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.
Publisher
Dave Gardner and Stephanie Gardner on sustainability
99: Unless Someone Like You Cares a Whole Awful Lot
Host Dave Gardner interviews University of Denver students about their perspectives on ecological economics and the future of societal change.
24 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT
98: In Memory of Richard Heinberg 1950 – 2026
Host Dave Gardner interviews journalist and educator Richard Heinberg about his final book, "Power: Limits and Prospects for Human Survival."
10 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT
97: The Wit and Wisdom of Paul Ehrlich
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 conversation. Paul points out a flaw on the cover of The Population Bomb. Can you guess what it is? Listen to find out.
In our prelude and epilogue, we discuss his acerbic wit – was it helpful or did it hurt the cause of overshoot literacy? One fact is certain: Paul wasn't boring. What if thousands of scientists around the world spoke with Ehrlich's level of candor about the state of the world, and how tenuous our future really is as we continue deeper and deeper into overshoot? Plus, learn some interesting details about his relationship with Johnny Carson and NBC, failures of the university system, the relationship between population and pandemics, comparative advantage, and the vulnerability of our food system.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
GrowthBusters Earth Day Film Festival
https://earthdayfilmfestival.com (https://earthdayfilmfestival.com)
Paul Ehrlich – Uncensored on Earth Day 50th Anniversary – Episode 43 of the GrowthBusters podcast
https://www.growthbusters.org/paul-ehrlich-unfiltered/ (https://www.growthbusters.org/paul-ehrlich-unfiltered/)
Paul Ehrlich on The Limits to Growth - Episdoe 70 of the GrowthBusters podcast
https://www.growthbusters.org/ehrlich-limits-to-growth/ (https://www.growthbusters.org/ehrlich-limits-to-growth/)
Paul Ehrlich (1932-2026): Behaving Against Our Interests – Episode 96 of the GrowthBusters podcast https://www.growthbusters.org/paul-ehrlich-behaving-against-our-interests/
Paul Ehrlich, a Scientific/Environmental/Cultural Iconoclast (1932-2026) – by Dave Gardner on Substack
https://davetheplanet.substack.com/p/paul-ehrlich-a-scientificenvironmentalcultural (https://davetheplanet.substack.com/p/paul-ehrlich-a-scientificenvironmentalcultural)
Goodbye Paul Ehrlich – The Overpopulation Project
https://overpopulation-project.com/goodbye-paul-ehrlich/
The Vindication of a Public Scholar – by Tom Turner https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/magazine/entry/the_vindication_of_a_public_scholar/
Did Paul Ehrlich Help or Hurt His Cause? – by Joshua Spodeck
https://joshuaspodek.com/did-paul-ehrlich-help-or-hurt-his-cause
The Wisest One in the Room - by Thomas Gilovich and Lee Ross
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25205421-the-wisest-one-in-the-room
Ecoscience: Population, Resources, Environment – by Paul R. Ehrlich, John P. Holdren and Anne H. Ehrlich
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6348326-ecoscience (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6348326-ecoscience)
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The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ (%22) https://carlosjones.com/
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the GrowthBusters online community
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GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube
https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo (https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo)
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Inside a recent episode
99: Unless Someone Like You Cares a Whole Awful Lot
Published 6 Aug 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] If we can think about at a local level, you making a change at a local level, and I feel like that's a theme that I've gotten through a lot of my education in the environmental science department is local government does make change, and being able to be a part of that, I feel like would make us feel less like this impending doom. I completely agree with that, because talk about confusion and delusion. I feel like the best way to avoid that is to touch some grass and get back and connected with your local government and your local scene. Because I think if you almost focus too big picture and not on what's right in front of you, you're going to feel a lot more doom when you do have plenty of opportunity to change the life that you built for yourself within proximity. extremely important because I think as we see smaller either state or local politics and policies being implemented and actually making change, they do spark more conversations at bigger scales. […]
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