Film Explores Growth And Sustainability On November 18

The film GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth will be aired at the C.H. Booth Library on Sunday, November 18, from 3 to 5 pm as part of the Transition Newtown film series.

GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth is a 90-minute, nonprofit documentary promoting community sustainability. The film’s message? Kick the habit of economic growth, population growth, urban growth, and overconsumption.

The film weaves the tale of filmmaker Dave Gardner’s efforts to “wean his hometown from growth addiction, and also profiles groups and individuals exploring alternatives and moving the world toward true sustainability,” as explained on the website GrowthBusters.org. The documentary holds up a mirror, “encouraging us to examine the beliefs and behaviors we must leave behind, and the values we need to embrace, in order that our children can survive and thrive.”

Transition member and resident Barbara Toomey said the film series promoted by the transition team “is to raise awareness around issues of sustainability and community resilience in the face of economic and ecological challenges.” Previous movies have included Dirt! The Movie, Carbon Nation, and The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil.

The film is free and open to anyone interested in sustainability and creating a more caring and thoughtful society.

Transition Newtown is working to bring ideas and projects to Newtown that “increase our resilience and educate people about how to live more sustainability. We’re looking for more people to help with ideas and projects — anyone is welcome,” Ms Toomey said.”

Dave Gardner produced and directed GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth. In 30-plus years as a professional filmmaker, he produced films for Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States and more than a dozen Fortune 500 companies, including Coca-Cola, IBM, several airlines, oil and chemical companies, and even Enron.

In 2005 Mr Gardner began focusing his camera on modern culture.

Learn more about Transition Newtown and the film series by contacting Ms Toomey at bhtoomey@alumni.stanford.edu.