League of Women Voters to take on the challenge of sustainability

By Steve Enders

Sustainability: It's a word that defines our collective desire to stick around for a while.

Over recent decades, however, the term has become somewhat of a catchphrase that's used in environmental circles to mean the same thing--the desire to have and keep an environment and living space that we want to stick around in.

On Sept. 16, the local chapter of the League of Women Voters will embark on an ambitious, nine-month community education program to explore the arenas of sustainability and building sustainable communities.

The kickoff event will feature Barbara Tucker, an environmental specialist with the city of San Jose, who has helped build a sustainability program for San Jose and is working with other cities throughout the country to establish guidelines and manage a sustainable city.

In 1994, Tucker and her staff helped the City Council amend its General Plan to carry a "Sustainable City Major Strategy," the city's commitment to long-term viability as environmentally and economically friendly.

"[Sustainability] is more of a value than a definition," Tucker said. "It's thinking about future generations. It's not too difficult to get people to think that way. People understand that we've got to think about long-term issues and manage our resources now for future generations."

Although the league's program chairwoman, Tat Blesch, was unavailable to comment for this story, she wrote in the league's program guide that the time is right to revisit some of the ideals of the American Dream, which has held that we do what it takes to succeed in a world that is virtually infinite.

"It is now time to revisit this concept and perhaps reconstruct the vision to adhere to our present and future abilities. The League does not seek to force decisions in this process, only to provide our communities with issues involved in building our future."wrote Blesch.

Along with the league's presentation on environmental sustainability, other areas will be approached as well, including the maintenance of a longstanding social, economic and communal structure.

Tucker said that all tie into each other, adding that companies and cities are beginning to realize that maintaining environmentally friendly business practices can actually help the bottom line, not hurt it.

San Jose is slightly ahead of the curve on promoting sustainability, she said, and has partnered in some projects with other large cities throughout the country.

Although the cities of Los Gatos and Saratoga don't have individual plans and entire city departments like San Jose's that work toward the end goal, programs like waste-water treatment and recycling are ways in which each city has teamed

The community is invited to join Tucker and the LWVV for the kickoff event to be held at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 16 in the Saratoga Senior Center, 19655 Allendale Ave., Saratoga, near Saratoga City Hall.

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