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Immediacy An Issue For Earth

people pollution was also
catapulted into the public eye.
Another organization, Zero
Population Growth (ZPG),
addressed this problem by
forming local chapters across
the nation.

When questioned on the
reasons behind his involvement
in ZPG, Chairman of the
University chapter Ross
Hetrick replied, "Instead of
sitting around and simply
saying there's a population
problem, I decided to become
involved. ZPG doesn't sit
around and write
papers–there're an activist
organization."

Mr. Hetrick couldn't give a
description of the "typical"
University ZPG member,
because the issue of
population, he says, "cuts
across all sorts of personalities
and concerns. We have
members who are liberal arts
students, engineers, law
students and physicists."

The main task of the
student chapter of ZPG is to
distribute informational
literature about the population
problem and birth control Mr
Hetrick stressed that
population control isn't the
only goal ZPG is working for.
"Stabilization of consumption
and rampant growth of cities
are also focal issues of the ZPG
movement."

The environmental
movement in
Charlottesville also receives
help from two women's groups
which currently bridge the gap
between the community and
the University. The Law Wives
Ecology Club has established
and organized a glass collection
in downtown Charlottesville.

Member Lynda Robb
characterized her co-volunteers
as motivated by "concern for
the environment. They care to
make this a better place." She
added, "When you have a place
as lovely as Charlottesville, you
want to do all you can."

Another women's group is
the Faculty Wives
Environmental Interest Group,
which consists of a
cross-section of University
faculty wives and women
instructors. Co-Chairman Susan
Pfaltz described the members
as outdoors people concerned
with population and pollution
problems.

As a less activist oriented
group, this organization
"provides learning experiences
to inspire people about the
environment," encouraging
them to join more activist
groups such as ZPG and CFOE.

The environment is now an
issue of immediacy, more so
than when it began four years
ago. Ms. Pfaltz's conception of
joining a group–"you must
join something if you are going
to be effective"–is a strong
indication that the ranks of the
Ecology Movement have lost
the glittering generalities of
publicity seekers, and gained
the no-nonsense activism of
conservationists and Nature
Lovers.