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#sustainable
#Degrowth can work — here’s how science can help
Wealthy countries can create prosperity while using less materials and energy if they abandon #EconomicGrowth as an objective.
By Jason Hickel, Giorgos Kallis, Tim Jackson, Daniel W. O’Neill, Juliet B. Schor, Julia K. Steinberger, Peter A. Victor & Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, 12 December 2022
Excerpt: "The global economy is structured around growth — the idea that firms, industries and nations must increase production every year, regardless of whether it is needed. This dynamic is driving climate change and ecological breakdown. High-income economies, and the corporations and wealthy classes that dominate them, are mainly responsible for this problem and consume energy and materials at unsustainable rates.
"Yet many industrialized countries are now struggling to grow their economies, given economic convulsions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, resource scarcities and stagnating productivity improvements. Governments face a difficult situation. Their attempts to stimulate growth clash with objectives to improve human well-being and reduce environmental damage.
"GDP is getting a makeover — what it means for economies, health and the planet
"Researchers in ecological economics call for a different approach — degrowth. Wealthy economies should abandon growth of gross domestic product (#GDP) as a goal, scale down destructive and unnecessary forms of #production to reduce energy and material use, and focus economic activity around securing human needs and well-being. This approach, which has gained traction in recent years, can enable rapid #decarbonization and stop ecological breakdown while improving social outcomes. It frees up energy and materials for low- and middle-income countries in which growth might still be needed for development. Degrowth is a purposeful strategy to stabilize economies and achieve social and ecological goals, unlike recession, which is chaotic and socially destabilizing and occurs when growth-dependent economies fail to grow.
"Reports this year by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (#IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on #Biodiversity and #Ecosystem Services (#IPBES) suggest that degrowth policies should be considered in the fight against #ClimateBreakdown and #biodiversity loss, respectively. Policies to support such a strategy include the following.
"Reduce less-necessary production. This means scaling down destructive sectors such as #FossilFuels, mass-produced meat and dairy, #FastFashion, #advertising, #cars and aviation, including #PrivateJets. At the same time, there is a need to end the #PlannedObsolescence of products, lengthen their lifespans and reduce the purchasing power of the #rich.
"Improve #PublicServices. It is necessary to ensure universal access to high-quality #HealthCare, #Education, #Housing, transportation, Internet, #RenewableEnergy and nutritious food. #UniversalPublicServices can deliver strong social outcomes without high levels of resource use.
"Introduce a green jobs guarantee. This would train and mobilize labour around urgent social and ecological objectives, such as installing renewables, insulating buildings, regenerating #ecosystems and improving social care. A programme of this type would end unemployment and ensure a just transition out of jobs for workers in declining industries or 'sunset sectors', such as those contingent on fossil fuels. It could be paired with a #UniversalIncome policy.
"Reduce working time. This could be achieved by lowering the retirement age, encouraging part-time working or adopting a four-day working week [and hybrid or remote work]. These measures would lower #CarbonEmissions and free people to engage in care and other welfare-improving activities. They would also stabilize employment as less-necessary production declines.
"Enable #sustainable development. This requires cancelling unfair and unpayable debts of low- and middle-income countries, curbing unequal exchange in international trade and creating conditions for productive capacity to be reoriented towards achieving social objectives.
"Some countries, regions and cities have already introduced elements of these policies. Many European nations guarantee free health care and education; Vienna and Singapore are renowned for high-quality public housing; and nearly 100 cities worldwide offer free public transport. Job guarantee schemes have been used by many nations in the past, and experiments with basic incomes and shorter working hours are under way in Finland, Sweden and New Zealand.
"But implementing a more comprehensive strategy of degrowth — in a safe and just way — faces five key research challenges, as we outline here."
Read more:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-04412-x
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/AtJ87
#FourDayWorkweek #RemoteWork #HybridWork #CircularEconomy #CapitalismKills #RightToRepair #ProtectMotherEarth #CorporateColonialism #BuyLess #BuyNothing #LibraryOfThings #SolarPunkSunday
Consumers are willing to pay more for #sustainable products in some categories, but not others, a new study by Blue Yonder has found. 
Read more: https://sustainabilityonline.net/?p=10082
#transportation #activetravel #micromobility
"If TfL and the government are serious about promoting #sustainable transport, then we need policies that encourage #cycling by connecting it with #publictransport, rather than deterring people from it”
'A huge setback for active and #sustainable transport' - Most #ebikes to be banned on #London #publictransport 
️ 
The Big Box CEOs of the US want to extract *wealth* from you, not just a reasonable profit, and that requires scale. It represents all that's wrong with American culture and the economy.
And is it a good idea to be 10 miles from the nearest grocery store in a disaster or emergency? Or when gas becomes $15 a gallon? No.
Resilience means duplication - lots of it. Stores in every neighborhood.
Families like mine, two working parents with young kids living in suburbia, tend to need two cars. I don't like driving if I don't have to. Instead of a second car, my cargo bike is my SUV! I can haul my two primary school kids all around town, do a full week grocery shop for four—
and even carry a new, large, swimming pool home from the retail park through the lovely sunshine past the ducks at Callendar Park!
US community solar movement gets an assist from global investors
While small-to-medium sized tourism enterprises are essential to the Greek economy, more effort needs to be made to transition them to a more #sustainable future, the executive director of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) has said in a new report by Accor. 
Read more: https://sustainabilityonline.net/?p=9968
Spring Sale!
Get €/$30 off Fairbuds & Fairbuds XL and €/$20 off the Murena Fairphone 4—only until March 30! 
These products aren't just high-quality; they’re #sustainable and #repairable.
Don't miss out on this double deal !
Shop now and upgrade your sound & protect your privacy with /e/OS at unbeatable prices.
#DuarteCA #CommunityGarden to be developed at #TzeitelParasCaracciPark
March 12, 2025
"Duarte residents will soon have a new space to grow fresh produce, connect with neighbors, and enjoy the outdoors. Last month, the Duarte City Council approved the development of the Duarte Community Garden at Tzeitel Paras-Caracci Park (2701 Royal Oaks Drive).
"'This project exemplifies our dedication to creating #sustainable, #accessible spaces for our residents,' said Mayor Cesar A. Garcia. 'This garden will not only enhance the beauty of our park but also provide a space where our community can come together, learn, and share in the joy of nature. I am excited to see this project grow and look forward to it becoming a vibrant part of our community.'
"The goal of the Duarte Community Garden is to increase #FoodSovereignty by creating garden plots for community members to grow healthy food, cultivate agricultural literacy with educational programs, gather community by creating a welcoming and accessible garden space, and perform ecosystem services by removing grass, installing a sustainable #DripIrrigation system, building a #NativeHabitatGarden, and collecting #compost.
"The garden will feature 20 plots and two #ADAAccessible raised beds, available for rent at $5 per month. Community members can plant edible (excluding smokable) plants and flowers for personal, noncommercial use. It will include a storage shed with garden tools, an irrigation system promoting sustainable practices, and ADA-accessible decomposed granite pathways.
"The garden will be run in partnership with Food Exploration and Discovery (#FoodEd), a nonprofit organization that collaborates with San Gabriel Valley communities to create edible education sites and provide programs on #ecosystem #stewardship, healthy living, #environmental innovation, and entrepreneurship.
"Food Ed’s educational model will support gardeners of all skill levels, providing supplies and plants for beginners while experienced gardeners can use their own resources. The garden will also offer picnic benches for community #gatherings and host educational programs on topics like #VegetableGardening, #composting, #DroughtTolerant landscaping, and #SoilHealth.
"As the lead on this grant project, Food Ed will be responsible for building the #DuarteCommunityGarden. This includes overseeing site construction, collecting infrastructure bids, contractor management, program management, community engagement and workshops/events, processing plot holder applications, plant and soil replenishment, above ground irrigation repairs, developing the garden’s webpage and branding and overall garden management through October of 2026.
"For more information on the Duarte Community Garden, contact the Parks and Recreation Department at (626) 357-7931."
Source:
https://heysocal.com/2025/03/12/duarte-community-garden-to-be-developed-at-tzeitel-paras-caracci-park/
#ThirdSpaces #SolarPunkSunday #CommunityGardens #FoodSecurity #BuildingCommunity #California #SolarPunk #Composting
Take vegetation succession into account when planning solar parks, otherwise problems can grow up
New study reveals that solar parks can enhance #biodiversity through vegetation succession, where diverse plant species evolve over time. The study shows solar parks not only accommodate #energy needs but also support ecosystems, highlighting a need for #sustainable management practices, like grazing, to control plant growth & sustain biodiversity.
https://globalplantcouncil.org/take-vegetation-succession-into-account-when-planning-solar-parks-otherwise-problems-can-grow-up/ #Science #Plants
Bird Flu Crisis in Australia: Egg Shortages & Soaring Prices 
Australia is facing yet another bird flu outbreak, leading to the culling of over 2.1 million innocent hens.
But beyond rising egg prices and supermarket shortages, this crisis exposes deeper issues within the egg industry—animal suffering, disease risks, and unsustainable practices.
The Ethical Toll of Culling Birds
One of the most distressing consequences of this outbreak is the mass killing of birds. In Australia, flocks are culled using carbon dioxide gas, which can take up to 20 minutes to ensure death, or water-based foam, causing asphyxiation.
These culls not only highlight the ethical dilemmas of using animals for food but also expose the high disease risks of animal agriculture. Such outbreaks demonstrate how industrial farming conditions can create environments where diseases spread rapidly, affecting both animal and human health.
The Solution? A Better Way Forward 
Plant-based alternatives offer an ethical, sustainable, and health-conscious solution.
Healthier & Safer: Unlike eggs, which are high in cholesterol, many plant-based alternatives provide protein without the saturated fats and cholesterol linked to heart disease. They also eliminate the risk of salmonella and antibiotic residues found in intensively farmed poultry.
Prevent Future Outbreaks: Choose plant-based egg alternatives. With egg-free options gaining popularity, now is the perfect time to make the switch to vegan living, to protect our health, safeguard animals, and promote a more sustainable future.
Want to know the best egg substitutes for baking, scrambling, and more? Check out our guide and discover how easy it is to ditch eggs for good.
Read more: https://www.veganeasy.org/bird-flu-crisis-australia/
In every meal choose compassion, health, and a better future.
I've been collecting fountain pens for a few decades. But I never use them. People throw 20-30 pens away each year with billions of them in landfill.
So this is it! I'm going disposable pen free! From now on it's a potent mix of soil AND ink under my fingernails!
Plus, of course, they are beautiful
They're appropriate technology too! I'm a sucker for something that can outlast me and be recycled.
Towards #sustainable space #research in #France
During the 2024's quinquennial scientific roadmap of @cnes, a specific group worked on setting recommendations to decrease the #environmental footprint of #space #science activities.
Our correspondence to @NatureAstronomy highlights the efforts of the french space research to move towards sustainability. It relies on two complementary methods: decarbonisation and frugality.
Read more here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-025-02506-w (or here for full-text version: https://rdcu.be/ecSNp)
Nordic fund manager and property owner Areim has completed a capital raise of €450 million for its Nordic data centre fund, Areim DC Fund, which will facilitate the expansion of its #sustainable data centre network.
Read more: https://sustainabilityonline.net/?p=9513
Watt’s Holding Women Back? The Gender Divide In Energy https://www.byteseu.com/809275/ #ClimateChange #Energy #environment #GenderEquity #green #InternationalWomen'sDay #Sustainability #Sustainable #woman #Women'sDay
Engineers hope a sewage-powered #car could help #motorsport's quest to be more #sustainable
They developed a prototype #LMP3 #racecar made from sustainable materials, powered by... sewage. Or rather, sewage treatment technology which involves microbes feeding on waste producing #hydrogen by-product - it is this hydrogen is fuel for the car. A supercharged #V6 engine from #RevolutionCars has been converted to burn hydrogen and run like a normal internal-combustion engine.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/articles/cpvml3l9m01o
[en] #Luddite: anti-progress fanatics, a popular misconception
"... original ... Luddites weren’t against #technology. "
"... wrest back control of technology for #democratic ends ... kind of "#digital #Luddism" which echoes past struggles against high-tech #injustice."
"... systemic change towards #sustainable, #transparent and #usercontrolled infrastructure."
If you’re making a website, think #sustainability!
Say no to Wix, SquareSpace, Elementor, Divi, WP Bakery, and so on. Ban JPEG from your vocabulary!
I know not everyone has the budget for a pro, so I made this guide.
Now you can DIY a website with sustainability best practices baked in. It won't be as efficient as the work of a full-timer, but still pretty good.
#webdev #sustainablewebdev #greenwebdev #WordPress #plugins #webdesign #webdevelopment #sustainable
https://codewordcreative.com/free-can-beat-crappy-how-to-diy-a-basic-website/
You can find the story on my Substack. Link is at the bottom of my linktree, look for the Substack icon.
#substack #blog #vintage #reseller #secondhand #sustainable
