A Conference at Copenhagen Business School, May 2013

The conference had four main speakers and five workshops. There were 450 participants, which was far beyond our expectations. The main conclusions can be summarized as follows:

• We have a debt-based money system. New debt is constantly required to pay the interests on the old debt. The amount of debt in the World is always bigger than the total amount of money in circulation.
   
• This spiral of debt requires perpetual economic growth to keep going. The economy will collapse when growth stops.
   
• Economic growth is obtained by a growth in material consumption, a growth in services, and conversion of things that used to be free into paid products and services.
   
• Economic growth is not equal to growth in welfare and happiness.
   
• Material growth is limited by natural ressources and the capacity of the Earth to absorb pollution. We are approaching this limit.
   
• The growth in services is limited by the amount of human relations that can be converted into paid services. We are approaching the limit of this, too.
   
• Green growth is not a real possibility, but an excuse for continuing the catastrophic course of growth.
   
• The money system, the financial system, and the insatiable demand for growth is alienating humans from each other and from nature. It is forcing us to compete against each other rather than cooperate.
   
• Before money was invented, we had a gift economy, not barter. We need to re-create a society where humans are encouraged to give and to share.
   
• We need to fundamentally change the money system and the financial system.
   
• We need a new defining narrative or mythology of our society that is not based on growth and competition.
   
• We need a new way of thinking that is more in harmony with our inner feelings, our spirituality and with nature.
   
• There are many things we can do on a personal level and together to establish alternatives.

See the menu above for more details.

The conference was organized by Occupy Denmark and Transition Denmark in cooperation with Copenhagen Business School. Exhibitions were set up by Crisis Mirror and Art Money.

The conference was free in order to celebrate the principle of gift economy. Free vegetarian food was generously provided by Restaurant Govinda on plates made by organic material.

We are very grateful to the many volunteers who made this groundbreaking event happen.

We also want to thank the sponsors: Govinda Restaurant, Plant2Plast environment friendly plast products, Reklamebureauernes Fællestrykkeri, Forstædernes Bogtrykkeri.