Degrowth Spring Festival 2024

You are invited to the Degrowth Spring Festival 2024: a jam packed day of community resilience, convivial technology and joy - prefiguring the truly sustainable world we need.

Most of our politicians and business ‘leaders’ claim that we need economic growth for a good society, but we know that australia already has too much stuff. Instead of empty promises of more more more on a finite planet, we need to bring people together and share sustainably what we have. Our degrowth festival will celebrate all of the ways this is already happening.

Get involved! -

We're on the lookout for volunteers and groups aligned with degrowth.

Would you like to volunteer and help us run the festival? Join in on the fun by filling out this form: https://forms.gle/DZdHbqUgH6DY3iog7

Interested in having a stall at the festival? Fill out this form:https://forms.gle/yRDkYATXY4gDcEJW7

Runsheet (subject to changes):

11am: Welcome to Country or Acknowledgement of Country

11.30am: Introduction to the festival

12pm: Degrowth workshop

1pm: Seed and seedling swap

  (Free) food and music

2pm: Commoning workshop by the Radicle Roots Guerilla Garden

3pm: Workshops!

• Mending and making circle
• Cordage making using rags or found fibres - Handweavers and Spinners Guild of Victoria
• Climate action talks
• Latin American Solidarity Network (LASNET)
• Making fertiliser
• Composting in action
• Pickling
• More to be announced

4pm: Panel exploring degrowth through different lenses -  we will have more information on the speakers soon so wait to promote this

5pm: Bush dance!!

6pm: Maybe some more food

7.30pm: Watch the sunset from the hill 🙂

Stalls:

Degrowth exhibit - a host of information on what degrowth is and why it is important.

Food

• Radicle Roots Guerilla Garden
• Sustain: the Australian Food Network
• Seeds Community Garden
• Really really free market 
• Food not bombs
• Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance
• Info on: Fawkner Wholefoods Collective and more

Convivial technology

Handweavers and Spinners Guild of Victoria

• Merri-bek Tech
• Commons Library
• Screen printing second hand t-shirts 
• Hopefully something about bikes - if you could run this stall get in touch!
• 3CR  Radical Radio
  
• Brunswick Tool Library
• ‘Domination’ - homemade quilt

Housing

• Squatting
• RAD housing

Activism

•  Degrowth Network Australia
• Degrowth for climate (Flight Free Australia, Extinction Rebellion, Plant Based Treaty)
•  Latin American Solidarity Network (LASNET)
• Climate Action Merribek and Neighbours United for Climate Action (NUCA)
•  Direct Action
• West Papua Women's Office
• Melbourne Rainforest Action Group (MRAG)
•  Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
• Friends of the Earth Melbourne
•  Climate Rescue Accord
• 350 Australia (Melbourne)
• Sustainable Population Australia

And more - get in touch if you want to run a stall!

 What is ‘Degrowth?’ 

 Degrowth is an idea that critiques the global capitalist system which pursues economic growth at all costs, causing human exploitation and environmental destruction. The degrowth movement of activists and researchers advocates for societies that prioritise social and ecological well-being instead of corporate profits, over-production and excess consumption. This requires radical redistribution, reduction in the material size of the global economy, and a shift in common values towards care, solidarity, autonomy and sustainable prosperity for all. Degrowth means transforming societies to ensure environmental justice and a good life for all within planetary boundaries. (From www.degrowth.info).