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The other day I made the following post to one of my favorite groups, Degrowth — join the revolution:

In other ecologically/socially conscious groups I participate in, many people (the ones who have money to do so) invest in the stock market to build a nest egg for their “retirement.” They try to choose funds that are green, socially responsible, etc.

Personally, I stopped believing in this concept of “retirement” some years ago, and stopped investing in the stock market in any form. I don’t see how the stock market, mutual funds, or any other financial instruments premised on “growth” can possibly be compatible with degrowth or a steady-state economy. And I see degrowth / steady-state economy as the only viable path for the survival of human civilization on this planet.

However, I am not well-versed in economics, and my assumption could be wrong. I realized I’ve never asked anyone in the degrowth community where they stand on mutual funds, the stock market, etc.

So I decided to ask.

Do you invest in stocks, mutual funds, etc.? And if so, do you find it compatible with degrowth?

Most people so far have answered basically no, they do not feel that investing in markets is compatible with degrowth. Some people are stuck in a situation where they are required by employers to put money into a fund they have no control over. And some people feel it goes against what they know is right, but they are afraid (for reasons of old-age security) not to invest.

One of the group’s more active members, Kirk Hall, shared with us a link to a post he made to the group back in 2018 on this topic. I found it very on-point and in keeping with my own plans. He gave me permission to share it:

Retirement in a Steady State Economy (SSE)

The growth economy is wrecking the planet. Things will change by disaster (business as usual) or design (degrowth to a SSE). One thing to change will be retirement funded by interest.

Ted Trainer said “in a zero growth economy there can be no interest payments at all. Interest is by nature about growth, getting more wealth back than you lent, and this is not possible unless lending and output and earnings constantly increase.” Others are more controversial saying “interest is unearned income”. Others say that a very small interest rate would be possible.

So retirement will be funded by drawing down savings and by the state funded pension. The old and less able will also be assisted in the way it has been done for most of human existence – with help from family and community.

So forget that long bucket list and lots of overseas travel in retirement. But also forget loneliness and poverty. Because of the shorter working week, in a SSE many people would choose to volunteer for “working bees … windmill maintenance, … public works, child minding, nursing, basic educating and care of aged and disadvantaged people”.

The [SSE] neighbourhood would be full of interesting things to do, familiar people, common projects, animals, gardens, forests, windmills, lakes, little firms and community workshops. It would be leisure-rich … One would certainly predict a huge decrease in the incidence of drug abuse, stress, loneliness, depression and similar social problems.

References:
http://thesimplerway.info/THEALTSOCLong.htm
http://www.thesimplerway.info/TheAltSoc4p.html
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=12162

I made this comment in response:

this is a beautiful post and is pretty much what i have found myself moving toward, and trying to encourage others to do.

It’s a very foreign mindset to most folks here in my country, the USA. But I keep plugging away because i see it as not only the only viable way forward, but inherently a lovely thing.

People in the USA (and other wealthy nations with a lot of space and resources) have become so disjointed. Traveling to “picturesque” places where people hang their laundry out on lines and live in old stone buildings … then flying back home where they live happily in HOAs that outlaw clotheslines and any kind of natural asymmetry.

For retirement, as for other stages of life, the best approach I can think of is what I’ve been saying for awhile now: Minimize the amount of money we keep in banks and other financial markets. And work on covering our basic needs — shelter, transport, food, healthcare, essential goods — in as low-cost and low-footprint a way as possible, thus reducing our need to earn money or hoard money, hoard resources.

For the record, my “retirement” plan is not to retire. Instead, I have occupations that I’ll be able to do til I die. Writing, art, teaching, permaculture design / eco restoration, etc. And I strive to help other people see their way to that kind of old-age security too.

Many occupations can be continued into old age, and are fulfilling. Watching children, tending animals, storytelling, making music. Another traditional way for older people to earn income in a non-exploitive manner is to be the money partner in a local business. Or owner or part-owner of an apartment building or other commercial building in their local area.

The arts and teaching are way underestimated as a societal need and lifelong occupation.

One of my strategies has been to pare my cost of living to a very low level which is not hard to support by my various freelance occupations.

Further Exploration:

• A fellow member of D-JTR shared a book recommendation: “Local dollars local sense is a book on investing locally rather than Wall Street. You could focus your money on things that help your community resilience.”

• Another member, Brad Zarnett, shared a post he wrote on medium.com, and commented, “The established pathway to a comfortable retirement has vanished. Without a well-functioning climate none of it’s possible anymore. And yet the elite still push this lie…” Here’s the post, “Where Will Mainstream Climate Propaganda Take Us?” “We squandered the greatest sweetheart deal imaginable. Nature was happy to selflessly provide us with everything we could possibly want but instead of nurturing it, we went in another direction. We bought into the lie of endless growth on a finite planet. We chose to ignore science in exchange for shiny stuff that we mostly don’t need. We chose to serve a ravenous predatory master that incentivized greed as opposed to wellbeing, and in the process, we not only crippled the source of our success, we turned it against us. However, there is still hope in a ‘mathematical sense’ but we need to move quickly and get very serious about the next steps that we take … and it boils down to two choices.” I agree with his assessment of things. I also got a nice wry laugh out of the following, which sounds like the mind-set of so many jetsetting retirees I see in the social mediaverse: “Most people want to feel like they’re generally a good person. This is the bread and butter of marketers and propagandists. They tell us that we can have whatever we want and that our consumption is an important part of the economic ecosystem. It’s an easy lie to believe. By becoming a ‘champion consumer’, we can get cool stuff while simultaneously providing opportunities for others, so the story goes, while making the world a better place. A beautiful win-win. So hold your head high as you drive your Chevy Suburban to your newly built 6,000 square foot retirement summer home. Your plan to fly guests in for weekend visits to play on your new pair of jet skis, while you watch your sustainable (ESG) stock portfolio rise, is the culmination of a life of hard work. You’re a hero of global prosperity!”

• What is degrowth? Check out degrowth.info for an overview. “The degrowth movement of activists and researchers advocates for societies that prioritize social and ecological well-being instead of corporate profits, over-production and excess consumption. This requires radical redistribution, reduction in the material size of the global economy, and a shift in common values towards care, solidarity and autonomy. Degrowth means transforming societies to ensure environmental justice and a good life for all within planetary boundaries.”

• What is a steady-state economy? “A steady-state economy is an economy made up of a constant stock of physical wealth (capital) and a constant population size. In effect, such an economy does not grow in the course of time.” (Wikipedia). And check out Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy (CASSE) at steady.state.org

• “Life in a ‘degrowth’ economy, and why you might actually enjoy it” (Samuel Alexander; theconversation.com). Great overview of what everyday life a steady-state economy might look like. Less stuff, less rushing around, more DIY and mutual aid, more growing food everywhere.

To my usual longtime two motivations for trying to make green choices, a third has been added.

The first two reasons:

1) To reduce carbon footprint and stop using more than my share of the world’s resources. Even if my reductions are just one person’s worth — a tiny drop in the ocean — it’s still something.

2) Beyond just the numeric value of the reduction, is the fact that my choices can help normalize and popularize resource-consciousness and care of all species and all people. And help de-normalize and de-popularize the hyperconsumerist, me-centric norms of mainstream culture.

And then just recently, I noticed I have a third motivation!

3) To make the world I want to see. Even if it’s just my tiny corner of the world, I can create a little pocket of reality where it’s not weird or abnormal to get around mainly by walking; where it’s normal to have a yard full of native plants and other eco-friendly features; where it’s normal to go to great lengths to avoid bottled water and single-use plastic bags; where it’s normal to care about insects and other nonhuman creatures as well as fellow humans. Where it’s normal to create a little corner of my yard where the public is invited to sit. The little pockets of reality I create (and you do as well), might be considered a micro-subculture. This micro-subculture can potentially grow (if other people see and choose to replicate it in their own little corners of the world). And in the meantime, the little pockets of “world I want to see” that I create are great places to rest and recharge so I can stay energized and encouraged to do my work in the wider world.

As a kid, I HATED yardwork. We’d come back from a family camping trip to the beach or woods or mountains, where there was NO yardwork, just nature’s beauty.

And back home, the shrubs and lawn awaited us. They had grown shaggy in our absence and had to be beaten into submission by lawnmowers, hedge-trimmers, rakes (at least leafblowers did not exist back then, which was a mercy).
I hated all the work and fuss that was for nothing except complying with suburban cultural norms.

When I grew up, I got into learning about where our food comes from. This led me to spend a bit of time working on small farms. Funny, THAT “yardwork” didn’t bother me at all, because it produced FOOD (and community).

Later, as a climate activist and permaculture designer, I became aware of our damaged soil, damaged water-cycle, declining biodiversity. And learned that a lot of the damage could be mitigated or slowed by replacing toxic manicured landscaping with native and/or adapted trees & plants.

Honestly, I’m a sucker for beauty. Because I was privileged to have early childhood exposure to wild nature, my brain got “formatted” in such a manner that I could never see manicured landscapes as beautiful. To me they were ugly in a cold, smooth, creepy way, plus meant a lot of work and a curtailment of time I’d rather spend walking, reading, daydreaming.

As an adult I’m pretty much that same kid. My yard isnt 100% native, but it is a mini nature park that is a sanctuary and creative incubator for all who spend time here.

Doug Tallamy’s “Homegrown National Park” movement definitely motivated me to step up my efforts. I have started to include this topic in my repertoire of public talks that I give to congregations, neighborhood groups, permaculture classes, etc.

My “maiden voyage” of this presentation happened this past Wednesday at 10, at the environmental learning center in my neighborhood.

For all who are interested, I have just added this presentation to my roster of eco motivational talks about how we as everyday people can help with ecological restoration. It includes tips for responding to typical objections raised by HOAs or other governing bodies. The length of the talk can be from as short as 15 minutes to as long as 2 hours or more, and can be tailored to the needs and mission of your group.

This talk and all my other talks are available to communities and groups everywhere. I do them either hyperlocally or by Zoom (or equivalent) in order to minimize carbon footprint & keep expenses down, allow people to partake from the comfort of their own neighborhoods and not have to be out sitting in traffic, and maximize reach.

Disclaimer: “Save the world” (or “save the earth”) is just a convenient shorthand or figure of speech. It mean save human life on earth. The earth will be fine with or without us. But you knew that already.

Just 4 basic handtools — ratcheting screwdriver; drill (either hand-cranked, or punch drill “Yankee drill” as shown here); small saw; and hammer — can do a lot! You can make or repair lots of things with these.

I once used them to build an entire pallet porch with roof and screen walls at my place in the RV park where I lived for 10 years in Austin. And I use them for smaller projects and repairs all the time, such as repairing a broken chair at my neighbor’s house.

I typically work with materials I find discarded at curbside. Old wood can be super hard and/or crack easily, and old nails & screws can be dullish and rusty. No worries; I just take the extra step of drilling starter holes (pilot holes). If you don’t have a drill, you can make pilot holes by gently tapping with hammer on a skinny nail.

I’ve always preferred hand tools to power tools. And I love projects that divert unwanted materials from landfill and give them new life.

You can see pics here on my DEEP GREEN Facebook page, and see my TikTok video tribute to the tools here. Also check out my TikTok video about using scrounged materials to repair a chair.

As the disasters and pandemic and economic hardships and everything have piled up worldwide, it has crossed my mind to publish an updated edition of my book.

But I decided all it really needs is a preface. Here’s the preface, dated May 2022:

A lot has happened since 2017 when I wrote this book. Everything that’s happened — intensified storms; droughts; wars; pandemic; social upheaval; community violence; housing crunch, worsening income inequality, and other widening economic hardship; disruptions in supplies of food and other essential goods; fuel shortfalls — just underscores the ideas I’m promoting in this book; just makes the information and suggestions herein more valid and valuable.

Public Service Announcement for motorists who don’t see walking, cycling, and bus as real, valid forms of transportation: Please stop saying we pedestrians, cyclists, and public-transit users “don’t have transportation,” when what we don’t have is CAR ownership. We have transportation!

And please stop trying to shame us or scare us into quitting walking & cycling “because it’s dangerous.” Just STOP that please!!!

If YOU really think it’s dangerous, then do something to actually help fix the danger you perceive. Ask your elected leaders/police to crack down on speeding & drunk driving. Teach self-defense to kids, women, or other vulnerable populations etc etc etc.

What about the dangers of depression, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar from a sedentary lifestyle! I’d rather pick the kind of “danger” that lets me be outdoors and talk with neighbors, meet new people, see cool buildings & beautiful nature close-up.

And if the real reason why you’re wanting me to stop getting around by foot or bicycle is because it makes you question your choices … then hey, go ahead and question your choices! You might find out something interesting and useful. (I always do, when I reexamine my choices and defaults.)

Oh, and you can stop asking me where my shoes are. I expect they’re right where I left them.