Weniger ist Mehr

Can there be prosperity without economic growth? This documentary investigates potential life and economic models that lead the way to a post-growth society. The filmmaker Karin de Miguel Wessendorf asks herself, “What do I have to change in my life to ensure that the future is sustainable? and what can I sacrifice without losing quality of life?” She travels through Europe and meets people, their initiatives and companies, that have understood that economic growth is not the be-all and end-all.

The standing motto of economics and politics is ‘no prosperity without growth’. A steady growth guarantees jobs and life quality for the population. Whomever rejects this dogma is branded an enemy of realism. Nevertheless, the climate and economic crises have shaken this belief. Exponential population growth and environmental instability are issues that can no longer be suppressed, and ever-growing numbers of people are arriving at the conclusion that limitless growth is not possible in a world of finite resources. Despite growth in GDP, life satisfaction in industrial countries has failed to rise since the 1970’s. Is it possible that consumer society does not automatically mean happiness? What do we really need to live a fulfilling life?

Demographic change, limited natural resources and the current economic crisis in the West are slowing growth down. It is time to rethink our strategy and step out of the destructive growth cycle. An alternative-seeking movement has emerged. Entrepreneurs, politicians and activists are working to build a “post-growth society” – a society in which man and nature can survive sustainably in the long-term.

Karin de Miguel Wessendorf discovers that the search for a sustainable lifestyle does not have to be a renouncement of materiality and in many cases it can mean a better quality of life.