About the Post Growth Institute
The Post Growth Institute is an international organization accelerating the world’s shift to a society that thrives within ecological limits.
Our research explores how to create a fair and sustainable market economy, and is the basis of our published articles, community presentations and the forthcoming book, How On Earth.
The community economy and not-for-profit forms of business offer the greatest hope for designing a thriving, sustainable economy. Hence, our training and consultancies focus on processes that spark local exchange and provide people with the knowledge and resources they need to develop successful, nonprofit enterprises.
We’re not alone in our efforts, we're part of a movement. Under the #postgrowth banner, we amplify the messages of other like-minded individuals and groups. Our cooperative social media service, for example, creates engaging, original content for member organizations, and uses their collective reach to ensure the widespread distribution of each post.
The Post Growth Institute (PGI) brings creativity and clarity to complex economic challenges. While we articulate the causes of the harsh realities that underlie our current global predicament, we also outline specific steps toward a thriving, alternative future focused on better, not bigger.
Incorporated in Oregon, we are a registered, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Our mission is to inspire, mobilize, and support individuals, businesses, and communities in the transition to a society that thrives within ecological limits.
Our team is based across 9 countries from around the world.
Our Team
Ashima Bhardwaj
Finance team member
USA
Ashima has worked with several non-profits and social impact businesses over the last decade, managing operations and financials, as well as public outreach and public speaking. She has an MBA and an MA in English from Garhwal University, India, and is passionate about learning and unlearning new things, as well as using her skills to impact change. She assists social justice organizations with operational strategy, financial management and project management, including WhoseKnowledge?, Beloved Economies, and Culture Hack Labs. Born in Dehradun, India, she resides in San Diego, California with her family, and enjoys cooking traditional dishes and going for long walks.
Crystal Arnold
Director of Education
USA
Crystal is the founder of Money-Morphosis and two online webinar courses. Since graduating from Southern Oregon University in 2007 with a degree in international economics, she has designed and facilitated workshops, community events, and discussion panels about money. In 2016 Crystal began the “Money-Wise Women” podcast, and has interviewed nearly 100 women on the show. She has inspired thousands of people to have a healthier relationship with money. Her courses serve to illuminate the individual’s relationship with money and value. As a financial coach, she encourages people to live their potential. Her written work has appeared in journals, magazines, and in the book called Reinhabiting the Village. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two children.
Dien Vo
Board Chair
USA
Dien is an independent filmmaker and Assistant Professor at Bard College at Simon’s Rock. He has interests in community media, sustainability, and experimental art movements. Dien previously taught at the University at Buffalo (SUNY) and Virginia Tech, where he co-developed the filmmaking program. Dien became interested in post-growth economics through his interests in sociology, philosophy, and ecological wisdom. He lives in Great Barrington, Massachusetts and New York City, where he is most happy experiencing the colorful diversity of Jackson Heights. http://www.dienvo.info
Tyler Harris
Director of Operations
USA
Tyler is a Non-Profit Director passionate about organizational development based in Portland, Oregon. Graduating from Oregon Tech with a B.S. in Population Health Management, Tyler applies a systems-thinking mindset to implement sustainable programming within his community. His formal education, coupled with considerable experience directing diverse teams and coordinating projects, has provided the foundation to support his drive in making a positive impact with his neighbors. Tyler enjoys hiking in the sunshine, spending time with positive people, and learning how to better himself as well as his environment.
Natalie Holmes
Director of Communications
Germany
Natalie is a British writer and editor based in Berlin, Germany. She holds a BA in Social Anthropology and a Master's in Environment & Development, and has been a professional wordsmith for over six years. Passionate about the environment, social justice and actively challenging the cult of (over)work, Natalie is cofounder of Mind the Gap, a nonprofit working to close the gender wealth gap by hosting inspiring educational events across Germany; and DangerousTech, an events and content platform focused on digital rights and the intersection of technology and society. Natalie is convinced that post-growth offers a way of thinking about the world - and each other - that is more sustainable, mindful and just than our current system, and that the PGI provides a practical set of steps to get us there. A hatha yoga teacher and avid traveler, she enjoys long train journeys with her ever-adventurous dog, Squirrel.
Robert Wanalo Onono
Director of Movement Building
Kenya
Robert Wanalo is a patchworker, absorbed in the practice of weaving ideas, relationships and information into fabrics of possibility. Having spent a good couple of years learning about the new economy, he began to work with the Post Growth Institute in 2018, and is currently serving as the Director of Movement Building. He is a sucker for good conversation, and could be anything from an instigator of depth, to a catalyst for humor and mischief. He lives in Kisumu, Kenya, where the quiet moments of dawn and dusk are his favorite times for hot beverages and solitude.
Donnie Maclurcan
Executive Director
USA
Donnie is a facilitator, author and social entrepreneur, passionate about all things not-for-profit. Originally from Australia, he moved to the U.S. in 2013, from where he coordinates the Post Growth Institute. He has worked in Egypt, Kenya, Fiji, Thailand and South Korea, helping over 500 not-for-profit projects start, scale and sustain their work, while his own initiatives include developing: the Offers and Needs Market, Free Money Day, the Post Growth Alliance, the (En)Rich List, The Not for Profit Way training, Silent Skype team meetings, Project Australia, and the globally-used #postgrowth hashtag. An Affiliate Professor of Economics at Southern Oregon University and Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, Donnie holds a Ph.D. in social science. He is working on his fourth book: How on Earth: Our future is not for profit.
Simon Spire
Board Deputy Chair
USA
Simon is a developmental and contemplative guide, writer, and researcher in cultural evolution and systems change. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in psychology, has worked in social entrepreneurship and mental health, and was led from his native New Zealand to New York by his career as a recording artist and songwriter. Simon's life has been driven by two interrelated core questions: what is the nature of full human development and human flourishing, and how can we create more life-supporting economic dynamics in our world? The founder of Emergent Inquiry, he currently resides in Chapel Hill, NC, where he works in transformative settings with groups and individuals and misses the ocean.
Adam Szymanski
General Volunteer
USA
Adam is a recent graduate of Southern Oregon University. His studies included philosophy, history, politics, and economics. Adam is a Colombia native who moved to the United States at age two with his parents who are avid travelers. Since then he has traveled around the world and explored foreign languages. During the time he worked at Habitat for Humanity, he felt inspired by spaces for community members to recycle and reuse goods and has raised funds for local home building projects. Adam has worked in Ethiopia and Colombia alongside his mom for Hope Ranch, an organization that supports micro-loan enterprises and orphanages. Adam is interested in international politics and economics and is eager to start his career working with nonprofits, political movements, and organizations that contribute to human development and social reform efforts.
Angus Finn MacLeod
General Volunteer
USA
Angus is an independent filmmaker and multimedia artist, currently studying for a BA in Electronic Media and the Arts at Bard College at Simon's Rock. Alongside helping produce various independent films, Angus also works as a Media Intern with the National Park Service in collaboration with Housatonic Heritage, creating AR displays and short documentaries to preserve and digitize notable cultural heritage sites. His desire to work with the Post Growth Institute comes from a desire to help people and the world, to move past an increasingly toxic world to one where a meaningful, free life can truly be lived. In his spare time, Angus is an avid drummer, artist, and writer, in the form of both creative fiction and journalism, and takes part in political and ecological activism. Angus splits his time between western Massachusetts and southern New York.
Johanna Valdeson
General Volunteer
Sweden
Johanna will soon graduate from her LLM focused on environmental law and policy at UCL. Although she has always lived in the spirit of post-growth, it was while writing her master's thesis that she got into the theoretical ideas of post-growth. She identified a dissonance between the current economic system and the ecological limits whereby capitalism is treated as the inevitable frame within which environmental laws are created which renders them largely ineffective. Her interests in labour law and environmental law found a common denominator when she connected the dots in a post-growth thinking. She was born in Uppsala, Sweden and is temporarily back in the city, but she has lived in different countries for the past 10 years. She seeks a life filled with values beyond possessions.
Vanessa Michael
Director of Wellbeing
UK
Vanessa is passionate about systemic sustainable living and business, and believes that a prosperous future within planetary boundaries lies beyond overconsumption and the growth dogma. Originally an experienced packaging engineer, she discovered her purpose for helping people to help the planet and became a Global Learning professional. Vanessa is also a director of NOW (No Other Way). As ‘The Vintage Environmentalist’ she publishes articles, delivers talks, and provides coaching to help people live a conscious and ecological life. Originally from Germany and based in the UK, Vanessa loves to leave-no-trace wild camp and wild swim with her husband and daughter.
Jessica Lavelle
Director, Post Growth Fellowship
South Africa
Jessica, born and raised in South Africa, is passionate about our (one) Earth and all things nature. With a background in conservation, she has a PhD in environmental governance and is currently based at the University of Cape Town. Observing the devastating effects of industrial agriculture, resource extraction and fossil fuels on nature and the gross inequity hegemonic, neo-colonial capitalism has wrought on the Global South, has led her to seek a radical revolution in economics to a post-growth world. Jessica loves being in nature away from the city where the wild things are.
Naryan Wong
General Volunteer
Canada
Naryan, based out of Toronto, is on a mission to maximize the long-term flourishing of humanity. Looking for leverage points in areas of vertical growth and transformational learning, collective sensemaking, and economic game change. He's currently practicing my systems change skills in a corporate sandbox - creating a decentralized network that embodies the kinds of behaviours that will lead to the transformation of a 50k-person organization. How can we create a deliberately developmental workplace that actually transforms its employees into their best selves? And once we figure that out - how do we scale this to the world?
Lina Lefstad
Intern
Germany
Lina is just about to graduate from an MSc in Ecological Economics at the University of Leeds, having obtained a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a major in Circular Economies. She is passionate about the evolution of climate justice and strongly believes that a thriving and healthy society that fits within ecological limits is possible. She was born in Norway but has lived all over Europe since the age of 12, currently residing in Berlin. When not reading and engaging with post-growth ideas, she can be found at the stables or out in nature with her horse, Atlas.
Nadine Mingers
Design Coordinator
Germany
Nadine, holding an MSc in Environmental Science, is passionate about living in a respectful and healthy relationship with – and as part of – nature. Her interest in post-growth and degrowth emerged from her involvement as a volunteer in the climate movement, and she is still finding her path in many ways. Born and raised in Germany and based in the Netherlands, Nadine practices parkour to "be strong to be useful", to develop her worldview as part of a community rather than a competitor, and to see any place as a playground and an opportunity to get creative and overcome fears.
Henry Hoffstot
Free Money Day Coordinator
Argentina
Henry, after four years of working in finance, developed a passion for exploring ways to improve our current financial system defined by its inherent obsession for infinite growth and ever-expanding global indebtedness. Along with professional degrees in finance and economics, Henry has a Bachelor's degree in Government from Georgetown University and a MA in Human Geography from the University of Cambridge. Born on a farm in Pennsylvania, Henry Henry lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he enjoys time outdoors, sports, chess, and a good cup of ethically sourced coffee.
Arushi Lakhan-Pal
Intern
USA
Arushi is an undergraduate student at the University of California Santa Barbara, studying to get a double bachelors degree in Environmental Studies and Communication. She is passionate about environmental justice, and believes in the possibility of a flourishing, sustainable economy. She found out about Post Growth Institute through an email list from her professor, where she read a PGI newsletter and developed an interest in the organization. She grew up in the bay area, California, and currently resides in Santa Barbara, California as she attends university. Arushi enjoys yoga, reading, traveling, and going to the beach.
Lorenzo Lonardi
General Volunteer
Spain
Lorenzo is a Master’s student of Political Ecology and Degrowth, and is passionate about the struggles of the Global South. He became interested in post growth while working as a Junior Project Officer for the NGO Avsi in Nairobi, Kenya, and this experience turned his attention to the dangers that capitalism poses to the environment and global justice. Lorenzo devotes himself to the creation of a society that works for the Global South and Global North in an equal and environmentally sustainable way. Born in Milan, Italy, he now lives in Barcelona, where enjoys hiking and singing.
Dani Leonardo
Director of Equity
USA
Dani is a facilitator, youth mentor, writer & musician, passionate about community building and the role of art & music in healing & justice work. Dani got connected with the PGI through the Offers and Needs Market and now works as part of the OANM team. Dani is a youth mentor, facilitating circles with Rogue Valley Mentoring. Dani was born and raised in Ashland Oregon & loves to snowboard in winter, plant seeds in spring, explore rivers in summer, jump in leaf piles in fall & admire the color purple all year round.
Kristel Bodensiek
Graphic Designer
Scotland
Kristel is a freelance graphic designer, Art of Hosting practitioner, and graphic facilitator who is passionate about creating spaces of honesty and transformation. She developed an interest in the post-growth worldview through courses in ecovillage design and the Youth Initiative Program, a year-long experience with activists from all over the planet on alternative solutions to global challenges. Kristel is currently studying for an undergraduate art degree while opening a fresh pasta business. Born in Bogotá, raised in Germany, and based in Edinburgh, Kristel speaks fluent Spanish, German, and English. She is completely obsessed with craft materials, chocolate, and dogs.
Arnaud Diemer
General Volunteer
France
Arnaud received his PhD in Prospective and Economic Modelling from Paris Dauphine University, where he designed new programs for Economics Studies. Working for the Scientific Mission of the French Consulate, he undertook a study on GMO in the United States for the European Parliament. At the same time, he became involved in the social and solidarity economy and degrowth projects. Since 2000, he has supported sustainable development education programs in Bénin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Togo, and the Republic of the Congo. Recently, he developed research at the local level, helping citizens in rural areas to produce their own energy, organic food systems, and soft mobility.
Dora Zupka
General Volunteer
Germany
Dora holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a Master’s in Sustainability Management, through which she realized the interconnected nature of today's challenges, leading her to eventually question the whole economic system. After learning about post-growth ideas, she was eager to contribute to efforts to bring about a much-needed systemic change. Previously, she worked as an intern at the World Fair Trade Organization and volunteered as a translator for an NGO combating labor exploitation. Born and raised in Hungary, Dora now resides in Germany, where she enjoys learning languages, crocheting, and reading contemporary novels and philosophy.
Marianna Coulentianos
General Volunteer
UK
Marianna is a mechanical engineer turned design researcher. She holds multiple degrees in engineering, economics, and design, including a PhD in Design Science, and is currently a postdoctoral researcher working on making field trials more participatory, with the goal of working towards decolonizing the field of engineering for global development. After finishing her PhD and finally having some time to think about something other than her thesis, she became fascinated with degrowth and low-tech approaches as a path towards justice. Born in France, Marianna can be found in the UK, Michigan, Greece, and France, depending on the time of year.
Jennifer Damashek
General Volunteer
USA
Jennifer is an educator with a BSc in Biology and Psychology and a deep desire to live in a world that works for everyone. She became interested in alternative economic models decades ago when she realized poverty and hunger were the results of the way our global economy currently operates. Born and raised in the maritime region of Canada, she lives in Virginia, USA, and loves dancing and singing to the music of the Rolling Stones.
Björn Michael
General Volunteer
UK
Björn is a life coach and facilitator, who believes that fulfillment and contentment make people peaceful and generous. He is passionate about creating safe spaces for sharing vulnerability. As a mentor, Björn enables people to feel comfortable and serves them to achieve a sustainable life transformation. Originally from Germany, he moved with his wife and daughter to the UK in 2015. Björn aims to make people happier and more confident. He also writes about personal development on his blog. He is an advocate for empathic communication with his podcast Eine Dosis Empathie (A Dose of Empathy) and the Empathy Lounge he founded in 2020.
Kialyn Rubias
Operational Specialist
Philippines
Kia holds a BSc in Information Technology. A tech-savvy person who always craves learning, she chose to become a Virtual Assistant and has been pursuing that career passion for almost six years. Just through observing the current situation, she developed an interest in post-growth economics and an understanding of the importance of improving our economy. She was born on a suburban island in the Philippines, where the sweetest mangoes are to be found, and enjoys listening to Christian music in her quiet times.
Antonela Ferraro
Director of Innovation
Argentina
Anto is a life explorer in constant movement. She is passionate about designing and facilitating creative, humane, and genuine collective experiences and discovering the patterns that enable us to be the most authentic version of ourselves. She is an architect with knowledge of systemic thinking and has worked with NGOs, assisted companies and governments engaging with communities, mentored entrepreneurs, and led environmental management and education processes as well as triple impact projects. In her spare time, which she balances 50-50 with her work, Anto likes to practice acrobatics, yoga, soccer, dancing, hiking and pottery, and supports her local fire brigade.
Olga Cojocariu
General Volunteer
France
Gabriela Safay
General Volunteer
USA
Gabriela is studying for a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Sustainability with a minor in Marketing at Oregon State University. She is passionate about regenerative economies, social justice, and using grief as a tool for connection and transformation. She found out about the PGI through an internship with SOCAN, where she created the Businesses Taking Action Survey to measure the social and environmental impacts of local businesses. She wants to help shape a world where economies work for nature, not against it. She was born and raised in Ashland, Oregon, and enjoys reading, writing, dancing, rock climbing, and traveling to new places.
Priyanka Das
General Volunteer
USA
Post Growth Fellows
Amanda Janoo
Amanda Janoo is an economic policy expert with over a decade of experience working with governments and international organizations around the world. Amanda currently works as the Knowledge & Policy Lead for the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll) and is passionate about transforming our economic system through participatory and holistic policy design processes. Amanda was born on a farm, by a midwife, in rural Vermont, USA and has recently returned to her home state after living throughout Asia, Europe, and Africa for the past 15 years.
Andrés Bernal
Andres Bernal is a PhD student in public policy at The New School for Public Engagement and an adjunct professor of Urban Studies at City University New York. He is a researcher and advocate of Modern Monetary Theory and the Green New Deal. Andres is a Research Fellow with the Global Institute of Sustainable Prosperity, an associate editor at the Money on the Left Editorial Collective, and co-director of the advocacy group Public Money Action. He is also an organizational development consultant and was a Senior Policy Advisor with the Alexandria Ocasio Cortez congressional campaign. He is currently researching how critical theory and heterodox economics can help us rethink political orthodoxies and institution building. He tweets at @andresintheory
Beth Stratford
Beth Stratford is a PhD student at the University of Leeds looking at the kinds of big structural changes to ownership and control in our economy that will be needed to reduce our growth dependence, and get within the ‘doughnut’ of social and planetary boundaries. Beth is a member of the Social Guarantee Taskforce, an advisor to Positive Money, and a co-founder of the London Renters Union. Recent outputs include a report, The UK’s Path to a Doughnut-Shaped Recovery, and Land For The Many, a report for the UK’s Labour Party. She tweets at @Beth_Stratford
Camille Canon
Camille Canon leads Purpose’s US nonprofit and supports businesses in converting to steward-ownership. Prior to Purpose, Camille spearheaded a real estate development initiative in Northern California for Urban Green Builders, focused on affordable housing, social enterprise, and community building. She holds a BA from Mount Holyoke College.
Caroline Shenaz Hossein
Dr. Caroline Shenaz Hossein is Associate Professor of Global Development and Political Science at the University of Toronto Scarborough and founder of the Diverse Solidarity Economies Collective. In March 2021 she delivered the Big Thinking Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences lecture, “Canada’s hidden cooperative system: The legacy of the Black Banker Ladies”. Dr. Hossein is a board member of the International Association of Feminist Economics, on the editorial board of the UN Task Force for the Social and Solidarity Economy and board chair of the Miami Institute. An author of numerous books and articles, her co-edited book Community Economies in the Global South will be out in 2022.
Djémilah Hassani
Djémilah Hassani is a passionate international strategy expert for social economy at CRESS (Regional Chamber of Social and Solidarity Economy) Mayotte. She is passionate about leadership and empowering communities through meaningful projects by understanding cultural backgrounds to restore dignity and hope. She was born in Mayotte, a French island, but she also has Malagasy origins from her mother which makes her feel deeply rooted in the Indian Ocean with a strong openness to the world. Djémilah is a good cook and uses ingredients to find meaning in life!
Cle-Anne Gabriel
Dr. Cle-Anne Gabriel was born and raised on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. A mum, academic, author, speaker, and consultant, she is presently the University of Queensland Business School’s Director for the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (UN PRME). Cle-Anne is a specialist in sustainable development and higher education, a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and an award-winning educator and Vice President (Elect) Programs of the North American Case Research Association (NACRA). Based in Australia, she researches in the areas of post-growth futures, renewable energy enterprise and business models for sustainability. Follow her on LinkedIn.
Erfan Daliri
Erfan Daliri is a social change author, educator and consultant with a long and diverse career in community development, refugee settlement, management consulting, social change empowerment, activism, and advocacy. His experience includes marketing and communications strategy, participatory development with remote and refugee communities, cross-cultural communication training, anti-racism consulting, youth empowerment programme design, research, advisory, and motivational speaking. With a Master’s in Communication for Social Change, three published books and 20 years of experience working with not-for-profit, corporate and government sectors, Erfan has become one of Australia’s most sought-after social change consultants.
Gabriela Cabaña
Gabriela Cabaña is an anthropologist interested in our current civilizational crisis and how to find caring and emancipatory ways out of it. She is an Anthropology PhD researcher at the London School of Economics and Political Science in the UK. In her fieldwork, she is looking into energy planning in southern Chile, trying to bring together a degrowth, feminist, and decolonial perspective to ongoing conflicts and tensions around renewable energies. Part of the Centro de Análisis Socioambiental, she participates in the degrowth community and is also a basic income advocate. She tweets at @gabi_cabana and loves science fiction novels.
Heira Hardiyanti
Heira Hardiyanti is a co-operator, a researcher at Institute for Indonesia Cooperative Development and Studies (LSP2I) and an educator at IKOPIN, where she completed her postgraduate degree in Management Studies. Currently, she serves as a consultant for the Agency of Cooperative and SME in West Java and other institutions. She is passionate about voluntary work, especially cooperatives, and finds PGI’s work remarkable. She is a co-founder and director of the MyCoolClass co-operative, a teacher-owned platform coop. She believes that the economy should be fair, ethical, and protect the environment. She was born in Bandung, Indonesia, where she now lives.
Kidist Tesfaye
Kidist Tesfaye has over seven years of experience in the nonprofit sector and in different organizations. She has a Master of Science in environmental engineering from Addis Ababa Science and Technology University and a Bachelor of Science in water resource and environmental engineering from Jimma University. She is founder of Tuba Ethiopia, which is organized to make a difference in Ethiopia by creating job opportunities for unemployed women and youth, and produces environmentally friendly products using recycled materials and sustainable raw materials. Kidist is passionate about innovative and social entrepreneurship projects on environmental issues such as climate change, waste management, and social issues such as education, youth, and women's empowerment.
Melanie Rieback
Melanie Rieback is the CEO and co-founder of Radically Open Security, the world’s first nonprofit computer security consultancy company. She is also a former Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the Free University of Amsterdam (VU). She is passionate about developing the post-growth entrepreneurship ecosystem and through Nonprofit Ventures offers a Post Growth Incubation program for entrepreneurs who want to apply the post-growth mindset to their startups. She is also interested in non-extractive post-growth finance. For fun, Melanie co-founded the Dutch Girl Geek Dinner in 2008. She was born in the USA, but has lived in the Netherlands for almost 20 years.
Mike Strode
Mike Strode is a writer, urban cyclist, facilitator, and solidarity economy organizer with the Kola Nut Collaborative residing in southeast Chicago. The Kola Nut Collaborative is Chicago’s only time-based service and skills exchange (otherwise known as a timebank) providing an open platform for mutual aid, community organizing, and network weaving. The Collaborative recently launched an initiative to develop a network of Chicago-based facilitators trained in the Offers and Needs Market. He is a Program Manager at Open Collective Foundation and serves on the boards of the US Solidarity Economy Network, South Deering Manor Community Association, and Dill Pickle Food Co-op.
Monicah Muhoya
Monicah Muhoya is a social entrepreneur and the founder of Sister Speaks Global, which hosts events to expand women’s dialogue; and Heels4Pads, a linked charity to raise awareness of period poverty through rights-based digital campaigns to advocate for policy change. Passionate about giving back to the community, Monicah grew up in a highly gendered context that piqued her interest in gender equality through empowerment and social justice. She holds a degree in Business, Information and Technology, is an alumna of the Post Growth Incubator, and is set to start a Master’s in gender studies in Europe in 2022. Monicah is from Kenya, where she is currently based.
Monika Bielskyte
As a futures researcher, Monika Bielskyte has been on a nine-year nomadic journey engaging with future emergence in 90+ countries. As a futurist, Monika consults at the future intersection of technology, culture and politics. As a world designer, she explores the bleeding edges of new science fiction universes, having been commissioned by major film productions and studios. Monika is currently developing @protopiafutures, a platform for research and creative collaborations challenging & offering alternatives to dystopian/utopian stereotypes. Protopia prototypes visions of radically hopeful and inclusive futures centering Queerness, Indigeneity, Disability and other previously marginalized perspectives in the context of futures and foresight work.
Robert Wanalo
Robert Wanalo is a patchworker, absorbed in the practice of weaving ideas, relationships and information into fabrics of possibility. Having spent a good couple of years learning about the new economy, he began to work with the Post Growth Institute in 2018, and is currently serving as the Director of Movement Building. He is a sucker for good conversation, and could be anything from an instigator of depth, to a catalyst for humor and mischief. He lives in Kisumu, Kenya, where the quiet moments of dawn and dusk are his favorite times for hot beverages and solitude.
Sabrina Chakori
Sabrina Chakori is finishing her PhD research at the University of Queensland, looking at packaging reduction in food systems under economic growth and degrowth scenarios. She also holds a BSc in Biology and an MSc in Environmental Economics. Born in 1992, Sabrina is part of the generation that inherited complex socio-ecological challenges, thus her work towards a degrowth society is a responsibility, not a passion. Sabrina led numerous initiatives, including a collaboration with Queensland’s Environment Minister to introduce the law banning single-use plastic bags. To apply degrowth concepts, in 2017, she founded the Brisbane Tool Library. Born in Switzerland, Sabrina has worked in a number of countries and now lives in Australia.
Shrishtee Bajpai
Shrishtee Bajpai is an environmental and social activist-researcher with a Master’s in Development Studies. She works with Kalpavriksh, researching radical alternatives to dominant systems; helps coordinate the Vikalp Sangam process; and is a core team member of Global Tapestry of Alternatives. Her interest lies in exploring intersections of radical ecology and radical democracy, and what it would mean to reimagine democracy from a more-than-human perspective. She is currently documenting traditional decision-making systems in the western Himalayas and how they inform our understanding of bioregional approach to governance. Born and based in India, Shrishtee enjoys discovering the lives of birds, walking to unknown places, reading magic-based fiction, listening to music, and almonds.
Symone Jackson
Symone Jackson is a digital strategist and equity advocate whose work is featured in Splinter News and The Naked Truth: Shadow Town (2016). While pursuing a BSc in Sociology at Santa Clara University, she studied how systems and institutions have been major drivers of socioeconomic inequality. Symone is Associate Director, Digital Engagement at Beneficial State Foundation, a nonprofit cultivating better banking in partnership with Beneficial State Bank. She is based in California, where she was born and raised. She owns a boutique marketing agency, Digital Strategy by Symone, which helps social entrepreneurs and social impact organizations improve their digital engagement.
Ted Rau
Ted Rau is an advocate, trainer, and consultant for self-governance with sociocracy. After his PhD in linguistics, he encountered a peer-oriented governance system in his intentional community and became curious about ways of organizing grassroots groups effectively yet equitably. He is co-founder of Sociocracy For All, a nonprofit with a mission to equip people with the skills and knowledge to self-govern and self-organize. Born in Germany, he lives in Western Massachusetts. Ted is transgender and a parent of children between eight and 17 who say “our family is five queer kids and three dads”.
Thomas Hanna
Thomas Hanna is Research Director at The Democracy Collaborative and Vice President of the National Center for Economic and Security Alternatives. His areas of expertise include democratic models of ownership and governance, particularly public and cooperative ownership. Thomas’ most recent book is Our Common Wealth: The Return of Public Ownership in the United States (Manchester University Press, 2018). He received his MA and BA degrees in History from Virginia Commonwealth University, and is currently pursuing a PhD in political economy at the University of Glasgow. Born on Ascension Island, UK, he currently resides in Virginia, USA with his partner and two children.
Timothée Parrique
Tim Parrique is a heterodox economist who is passionate about political economy and philosophy of science, and trying to reinvent the way we think about the economy. He holds a PhD in economics, for which he wrote The Political Economy of Degrowth, which explores the idea of degrowth. Originally from Versailles, France, and currently based in Clermont-Ferrand, he blogs at timotheeparrique.com, tweets at @timparrique, and never says no to a game of chess.
Yusra Bitar
Yusra Bitar is a researcher from the Levant ecoregion, currently completing her MSc in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management at the New School. Her current passions include food sovereignty as a means of liberation, in addition to understanding the global military's contribution to climate change and ecocide. Her interest in post growth comes through the degrowth route, which she was first exposed to through a related art piece in a magazine. Positive ideation for the future has been on an upward slope through the degrowth lens since then. She previously worked as a "development" consultant in Beirut. She was born and raised in Beirut and currently lives in New York City.
Zai Starchild Ziere
Davion Ziere is a global citizen focused on embodying the world we wish to live in. Founder of Origyn, Zai is an artist, serial post-growth entrepreneur, writer, and community bridge who cultivates visions and systems that value and respect all forms of life. His accolades include being recognized by the State of Georgia for substantial economic development work in communities of color, writing legislation for the US House of Representatives, crafting curriculum for national nonprofits such as the Children's Defense Fund, and consulting universities on how to build community around creativity and innovation. He is the eldest of nine siblings and loves his family, community, travel, and exploring all that we don't know.
Zolo Mendbayar
Zolo is a Fulbright scholar with an MS in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management from the New School. Her research focuses on Indigeneity and how it directly connects to social justice, which sits at the intersection of environmental, climate, racial, and economic justice issues rooted in colonial and exponential growth-based systems. This interest stems from growing up on the periphery of an urbanized city. Although born and raised in the capitalist era of Mongolia, she continues to bear and research the nomadic pastoralist and Indigenous lifeways of millennia within and beyond her homeland. Zolo is currently based in Brooklyn, where she’s unlearning, exploring, and re-building her own truths and values.
TERMS OF SERVICE ---- OVERVIEW This website is operated by Post Growth Institute. Throughout the site, the terms “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Post Growth Institute. Post Growth Institute offers this website, including all information, tools and services available from this site to you, the user, conditioned upon your acceptance of all terms, conditions, policies and notices stated here. By visiting our site and/ or purchasing something from us, you engage in our “Service” and agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions (“Terms of Service”, “Terms”), including those additional terms and conditions and policies referenced herein and/or available by hyperlink. These Terms of Service apply to all users of the site, including without limitation users who are browsers, vendors, customers, merchants, and/ or contributors of content. Please read these Terms of Service carefully before accessing or using our website. By accessing or using any part of the site, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to all the terms and conditions of this agreement, then you may not access the website or use any services. If these Terms of Service are considered an offer, acceptance is expressly limited to these Terms of Service. Any new features or tools which are added to the current store shall also be subject to the Terms of Service. You can review the most current version of the Terms of Service at any time on this page. We reserve the right to update, change or replace any part of these Terms of Service by posting updates and/or changes to our website. It is your responsibility to check this page periodically for changes. Your continued use of or access to the website following the posting of any changes constitutes acceptance of those changes. Our store is hosted on Strikingly. They provide us with the online e-commerce platform that allows us to sell our products and services to you. SECTION 1 - ONLINE STORE TERMS By agreeing to these Terms of Service, you represent that you are at least the age of majority in your state or province of residence, or that you are the age of majority in your state or province of residence and you have given us your consent to allow any of your minor dependents to use this site. You may not use our products for any illegal or unauthorized purpose nor may you, in the use of the Service, violate any laws in your jurisdiction (including but not limited to copyright laws). You must not transmit any worms or viruses or any code of a destructive nature. A breach or violation of any of the Terms will result in an immediate termination of your Services. SECTION 2 - GENERAL CONDITIONS We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason at any time. You understand that your content (not including credit card information), may be transferred unencrypted and involve (a) transmissions over various networks; and (b) changes to conform and adapt to technical requirements of connecting networks or devices. Credit card information is always encrypted during transfer over networks. You agree not to reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell or exploit any portion of the Service, use of the Service, or access to the Service or any contact on the website through which the service is provided, without express written permission by us. The headings used in this agreement are included for convenience only and will not limit or otherwise affect these Terms. SECTION 3 - ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS AND TIMELINESS OF INFORMATION We are not responsible if information made available on this site is not accurate, complete or current. The material on this site is provided for general information only and should not be relied upon or used as the sole basis for making decisions without consulting primary, more accurate, more complete or more timely sources of information. Any reliance on the material on this site is at your own risk. This site may contain certain historical information. Historical information, necessarily, is not current and is provided for your reference only. We reserve the right to modify the contents of this site at any time, but we have no obligation to update any information on our site. You agree that it is your responsibility to monitor changes to our site. SECTION 4 - MODIFICATIONS TO THE SERVICE AND PRICES Prices for our products are subject to change without notice. We reserve the right at any time to modify or discontinue the Service (or any part or content thereof) without notice at any time. We shall not be liable to you or to any third-party for any modification, price change, suspension or discontinuance of the Service. SECTION 5 - PRODUCTS OR SERVICES (if applicable) Certain products or services may be available exclusively online through the website. These products or services may have limited quantities and are subject to return or exchange only according to our Return Policy. We have made every effort to display as accurately as possible the colors and images of our products that appear at the store. We cannot guarantee that your computer monitor's display of any color will be accurate. We reserve the right, but are not obligated, to limit the sales of our products or Services to any person, geographic region or jurisdiction. We may exercise this right on a case-by-case basis. We reserve the right to limit the quantities of any products or services that we offer. All descriptions of products or product pricing are subject to change at anytime without notice, at the sole discretion of us. We reserve the right to discontinue any product at any time. Any offer for any product or service made on this site is void where prohibited. We do not warrant that the quality of any products, services, information, or other material purchased or obtained by you will meet your expectations, or that any errors in the Service will be corrected. SECTION 6 - ACCURACY OF BILLING AND ACCOUNT INFORMATION We reserve the right to refuse any order you place with us. We may, in our sole discretion, limit or cancel quantities purchased per person, per household or per order. These restrictions may include orders placed by or under the same customer account, the same credit card, and/or orders that use the same billing and/or shipping address. In the event that we make a change to or cancel an order, we may attempt to notify you by contacting the e-mail and/or billing address/phone number provided at the time the order was made. We reserve the right to limit or prohibit orders that, in our sole judgment, appear to be placed by dealers, resellers or distributors. You agree to provide current, complete and accurate purchase and account information for all purchases made at our store. You agree to promptly update your account and other information, including your email address and credit card numbers and expiration dates, so that we can complete your transactions and contact you as needed. For more detail, please review our Returns Policy. SECTION 7 - OPTIONAL TOOLS We may provide you with access to third-party tools over which we neither monitor nor have any control nor input. You acknowledge and agree that we provide access to such tools ”as is” and “as available” without any warranties, representations or conditions of any kind and without any endorsement. We shall have no liability whatsoever arising from or relating to your use of optional third-party tools. Any use by you of optional tools offered through the site is entirely at your own risk and discretion and you should ensure that you are familiar with and approve of the terms on which tools are provided by the relevant third-party provider(s). We may also, in the future, offer new services and/or features through the website (including, the release of new tools and resources). Such new features and/or services shall also be subject to these Terms of Service. SECTION 8 - THIRD-PARTY LINKS Certain content, products and services available via our Service may include materials from third-parties. Third-party links on this site may direct you to third-party websites that are not affiliated with us. We are not responsible for examining or evaluating the content or accuracy and we do not warrant and will not have any liability or responsibility for any third-party materials or websites, or for any other materials, products, or services of third-parties. We are not liable for any harm or damages related to the purchase or use of goods, services, resources, content, or any other transactions made in connection with any third-party websites. Please review carefully the third-party's policies and practices and make sure you understand them before you engage in any transaction. Complaints, claims, concerns, or questions regarding third-party products should be directed to the third-party. SECTION 9 - USER COMMENTS, FEEDBACK AND OTHER SUBMISSIONS If, at our request, you send certain specific submissions (for example contest entries) or without a request from us you send creative ideas, suggestions, proposals, plans, or other materials, whether online, by email, by postal mail, or otherwise (collectively, 'comments'), you agree that we may, at any time, without restriction, edit, copy, publish, distribute, translate and otherwise use in any medium any comments that you forward to us. We are and shall be under no obligation (1) to maintain any comments in confidence; (2) to pay compensation for any comments; or (3) to respond to any comments. We may, but have no obligation to, monitor, edit or remove content that we determine in our sole discretion are unlawful, offensive, threatening, libelous, defamatory, pornographic, obscene or otherwise objectionable or violates any party’s intellectual property or these Terms of Service. You agree that your comments will not violate any right of any third-party, including copyright, trademark, privacy, personality or other personal or proprietary right. You further agree that your comments will not contain libelous or otherwise unlawful, abusive or obscene material, or contain any computer virus or other malware that could in any way affect the operation of the Service or any related website. You may not use a false e-mail address, pretend to be someone other than yourself, or otherwise mislead us or third-parties as to the origin of any comments. You are solely responsible for any comments you make and their accuracy. We take no responsibility and assume no liability for any comments posted by you or any third-party. SECTION 10 - PERSONAL INFORMATION Your submission of personal information through the store is governed by our Privacy Policy. To view our Privacy Policy. SECTION 11 - ERRORS, INACCURACIES AND OMISSIONS Occasionally there may be information on our site or in the Service that contains typographical errors, inaccuracies or omissions that may relate to product descriptions, pricing, promotions, offers, product shipping charges, transit times and availability. We reserve the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions, and to change or update information or cancel orders if any information in the Service or on any related website is inaccurate at any time without prior notice (including after you have submitted your order). We undertake no obligation to update, amend or clarify information in the Service or on any related website, including without limitation, pricing information, except as required by law. No specified update or refresh date applied in the Service or on any related website, should be taken to indicate that all information in the Service or on any related website has been modified or updated. SECTION 12 - PROHIBITED USES In addition to other prohibitions as set forth in the Terms of Service, you are prohibited from using the site or its content: (a) for any unlawful purpose; (b) to solicit others to perform or participate in any unlawful acts; (c) to violate any international, federal, provincial or state regulations, rules, laws, or local ordinances; (d) to infringe upon or violate our intellectual property rights or the intellectual property rights of others; (e) to harass, abuse, insult, harm, defame, slander, disparage, intimidate, or discriminate based on gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, race, age, national origin, or disability; (f) to submit false or misleading information; (g) to upload or transmit viruses or any other type of malicious code that will or may be used in any way that will affect the functionality or operation of the Service or of any related website, other websites, or the Internet; (h) to collect or track the personal information of others; (i) to spam, phish, pharm, pretext, spider, crawl, or scrape; (j) for any obscene or immoral purpose; or (k) to interfere with or circumvent the security features of the Service or any related website, other websites, or the Internet. We reserve the right to terminate your use of the Service or any related website for violating any of the prohibited uses. SECTION 13 - DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES; LIMITATION OF LIABILITY We do not guarantee, represent or warrant that your use of our service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure or error-free. We do not warrant that the results that may be obtained from the use of the service will be accurate or reliable. You agree that from time to time we may remove the service for indefinite periods of time or cancel the service at any time, without notice to you. You expressly agree that your use of, or inability to use, the service is at your sole risk. The service and all products and services delivered to you through the service are (except as expressly stated by us) provided 'as is' and 'as available' for your use, without any representation, warranties or conditions of any kind, either express or implied, including all implied warranties or conditions of merchantability, merchantable quality, fitness for a particular purpose, durability, title, and non-infringement. In no case shall Post Growth Institute, our directors, officers, employees, affiliates, agents, contractors, interns, suppliers, service providers or licensors be liable for any injury, loss, claim, or any direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, special, or consequential damages of any kind, including, without limitation lost profits, lost revenue, lost savings, loss of data, replacement costs, or any similar damages, whether based in contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability or otherwise, arising from your use of any of the service or any products procured using the service, or for any other claim related in any way to your use of the service or any product, including, but not limited to, any errors or omissions in any content, or any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of the service or any content (or product) posted, transmitted, or otherwise made available via the service, even if advised of their possibility. Because some states or jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or the limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, in such states or jurisdictions, our liability shall be limited to the maximum extent permitted by law. SECTION 14 - INDEMNIFICATION You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Post Growth Institute and our parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, officers, directors, agents, contractors, licensors, service providers, subcontractors, suppliers, interns and employees, harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, made by any third-party due to or arising out of your breach of these Terms of Service or the documents they incorporate by reference, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third-party. SECTION 15 - SEVERABILITY In the event that any provision of these Terms of Service is determined to be unlawful, void or unenforceable, such provision shall nonetheless be enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, and the unenforceable portion shall be deemed to be severed from these Terms of Service, such determination shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any other remaining provisions. SECTION 16 - TERMINATION The obligations and liabilities of the parties incurred prior to the termination date shall survive the termination of this agreement for all purposes. These Terms of Service are effective unless and until terminated by either you or us. You may terminate these Terms of Service at any time by notifying us that you no longer wish to use our Services, or when you cease using our site. If in our sole judgment you fail, or we suspect that you have failed, to comply with any term or provision of these Terms of Service, we also may terminate this agreement at any time without notice and you will remain liable for all amounts due up to and including the date of termination; and/or accordingly may deny you access to our Services (or any part thereof). SECTION 17 - ENTIRE AGREEMENT The failure of us to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms of Service shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. These Terms of Service and any policies or operating rules posted by us on this site or in respect to The Service constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between you and us and govern your use of the Service, superseding any prior or contemporaneous agreements, communications and proposals, whether oral or written, between you and us (including, but not limited to, any prior versions of the Terms of Service). Any ambiguities in the interpretation of these Terms of Service shall not be construed against the drafting party. SECTION 18 - GOVERNING LAW These Terms of Service and any separate agreements whereby we provide you Services shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of 156 Union St Unit A, Ashland, OR, 97520, United States. SECTION 19 - CHANGES TO TERMS OF SERVICE You can review the most current version of the Terms of Service at any time at this page. We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to update, change or replace any part of these Terms of Service by posting updates and changes to our website. It is your responsibility to check our website periodically for changes. Your continued use of or access to our website or the Service following the posting of any changes to these Terms of Service constitutes acceptance of those changes. SECTION 20 - CONTACT INFORMATION Questions about the Terms of Service should be sent to us at info@postgrowth.org.
Post Growth Institute Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy describes how your personal information is collected, used, and shared when you visit or make a purchase from www.postgrowth.org (the “Site”).
PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT
When you visit the Site, we automatically collect certain information about your device, including information about your web browser, IP address, time zone, and some of the cookies that are installed on your device. Additionally, as you browse the Site, we collect information about the individual web pages or products that you view, what websites or search terms referred you to the Site, and information about how you interact with the Site. We refer to this automatically-collected information as “Device Information.”
We collect Device Information using the following technologies:
- “Cookies” are data files that are placed on your device or computer and often include an anonymous unique identifier. For more information about cookies, and how to disable cookies, visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org.
- “Log files” track actions occurring on the Site, and collect data including your IP address, browser type, Internet service provider, referring/exit pages, and date/time stamps.
- “Web beacons,” “tags,” and “pixels” are electronic files used to record information about how you browse the Site.
Additionally when you make a purchase or attempt to make a purchase through the Site, we collect certain information from you, including your name, billing address, shipping address, payment information (including credit card numbers), email address, and phone number. We refer to this information as “Order Information.”
When we talk about “Personal Information” in this Privacy Policy, we are talking both about Device Information and Order Information.
HOW DO WE USE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?
We use the Order Information that we collect generally to fulfill any orders placed through the Site (including processing your payment information, arranging for shipping, and providing you with invoices and/or order confirmations). Additionally, we use this Order Information to:
Communicate with you;
Screen our orders for potential risk or fraud; and
When in line with the preferences you have shared with us, provide you with information or advertising relating to our products or services.
We use the Device Information that we collect to help us screen for potential risk and fraud (in particular, your IP address), and more generally to improve and optimize our Site (for example, by generating analytics about how our customers browse and interact with the Site, and to assess the success of our marketing and advertising campaigns).
SHARING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
We share your Personal Information with third parties to help us use your Personal Information, as described above. For example, we use Shopify to power our online store--you can read more about how Shopify uses your Personal Information here: https://www.shopify.com/legal/privacy. We also use Google Analytics to help us understand how our customers use the Site--you can read more about how Google uses your Personal Information here: https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/. You can also opt-out of Google Analytics here: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Finally, we may also share your Personal Information to comply with applicable laws and regulations, to respond to a subpoena, search warrant or other lawful request for information we receive, or to otherwise protect our rights.
BEHAVIOURAL ADVERTISING
As described above, we use your Personal Information to provide you with targeted advertisements or marketing communications we believe may be of interest to you.
DO NOT TRACK
Please note that we do not alter our Site’s data collection and use practices when we see a Do Not Track signal from your browser.
YOUR RIGHTS
If you are a European resident, you have the right to access personal information we hold about you and to ask that your personal information be corrected, updated, or deleted. If you would like to exercise this right, please contact us through the contact information below.
Additionally, if you are a European resident we note that we are processing your information in order to fulfill contracts we might have with you (for example if you make an order through the Site), or otherwise to pursue our legitimate business interests listed above. Additionally, please note that your information will be transferred outside of Europe, including to Canada and the United States.
DATA RETENTION
When you place an order through the Site, we will maintain your Order Information for our records unless and until you ask us to delete this information.
CHANGES
We may update this privacy policy from time to time in order to reflect, for example, changes to our practices or for other operational, legal or regulatory reasons.
CONTACT US
For more information about our privacy practices, if you have questions, or if you would like to make a complaint, please contact us by e-mail at info@postgrowth.org or by mail using the details provided below:
156A Union St, Ashland, OR, 97520, United States