The Steady Stater—Volume 14, Issue 3

The Steady Stater             Vol. 14, Issue 3

Dear Steady Stater,

In the midst of this sweltering, record-shattering summer, don’t we wish that the world had responded responsibly when Limits to Growth was published? That was a half century ago! The dots were connected to global heating by then, too. If only we’d taken our foot off the GDP gas pedal, we’d have bought a lot more time to wean ourselves from fossil fuels. We’d also have conserved the rest of our resources (GDP uses them all) and left more space for Nature. Cities would be less congested, and resource wars would be less certain.

But no, stern warnings on limits to growth were replaced by the win-win rhetoric that “there is no conflict between growing the economy and protecting the environment.”

CASSE, at least, has rung the alarm relentlessly about the perils of economic bloating, despite all the rhetoric. Here’s another chance to join us (or renew your membership). Short of becoming a CASSE member, you can support us with a donation online. If you prefer to mail a check, please note that our address has changed:

CASSE

1100 North Glebe Road, Suite 1010

Arlington, VA  22201

How do we ring the alarm? Consider our website, blog, podcast, presentations, videos, and books. Such communications take time, preparation, effort, and coordination. If that’s all we did, we’d probably still be doing more than any other organization in North America to raise awareness of limits to growth. But we take on projects far beyond pure communications.

Every project we get involved in—and there have been dozens—must contribute to our mission of advancing the steady state economy as the sustainable alternative to growth. Our involvement with projects also reflects the fundraising terrain, political developments, and the news cycle. That said, we’ve prioritized two big projects for the long haul: the Steady State Economy Act and the Keep Our Counties Great campaign.

The Steady State Economy Act—our offering of federal legislation—already has a preamble and an analysis of the U.S. Code behind it, plus a pending assessment of case law. (You’ve got to know precisely what’s broken before you can fix it.) We’ve developed a couple of “feeder bills” and we are developing a political strategy for allies less constrained by non-profit status. Daniel Wortel-London, CASSE policy specialist, is hard at work every day on the Steady State Economy Act.

Meanwhile, the Keep Our Counties Great campaign is all about steering the growth debates at the county level. While the win-win hyperbole of distant politicians might still work at the 40,000-foot level, residents of rural counties can see right through the rhetoric. They see, hear, and even smell the impacts of growth all around them, threatening long-cherished landscapes and communities. More and more citizens want to keep their counties great, not by “making” America great “again,” but by maintaining the majesty already bestowed. The comprehensive plan is a key instrument in keeping a county great.

We’ll be revealing a major hire in the next Steady Stater: an accomplished local government specialist to lead the Keep Our Counties Great campaign. Stay tuned.

So, let’s all make it through the heat waves this summer without going hopeless. There’s plenty of greatness to protect yet; locally, nationally, and globally. More and more, it’s looking like greatness is a steady state economy. So, join CASSE now!

Sincerely,

Brian Czech, Executive Director