI_XbF-Yvs?si=N4XY5BvfAfspK8ra

The Bright Future Project

https://brightfutureproject.us

GrowthBusters podcast

https://youtube.com/@growthbusterspodcast

https://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/

Make a Donation to GrowthBusters

http://www.growthbusters.org/donate/

Follow this podcast for a ringside seat to Dave Gardner’s adventures running for U.S. President. If elected, Dave promised to declare an ecological overshoot emergency and launch a national project to get the nation out of overshoot. Podcast guests don't necessarily endorse Dave for president. We’ve got a planet to save, and the U.S. should do its part. Learn more, subscribe to campaign updates, volunteer, or donate to the campaign at https://davetheplanet2024.com

20: Dave Chooses Running Mate

Dave Gardner for President — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 07:00:00 -0600

Marine biologist Stefanie Hawks-Johnson both won the “People’s Choice” vote and the confidence of Dave and his campaign team. So in this episode Dave invites Stefanie to join the ticket, and the two discuss our state of overshoot, the importance of biodiversity, challenges in communicating about human overpopulation, why they’re voting for Kamala Harris, and how to proceed with the campaign.

MENTIONED:

George Clooney, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts

LINKS:

Weekly CO2 Tracker

https://www.co2.earth/weekly-co2

You can watch this episode on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/4QMurTFltk8

Our VP Vote Page

https://davetheplanet2024.com/choose-vp.html

All 5 Applicant Videos

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1Rywj_EfUQecC9g3GHr4Vi9nFbL3mPiR

Dave the Planet Population Policy

https://davetheplanet2024.com/population

The Bright Future Project

https://brightfutureproject.us

Follow this podcast for a ringside seat to Dave Gardner’s adventures running for U.S. President. If elected, Dave will declare an ecological overshoot emergency and launch a national project to get the nation out of overshoot. We’ve got a planet to save, and the U.S. should do its part. Learn more, subscribe to campaign updates, volunteer, or donate to the campaign at https://davetheplanet2024.com

19: The Bright Future Project - How Do We Achieve Our Vision? (Behavior Change Part 2)

Dave Gardner for President — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 07:00:00 -0600

We’re all united by a desire for our kids to have good lives. How do we achieve that bright future when ecological overshoot threatens to instead leave our kids a dead planet? In this episode, presidential candidate Dave Gardner and campaign volunteer/permaculture educator Ally Richardson sketch out some of the communication details for The Bright Future Project.

Ally is also a potential running mate for Dave. You’re invited to vote to help us choose Dave’s V.P. Voting closes at midnight, August 18. Visit https://davetheplanet2024.com/vp to cast YOUR vote.

LINKS MENTIONED:

Posters & Other Graphics Discussed

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19c6xRu4_LHr56ZLGLwmHc0SvDloObnlI/view?usp=sharing

The Bright Future Project

https://brightfutureproject.us

Ed Begley Food Waste PSA

https://youtu.be/T5Us69fSM9M?si=ZBa4q-NFKO68qzOS

Ed Begley Energy PSA

https://youtu.be/Wo-Osa-19pE?si=1-GVlo5VoPqhKxSO

Ed Begley Population Growth PSA

https://youtu.be/nKMYydGj92I?si=1AnV7k-b7dCDGZ7f

Now Here’s What We Call an Eco-Superhero – Episode 79 of the GrowthBusters podcast featuring climate and eco footprint vlogger James Comiskey

https://www.growthbusters.org/eco-superhero/

Dave's voting for Kamala Harris, but his campaign is doing essential work, creating a blueprint for The Bright Future Project, to get us out of ecological overshoot. Please explore and support the campaign: https://davetheplanet2024.com

18: Overshoot? What the Hell Is Overshoot?

Dave Gardner for President — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 07:00:00 -0600

U.S. presidential candidate Dave Gardner is determined to alert us that ecological overshoot is a profound emergency threatening to leave our children a dead planet. So it’s critical that everyone understand what ecological overshoot is. William E. Rees, the originator of ecological footprint analysis, provides a primer for the uninitiated – plus some advanced thinking for those already well aware of the metacrisis.

We’re exploring the topic now, since Earth Overshoot Day happens this week – on August 1.

Rees developed the concept of ecological footprint pre-1990, but in 1995, he and one of his doctoral students at University of British Columbia, Mathis Wackernagel, published the definitive book, Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth, introducing the concept to the world. Wackernagel went on to found Global Footprint Network, which collects and analyzes data to provide the best estimates of biocapacity and ecological footprint on a nation-by-nation basis.

The conversation digs into how long we’ve been in overshoot, the symptoms and consequences, and what is necessary in order to get out of overshoot and back into balance with nature. There are significant hurdles impeding our progress.

Rees is human ecologist, ecological economist, Professor Emeritus and former Director of the University of British Columbia’s School of Community and Regional Planning.

Dave Gardner promises to declare an ecological overshoot emergency and launch a national project to get the U.S. out of overshoot and lead the world in a global effort. Learn more about that national project at https://brightfutureproject.us

Some Recommended Resources, Viewing and Reading:

Earth Overshoot Day – official site

https://overshoot.footprintnetwork.org/

National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts - Global Footprint Network Data

https://data.footprintnetwork.org

On Being a Snowflake in an Avalanche: The Catastrophe of Overshoot and How to Cope – by William E. Rees

https://www.resilience.org/stories/2024-07-11/on-being-a-snowflake-in-an-avalanche-the-catastrophe-of-overshoot-and-how-to-cope/

Earth Overshoot Day 2018 - YouTube video by Dave Gardner

https://youtu.be/Kfooegpo-Rg?si=2ZLJhtW21bk675OG

Spaceship Earth Passenger Safety Briefing – short film by Dave Gardner

http://youtu.be/e5s1i7vTSXk

GrowthBusters Playlist on Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0sOpYgT6oaJnDYIodhEHgy?si=3cf841e2dde745c5

Overshoot Playlist: Top 10 Environmental Songs – Episode 30 of GrowthBusters podcast

https://www.growthbusters.org/overshoot-playlist-top-10-environmental-songs/

YouTube playlist of Top 10

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8soDpwHB3HSuETzzb8ZC_ylk9g1tiGO

Top 10 podcast with complete songs

https://www.mixcloud.com/growthbusters/growthbusters-podcast-overshoot-playlist-top-10-environmental-songs/

Welcome to Overshoot: Have a Nice Day – episode of Conversation Earth syndicated radio series and podcast

http://www.conversationearth.org/welcome-to-overshoot

Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth – 1995 book by William E. Rees, Mathis Wackernagel & Phil Testemale

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/318225.Our_Ecological_Footprint

17: Gardner Backs Harris

Dave Gardner for President — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 07:00:00 -0600

Independent presidential candidate Dave Gardner was prepared to step into Biden’s place on the Democratic ticket, but instead is pledging to vote for Kamala Harris. He’s not quitting the race, though. He says that’s because the conversation still has to change. Because we’re in ecological overshoot, we need to end the quest for robust economic growth, and begin living more lightly on the planet, so that our children can have decent lives on a healthy planet.

View video of Dave's statement: https://youtu.be/NVO_qUIUiVw

Check out The Bright Future Project at https://brightfutureproject.us

Follow this podcast for a ringside seat to Dave Gardner’s adventures running for U.S. President. If elected, Dave will declare an ecological overshoot emergency and launch a national project to get the nation out of overshoot. Podcast guests don't necessarily endorse Dave for president. We’ve got a planet to save, and the U.S. should do its part. Learn more, subscribe to campaign updates, volunteer, or donate to the campaign at https://davetheplanet2024.com

16: Population Policies the U.S. Needs

Dave Gardner for President — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 07:00:00 -0600

In order to get the nation out of ecological overshoot, we need to stop pursuing population growth and adopt a population policy that will voluntarily and ethically contract our population. This is, of course, in addition to policies to reduce our material and energy consumption.

Presidential candidate Dave Gardner invited a few of the experts he would appoint to a President’s Council on Population Policy, to make a start at sketching out the needed policies. After a century mistakenly celebrating and pursuing population growth, we need to turn things upside down, root out pronatalist policies, and implement policies that encourage and reward small-family choices.

We’re publishing this episode of the Dave the Planet podcast in observance of World Population Day, July 11. World Population Day has been the day most news media ignore the topic of human overpopulation, just as they do the other 364 days of the year. It’s the day the United Nations tap-dances around the subject, as well. One discussion point in this conversation is the need for open, honest conversation acknowledging the overpopulation and ecological overshoot crises. Dave Gardner promises to do that if elected U.S. President.

Here are the expert advisors convened for this workshop to begin crafting 21st century population policy:

Phil Cafaro

Professor of Philosophy, Colorado State University

Senior Researcher, The Overpopulation Project

Author:

How Many Is Too Many? The Progressive Argument for Reducing Immigration into the United States

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20948687-how-many-is-too-many

Life on the Brink: Environmentalists Confront Overpopulation

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14984966-life-on-the-brink

Carter Dillard

Policy Director and Board Member, Fair Start Movement

Author: Justice as a Fair Start in Life: Understanding the Right to Have Children

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62140570-justice-as-a-fair-start-in-life

Trevor Hedberg, PhD

Assistant Professor of Practice, W.A Franke Honors College, Philosophy Department, University of Arizona

Author: The Environmental Impact of Overpopulation: The Ethics of Procreation

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50552291-the-environmental-impact-of-overpopulation

Karin Kuhlemann

Author:

Overpopulation, Or the Stories We Tell Ourselves

https://www.academia.edu/35846301/Overpopulation_or_the_stories_we_tell_ourselves

Population Governance

https://www.academia.edu/103990219/Population_Governance_Authors_manuscript_

The Right to Procreate and the Legitimate Scope of Anti-natalist Policies

https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10165577/2/K%20Kuhlemann%20manuscript%20clean%202023.pdf

UK-based Attorney

We didn’t finalize specific policies, but we asked all the right questions and examined the critical issues, a major step in developing population policy. Watch the population policy page at Dave Gardner’s presidential campaign website: https://davetheplanet2024.com/population

Background on ecological overshoot, for those unfamiliar with the concept:

Welcome to Overshoot: Have a Nice Day

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3dpw1hKRuaz5jKuEUirJax?si=cy6S-rkRRhaVyRT5LFr3wg

Follow this podcast for a ringside seat to Dave Gardner’s adventures running for U.S. President. If elected, Dave will declare an ecological overshoot emergency and launch a national project to get the nation out of overshoot. Podcast guests don't necessarily endorse Dave for president. We’ve got a planet to save, and the U.S. should do its part. Learn more, subscribe to campaign updates, volunteer, or donate to the campaign at https://davetheplanet2024.com

15: Behavior Change to Provide a Bright Future – Part 1

Dave Gardner for President — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 07:00:00 -0600

Developing Programs and Policy to Put Us On Course to a Bright Future

A conversation with Joseph Merz of the Overshoot Behavior Lab and the Future Behavior Lab

How can we help ourselves and everyone in the country make the dramatic changes needed to get our nation out of ecological overshoot and on a path to a bright future? Getting out of ecological overshoot – and doing it before the damage of overshoot is irreversible – will require a World War II level of effort. All of us – citizens, businesses, scientists and policymakers – will work together to completely reinvent our society, so that we give our kids not a dead planet, but a bright future.

We’ve begun to sketch this out on the Dave the Planet campaign website. Here’s a quick link to The Bright Future Project there: https://brightfutureproject.us. It’s far from complete, however. In this episode, presidential candidate Dave Gardner sought valuable perspective and advice to help us plan that project. Joseph Merz is one of the people he would invite to serve on the “President’s Council on The Bright Future.”

Merz was lead author of World Scientists’ Warning: The Behavioural Crisis Driving Ecological Overshoot https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00368504231201372

Merz is:

Founder and Chairman of the Merz Institute https://merzinstitute.org/
on the Executive Committee of the Stable Planet Alliance
Senior Fellow of the Global EverGreening Alliance

The Merz Institute’s Overshoot Behavior Lab and Future Behavior Lab are doing work at a high level that we think would inform The Bright Future Project.

Follow this podcast for a ringside seat to Dave Gardner’s adventures running for U.S. President. If elected, Dave will declare an ecological overshoot emergency and launch a national project to get the nation out of overshoot. Podcast guests don't necessarily endorse Dave for president. We’ve got a planet to save, and the U.S. should do its part. Learn more, subscribe to campaign updates, volunteer, or donate to the campaign at https://davetheplanet2024.com

14: Schooling Smerconish on Overpopulation

Dave Gardner for President — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 07:00:00 -0600

It’s critical we set the record straight on the uninformed fearmongering about a baby bust. The latest round comes from a Wall Street Journal story and a segment on the CNN show, Smerconish. Presidential candidate Dave Gardner shines a little light on the subject in this episode.

Far too few of us are aware we have a human overpopulation crisis. For the past thirty years, too many have run for cover when the subject comes up. There is a fear of being labeled (usually falsely) racist, classist, or misogynist if one acknowledges overpopulation – or even worse – suggests we do something about it.

Yet today, growth boosters – and the journalists and commentators who carry water for them – shout from the rooftops about an alarming baby bust. They are the ones who should be ashamed and embarrassed, for reducing human beings to economic pawns. No child should be brought into this world in order to bolster the supply of labor, beef up the supply of taxpayers, restock an oversupply of consumers (customers), or provide some built-in, unpaid elder care.

Gardner shares how we know that we’re in a state of overpopulation today, and therefore should welcome falling birth rates. Smaller family decisions are a gift that will keep on giving – to generations to come.

MENIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Why are Global and U.S. Fertility Rates Plummeting? – Smerconish on CNN

https://www.cnn.com/videos/health/2024/05/25/smr-fertility-rate-plummeting.cnn

Suddenly There Aren’t Enough Babies. The Whole World Is Alarmed – Wall Street Journal

https://www.wsj.com/world/birthrates-global-decline-cause-ddaf8be2

13: Virtual Town Hall: A Chat with Presidential Candidate Dave Gardner

Dave Gardner for President — Wed, 22 May 2024 07:00:00 -0600

Some voters are seriously concerned about our environmental meta-crisis, as we find out in this virtual town hall. Dave isn’t burning gas (and cash) roaming the country to meet with voters, so to have a dialogue he took to Zoom. Much of the conversation focused on answering these key questions:

How can we be effective but also quick in alerting the public to the ecological overshoot emergency, and leading the country to action?
Is there a role for alarmism, or not?
And if facts don’t persuade, what will, and how quickly?

Also discussed: How best to educate the public about overpopulation, in the face of growing baby bust alarmism.

Thanks to those who joined in this conversation!

Recorded May 11, 2024

See the video of this town hall: https://youtu.be/iIE7-gEwn0E

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

The Bright Future Project

https://brightfutureproject.com

This Sustainable Life – podcast hosted by Joshua Spodek, and more

https://joshuaspodek.com/

The Limits to Growth

https://www.clubofrome.org/publication/the-limits-to-growth/

We Asked 380 Top Climate Scientists What They Felt About the Future

They are terrified, but determined to keep fighting. Here’s what they said

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2024/may/08/hopeless-and-broken-why-the-worlds-top-climate-scientists-are-in-despair

Dave the Planet on Substack: https://davetheplanet.substack.com

Donate to the Dave the Planet campaign: https://davetheplanet2024.com/donate

Volunteer for the campaign: https://davetheplanet2024.com/volunteer

Contact the campaign: https://davetheplanet2024.com/contact.html

Follow this podcast for a ringside seat to Dave Gardner’s adventures running for U.S. President. If elected, Dave will declare an ecological overshoot emergency and launch a national project to get the nation out of overshoot. Podcast guests don't necessarily endorse Dave for president. We’ve got a planet to save, and the U.S. should do its part. Learn more, subscribe to campaign updates, volunteer, or donate to the campaign at https://davetheplanet2024.com

12: Schooling Scott Galloway on Overpopulation

Dave Gardner for President — Mon, 06 May 2024 07:00:00 -0600

Baby Bust Alarmism or Depopulation Panic are misplaced. We’ve outgrown the planet and are in ecological overshoot. So population contraction is not a disaster; it should be celebrated. Professor Scott Galloway often gets things right, but on this topic, he needs to hit the books.

[DAVE THE PLANET VIRTUAL TOWN HALL – May 11 at 10 Pacific/11 Mountain/Noon Central – Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrdO6oqT0jGN3K6fTrJdj7P9sTVJzWHIxT]

This episode was inspired by remarks made by Galloway on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher on April 26, 2024. The professor was lamenting how gen z are not conceiving children because the American Dream (Dave Gardner's words) isn’t working out for them. In this episode, you'll hear Galloway characterize the population contraction Japan and Italy are experiencing as “the way we go out of business.”

You can’t talk our young people into being optimistic. They see what we’re doing to the planet. And you can’t restore their faith and optimism with bigger paychecks and affordable housing, because one finite planet just can’t support the antiquated American dream of ever-increasing wealth.

This is very relevant to Dave Gardner’s campaign for U.S. President, because a key part of his platform, The Bright Future Project to get out of overshoot, includes contracting our nations’s population (ethically and voluntarily) and ending our love affair with increasing wealth, economic growth and material consumption.

If you’re Scott Galloway and want to brush up on limits to growth, planetary boundaries and ecological overshoot, here are a few recommendations:

The Most Dangerous Secret – will point you to four good podcast episodes about overshoot

https://davetheplanet.substack.com/p/the-most-dangerous-secret

For an excellent summary of our situation, plus links to some of the most important reading you can do:

Polycrisis, Unraveling, Simplification, or Collapse: Coming Soon to a Planet Near You? – by Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow at Post-Carbon Institute

https://www.resilience.org/stories/2023-06-15/polycrisis-unraveling-simplification-or-collapse-coming-soon-to-a-planet-near-you/

Follow this podcast for a ringside seat to Dave Gardner’s adventures running for U.S. President. If elected, Dave will declare an ecological overshoot emergency and launch a national project to get the nation out of overshoot. Podcast guests don't necessarily endorse Dave for president. We’ve got a planet to save, and the U.S. should do its part. Learn more, subscribe to campaign updates, volunteer, or donate to the campaign at https://davetheplanet2024.com

11: State of the Planet Address

Dave Gardner for President — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 07:00:00 -0600

President Biden couldn't tell us the full truth in his State of the Union address last week. So independent presidential candidate Dave Gardner recorded this State of the Planet address, to provide a more accurate assessment of how things are going. We need the full truth about threats that – if ignored – could mean a dead planet for our children. In this address, Dave outlines how we can acknowledge those threats and come together to give our kids a bright future, instead.

Dave Gardner is the one candidate for U.S. President in 2024 who has that bright future agenda. Learn more about the candidate and his platform at https://davetheplanet2024.com

Get more detail about Dave’s National Project to Get the U.S. Out of Ecological Overshoot at https://davetheplanet2024.com/natlonalproject.html

Full transcript and more about this subject: https://davetheplanet.substack.com/p/state-of-the-planet-address

10: Best Campaign Speech Ever

Dave Gardner for President — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 07:00:00 -0600

“The people who lead this world have not been square with you, because that would hurt their bank accounts, and might take away their power. We are destroying our world and making it unlivable for future generations so that we can have more things now - not what we need - but what we want.”

These are lines from a speech written by Matt Orsagh, a speech we need to hear from our leaders, but so far we’re only hearing it from one political candidate – Dave Gardner, independent candidate for U.S. President in 2024.

Read the speech we're discussing here:

https://degrowthistheanswer.substack.com/p/the-speech-we-need-to-hear-from-our

The speech is so truthful, accurate and poignant, that we convened a few members of the Dave the Planet campaign team to review it. We’re faced with the decision of a lifetime: inconvenience ourselves and do what’s right for future generations, or opt for comfort and leave our kids a dead planet.

The speech continues:

“This year is a big election year around the world. Every politician will promise you growth. That's how they get elected. They will tell you that they will deliver growth. The assumption is that growth and a good life are the same thing, that growth is the thing in your heart of hearts that you want. But that's not how the natural world works. Things don't grow forever. You don't grow forever, the trees outside your house don't grow forever. The only thing that grows forever is cancer. It grows until it kills its host, and then it dies too.”

Thank you to finance guru Matt Orsagh, who wrote this speech and published it on his Substack column, Degrowth is the Answer, in January of 2024. It was stunning to read the speech Dave Gardner could have delivered - such syncronicity. We interviewed Matt in our last episode; be sure to listen. Find that podcast in the links below. Here is one more, very relevant excerpt:

"I will not promise you growth because that is irresponsible. But I can promise you a better way. I can promise you a way that is sustainable. I can promise you a way that is better for your children 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 100 years from now. But that will take a change that is quite uncomfortable. Do you want to keep your comfort for today and doom your children, or do you want to make uncomfortable changes and save them?”

We also share some campaign news in this episode:

Endorsements – our campaign website now includes endorsements from notable people, plus supporters like you. Add your endorsement.

Flyers – download these graphics and leave them wherever you go to help spread the word.

Dave the Planet on Substack – campaign updates and notes about the issues are now being published on Substack. If you’re not already getting thes, be sure to subscribe here: https://davetheplanet.substack.com

Fundraising – this national campaign has so far not met even the $10,000 milestone. Please support this campaign so we can alert, educate and inspire more people. We promise not to be a spoiler.

Recorded January 24, 2024.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

The Speech We Need to Hear from Our Leaders – by Matt Orsagh

I encourage our leaders to steal this speech.

https://degrowthistheanswer.substack.com/p/the-speech-we-need-to-hear-from-our

Degrowth is the Answer on Substack

https://degrowthistheanswer.substack.com/

Dave the Planet on Substack

https://davetheplanet.substack.com

Endorsements

https://davetheplanet2024.com/endorsements.html

Flyers

https://davetheplanet2024.com/flyers.html

Dave is the one candidate for U.S. President in 2024 who promises our children not a dead planet, but a bright future. Learn more about Dave Gardner's campaign for U.S. President and his National Project to Get Out of Overshoot at https://davetheplanet2024.com

Subscribe, donate, volunteer, explore the issues, and vote for Dave.

Follow this podcast for a ringside seat to Dave Gardner’s adventures running for U.S. President. If elected, Dave will declare an ecological overshoot emergency and launch a national project to get the nation out of overshoot. Podcast guests don't necessarily endorse Dave for president. We’ve got a planet to save, and the U.S. should do its part.

9: What We’re Doing Isn’t Working – It’s Time for a New Approach

Dave Gardner for President — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 04:00:00 -0600

If things were going well, there’d be no reason to question our current system that puts so much faith in economic growth. But things aren’t going well. Common sense and system dynamics models tell us we cannot grow economic throughput forever. It’s making our world more and more unlivable.

An array of evidence suggests continued pursuit of growth will leave our kids a Mad Max future, at best, and very possibly a dead planet. Finance professional Matt Orsagh explains why we need to change our economic paradigm, put human outcomes above economic, and embrace degrowth. He also explains the concept. Matt writes the Substack column, Degrowth is the Answer.

Americans, on average, are engaged in 5-planet living. We need to scale back in order to avoid leaving our children a dead planet — instead giving them a bright future. Contracting our economy back to a sustainable level is a major part of Dave Gardner’s agenda as a presidential candidate.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Degrowth is the Answer on Substack

https://degrowthistheanswer.substack.com/

The Economics of Biodiversity

https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/dasguptareview

Degrowth Resources – recommended by Matt Orsagh

https://degrowthistheanswer.substack.com/p/degrowth-resources

Planetary Boundaries

https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/planetary-boundaries.html

Doughnut Economics – Kate Raworth

https://doughnuteconomics.org/

The Speech We Need to Hear from Our Leaders

https://degrowthistheanswer.substack.com/p/the-speech-we-need-to-hear-from-our

Thanks to Michael Kerbow for permission to use his painting, The Oil Age.

https://www.michaelkerbow.com/

Follow this podcast for a ringside seat to Dave Gardner’s adventures running for U.S. President. If elected, Dave will declare an ecological overshoot emergency and launch a national project to get the nation out of overshoot. Podcast guests don't necessarily endorse Dave for president. We’ve got a planet to save, and the U.S. should do its part. Learn more, subscribe to campaign updates, volunteer, or donate to the campaign at https://davetheplanet2024.com

8: Ignorant, Arrogant, Incompetent and Morally Bankrupt

Dave Gardner for President — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 07:00:00 -0600

Don’t Let Trump Near the White House

No one was surprised at Donald Trump’s victory in the Iowa Caucus, but here’s why we cannot allow him anywhere near the White House. In this short bonus episode, presidential candidate Dave Gardner shares why anti-Trumpers are so adamant. We hear briefly from John Heilemann (speaking on MSNBC’s Morning Joe) about how unimpressive 51% is for the Donald.

Read Dave’s full Iowa Caucus response here: https://davetheplanet.substack.com/p/dave-gardner-statement-on-the-iowa

View his abbreviated response here: https://youtu.be/mCmznRC77x4?si=dXcuVzp41Omk3_ie

7: How to Have a Bright Future Instead of a Dead Planet

Dave Gardner for President — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 07:00:00 -0600

In the first town hall of Dave Gardner’s campaign for U.S. President, Dave answers questions from panelists and audience about why he’s running and his plan for our nation to stop making dead planet decisions and start providing a bright future for our children.

Why would an everyday guy - who’s never starred in a hit movie, written a New York Times bestseller or held public office - run for President of the United States? Independent candidate Dave Gardner answered this question and more at a town hall in Colorado Springs on December 11.

Dave warns, “Continued business as usual will result in a dead planet. We have a moral obligation to leave the children of the world a planet worth inheriting.” So, his administration will shrink the U.S. footprint – by contracting the material throughput of the economy, putting the nation on an energy diet, and ethically and voluntarily contracting the population that demands that energy and consumes that material throughput.

PANELISTS:

Ally Richardson, campaign team volunteer and permaculture educator
Becky Elder, permaculture educator and consultant, Transition Town veteran, former city councilor
Jax Armendariz Unzueta, Chicana community organizer and activist, former state senate staffer

LOCATION:

Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort

AUDIO MIX AND VIDEO DIRECTION:

Haden Gillespie

6: It’s the Economy, Stupid…But It’s Not What You Think

Dave Gardner for President — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 07:00:00 -0600

It’s the economy, stupid. But what’s stupid is the persistent belief that economic growth can continue forever on a finite planet. Gag-orders silenced one scientist in an attempt to bury the truth that economic growth will give us a dead planet. It’s just one more obstacle that’s prevented the needed shift from a culture of “more” to a culture of “enough.” In this episode, Brian Czech discusses his experiences at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as recounted in his new book, Gag-Ordered No More: The 800-Pound Gorilla In The U.S. Government.

The conversation includes, of course, society’s obsession with economic growth, and why that is in conflict with environmental integrity.

Brian Czech is founder and executive director of the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy. He also authored:

Supply Shock: Economic Growth at the Crossroads and the Steady State Solution
Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train: Errant Economists, Shameful Spenders, and a Plan to Stop them All
The Endangered Species Act: History, Conservation, Biology, and Public Policy

Host Dave Gardner is – to the best of our knowledge – the ONLY candidate running for any office in the U.S., promising to shrink the economy. This is necessary in order get out of ecological overshoot.

View video of this episode at https://youtu.be/2KyM_0dr4eE?si=ymM9rgT9qr86bWAJ

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy

https://steadystate.org/

Books by Brian Czech (including Gag-Ordered No More)

https://steadystate.org/membership/

Sign the CASSE Position Statement Calling for a Steady State Economy

https://steadystate.org/act/sign-the-position/

More about Dave’s economy platform, including links to learn more about the unsustainability of continued economic growth

https://davetheplanet2024.com/economy

Notable Interviews with Brian Czech:

The Silver Lining of Covid Induced Recession - Episode 42 of the GrowthBusters podcast

https://www.growthbusters.org/silver-lining-covid-recession/

Pulling the Rug Out From Under Our Kids - Episode 204 of the Conversation Earth radio series and podcast

http://www.conversationearth.org/pulling-rug-kids-brian-czech-204/

5: Dave Crashes the GOP Debate

Dave Gardner for President — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 07:00:00 -0600

How would presidential candidate Dave Gardner answer the questions posed at the GOP Debate November 8? As an independent candidate, Dave was obviously not invited to the event. But as a service to voters, Dave sat down and answered all of the questions.

Dave is the one candidate who promises our children not a dead planet, but a bright future.

Learn more about Dave Gardner's campaign for U.S. President and his National Project to Get Out of Overshoot at https://davetheplanet2024.com

4: Prospects for Peace on a Crowded Planet

Dave Gardner for President — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 07:00:00 -0600

Presidential candidate Dave Gardner discusses the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and overpopulation. Overpopulation may not be the central issue in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian terrorist groups, but the stress of crowded, high density living and scarce resources like food and water exacerbate the situation. Many global conflicts have been happening in areas that can’t support their growing populations. The fact that Israelis and Palestinians have long been engaged in a population growth competition adds to the tragedy.

Dave sat down to discuss this with campaign team-member Chris Bystroff, a university professor who teaches a course about population dynamics. The outstanding 2013 book about overpopulation, Countdown, by Alan Weiss devotes its first chapter to the conditions and population competition in this area.

They also discuss Liz Cheney’s values and unique honesty in the world of political spin, and a great column by Froma Harrop reminding us that the “American Dream” isn’t all about money.

MENTIONED IN, OR OTHERWISE RELEVANT TO, THIS EPISODE:

Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth? – by Alan Weisman

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/17332183

The Catalyst of Overpopulation in the Gaza Conflict – by Jon Austen and Jane O’Sullivan

https://overpopulation-project.com/the-catalyst-of-overpopulation-in-the-gaza-conflict/

End The Insanity: For Nuclear Disarmament and Global Demilitarization

https://www.ecologicalcitizen.net/article.php?t=end-insanity-nuclear-disarmament-global-demilitarization

It's Really Not All About Money - by Froma Harrop

https://www.creators.com/read/froma-harrop/09/23/its-really-not-all-about-money

Photo credit: Al Araby CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED

3: Dave Threatens to Streak, the Spoiler Effect, and Going Viral

Dave Gardner for President — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 07:00:00 -0600

Campaign launch behind us, Dave and campaign team discuss strategies to get attention and spread the word about our ecological overshoot emergency. RFK, Jr.’s candidacy and the spoiler effect are also on the table. And we review volunteer needs and what campaign contributions will allow us to do.

Please do what you can to help:

Like and share our Wake Up, America campaign video: https://youtu.be/vtV_FPRbCJM

https://davetheplanet2024.com/donate

https://davetheplanet2024.com/volunteer

https://davetheplanet2024.com/subscribe

See the video version of this episode here: https://youtu.be/LZzvrDa4Qo0

2: Population Growth CAN End Today…Or Soon

Dave Gardner for President — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 07:00:00 -0600

Growth profiteers want you to believe growth is making your life better. When the bloom comes off that rose, they want you to believe growth is inevitable. In this episode, Dave debunks a recent newspaper column, Curbing Population Growth is Hard to Do, which seems designed to quell rising public awareness and concern about the unsustainability of continued population growth: “the overall picture is that rapid population growth is a permanent part of life in Colorado.”

Contrary to widespread misassumptions, population growth is NOT inevitable, it’s not beyond our control. We can end public policies that subsidize growth. We can ensure couples are fully informed about overshoot, are free of pronatalist pressure, and are fee to make well-considered, responsible family-size decisions. We can embrace the trend to smaller families. The U.S. can take accountability for its ecological footprint and therefore population size – moving to stop exploiting immigrants, while welcoming refugees.

We can encourage our cities and states to end Ponzi demography, stop competing for population growth, and focus on shrinking their footprints while sustainably meeting the needs of their residents. We can discard those archaic growth-based metrics for success, and start defining and creating a healthy 21st century economy. If I’m elected, we’ll do that at the national level, and I’ll lead the nation in supporting this paradigm shift in all our communities.

Bending the curve, making U.S. and world population peak sooner and contract toward a level that can allow us to restore balance with nature, doesn’t require any coercion or loss of liberty. Everywhere in the world that girls are educated, women have access to family planning and abortion, and women have decision-making power, family sizes go down. More freedom will lead to more freedom.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Curbing Population Growth is Hard to Do – by Tom Cronin and Bob Loevy

https://gazette.com/colorado_politics/curbing-population-growth-is-hard-to-do/article_bdb2ed9e-5d51-11ee-95d4-6f2bb8c87818.html

1: Presidential Campaign Launched

Dave Gardner for President — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 15:09:00 -0600

Presidential candidate Dave Gardner fills us in on his national project that will unify the nation behind the goal of leaving our children not a dead planet, but a bright future. In this episode, hear Dave’s full campaign launch speech (the speech intended for his September 19, 2023 live campaign launch, but cut short by technical difficulties).

Follow this podcast to track Dave Gardner’s adventures running for U.S. President and learn more about the issues and his platform. If elected, Dave will declare an ecological overshoot emergency and launch a national project to get the nation out of overshoot. We’ve got a planet to save, and the U.S. should do its part! Learn more, subscribe to campaign updates, volunteer, or donate to the campaign at https://davetheplanet2024.com

Trailer

Dave Gardner for President — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 16:30:00 -0600

Follow Dave Gardner’s adventures running for U.S. President. If elected, Dave will declare an ecological overshoot emergency and launch a national project to get the nation out of overshoot. We’ve got a planet to save, and the U.S. should do its part. Folow this podcast so you don't miss upcoming episodes - some fun, some serious, all enlightening.

Learn more about Dave or the campaign, subscribe to campaign updates, volunteer, or donate to the campaign at https://davetheplanet2024.com