Technology, landscape and health are among the topics to be tackled at a pair of talks organized by Gary Mittleman, a Colonie resident who has criticized the Loudonville Presbyterian Church for a deal with Verizon Wireless to build a cell phone tower at the church.
The first discussion was held Monday, April 12, at the William K. Sanford Library and featured James Kunstler, a former reporter for Rolling Stone Magazine and novelist from Saratoga Springs.
Kunstler discussed America’s changing landscape, a topic he has written about extensively during his career.
`The global energy predicament is real. It is going to change just about everything about how we live,` Kunstler said. `We are failing to pay attention
to what the future will require us to do.`
He has penned works such as `Cluster**** Nation` and `World Made by Hand.`
Kunstler said there are many concerns about the future and sustainability, and although he is not a champion against the cell phone tower directly, he is concerned about infrastructure, energy and transportation.
Kunstler said society needs to reorganize the `major systems` such as food, commerce, manufacturing, transportation and landscape.
He said the electrical communication networks must function properly for their own purposes but are not a pivotal function for him.
He expressed concerns about the way the economy sustains itself and the reactions to the economy from those who impact it.
On Thursday, April 15, at 7 p.m., the library will host Sharon Bright Holub, president of the Greater Loudonville Association and editor of `Traveling the Loudon Plank Road.` She will present a history of Loudonville focusing on the significance of homes and residences.
Mittleman, who has worked closely with SAFE, an organization that opposes cell tower emissions near students, helped circulate a petition to the Colonie Planning Board asking them not to grant site plan approval for the cell tower due to the historic nature of the Loudonville.
`Technology advancements and population growth are rapidly changing the neighborhoods and communities in which we live. The once slower-paced historic town of Loudonville is perhaps no more, but how much must it change and what does it mean for our health, our well being and our quality of life?` a statement from Mittleman reads.
Dr. David Carpenter will also speak on Thursday about the health issues of the tower. Carpenter is a Harvard-educated physician who has spent his career in the field of public health. Carpenter has previously commented about the concerns of the parents of students at nearby Loudonville Elementary School, although he noted there is no conclusive evidence to link the towers to increased cancer rates.
The William K. Sanford Town Library is located at 629 Albany-Shaker Road. The meetings will take place in the Stedman Room.
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