Population pains: Slow-growth activists warn that Portland will ...

Andy Kerr, who's fought population growth for years, posed a question to his like-minded audience: "Does anyone here want to become another California?" A chorus of "no" erupted from the 50 people at Portland's Ecotrust building Monday, on the eve of the population in the United States hitting the 300 million mark. "Then the question should be on the table," continued Kerr, an Ashland environmentalist, "when do we stop growing to prevent that?" "About 10 years ago!" one man called. Advocates of slowing or stopping population gains happened to host a town hall in Portland this week, while the rest of the country is paying attention. But for groups such as Washington, D.C.-based Population Connection, the sponsor, stabilizing the number of world residents is a full-time job.

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