Throughout all the discussion about natural gas stove bans, there has been almost no discussion of reduction of energy demand. Fossil fuels bad? Just switch to electricity! To hell with the fish killed by hydroelectric dams! Ignore what electric car batteries are made from! What we really need is fewer stoves, fewer cars and fewer consumers.

Why do most environmental groups and society in general keep ignoring population growth and quality of life? Why do we keep making plans for expanding growth in our area? As Edward Abbey said, “Exponential growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.” We wouldn’t have a housing crisis if we didn’t make it easy and attractive to move here. Big business and natural-resource-dependent industries thrive on increasing profit, so let’s make it less profitable for them to operate in the southern Willamette Valley. We need local businesses, local foods, clean water and recreation opportunities to strengthen our economy and our environment, not big box stores and construction companies taking money out of our pockets and into their corporate headquarters.

I know this has been said many times, but do we want our region to become like Southern California? Do we even want to become like Portland? We need programs and policies to reduce energy and water consumption, pollution, forest destruction and human population. We need to value quality of life and resist endless growth.

Jim Flynn

Springfield

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