the Dublin premier of 'The Cost of Growth documentary' screening

On Wednesday June 24th, Friends of the Earth joined with supporters, donors, friends and allies for the Dublin premier of The Cost of Growth documentary screening in the Lighthouse Cinema. 

The Cost of Growth challenges Europe’s growth story by exposing the extractive systems it relies on and the communities that pay the price.  With an international cast, the film connects struggles in Serbia, Italy, and Sápmi to wider fights for justice — showing how communities resist extraction, build solidarities, and expose the violence behind Europe’s economy. 

Our event was made possible thanks to the collective imagining and collaboration between Friends of the Earth, Feasta, An Taisce, CAIM (Communities Against the Injustice of Mining) and Oxfam Ireland.

We were absolutely thrilled to be joined by very special guest, Ida Helene Benonisen, who is prominently featured in the film for their activism defending indigenous traditions, people and land - resisting industrial extractivism and colonisation, specifically in the displacement of the Sámi people from their land for the industrial generation of wind energy by Israel owned companies that operate on occupied Palestinian territories. Sámi are the traditional Sámi-speaking people inhabiting the region of Sápmi, which today encompasses large northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and of the Kola Peninsula in Russia. 

Ida shared with us the importance of being in connection with the land and with nature, and to return to our indigenous ways as caretakers and stewards of the Earth. Ida also reminded us of our power in imagining alternative systems and ways of living, and of the fact that we are “living inside some rich person’s” fantasy and it doesn’t have to be that way. 

We were also joined by Michael Higgins, Political Liaison and Systems Change Lead at Bohemian’s Football Club - The Bohemian’s Cooperative. Michael shared with us his insights from community led initiatives and what the Community Wealth Strategy, which aims to empower and support local communities to take ownership of the local economy from setting up cooperatives and community businesses. 

Following the film and discussion we came together for some refreshments to connect and share our insights and takeaways from the film over some delicious Palestinian food provided by Madleen Restaurant, a social enterprise that directs 10% of profits to support families on the ground in Gaza. 

Proceeds from the ticket sales have been donated to support Friends of the Earth in Palestine, via Friends of the Earth International. Funds will go towards efforts to rebuild infrastructure in Gaza, including solar systems for schools, hospitals and community spaces, water pumps, drinking water purification systems, water testing equipment, and soil and ecological restoration. If you’d like to donate, visit the fundraiser below.

Donate to Palestine

Here’s a little clip of our special guest Ida speaking about the film. Simply click on the image below to watch the clip.

And if you’d like to organise a community screening, visit the film’s website here.

Before and after the film, we invited our guests to express and illustrate what the current economy looks like, and to share views on how it could look different. We plan to bring this forward with a webinar on Feminism and Degrowth with Simona Getova on August 12th at 7pm, you can register for that below.

Register for the System Change Webinar Series

Make sure you are subscribed to our mailing list to hear of more opportunities to get involved.

Join the movement 

And here are some related links and opportunities from our wonderful collaborators: 

An Taisce 

An Taisce’s State of Mining in Ireland series contains a set of reports, case studies and guides for local communities. This set of materials are being produced for use to help us understand more about mining and impacts on communities in some key sites nationwide. 

The first produced is a case study on the Sperrin Mountains and Dalradian Gold. It has been produced from research into the environmental impacts of this industry and the specific risks associated with the activities involved. 

Click here to find the State of Mining in Ireland page. As materials become available they will be added to this page. To download the first report, please click here. 

An Taisce Advocacy Team are also developing policy positions on various industrial practices - read the first two on Data Centres and Offshore Wind. As other positions become available they will be added here.  

Feasta  
 
Feasta's current work on the transition to a post-growth economy includes a project on supporting local food economies that we're doing in collaboration with Talamh Beo and Cultivate, and a research project on demand for mineral mining, as part of the State of Mining in Ireland work led by An Taisce.  

Feasta also administer the Wellbeing Economy Ireland Hub, which is part of the global Wellbeing Economy Alliance that's working to achieve an economy that works for people and planet, rather than the other way round. 
 
From August 16-20 2027, Feasta and the WEAll Ireland Hub will be the lead organisers of “Go Leor!”,  the 12th International Conference and Festival for Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity - a transdisciplinary gathering of practitioners, activists, policymakers, scholars, educators, and artists focused on platforming and debating the degrowth movement. Over five days, venues across Cork City will play host to a diverse range of debates, discussions, and events, examining, imagining, and answering increasing global calls for a democratic transition to a new economic system, one that is economically and socially anchored in fairness and where there is Enough for All - from more to ‘go leor’. You can find out more and sign up to the event mailing list here. 

Oxfam 

Oxfam Ireland have been campaigning for the Irish Government to pass the Occupied Territories Bill, to end all trade between Ireland and illegal Israeli settlements. Just last week the Bill passed the last hurdle in the Seanad and will now finally become law. Senators made a last ditch attempt to include an amendment to ban the trade in services, but in the very final vote, the government pushed ahead with only banning the import of goods from Israeli settlements. 

Ireland is now one of the first EU countries to take economic action in response to Israel's appalling human rights record in Palestine. Oxfam will continue to campaign to see a total ban on all trade, you can find out more and get involved here on their website. 

Oxfam also invite you to read this report, 'Rebalancing the Scales', to learn about Carbon Inequality in Ireland.

Blog by Claudia Tormey, Head of Supporter Care & Fundraising.

Photos by Charlotta Kauranne, Head of Finance and Compliance.