Friday, March 19, 2010

78 / The Desal Forum

Last night, a forum on Desalination and the Alternatives was held at the Live Oak Elementary School, in Santa Cruz County.

While the forum was not presented in a "debate" format, the argument "for" desalination was essentially carried by Bill Kocher, Director of the City of Santa Cruz Water Department. Questions and concerns from a "critical" or "anti-desalination" perspective were advanced by the other three speakers: Debbie Cook, former Mayor of Huntington Beach and the President of the Post-Carbon Institute; Heather Cooley, from the Pacific Institute; and Rick Longinotti, a Santa Cruz community activist. Former Assembly Member John Laird moderated.

Something former Mayor Cook said struck me as particularly significant. Maybe it made an impression because I have been thinking about that Quaker "testimony of simplicity," but I was clearly not the only one who was impressed by what she said. The following statement, by former Mayor Cook, brought the first spontaneous applause of the evening:
We need to reduce our need to earn, which means we need to reduce our need to spend.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks Gary. I attributed that statement to my permaculture instructor. His name is Larry Santoyo.

    Best wishes to Santa Cruz as they respond to their water and energy challenges.

    Debbie Cook

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  2. Debbie:

    Sorry to leave without saying hello personally. I have gone to bed with a bad cold. I felt it coming, and was trying (not quite successfully, as it happens) to head it off.

    You did a GREAT job. Thanks so much for coming to our Northern California "Surf City" to bring such an important message.

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Thanks for your comment!