Denktank Voor Sociaal-Ecologische Verandering
English
Oikos’ seminars, lectures, publications and opinion pieces address the various dimensions of this drive for change: the underlying ethics, the analysis of the current state and the development of alternatives, as well as concrete strategies to get there. Thus, Oikos brings together scientists, authors and activists from all over the world such as Juliet Schor, Michel Bauwens or Vandana Shiva for inspiring lectures. In round-table discussions, seminars, reading groups and blog posts, Oikos also offers concerned citizens and experts the chance to deepen their knowledge, exchange insights and set up a joint learning process.
Oikos publishes Dutch translations of groundbreaking books such as It’s Not That Radical by Mikaela Loach, Less is More by Jason Hickel, The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable by Amitav Ghosh or Post Growth: Life after capitalism by Tim Jackson. Oikos also collaborates with academic networks to bring cutting-edge scientific research in understandable terms to a broader audience. For instance, in collaboration with Acco, it published the book Solidariteit in Superdiversiteit [Solidarity in Superdiversity] by Nick Schuermans, Joke Vandenabeele, Stijn Oosterlynck, Marc Jans and Dirk Holemans.
Adult education
Oikos is involved in an Erasmus+ project for adult education with five European partners. In this project, we aim to develop a model for educating and empowering local governments, green entrepreneurs, and communities about the role of post-growth strategies in transitioning to more sustainable societies in six cities.
In the context of the climate crisis, the transition to a post-growth future is the only viable option if we are to ensure a sustainable, just, and fair future for generations to come. That is why cities must move beyond growth in order to achieve resilience. This transition can only be sustainable if it is carried out democratically, ensuring it addresses the needs of the various communities and stakeholders involved. This means we advocate for post-growth by design, not post-growth by disaster. While the state is often too slow and requires much more time to engage and shift direction, cities, being closer to citizens, are able to act more swiftly. Moreover, cities remain some of the largest carbon emitters, so action at the local level is essential. Our motivation stems from the belief that this transition will be resilient and stable only through democratic planning and the inclusive participation of all communities, especially those in vulnerable and disadvantaged positions.
The project aims to develop an online, open-source course on post-growth, which will be available in five languages (English, Dutch, Spanish, Croatian, Czech). We will also offer tailored in-person modules in the countries of all partner organisations.
English publication: Enough. Thriving Societies Beyond Growth
Dirk Holemans, Elze Vermaas & Lara Ferrante
Who is afraid of degrowth? The term alone scares the living daylights out of mainstream opinion makers and many economists in Europe. Growth is the lubricant of capitalism. As long as the economy is growing, all is well, we are told. But what do we mean by growth? Should everything just keep growing endlessly? The ecological crisis shows that infinite growth on a finite planet is impossible. At the same time, the current economic system does not guarantee a secure livelihood for all while social inequality is on the increase. A sufficiency economy offers an alternative. It provides in everybody’s basic needs while tackling greed and overconsumption.
The EU can be a frontrunner in the ecological transition. The Green Deal was a great step forward, but with its core principle of competition in a single market it remains locked within a growth-addicted economy and fails to address social inequality. We must imagine an alternative European economy, one rooted in a different paradigm, before we can actually build it.
Discover how societies can thrive when they no longer depend on economic growth. This is a compelling narrative about a world with less inequality and fewer private jets, burn-outs and landfill sites, about a healthy planet with more quality of life, time for each other and sustainable products. In other words, about a good life for everyone within planetary boundaries.
This essay gives you the keys to one of the most important debates of our time.
Published by the Green European Foundation.
You can find the book in our bookstore.
Free English publication: Imagining Europe Beyond Growth
On the occasion of the 2023 conference at the European Parliament on how to move “beyond growth”, the European Environmental Bureau, Think Tank Oikos and Green European Journal joined hands to publish this special issue full of ideas for a more just society and a stable planet.
The transformation towards a postgrowth society calls for a different future-oriented narrative. We’ll need the political imagination to design a European Green Deal without growth and instead based on biocapacity, fairness, wellbeing for all, and active democracy.
In this issue you will find inspiring ideas, examples and discussions of the many faces of a positive postgrowth future, one in which people and nature can thrive together.
This publication is part of Cities as a Place of Hope project of the Green European Foundation. It aims to draw an image of what the city of the future could look like. The authors, Dirk Holemans, Myrah Vandermeulen and Alexander Van Vooren, show alternatives to the current urban models and how they can be future-proof. This text will hopefully serve as a valuable source of information and bring up new thoughts among citizens activist, policymakers and everyone interested in exploring ethical and ecological ways of living in cities in the 21st century.