Steady State Herald – Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy

Struggling Against Sprawl in Rutherford County

February 26, 2026/1 Comment/in Dave Rollo, Economic Growth, Governance, KEEP Our Counties Great, Limits to Growth, Politics, Population, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald, Wellbeing /by Alix Underwood

By Dave Rollo

Rutherford County is located in the central Tennessee farm belt. Its county seat, Murfreesboro, is precisely in the state’s geographic center, and it briefly served as Tennessee’s capital. But, because of greater commerce and superior roads, the legislature chose Nashville as the seat of power only a few years after statehood was granted in 1796. Decades later, Murfreesboro became a grim center of the Civil War. It was the site of the Battle of Stones River—a pivotal Union victory bought at the cost of immense casualties.

The Youth Movement in a Post-Growth World

February 19, 2026/10 Comments/in Climate Change, Economic Growth, Ideology, Politics, Postgrowth, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Adel Ramdani

Bringing about alternatives to our capitalist growth system at the speed and scale needed is no easy task. The herculean work to develop transformative worldviews, including theories toward a steady state economy, is ongoing and increasingly cross-sectoral. At the core of this endeavor is the recognition that we cannot implement alternatives to growth capitalism without first addressing cultural and social dynamics deeply rooted in colonialism and cultural appropriation.

Taxes, Economic “Development,” and Growth Fetishism — State of the States

February 12, 2026/7 Comments/in David Shreve, Economic Growth, Economic Policy, Governance, Ideology, Inequality, Jobs and Employment, Limits to Growth, Poverty, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald, Wealth, Wellbeing /by Alix Underwood

by David Shreve

Many are beginning to sense that there is a diminishing relationship between increasing gross domestic product (GDP) and broad prosperity or “quality of life.” Environmental perils are a big part of this—from dying oceans and freshwater shortages to extreme weather events and epidemics. People readily feel these changes, even without knowing their true extent. Technological advances notwithstanding, there is little doubt that ongoing “growth” only perpetuates and amplifies such perils.

On Public Lands, a Feeding Frenzy for Growth

February 5, 2026/4 Comments/in Conservation, Corruption, Economic Growth, Endangered Species, Energy, Fossil Fuels, GDP, Limits to Growth, Politics, Steady State Herald, Water /by Alix Underwood

by Kirsten Stade

American public lands management has always embodied a tense balancing act between conservation and exploitation. Too often the balance has tipped in an unsustainable direction. But the Trump Administration appears determined to break the scale, with unprecedented efforts to sell out public lands to extractive industries.

Four agencies manage most federal lands. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the National Park Service (NPS) within the Department of the Interior,

Elk County: A Story of Restoration and Recapitulation

January 23, 2026/3 Comments/in Conservation, Dave Rollo, Economic Policy, Energy, Fossil Fuels, Governance, KEEP Our Counties Great, Pollution, Steady State Herald, Water /by Alix Underwood

[This is an edited version of the article that first appeared on January 23, 2026. It has been edited for geographic accuracy in the first two paragraphs.]

by Dave Rollo

Pennsylvania is known for its public lands and forests. Beautiful Elk County, Pennsylvania, is no exception. It boasts rugged, forested scenery with rolling hills, deep valleys, numerous streams, and vast woodlands. Part of the Pennsylvania Wilds,

The New Food Pyramid: Packing the Plate for GDP

January 15, 2026/19 Comments/in Brian Czech, Consumption, Corruption, Economic Growth, Food and Agriculture, GDP, Governance, Politics, Steady State Herald, Trophic Theory of Money /by Alix Underwood

by Brian Czech

Say what you will—pro or con—about the nutritional merits of the Trump Administration’s new food pyramid, but the thing is a masterclass in political artistry. It systematically serves vested interests, a political party, and an ever-competing president. And, I’ll argue, it’s subtly designed for a surge in GDP.

On its face, it certainly is an artistic endeavor, designed to grab you from several angles. The first thing to catch your eye is its surprising disposition.

Why Is Simple Living So Complicated?

January 8, 2026/9 Comments/in Consumption, Corporate Reform, Economic Policy, Governance, Inflation, Jobs and Employment, Money and Investments, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald, Wellbeing /by Alix Underwood

by Keith Akers

In industrially advanced countries, we have massively overshot the limits to economic growth. Climate change, peak oil, soil erosion, mass extinctions, and groundwater depletion are already biting into our well-being. Economic and social collapse seems to be the default.

We need “simple living”—the voluntary reduction of consumption—but on a massive scale. We need other things too, like social justice and cultural changes. But let’s focus on the economic logistics of simple living.

Investors Profit from the Affordable Housing Crisis

December 31, 2025/7 Comments/in Amelia Jaycen, Corporate Reform, Corruption, Economic Policy, Governance, Inequality, Money and Investments, Steady State Herald, Wealth, Wellbeing /by Alix Underwood

by Amelia Jaycen

Today, we see endless suburban sprawl and no shortage of stories about the U.S. affordable-housing crisis. So, why aren’t there enough homes yet?

The story is one of “artificial scarcity,” in which there are plenty of means to close the affordable-housing gap, but scarcity is created by investment companies buying up homes. Investors own 20 percent of single-family homes in the United States. Loopholes in the U.S.

Christ Didn’t Shop for Christmas Presents, Much Less Jets or Even Pets

December 24, 2025/5 Comments/in Brian Czech, Consumption, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Brian Czech

Editor’s note: This annual essay originally appeared December 23, 2020 as “Christ Didn’t Shop…Much Less Jets or Guns.” The version herein is updated, and pets have replaced guns as one of the peeves.

by Brian Czech

With Christmas looming, folks are making tough decisions about last-minute Christmas presents. The public is rattled by inflation, credit card debt is through the roof, and gift-giving is a real strain for many.

Federal Land Management Reaches Full Sellout Under Trump

December 18, 2025/4 Comments/in Autocracy, Conservation, Corruption, Economic Policy, Endangered Species, Energy, Environment, Fossil Fuels, Governance, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Kirsten Stade

While U.S. federal land management agencies have seldom been bastions of conservationist vision, their level of regulatory capture has reached a new high in the Trump era. From opening up protected areas to oil and gas development to efforts to sell public lands outright, the current administration and Congress are looking to turn over public lands to extractive industry for its private profit.

We are in a new era of public lands mismanagement,