Global Degrowth Day

On 1st June 2019 there will again be many different public events all over the world to share alternatives to a growth based society. 

Since 2013 there was the yearly degrowth picnic – a world wide action day that unites events of many different kinds that support the degrowth idea. In Germany a similar day with the motto „Good life for all“ took place in 2018. Starting in 2019 both days will be combined.

All people, groups, organizations and movements that feel connected to this idea are asked to participate. Create local actions and events that show alternative ways and ideas leading beyond a society that relies on economic growth. The objective is to make these ideas visible for as many people as possible. By putting your ideas into practice we can create a more self-determined and thoughtful way of living together. And a global action day can help to connect different existing initiatives to be part of a colorful and diverse movement for degrowth.

A good life for all requires a way of doing business and a form of society that aims at the wellbeing of all people and fellow creatures while protecting the ecological basis of life. This can only be achieved by a fundamental change in our current mode of living and production as well as a comprehensive cultural change. The values of such a society should include mindfulness, deceleration, solidarity and cooperation, self-determined life and dignity for all. Among other things, the degrowth paradigm includes careful handling of resources, the orientation towards sufficiency and a reduction of production and consumption in the Global North. There is also a need to develop more democratic forms of decision-making to enable genuine political participation, and to reduce global structures of domination and exploitation, such as racism, sexism and neo-colonialism, so that everyone can actually participate in the good life. Such an approach is called both degrowth or post-growth.

Image credit : https://degrowth.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/05/thumbnail-326x245.png