University of Virginia Library

Stable Population

Several recent editorials,
articles, and letters have dealt with
the increase in the size of the UVa.
student body and the
corresponding decline in the quality
of the environment which appears
in such things as increased
crowding, clogged traffic, longer
lines, and bigger class size. One of
the main reasons for the
University's growth is the growth of
the Population of Virginia and of
the U.S. This population growth is
no longer necessary nor inevitable.
In a country and on a planet with
finite resources, unlimited
population is not possible. Sooner
or later growth must stop.

Man can exercise control over
his fate, or he can just let nature
take its course. Nature's way of
population control is death by
starvation, epidemics, and increased
pressures leading to aggression. Man
can choose, however, to limit
population growth through birth
control. With a stable population
(the number of births equal to the
number of deaths) money and
energy could go for improving the
quality of our lives rather than
providing only for an increased
quantity of humanity.

Zero Population Growth (ZPG)
is an organization which has as its
goal a stable U.S. population by
1980. For more information write
P.O. Box 3148, Charlottesville, or
phone 295-1000.