On November 15, 2024, Extinction Rebellion PDX, along with 20 co-sponsors, screened the Swedish film, Outgrow the System at Portland Community College’s Moriarty Auditorium. A beyond capacity crowd of at least 215 attendees turned out.
Clearly growing concerns about the acceleration of economic inequity, climate chaos and anti-democratic tendencies under late-stage capitalism played a role in the turnout. Likely the outcome of the presidential election less than two weeks before the event was a clarion call to action as well.
Outgrow the System provides a good overview of the failure of our “growth at all cost” economy. It begins with the understanding that “continuing business as usual is not an option” and that we cannot green-tech our way out of our current ecological and economic woes. There is no question, as the film emphasizes, that we have exceeded Earth’s capacity to sustain itself and its residents and that economic inequity is on the rise, especially at the expense of those in less industrialized nations.
But as a blurb for the film states, “Change the system, not the climate” is a common demand in the climate movement. But what kind of system do we actually want? That is the question that lies at the heart of the film and that was addressed at a local level by the evening’s panelists.
Outgrow the System makes the case that to avoid the worst of the climate crisis and begin to end its many injustices requires a different kind of economic system – a system that will reverse our global economy away from the profit and growth addiction of corporations and the ultra-wealthy and towards meeting the fundamental needs of all its inhabitants, human and other-than-human.
The evening’s facilitator as well as panelists created context for the film through stories of local and regional efforts already underway. Here are some details:
Facilitator Laura Nash, Communications and Network Organization Specialist for the People’a Economy Lab in Washington State, pulled the threads of various approaches from the film together in her introduction to the panel: “Outgrow the System introduced a lot of concepts and theories: doughnut economics, degrowth, economic democracy, participatory economy, well-being economy. At People’s Economy Lab we also talk about solidarity economy and the Just Transition framework. In the end, what you call it doesn’t matter as much as the outcome. We’re all working toward an economy that is designed to support people and our planet to thrive. What we’ve got now is an economy that’s designed to generate profits for a wealthy few at the expense of most of us.”
Laura also emphasized that “The solidarity economy isn’t a pipe dream. People and communities around the world are already putting solidarity economy principles into practice every day, including here in Oregon.”
Joanne Shepard, Community Organizer for the Oregon Education Association, embraces and supports “Bargaining for the Common Good” and the model of “Community Schools.” These models are gaining traction in the union movement and with schools around the country (Kentucky has adopted Community Schools at the state level). Bargaining for the Common Good can be described as follows: Community and union members partner around a long-term vision for the structural changes they want to see in their communities and use union bargaining as a critical moment in a broader campaign to win that change. This also includes a look at the availability and capability of local provider agencies.
Joanne worked with the Portland Teachers Association to use this approach in their 2022-24 contract negotiations. Specific demands included class size caps, the right to refuse work if classrooms are colder than 60 degrees, hotter than 90 degrees,“resilience funds” at every school to help families pay for rent or utilities in emergencies, so they won’t be evicted and have to move schools, and more school psychologists, counselors, social workers, and special education staff in every school.
Abasi Umoh, In-Home Auditor with the non-profit Community Energy Project (CEP), described the work CEP does with with low income and BIPOC homeowners and renters to assess their homes for energy efficiency upgrades such as heat pump water heaters, high efficiency electric heat pumps, insulation, and air sealing: “Those are just a few examples of the types of efficiency upgrades we provide free of charge for members in our community. Retrofitting homes not only lowers the burden of utility bills, and keeps occupants safer, healthier, and more comfortable, but it also helps homeowners in vulnerable communities to retain their homes.“
In addition, Abasi described the benefits of the Portland Clean Energy Fund to organizations such as CEP which are part of the non-profit economy: “Our largest funding stream right now comes from PCEF. It started as a measure that was put in front of Portlanders to vote on in 2018. And it passed… Just a 1% fee on the largest and most profitable companies in a single city, and we’ve been able to improve so many folks’ lives while making a tangible cut to residential carbon emissions. And CEP is only a single grant recipient. “
Qiddist Ashe’ is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Black Oregon Land Trust (BOLT). BOLT was founded and is led primarily by a team of Black women who have experience in the fields of farming, food systems, law, policy, herbalism, birthwork, mothering, and community organizing.
Qiddist described BOLT’s success in creating a land trust for Black farmers and land-stewards in Oregon. Black farmers, who have been historically denied and stripped of agricultural land ownership, face extreme racial wealth and income gaps: The average Black farm generates $3,500 in net revenue, compared to $160,000 net revenue of all other farms. BOLT has enabled Black farmers to collectively own their land, securely and permanently. BOLT rests on three “pillars”: Land access and preservation, farming and food justice, and cultural sovereignty.
Maria Sipin, an organizer with Community Budgeting for All, shared her work on participatory and electoral democracy: “Portland has a new form of government, thanks to the work that went into charter reform and voters making this happen. We voted in 12 new council members to make legislation happen in this new form of government starting January 1st.”
“Our work doesn’t stop there. Ensuring a just, equitable, and sanctuary city doesn’t stop at the polls. We have an opportunity to become key actors in shaping our public budgets. Right now Portland doesn’t have participatory budgeting or community budgeting yet, which is a tool for strengthening our local democracy where the people can have direct power over a portion of the public budget.” Maria described on-going efforts to build a coalition that will succeed in adopting participatory budgeting in Portland and stressed that this model already exists in many cities around the world.
Saoirse Cox is an activist with Kalikasan Solidarity Organization (KSO) which supports the rights of Filipino care workers in Portland. KSO also supports Philippine residents who are fighting the damaging effects of mining for nickel that feeds the mineral needs of electric vehicle manufacturers such as Tesla and Toyota.
Saoirse described the Philippines as a mineral rich country with a poor population that is exploited by U.S. imperialism and foreign corporations that want cheap resources and labor. “The US is directing and funding attacks on people who are resisting. They are labeled as terrorists, surveilled, kidnapped, tortured, & even killed. The solidarity movement is critical: Through building the local solidarity movement for the Philippines, we are strengthening the Filipino people’s struggle against US imperialism to create a just society built on an economy that is by and for the people, which would also benefit our struggle for a just economic system at home.”
