The Steady Stater: Volume 11, Issue 1

The best is yet to come with the exciting goals we’re working toward—including unprecedented legislation for a steady state economy—and it’s all because of the endless support of our signatories and members! There’s never been a better time to join CASSE.

Along with you and everyone else, we’ve had to adjust to the pandemic. With our background in the relentlessness of exponential growth, we were early responders and shifted entirely to telework on March 10. Fortunately, we’d developed enough teamwork and camaraderie with our Spring 2020 interns to continue with highly productive projects, using web-based and telephone communications.

As we all face the rest of the pandemic, we at CASSE are filled with gratitude to be on this difficult journey with fellow steady staters. Hopefully our efforts will resonate with you, now more than ever. They certainly fit with the times!

CASSE staff and interns. Top left to right: Skyler Perkins (staff), Amanda Hilware, Peter Bishay, Mason Escamilla, Gabriella Golinski, Madeline Baker, and Brian Czech (staff). Bottom left to right: Szu-Ting Liao, Ellie Nguyen, Casey Reiland (staff), Kristen Matta, Lauren Pyjar, and Jordan Hutchinson.

CASSE is thrilled to introduce three new chapter directors: Andrew Rex, Brian Snyder, and Martin Tye! Our chapter directors are located around the world and work in various and distinctive ways to advance the steady state economy.

Andrew Rex, Denver Chapter Director
Andrew Rex has supported CASSE’s vision for years. He advocates for CASSE’s position on economic growth at gatherings of concerned citizens, and he coordinates meetings and projects with other environmental organizations. He is a senior electrical engineer at a consulting firm, where he studies and designs power distribution systems for industrial facilities. He earned his B.S. in physics and mathematics from the University of Wisconsin and his M.S. in engineering systems from the Colorado School of Mines. He studies political economy and institutional economics in his spare time.

Brian Snyder, LSU Chapter Director
Brian Snyder is an assistant professor of environmental science at Louisiana State University. His research focuses on the theory and modeling of energy and socio-ecological systems. His recent theoretical work concentrates on anthroecological theory, while his applied work centers on negative emissions technology and policy. He has published 40 peer-reviewed journal articles in a diverse array of journals including Ecological Economics, Ambio, Energy Policy, Applied Energy, and Sustainability Science. A native of Maryland, he earned a B.S. in biology from the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Georgia. He now lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with his wife and two daughters.

Martin Tye, Australian Regional Communities Chapter Director
Martin is many things: a keen surfer, bushwalker, small business owner, three-time political candidate, family man, traveler, and nature and music lover. He holds a B.S. in applied geography. In his spare time he studies ecological economics and history. Most of all, Martin is passionate about improving the quality of life for current and future generations and restoring wildlife. Martin is an active community member, keen to promote the steady state economy to those living in Australia’s rural districts, known to Aussies as “Australian regional communities.”

We are eager to see the impact our new chapter directors will bring to their respective communities. (We’ve already noticed some results.) Welcome Andrew, Brian, and Martin!

On January 24^th at the National Geographic Society, CASSE Executive Director Brian Czech questioned former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, about his opportunities to get more explicit about the need for “a steady state economy as the truly sustainable alternative to growth.” Ban Ki-moon’s favorable reply led to a follow-up and very near-signing of the CASSE position on economic growth, disrupted only by his security entourage (which rushed him off to his limousine).

Another highlight was a statement by Robert Kunzig, the Senior Environment Editor at National Geographic. Referring to the earlier Q&A period, Kunzig acknowledged a long-running desire to write about the steady state economy for National Geographic.

Hosting, facilitating, and informing discussions about limits to growth at policy and journalism events is extremely valuable for advancing the steady state economy. Want to help? Be a CASSE outreach volunteer and make your voice heard at conferences or within your own neighborhood!

Quotable

“It is an honor and an obligation to sign this [CASSE] position…
for the sake of future generations.” –Roberto Filacchione, USA

“This is the first environmental cause that gives me clear vision and hope.” –Kelly Hofer, Canada

“The best kind of ‘growth’ for humans is to be about increasing our capacity for empathy and living more fulfilling lives.” –Kristen Mayer, Australia

CASSE launched the Global GDP meter back in June 2019, and on February 20th it reached 88 trillion dollars! This amounts to an alarming level of environmental impact—biodiversity loss, pollution, and climate change for starters. Much of this impact is permanent, and ecosystems are unravelling as a result, threatening tomorrow’s jobs, national security, and international stability.

Meanwhile, the COVID pandemic has shifted GDP into reverse, for the time being. See how we’ve adjusted the meter. CASSE projects and discussions will be focused for some time on post-pandemic paradigm shifts and policies. Our emphasis will be degrowth toward a steady state economy.

Grab a Copy of the Steady State Press’ First Book, Best of The Daly News: Selected Essays from the Leading Blog in Steady State Economics, 2010-2018!

Need a read during the COVID downtime? Best of The Daly News is the perfect choice! With insightful, sharp, and entertaining articles, Best of The Daly News has nothing but 5-star reviews at Amazon. For a better deal on the book, though, join CASSE and get it as a membership gift!