ASAP Busting Growth in Virginia
In Support Your Local GrowthBuster I wrote about the need to act locally – precisely because that is how we change the world. Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population are busy doing just that in Charlottesville, Virginia. I spoke with ASAP President Jack Marshall recently for the GrowthBusters podcast on This Is Next Gen.
This group of activated citizens is setting the benchmark for raising awareness of a community’s responsibility for its own footprint. I visited Charlottesville last year to shoot a segment for the GrowthBusters documentary. My observation: Charlottesville, like so many communities around the world, has its fair share of growth pushers, addicted to growth. These pushers place profit ahead of sustainability, and they do so by pushing public policies that import more people and export more footprint.
This kind of attitude translates to national policies that commodify people and – in the most disappointing cases – leads to plans and policies designed to increase fertility. Trust me, it happens. It is happening today in Russia, Japan, and Australia, to name a few. This makes it very difficult, and could delay or even make it impossible, to achieve a sustainable world population.
ASAP is taking a very thoughtful, rational and credible approach to local growth and population issues. Jack Marshall is knowledgeable and articulate. Give a listen.
I’ll be celebrating here, and on the podcasts, stories of growthbusters around the world working to protect the human rights of future generations by moving our civilization toward sustainability. I welcome your suggestions of examples to share.
Dave Gardner
Filmmaker
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