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Blog • 06.09.2014

How to sell degrowth: Business models I

How to sell degrowth is one of the questions of our research and communication project Postwachstumspioniere at the Institute for Ecological Economy Research. In the paper “Successful non-growing companies“, Andrea Liesen, Christian Dietsche and myself are discussing motives and strategies that seem to apply to a variety of non-growing companies. We found that small and medium-sized [...]

Blog • 06.09.2014

How to sell degrowth: Business models II

The workshop “How to sell degrowth: Business models II” was a short paper session following the scientific paper session “How to sell degrowth: Business models I”. Gabriel Trettel Silva as the first presenter rose the question of whether or not profit-making is compatible with the principles of a steady-state economy. His own conclusion was that it [...]

Blog • 06.09.2014

Choose your struggles, look after each other and have fun!

Closing panel

By Christiane Kliemann At the end of a conference like this, there might be as many impressions and insights to take home as there are participants, and so it is almost impossible to nail this rich variety down to a few one-dimensional bullet-points. What seemed to unite the findings of the various reporters, however, was the perception that the multitude and diversity of the represented appro...

Blog • 05.09.2014

The rising of a common vision - reality or utopia?

Thomas victor 6 photomas

By Christiane Kliemann When listening to all the keynotes, panels and sessions, or simply joining the lively discussions between conference participants, there is the notion of an overall agreement that a broader new vision for society and the economy is most urgently needed.  However, the elephant in the room is that such vision is almost impossible to shape, if it is to represent the diversi...

Blog • 04.09.2014

Technological solutions for a degrowth society

Degrowth tech

By Chris Ward In the scientific paper session on technological solutions for a degrowth society, it was refreshing to hear someone (unsurprisingly an engineer) mention that the degrowth movement could do with more practical projects and methodologies to run alongside the theoretical discussions. The OAE Project: Open Data and Open Source software for a sustainable economy The OAE project a...

Blog • 04.09.2014

Building alliances - equality as basis for sustainability

Thomas victor 9 photomas

By Christiane Kliemann When talking about building alliances -  the focus of the third conference day - the issue of equality  immediately comes  into view, as there are many dimensions of inequality deeply rooted in the current growth-based economic model. In order to overcome this model, all these dimensions need to be addressed and all possible change-agents equally taken on board. Adelhei...