This feature-length documentary, in production now, examines the sustainability of our worship of growth everlasting.

Sustainability messages are currently filtered by the modern growth-based prosperity paradigm. We can hammer and hammer away with the message, but progress will be excruciatingly slow until we can turn that growth/prosperity filter off. Before we can shift the world meaningfully, effectively, and substantially toward true sustainability, the world must be “prepped” – to be more open-minded and receptive to the message. We must become ready to embrace the end of growth!

The current growth-centric system (an ever-expanding economy – requiring increasing consumption and waste, and trapping communities and even nations in a Ponzi scheme that seeks ever more players), is broken. It’s not providing the happiness or the prosperity we seek. But that’s good news; it means a shift away from this system (to address climate change, biodiversity loss and scarcity of food, water and energy) will NOT require sacrifice and inflict pain. It will actually allow us to be happier AND more prosperous.

Hooked on Growth will hold up a mirror and give our society reason and inspiration to question the validity of our long-held assumptions about growth and prosperity. It will connect the dots of population, consumption, urban and economic growth. It will reveal the irrationality of expecting global population stabilization while individual communities, regions and even some nations compete for population growth. It will honestly explore the roles of religion, immigration, economic development and human denial in our sustainability predicament. And it will offer hope that humankind can redefine progress and learn to pursue true happiness. 

Hooked on Growth examines the beliefs and behavior that are not in our best interest.

It’s main message: For the last few hundred years we’ve been worshipping at the Church of Growth Everlasting. Now, the end of growth is here. We can embrace it, or go down fighting.

It’s really all about sustainability – which is not using up stuff we or future generations are going to need later.

We face in this century the perfect storm of overpopulation, resource depletion and climate change. Every day we see signs in the news that humankind has exceeded the Earth’s carrying capacity, and we must change our ways quickly. Yet we resist. We are changing at a snail’s pace. We are in denial.

Hooked on Growth delves into the sociology, the psychology, the politics, and the popular culture to explore why we are dancing on the deck, or at best rearranging the deck chairs, while the Titanic sinks.

As former Colorado Governor Dick Lamm says in the film, “We can have a culture of growth or we can have a culture of sustainability. We’re gonna have to choose.”

Ecological Footprint: Today humanity uses the equivalent of 1.5 planets to provide the resources we use and absorb our waste. Moderate UN scenarios suggest that if current population and consumption trends continue, by the mid 2030s we will need the equivalent of two Earths to support us.

The film examines the addictions and superstitions we need to leave behind in order to become a sustainable civilization.

We’ll look behind the curtain of current beliefs and norms ­­-- exploring the societal roadblocks that prevent rational public dialog and responsible public policies.