Letter to the Editor
Watsonville Register-Pajaronian
September 17, 2007
by Bruce Bridgeman
John Laird, our California state congressional representative, has made laudable efforts at water conservation, including bills that promote waterless urinals and other conservation programs. As Laird notes, conservation is needed because of population growth—we are stretching our water supplies to accommodate more and more people. So water conservation (and conservation of other resources) is necessary to accommodate a growing population. But once we have installed the waterless urinals, and the efficient toilets, and recycle our wastewater, what then?
Conservation is a one-way street, with barriers at the end. Our quality of life will degrade, even if we do everything right, as long as our population is growing. As the number of people increases, water use per person must decline, until that daily shower becomes an unsustainable luxury. Eventually the weekly shower goes the same way.
We can support John Laird’s conservation initiatives by using the precious time he buys us to grapple with the population growth that makes the additional conservation necessary. This is the only sustainable solution. Since most of California’s population growth comes from immigrants and their children, this means employing several strategies, including lowering the rate of teenage pregnancy and limiting immigration to a level that balances people moving out of the state. These things won’t be easy, but they are the only way to a sustainable future.
How severe is the problem? We have a big state, after all, with lots of land. But we are already using almost all of the available water. And our population is growing at 5.6% per year, according to the US Census Bureau figures. At this rate the population will double in less than thirteen years! Where will we find water for another California in that time? Desalinizing seawater won’t save us: that only exchanges fossil fuels for water, and those fuels won’t last forever, as we all know. If we become dependent on desalinization, we will be in really big trouble when those fuels begin to run out. We are seeing symptoms of this already in oil and gas prices. No growth rate is sustainable; the faster we grow, the faster we degrade the future quality of life for everyone.
In observance of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision
that made abortion legal throughout the United States,
Planned Parenthood and the Reproductive Rights Network
invite you to attend the annual
Santa Cruz County
PRO-CHOICE BRUNCH
Featured Speaker: Kathy Kneer
President and CEO
Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California
Kathy Kneer is widely respected as an effective lobbyist,
sophisticated political strategist, and unwavering advocate for reproductive choice
Saturday, January 19, 2008, 10 am
United Methodist Church
250 California Street, Santa Cruz
Sliding scale donation: $10—$25
Students are invited free of charge
For more information call 423-2356
Tribute to Pat Smith
With great sadness, we announce the passing of Pat Smith, long-time population activist and chapter board member, on November 6, 2007, with family at her side.
Pat was a core member of Population Connection (ZPG) since its inception in the early 1970s. With her crafty art skills and computer talents, Pat helped publish the chapter newsletter, and created population banners, floats, and educational masterpieces to impart and teach others the importance of small family size.
Pat was an inspiration to us and a role model for sustainable, healthy, happy living. Diligent until the end, Pat was working on posters and teaching tools for our outreach. We will miss Pat’s vision, activism, and fun ideas for our cause, and what she truly believed to be the critical problem facing humanity — overpopulation.
In Honor of Pat Smith
1918–2007
Dedicated Zero Population Growth activist,
dear friend and mentor
by Keresha J. Durham, Chapter board member
When a dear friend, a loved one dies
sometimes self-doubt wells up within us
Haunting us with questions:
“Did I even let her know while she was alive
how special she was to me?”
“When was the last time I told her
how much I enjoy
and appreciate her?”
“Did Pat realize how much she enriched my life?”
In this way, let death be a wake-up call.
Let us not waste a moment,
time together on earth is preciously short
Celebrate those you love today
And celebrate death as well
as an essential continuation of life,
for death like rich compost
makes way for more life
Let death be a wake-up call to the living
reminding us to honor and
express appreciation to friends and loved ones
before they leave us
and return to earth.
Another Letter to the Editor
by Linda Brodman
Reading Amelia Timbers’s Sentinel op-ed piece, “Smart growth is the way to go,” on May 6, I was struck with some thoughts on the environment and our quality of life.
Whether it is horizontal growth (sprawl) or vertical growth (high density infill), it is not smart growth. All growth asks more from an environment that is being taxed to the limit already. There is no such thing as sustainable development, and “smart growth” is an oxymoron.
Santa Cruz County is a lovely place to live, and as long as it continues to be so, it will draw many people to move here. It has to get a lot worse before people stop coming. More people, more houses; I have seen no evidence that creating enough housing will keep prices remotely affordable.
Pollution, traffic, isolation, and car dependency due to sprawl: all are symptoms of overpopulation. It is the number of people living here that matters.
Quality of life is not a vague feeling. All people want the best for themselves and loved ones, but mostly for themselves. We want the good life and we have one here. One of the main reasons people live in Santa Cruz County is that it is a beautiful area with protected lands and parks; nature and its wildlands have their qualities.
I believe growth brings more trouble for the environment and our quality of life. What kind of community do we want to live in? One that is crowded, full of traffic and loud noises, less open space, less solitude, less wildlife, less nature and less freedoms? Let’s get to work on solving the real problem—overpopulation.
Radio Waves Update
With the help of donations received from the Jean B. May Trust Fund in 2003, our chapter has continued its ongoing radio project. We developed new radio dialogues this year with a focus on the connection between small family size and environmental impacts. In April, May, and October, radio station La Preciosa (100.7 fm) played our four new public service announcements (PSAs) for a total of 180 air spots. Here are English translations. Our plan is to continue with our radio project and consider other forms of media exposure. Stay tuned!
1: Isabelle and Teresa
Two young women/teenagers walking together
Isabelle: Do you want to come over tonight? We can hang out after I finish my homework.
Teresa: Isabelle, I have to take care of the baby. I don’t have time. Sorry. I never realized how much time and money it takes; my baby depends upon me for everything, and she takes all my time! Tell me, what are you studying?
Isabelle: I’m studying for my final exams. When I graduate, I hope to go to college. I’m going to have a good education so I can support myself and get a good paying job.
Teresa: Oh, I’m so jealous. I hope to get to finish school someday. Now, I need to take care of my baby.
Isabelle: Yeah, Teresa, I hope you do that some day too.
Wait till you’re ready. Small families live better.
2: Mario and José
Two people in a car talking with one another
Mario: Wow, there is a lot of traffic.
José: Sure is; it’s getting worse every day.
Mario: It’s getting more and more crowded all the time.
José: Yeah, it takes forever to get across town.
Mario: You know, the traffic would be less with fewer people.
José: You’re right; there’s too many people.
Stop at one or two. Small families live better.
3: Paul and John
Two men fishing by a stream or off of a bridge
Paul: John, I haven’t caught a fish all day!
John: Yeah. It seems slow.
Paul: It use to be we could catch six fish by this time.
John: I know; more people are fishing.
Paul: Yeah, with more people, there are less fish.
John: That’s it, Paul! We need fewer people so I can catch my fish!
Stop at one or two. Small families live better.
4: Juan and Peter
Two fathers lamenting to each other, at a sports game
Juan: Things are different here; my kids are costing me big time with food, school, clothes, and getting around in the car.
Pedro: Yeah, Juan, back home the kids worked in the fields and helped out in the shop.
Juan: Anyway, they have to be old enough and go to school, there’s no work for kids here.
Pedro: Not even enough work for us!
Juan: Pedro, I wish I had only one or two kids to take care of, to give ’em a better life and more opportunity.
Stop at one or two. Small families live better.
Governing Board Meeting and Elections
January 10, 2008
Meeting 7–9 pm · 6 pm potluck
Our first board meeting of 2008 and elections will be held at Amelia and Warren Koenig’s home. If you are interested in getting active and want to join the fun, call Linda at 462-4041.
All members welcomed
Population Booth
Mexican Independence Day Fiesta, Watsonville
September 16
by Amelia Koenig
What a day! The weather was perfect—sunshine with gusts of wind and lots of people.
Maydene picked me up, and we set up our population booth in the community plaza. A few early birds came by so we had time to talk to them. One man I spoke with had thirteen kids and forty grandchildren. Where do we start? His argument was, God will provide.
I talked to another man. He got into trouble and was brought before a judge. The judge questioned him about his illegal status. The man was so proud of himself, because he replied to the judge, “If we were not here to pick your crops and fruits, you would starve to death.” I talked to this man about overpopulation, but he dismissed it, saying there is lots of space in the US.
Maydene spoke with a teacher of Mexican descent who teaches Mexican history; she discussed overpopulation and the environment at length and gave the young woman printed matter for her class. The teacher was very receptive.
Royce and Keresha arrived around 2 pm, but we ran out of Spanish information brochures. Keresha brought our population roulette wheel—indeed, a secret weapon. Keresha, a local teacher, was so popular that she turned our booth into a lecture hall. It was a winner!
We have learned good lessons from our participation at the Fiesta in Watsonville. We handed out over 2,500 pieces of Spanish population material, and next time we’ll have more. We had an excellent team—so many strengths. Kudos to Maydene, Royce, and Keresha for helping with the booth. Prep work for our booth was done by Pat, Jill, Kaye, and Linda.
Reduce Population!
The species you save may be your own.
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