The Ecoliteracy Hub has released a new episode of Green Minds: Journeys Towards Ecoliteracy, featuring a conversation with Logan Strenchock, a long-time practitioner of community-based sustainability and one of Hungary’s most active voices in the degrowth movement.
Logan, who has lived in Hungary since 2012, works with Zsámboki Biokert, co-founded Cargonomia, and serves as Environmental and Sustainability Officer at the Central European University. His background in engineering and environmental sciences eventually led him away from academic theory and into hands-on work with agroecological farms and community initiatives. As he puts it, he wanted to “get his hands dirty” and participate directly in changing local food systems.
In the episode, Logan offers a clear and accessible explanation of degrowth, which he describes not as going backwards but as rethinking the belief that economies must grow endlessly on a finite planet. He explains that constant growth brings stress, waste, and patterns of consumption that do not make people happier. Instead, a degrowth mindset invites us to value well-being, community, solidarity and sufficiency.
The podcast also includes several memorable stories. One comes from Logan’s visits to high schools. When he asks students what makes them feel alive, their answers focus on nature, friendship and creativity—not on buying more things. For Logan, this simple moment shows how disconnected traditional economic ideas are from what people truly value.
Another story highlights the work of Cargonomia, where community farming, cargo bikes and neighbourhood events create real-life examples of sustainable alternatives. These initiatives demonstrate that degrowth is not just theory—it already exists in small, inspiring projects that strengthen local communities.
A key message of the episode is that many people want to live more sustainably but feel stuck. Logan explains how understanding degrowth ideas helps us recognise real solutions, avoid greenwashing, and choose actions that genuinely support ecological and social well-being. He reminds listeners that thousands of credible alternatives already exist; the challenge is to make them accessible to more people.
This conversation is part of The Ecoliteracy Hub project, where the degrowth mindset is one of the core competences within the Embodying Sustainability Values area. It means questioning the idea that “more is always better” and imagining futures that are fairer, simpler and more balanced.