Degrowth Dialogues

Degrowth Cafes

A powerful way to begin challenging growth is to gather together and grapple with difficult questions, contributing our unique individual perspectives and supporting each other in the process. A Degrowth Cafe is a supportive place for folks to share ideas and make progress on what economic downscaling means, and what it looks like. We’ve hosted a series of in-person and virtual Degrowth Cafes, and have more coming up!

Campus Conversations

Participate in multi-disciplinary dialogues that ask students, faculty, and staff to use their backgrounds – both in and out of academia – to challenge their preconceptions of economic growth. Organize and spark a Conversation via panels, symposia, class discussions, or club events.

Spring 2025 Schedule

Has the Economy Outgrown the Planet?

Campus Dialogues | Loyola University Chicago | March 13 | 1:00-2:30pm

Has the Economy Outgrown the Planet? Attend and participate in this panel discussion co-hosted by the Center for Research on Internal Affairs and the Political Science Department at Loyola. Hosted in the McCormick Lounge.

Find out more here. — RSVP here.

Reuse-a-Palooza + The Serviceberry: Book Discussion at The Plant

Degrowth Cafe | The Plant | March 16 | 11:00AM-3:00PM CDT & 3:00PM-4:30PM

Join us at The Plant for this semiannual event that provides opportunities to repair clothing and household items, safely dispose of tricky-to-recycle materials, and a chance to donate bikes and more. Afterwards join us and Chicago Degrowth Book Club in a book discussion over Robin Wall Kimmerer’s The Serviceberry.

Find out more about Reuse-a-palooza here. Find out more and RSVP for the book discussion here.

Reckoning with Responsibility: The Role of the Global North in Degrowth

Campus Dialogues | University of Texas at Austin | March 28 | 11:00AM-12:00PM CDT

Reckoning with Responsibility: The Role of the Global North in Degrowth. Attend and participate in this panel featured at the 2025 LBJ Latino Policy Research Symposium.

Find out more here. — RSVP here.

Has the Economy Outgrown the Planet?

Campus Dialogues | Georgia Institute of Technology | April 17 | 11:00AM-12:00PM EDT

Has the Economy Outgrown the Planet? Join us for a panel and conversation (with a reception to follow) at Georgia Tech’s celebration of Earth Day 2025

Find out more here. — RSVP here.

Want to host a Degrowth Dialogue?

Past Dialogue Highlights

(in reverse chronological order)

Degrowth Cafe in D.C.
Busboys and Poets, Washington, D.C

Degrowth & Movements
Degrowth Institute, Chicago, IL

In our first event spotlighting a guest-speaker, PhD student at University of Chicago and previous Café facilitator, Alyssa Mendez, volunteered her time to help plan and facilitate an event centering activism that moves people to challenge the idea of endless growth.

Discussion Toolkit Workshop
Degrowth Institute, Chicago, IL

We collaborated in a community workshop. In small groups, we tested and suggested improvements to the first version of our Degrowth Discussion & Organizing Toolkit.

Degrowth in the News
Degrowth Institute, Chicago, IL

We shared food and a convivial space in addition to checking out books from the Degrowth Library. After a brief introduction to degrowth we discussed The Washington Post’s recent coverage of the movement.

What is Degrowth?
Degrowth Institute, Chicago, IL

We gathered at DGI, where we started to get into the details of what degrowth is, what it isn’t, and how we get past growth as an economic necessity. We envisioned elements of a smaller economy and asked questions to address at future cafés.

Other Cafes and Degrowth Discussions

There are lots of groups challenging growth in different ways. These are some we know about! To suggest an addition to this list, please email info@degrowthinstitute.org.