Post Growth in Practice: Inspiring Examples from Canberra, Australia

A taste of the economy we need also serves as a reminder that we must change policies and mindsets to make it a reality.

By Post Growth Fellow, Katherine Trebeck

Katherine recently moved back to her hometown of Canberra, on Ngunnawal land in Australia, after two decades away. She’s been having a great time learning about some initiatives that give a feel for what a post-growth economy looks like in practice. In this short video, she shares some of her favorite examples, because, as she says: “It’s important to not just write and read about post growth in reports and books, but to really smell and hear and sense the potential of what it looks like when it’s living, breathing, and working in real time.”

After sharing some clips about Canberra’s Buy Nothing Facebook Group, the Food Co-op Shop & Café, and the Green Shed, among other inspiring examples, Katherine reflects on the fact that they exist within the current economic paradigm and the challenges they face.

Katherine outside the Food Co-op in Canberra.

So how do we make such initiatives the norm? According to Katherine, it’s all about shifting policy: “We need national governments to change taxes and structures to rebalance incentives to encourage more cooperatives and social enterprises.”

These amazing examples give a real taste of the sort of economy we need, but they also remind us that we have to change policies, ask questions, and shift mindsets — so that things like food coops, free Wifi, social enterprise, and the circular economy become our default.

Find out more about Katherine on her website.

Inspired? Here are some ideas for things you can do next:

1. Join the Buy Nothing community and search Facebook for your local group.
2. Join the Wellbeing Alliance to participate in learning, co-creating, and advocating for economic systems change.
3. Discover Katherine’s book, The Economics of Arrival, and this article about it written by her co-author, Jeremy Williams.
4. Drop a comment below to share inspiring examples of post-growth initiatives in your local area.
5. Help promote this article by liking and/or sharing these posts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Sign up here for email alerts when articles like this are shared on social media.

… and if you’re really excited about this kind of thing, find out more about the Post Growth Institute, and sign up to our newsletter below.