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POPULATION IN SYNC

To raise public awareness about the population crisis that is threatening our planet - using my new award-winning book.

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POPULATION IN SYNC

POPULATION IN SYNC

POPULATION IN SYNC

POPULATION IN SYNC

POPULATION IN SYNC

To raise public awareness about the population crisis that is threatening our planet - using my new award-winning book.

To raise public awareness about the population crisis that is threatening our planet - using my new award-winning book.

To raise public awareness about the population crisis that is threatening our planet - using my new award-winning book.

To raise public awareness about the population crisis that is threatening our planet - using my new award-winning book.

Valorie Allen
Valorie Allen
Valorie Allen
Valorie Allen
1 Campaign |
Lethbridge, Canada
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Short Summary

PROJECT:    POPULATION IN SYNC   -   Created by Valorie M. Allen in 2012

Based on the award-winning book “Growing Pains – A Planet In Distress”

 

I have worked with environment and population groups for over 25 years, and won the Canadian Volunteer Award in 1994 for my efforts.  It was this award that made me realize that all the hard work of millions of people who were trying to protect the environment and reduce human misery was for naught, for our efforts were being undermined by rampant population growth.

Ten long years of research (part-time) went into my book, “Growing Pains – A Planet in Distress”, and it took me two years to write it.  “Growing Pains was published in 2010.  Since that time I have been trying to promote it on a very limited budget.  In December, 2010 I was nominated for the TRANSFORMATIONAL CANADIAN  AWARD for my work on the population issue.

I now live on a hobby farm in SW Alberta where I continue my efforts to raise public awareness about the population issue through my book, power point presentations, website (www.populationinsync.net) and my work with the Population Institute of Canada..

This project is based on the premise that overpopulation is the greatest threat to our planet, and yet the most neglected.  This fact has been recognized by numerous distinguished thinkers, many of whom have been quoted in my book.  It is commonly believed in the population community that the population crisis will be the most urgent and demanding issue of the 21st century.

When our leaders and media eventually decide to address the numerous consequences of overpopulation, such as poverty, conflict, environmental degradation, and climate change in a meaningful way, there will be a huge demand for public awareness, understanding, and solutions to the population crisis.  All of this information can be found in my comprehensive and critically acclaimed book, as well as in the POPULATION IN SYNC power point presentation.

It is imperative that we prepare for this situation immediately, so that we are able to demonstrate the ability to present a well thought out, well researched plan of action for this urgent problem when the time comes.  Rather than react to a state of panic, we need to be confident in our recommendations, and prepared to shine light on humanity’s most threatening failure.

My book “Growing Pains – A Planet in Distress”, my website, the population group I work with, and the power point presentation “Population In Sync” will be essential tools in this action plan if we hope to achieve a humane and successful outcome.  These tools will produce a much smoother transition to a sustainable population than if our society opts to use coercive or violent means to solve the population dilemma we are presently facing.

 

 

  •  Foreword, Endorsements, Reviews, Videos, and Website

 

 TITLE INFORMATION
GROWING PAINS - A PLANET IN DISTRESS
Allen, Valorie M.
iUniverse (356 pp.)
$33.95 hardcover, $23.95 paperback, $9.99 e-book
ISBN: 978-1450204293; March 18, 2010


KURKIS BOOK REVIEW !!!!!!!! (THE SISKEL AND EBERTS OF BOOK REVIEWS)


In her debut, Allen warns against overpopulation and exhausting the Earth’s ever-dwindling resources.

The author argues that although human beings crave nature, their arrogance and “anthropocentrism” has led to a depleted and unsustainable environment. She compares this human-centered view of ecology to the ancient theory that the Earth is the center of the universe. Like a modern-day Copernicus, the author seeks to challenge the “universal consciousness” of Earth’s “wise hominids.” She argues that mankind’s uncontrolled consumption produces waste, extinction and poverty, threatening not just the planet, but mankind’s very existence. Allen uses compelling facts and statistics while listing the numerous causes of humanity’s accelerated growth. For example, she contends that although “most religions” address family planning openly, some governments “coerce” mothers into parenthood. At the other extreme, she cites the striking decline in Iran’s birthrate, accomplished, she writes, through religious edicts. She discusses at length the Vatican’s stand against contraception and abortion and also reminds readers that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke presciently about family planning’s importance. Although she points out various efforts and partnerships that offer possible overpopulation solutions, some ideas may be more achievable than others. For example, the Ontario-based Sustainable Scale Project advocates the implementation of a “1.5 children per family policy” by 2100. The author covers the end of life, as well, including her thoughts on right-to-die issues. Allen’s well-argued book bravely tackles a subject that, as she notes, is “taboo” even among some environmentalists.............


An informative, passionate treatise on the impact of population growth.


Kirkus Indie, Kirkus Media LLC, 6411 Burleson Rd., Austin, TX 78744
indie@kirkusreviews.com

 

 

 Foreward

Val Allen has written a very readable book on a very serious subject—Earth’s human population in overshoot.  Her book provides plenty of facts and data, but it does much more than that.  It also reaches us at an emotional level and invites us to consider what we are destroying and to mourn the loss we are inflicting upon ourselves even as we decimate other life-forms.  For those who will consider it and connect a very few dots, the evidence of what we are doing has become incontrovertible.  And yet, as stated in Growing Pains, “Never before on this planet have so many inhabitants been so misinformed about something that is so important and urgent, as with the population issue.”  Allen illustrates with examples how, at many levels, political priorities are misguided, to say the least.  She also describes the futility of so many of the “solutions” to our environmental, social, and economic problems, because they ignore the Real problem—that infinite growth of population and consumption on a finite planet is impossible.

Humankind’s most noble objectives, such as human rights for all as endorsed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, will not be attainable in a world in which overpopulation is unraveling the web of life.  Allen offers some rays of hope.  She uses citations from and describes the efforts of many population activists and scientists.  A quote from Victor Hugo reads, “Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come.”  Perhaps the increased reporting on population that is now starting to occur reflects the slowly dawning awareness among a critical mass of people that we humans are biological organisms that can and indeed have exceeded the carrying capacity of our environment.  Val Allen’s straightforward book is a great tool to help spread this idea whose time has most certainly come.

Dr. Madeline Weld, President  --  Population Institute of Canada

 

ENDORSEMENTS

“A valuable reference for every world citizen concerned about protecting the earth from rampant population growth.”

Edward C. Hartman                 Author:  “The Population Fix”

 

“Ms. Allen is passionate about the problems of overpopulation both globally and locally and she conveys her passion very well in this book.  She examines incontrovertible facts and their implications, as well as pointing out how our leaders and our societies ignore these facts.  In the face of these facts she points out that there are some who advocate policies that make worse the problems of overpopulation.  The public needs to know the facts that are presented in this book.”

Albert A. Bartlett

Boulder, Colorado

 

“In a world reeling from environmental, social, political, and economic crisis, the vast majority of elected people, scientists, citizens and media doggedly prolong their failure to even address, let alone deal with, the driving force behind this turmoil – massive and escalating human over- population.  This book is a brave and rare effort to step into the gap and shine light on human kinds most critical and threatening failure.”

Dr. Brian L. Horejsi, Wildlife Conservation Scientist, Calgary, Alberta

(science and democracy activist)

 

“We have waited a long time for a book like this.  In the clearest terms, Growing Pains provides the reasons why we need to reduce the world’s population and gives us the how-to information required to get on with the job.  Val Allen lists things anyone can do right now, regardless of the size of their family, to help humanity overcome its greatest threat.  Buy this book, read it and pass it on.  We should all take its message to heart.”

Ben Gadd, award-winning naturalist and author

 

"This is really quite a significant piece of work.  Val Allen has assembled just a huge mass of information from disparate sources on a wide range of critical topics and laid it out in a very effective manner.

The many anecdotal and personal views lend a ground level perspective which serves to flatten the learning curve for the otherwise daunting scale of these issues.  The message is very clear without being strident.  Scope and depth are excellent.

It manages to be both a solid starter for any interested person and a great reference for the researcher.  Growing Pains takes the pain out of learning about our planetary problems."

Cheers,

John Meyer, former president of Zero Population Growth Canada

 

 

BOOK REVIEWS

A review by Dr. Vivian Pharis, former president of the Alberta Wilderness Association

Some books are known to change people’s lives. Rachael Carson’s Silent Spring is one such book that changed many. Now, out of SW Alberta comes a book by Val Allen that could and should be another life changer. Growing Pains is an extremely timely compendium of logical, reasonable thoughts made by those who have clearly considered where the human obsession with growth has come from and where it is pushing us to go. Her work is designed to galvanize people’s actions on what is clearly the single most critical issue facing humankind, and the one underlying and under scoring most of the world’s intractable problems – that being too many of us demanding too much from one small planet. Anticipating a new global movement, Growing Pains points to possible, rational routes through the morass of growth that can lead the world to a stable future, but time is critical. Val’s book is not a doom and gloomer, rather, it’s an eye opener, and a very readable and compelling one too.

Through her book, Val delves into each of the major issues confronting global stability, including poverty, endless wars, brinksmanship and fear, climate change, failure of our economic model, failure of feminism, man’s inhumanity to man, and the loss of biodiversity, fresh water and wilderness. She relates how each is being driven by uncontrolled growth, particularly of our own numbers and of our insatiable appetite for resources. While many of us realize we cannot continue to ride this escalator where we now seem trapped into always needing more, most of us have no idea how to jump off. Val knows though, and her ideas for change, gleaned from extensive research into the ramifications of growth, are logical, understandable and even doable. Growing Pains is a book of fact, explanation, hope and practicality.

Through her book, a compelling case is built that entreats people to divert attention and efforts in a gargantuan way towards the most fundamentally vital of causes – the reduction of population and consumption.  As you read Growing Pains the realization sets in that the long and good fights by environmentalists, anti-poverty groups, world aid groups, and so on, are all for naught as every gain is soon overwhelmed by the pressures of more growth. If population and consumption levels could fall towards sustainability, almost all of the other major world problems would diminish correspondingly. Only recently the Optimal Population Society of Britain made the point that the most efficient and cost effective way to stem climate change is to increase contraception. In the words of Sir David Attenborough, “Instead of controlling the environment for the benefit of the population, maybe we should control the population to ensure the survival of the environment.”

Growing Pains is full of apt quotations, but none better sums the crux of what Val Allen has achieved through the distilling of many thoughts on a matter so convoluted, controversial and crucial as growth, than Victor Hugo’s “Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come.”

What Val Allen has done is expose the myths and explode the taboos about our own devastating fecundity and bring logic and reason into play to counter it. She shows it is possible to take hold of the population juggernaut and wrestle it into reasonable order. Yes we can! This idea has legs that will carry it around the world! Yes, it must!

                                                                                ~

THE NEXT TWO BOOK REVIEWS promote “Growing Pains” as an educational book suitable for use within the realms of academia for intelligent debate.  This book includes an index and bibliography, and is very comprehensive and easy to understand.  A Researcher’s Bonanza!

 

Book Review

"Growing Pains -- A Planet in Distress" by Val Allen

    Val Allen has produced a fine, well-researched and important piece of
work. It continually astonishes me that when one considers the
overwhelming and myriad of difficulties Earth is facing, and how many
of them have as their root cause human over-population, yet open
discussion of population in many circles is an unmentionable forbidden
topic. Because the problem of human over-population is so glaringly
and stridently obvious to me, I am always puzzled why so many others
not only deny the problem, but won’t even talk about it. An open
discussion of this topic often seems to trigger anger and then
strenuous denial that there is any problem at all. We are definitely
in a state of denial.

  Val Allen’s book, the text of which flows well, is filled with many
thoughtful insights and fascinating, easy to follow, useful statistics. I
like her style of writing. I was particularly impressed with her analysis
of the roles of the status of women, politics, patriarchal attitudes and
religion in influencing birth rate. Ms. Allen has also dug up lots of
wonderful quotes on the problems of the increasing human population. Her
comments on our dependence on the drug of consumption of consumer goods
and the greed of those who drive this system are well made.

    If politicians, policy makers and industrialists are really interested in
the fate of their children and grand children, and of the Earth itself,
they must read this book and take its message seriously. Every educator
needs to take notice of Ms. Allen's impressive and elegant analysis of
the population problem.

David Mayne Reid,
Professor of Botany,
Dept. of Biological Sciences,
University of Calgary

 

 

 

 

"GROWING PAINS - A PLANET IN DISTRESS"  by Valorie M. Allen

 

When I heard that Valorie Allen was writing her first book about the population problem I was excited. I have known Val for many years. She has always been a passionate, caring and ethical person. It is my belief that “healthy debate” leads to change. As noted in PEDAGOGICAL POSSIBILITIES FOR ARGUMENTATIVE AGENCY IN ACADEMIC DEBATE Argumentation & Advocacy, 1998, Vol. 35 Issue 2, p41-60, Gordon R. Mitchell, Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh, uses this quote to support advocacy for thoughtful debate:

Our principle is the power of individuals to participate with others in shaping their world through the human capacity of language; Our commitment to argument expresses our faith in reason-giving as a key to that power; Our commitment to advocacy expresses our faith in oral expression as a means to empower people in situations of their lives; Our research studies the place of argument and advocacy in these situations of empowerment; Our teaching seeks to expand students' appreciation for the place of argument and advocacy in shaping their world, and to prepare students through classrooms, forums, and competition for participation in their world through the power of expression; and Our public involvement seeks to empower through argument and advocacy. --American Forensic Association Credo.

 

Put very simply, Val’s book promotes debate and is deserving of its place within the realms of academia for intelligent debate on this most important issue.

 

Debra A. Kumbhare Med Bed

 

VIDEO AND WEBSITE

-        Dory’s Story is a short video made from a book interview with Dory Rossiter for CTV Lethbridge, and can be viewed on my website at www.populationinsync.net

 

What We Need & What You Get

FUNDING

My proposal, POPULATION IN SYNC, would require $500,000 over a three year period.  It would be implemented in three stages as funding became available.

A SIMILAR PROJECT has been very successful in Australia. Like many Australian millionaires, Dick Smith hadn’t thought much about the consequences of overpopulation until about a couple of years ago when his daughter brought the issue to his attention.  That conversation changed everything, and from that day forward population became the most important issue in his life.

Smith set out on a six-month journey of discovery, and was shocked to discover how overpopulation was affecting Australia and the world.  He became a population dynamo, and one of his projects was to inform federal politicians, mayors and local elected leaders in Australia about the population crisis.  So he purchased 1,395 copies of the book “Overloading Australia”, and the group Sustainable Population Australia helped to distribute them to the political community.

Next, Smith launched his $1 Million Wilberforce Award to be presented after one year (in August 2011) “to the outstanding young person (under 30) who has not only made a significant contribution but has what it takes to be among the next generation of leaders our incredible planet so badly needs.”

Smith has also put his fortune towards creating a DVD about overpopulation, and has challenged the media to practice more balanced reporting on population and its consequences.  He also backed William Bourke in forming a political party in Australia to address the population issue.

Many of the politicians and citizens of Australia are now coming to realize that pursuing growth for growth’s sake is inappropriate and inconsistent with ecologically sustainable development.

 

Year 1  

  • The first step would be to increase awareness of the population issue through the media and education systems using advertisements, my website, power point presentation and book, as well as other promotional tools.  We need to take the time to build strong relationships with the media and education communities.
  •  It would be wise to seek out advice from Bill Ryerson at the Global Population Media Center, and encourage University and College students in Media Arts to participate as part of their course objectives.  We would accept donations, and recruit volunteers to assist with our work.

 We are likely to find that we have a great deal of support from other population entities, such as the Population Institute of Canada and Population Connection in the U.S.  Also, we may want to approach the Billionaire Club for donations, since according to WorldNetDaily this group met in May, 2009 and decided that population is indeed the greatest threat to our planet. The Billionaire Club includes celebrities such as Bill Gates, David Rockefeller, Ted Turner, Oprah Winfrey, Sir Paul Nurse, and others.

 

  •  Distribution of my book “Growing Pains – A Planet In Distress” to key representatives in the political, science, education, environmental, medical, and social services communities is essential.
  • A Population Conference and workshops would be planned early on to launch the Power Point Presentation and Speakers Bureau.  It is essential to include highly respected and motivational keynote speakers to establish credibility and urgency of the situation.
  • The Speakers Bureau will be established to consist of 3-5 speakers to start with, and will focus on 2-3 audiences (e.g. education, environment, and political).

 

 

Year 2

  •  Promotion and marketing would be increased and expanded to reach a wider audience and appear more frequently. We would continue to accept donations, and be more active in recruiting volunteers to assist with our work.
  • Distribution of the book to environmental groups, think tanks, a more diverse media community, distinguished thinkers, etc. would support our endeavor to reach a critical mass.  We would increase networking, and collaborating on projects that are appropriate.
  • The speakers Bureau would increase the number of speakers trained or hired to make presentations.  The range of audiences we would target would increase to include the medical, science, and community,

 

 

Year 3

  •  Our focus would become more international in scope, networking with the global population community to effect change in United Nations decision-making, and establishing global goals and monitoring devicesThis could include a population report card to be used globally, and a booklet outlining success stories and non-coercive solutions that have a proven history in various countries.
  • We would expand our marketing efforts to include videos and a documentary movie.  Perhaps we could persuade Michael Moore, Michael Tobias, or someone with similar talents to take on this project. 
 

 Get your book ready. You two are going to the movies.

 

"You've written a great book, and your instincts are telling you it could make the leap from the page to TV or the big screen -- if it got to the right people in Hollywood. iUniverse has new book-to-film services that can do just that -- get your book Tinseltown ready. Do you see the A-list stars acting out your story? Can you imagine walking the red carpet at your movie's premiere? We're here to help you make those dreams a reality.

Book-to-film services make your book available to top agents, producers, directors, writers and actors through our exclusive Hollywood database. So when executives are searching for new material to turn into films, our database is a key source of exciting new ideas.

Book-to-film services include:

  • Hollywood Coverage: Attract the interest of industry insiders with a cost-effective book synopsis and evaluation added to our database.
  • Hollywood Treatment: Create the framework for your book's motion picture adaptation. This is the next step towards your ultimate goal of having your book become a movie or TV show.
  • Hollywood Screenplay: Show entertainment executives you're serious about getting your book on screen through a complete film adaptation. Flesh out your Hollywood Treatment with full dialogue and detailed action for your story.

Just as it was when you published your book with iUniverse, you'll retain all rights associated with our book-to-film products. You have nothing to lose, and Hollywood to gain. "

Best regards,


Your iUniverse Marketing Consultants
marketingservices@iuniverse.com

  • At this point our Speakers Bureau would have become very successful and popular with a wide range of audiences.  Knowledge of the population crisis and solutions to this problem would have reached the critical mass.  After three years of intensive public awareness campaigns, we will have succeeded in exposing the myths and taboos that are presently clouding the issue.

 World events and indicators, such as climate change, mass extinction, water shortages, etc., will also have convinced mankind of the urgent need for action.   From this point on, income from the sale of the books and from the Speakers Bureau, as well as donations, would be sufficient to support the POPULATION IN SYNC project in the future.

 

 

 

 

                 PROJECTED BUDGET   2013 - 2015

Expenses

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Promotion of project and book

$20,000

$10,000

   $10,000

Organizing  and advertising the Population Conference

______________

Speaker Fees for conference – 3 paid speakers and 4-5 volunteer speakers

 

 

$15,000

 

 

 

$60,000

 

 

 Project Coordinator fees

$25,000

$25,000

$30,000

Establish Speakers Bureau of 3-5 speakers

 

$40,000

 

$50,000

 

$70,000

Distribution of book to target audiences

 

$10,000

 

$20,000

 

--------

Networking campaign to create a global initiative

 

 

 

40,000

Attracting interest for a  documentary movie

 

 

 

$20,000

Collaborating with partners to produce educational short videos?

 

 

 

 

$10,000

Work on population report card from book info

 

 

 

 

$15,000

Work with the population community

 

$10,000

 

$10,000

 

$10,000

TOTAL

$180,000

$115,000

$205,000

 

TOTAL  =  $500,000.00

 

At this point, revenue from the book, speakers bureau, and donations is expected to exceed $700,000 annually, and then continue to increase to over $1 million by 2020.  It is quite possible that the numbers could be far greater than this if donations and grants are substantial.

 

               

                           EXPENSES INCURRED TO DATE

   

 2010 / 2011  

Research Time for Book  10 years part-time  (3040 hours x $15.00 = $45,600)

 

$45,600.00

 

Time writing book  --   2 years almost full time (2800 hours x $15.00 = $42,000.00)

 

$42,000.00

 

Time self publishing and promoting book  1 year – 800 hours x 15 =

 

 

 

$12,000.00

Cost of publishing and promoting book:

-        iUniverse publishing fees

-        Planned TV Arts Radio Tour prep and interviews

-        Book signings, readings, interview -  prep and event  7 events x 3 hours x $15.00

-        iUniverse promotional fees and books for promotion

-        Book Festival entry fees and other promotions

-        Banff Book Festival Booth and hours – 24 hours x 2 people x $15.00 =

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$4490.00

 

$2500.00

 

 

$315.00

 

$5168.00

 

$ 1018.00

 

$920.00

-Travel expenses (book signings readings, interviews),

-office expenses (office space and equipment)

 

 

$2,000

 

$5,000

Time creating Power Point Presentation – 42 hours x 15.00

 

 

 

$4300.00

In-kind volunteer contributions  120 Hrs x 6 people x $20.00= $14,400.00 for proofreaders and revisions

 

SUB-TOTALS

TOTAL      $133,411.00

 

 

$14,400.00

 

_________________

$102,000

 

 

 

 

 

______________

$31,411.00

 

THE PERKS

The unique perks that I can offer you would include a signed copy of my book for those who contribute $100.00 or more.  For a contribution of over $200.00 you would receive a book and a population kit that would include a membership for the Population Institute of Canada, bumper sticker, info sheet, and lapel pin.


As more funding became available for the population conference, perks for a donation of $500.00 or over would be a free pass to the Population Conference.  Other exciting perks would become available as the project evolved.

Should I not reach my ultimate goal, all funding received would still go back into the POPULATION IN SYNC project.  Population has been my passion for most of my life, and will continue to be for as long as I am able.  You can be sure that your donations will go to a good cause.

 

I certainly understand that some people are not in a position to donate, and I would like to assure you that there are many other ways that you can contribute.

What Can You Do in Your Country?

*  Educate yourself about the population issue through books like mine (Growing Pains - A Planet In Distress) or some of the numerous websites on the internet.  Mine is www.populationinsync.net, and this site has links to many more.  Also, please make a comment in my Guestbook on my website, and view my video there as well.

*   Urge governments to create a population policy and financial incentives to have small families.  The population policy would include a carrying capacity study and meaningful public consultation process.

*   Support population groups or donate to family planning programs, like those available through the Population Institute of Canada.

*   Urge political leaders to appoint a population minister, as they have in Australia.

*   Most importantly, talk about population with family and friends.

*   Stop at two or make adoption an option

*   Urge governments everywhere to EMPOWER WOMEN
     

As Victor Hugo pointed out, "Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come."  This project is most certainly an idea whose time has come!!

 

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