Gaya Herrington is an internationally known sustainability researcher and wellbeing economist, living in Washington D.C. A regular guest lecturer and keynote and TED speaker, Gaya has been shaping conversations at local and global levels with her message that true sustainability will not be achieved without transforming our economic system away from an obsession with perpetual growth to one that centers around human and ecological wellbeing.

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Chapters

(00:00:00) Origins of limits to growth

(00:03:23) Different models in the limits to growth

(00:07:04) Connection between business growth and fossil fuels

(00:08:17) Conflating climate change with overall sustainability

(00:10:20) What is sustainability? Why do people view it so narrowly?

(00:13:05) Mainstream economic models, power dynamics, and systemic issues

(00:14:50) We design the economy

(00:17:17) What happens during the predicted decline?

(00:19:46) Centering around wellbeing over growth

(00:23:02) Humans are not meant to be 10/10, Qualitative measurements

(00:24:00) Needs vs wants(00:26:33) Becoming spiritually rich

(00:29:00) Pick your stakeholders & investors wisely

(00:31:18) Annual sustainability reports & emissions going up

(00:36:32) The role of technology in the shift

(00:39:20) Techno-intentionalist

(00:40:06) Planned degrowth, recessions, and collective trauma around money

(00:45:39) Systems change and redesigning the economy

(00:47:50) Altruism, feeling powerless, and social tipping points

(00:51:41) Start with yourself and capitalism

(00:59:50) Lightning Round ⚡️⚡️⚡️

Where to find Gaya:

Website

5 Insights About Avoiding Global Collapse

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Economic Models for the Climate Transition with TED Speaker Gaya Herrington