Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population
Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population (ASAP) is a non-profit organization founded to take a long view about the number of people who live in the Charlottesville and Albemarle County area. The organization is dormant. [citation needed].
History
ASAP was founded in 2002 by a dozen local environmental activists and at one point had as many as 330 members. [1] [2]
ASAP was founded on these principles:
- (a) to follow up the clearly stated but unfulfilled population goals of the 1998 Sustainability Accords and Vision of Sustainability (articulated in the report of the Thomas Jefferson Sustainability Council)
- (b) to help provide a “big picture” view of local growth and development that looks at community planning over the long haul
- (c) to address community population growth issues that existing local environmental and civic organizations tend to neglect.
A major effort of the organization was to encourage residents to estimate an optimal sustainable population size for the community, to be used as a planning tool by both the city and county.
Initiatives
Optimal Sustainable Population reports
On May 2, 2007, ASAP asked for $25,000 from the Albemarle Board of Supervisors for a study to identify the "optimal sustainable population" for the region. [3] Supervisors agreed on June 6 to set aside the money for a study into the "ecological carrying capacity" but not to appropriate it until the Board could approve the consultant ASAP would hire. [4]
In 2009, the City of Charlottesville provided $11,000 in funding to ASAP to fund research to help estimate the community’s biological carrying capacity. The first of five reports was delivered to City Council at their meeting on September 21, 2009. [5] The Albemarle Board of Supervisors received report the following day.
One of the reports released in 2013 dealt with the financial costs of growth. [6]
Audio of event: <play audio>http://s3.amazonaws.com/cville/cm%2Fmutlimedia%2F20130321-ASAP-panel.mp3 </play audio>
Keep C'ville Sustainable campaign
ASAP began a campaign in September 2011 to keep "sustainability" as a goal of the Albemarle County and Charlottesville City governments after pressure from the Jefferson Area Tea Party led to the Albemarle Board of Supervisors pulling out of several environmental initiatives, including ICLEI and Cool Counties.
ASAP coordinated the campaign with the beginning of the "One Community" regional planning process coordinated through the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. The campaign included primetime television commercials on NBC 29 and a challenge to all candidates for Charlottesville City Council and Albemarle Board of Supervisors in the 2011 election. [7].[dead link]
As of November 10, 2011, ASAP's site stated that 114 people had signed the petition[8].[dead link]
Officers 2018-2019
- President: Tom Olivier
- Vice President: Dave Shreve
- Treasurer: Dave Shreve
- Secretary: Wren Olivier
Board Members 2018-2019
- Madison Cummings
- Hank Helmen
- John Hermsmeier
- Jack Marshall
- Tom Olivier
- Wren Olivier
- Randy Salzman
- Dave Shreve
Previous Board of Directors
- David Shreve, President
- Vice President: Tom Olivier
- Secretary: Wren Olivier
- Madison Cummings
- Hank Helmen
- John Hermsmeier
- Jack Marshall
- Randy Salzman
- Dave Shreve
References
- ↑ Web. Hard Water, John Bogmeyer, C-VILLE Weekly, Portico Publications, retrieved June 25, 2024. Print. December 20, 2002 .
- ↑ Web. Re: Rt. 29 Western Bypass in Charlottesville/Albemarle County, Jack Marshall, Letter to Federal Highway Administration, December21. 2011, retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ↑ Web. Supervisors discuss supporting ASAP’s population research, Brian Wheeler, Blog post, Charlottesville, Virginia, May 3, 2007, retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ↑ Web. Board of Supervisors sets aside money for ASAP study, Charlottesville, Virginia, June 6, 2007, retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ↑ Web. Charlottesville City Council meeting minutes, .pdf, Council Chambers, City of Charlottesville, September 21 2009.
- ↑ Web. Panelists debate the fiscal costs and desirability of population growth, brian Wheeler, Charlottesville Tomorrow, March 24, 2013, retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ↑ E-mail. Daniel Bowman, Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population. "ASAP's Candidate Challenge." Message to Brian Wheeler, Charlottesville Tomorrow. Oct 24, 2011.
- ↑ Web. Keep Charlottesville Sustainable, retrieved Nov 10, 2011.