Spirituality, Degrowth and the Earth

Abstract: As a dogma that fundamentally guides our relationship with all that surrounds us, arguably there are few more essential forces that shape our spirituality than the economy. The earth was once alive and a place of spirit. Acquisition, however, was and is the imperial, colonial, enterprise: a vast global mission to find new lands and acquire more of the earth’s abundant “natural resources,” perhaps best exemplified by the Doctrine of Discovery. These are the foundations of the endless growth capitalist market economy. The path to positive change is twofold: economic degrowth and embracing the earth as a place of interconnected spirit.

Presenter bio: Jennifer Ellen (Jenellen) Good is an academic – associate professor focusing on environmental communication at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario; an environmental activist – worked for years with Greenpeace Canada; and a seeker – born into a Jewish-Christian home, raised with Unitarianism and very much guided by interconnection and earth spirituality.

Affiliation: Brock University