by Suzanne York, HowMany.org – An experienced and learned colleague of mine asked me one evening at the start of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) if it really mattered what issues made it or didn’t make it into the official Rio+20 text known as “The Future We Want”. Symbolically, it seemed important to
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York, May 11, 2012 If you think there is one issue that could gain bi-partisan support in the U.S. Congress, ending child marriage would likely be near the top of the list. Not only would a little bi-partisanship be good for the country, but preventing girls from marrying too young would improve lives.
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York, HowMany.org, April 25, 2012 The Aspen Institute continued its series exploring living in a world of 7 billion people with an event this past April 18th, in a session called “A Long Walk to Water: Women, Population and Access to Safe Water.” As society grapples with a population projected to hit over
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York, HowMany.org, April 18, 2012   In her TED talk in early April, Melinda Gates of the Gates Foundation mentioned that if the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) in India were its own country, it would be the fifth largest in the world, with over 200 million people. And in this populated land,
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York, HowMany.org, April 2, 2012   It’s very hard to comprehend that here we are in the 21st century, living in a supposedly advanced and democratic nation, and there is a huge debate about women’s rights – namely women’s access to and use of contraceptives in the United States. As a Generation X’er,
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York, HowMany.org, March 14, 2012 If you care about people and the planet, listen up!  According to recent research, 8 in 10 environmentalists want to see population growth addressed along with a focus on consumption and clean energy. This is good news. We cannot afford to continue to “silo” the critical issues facing
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York, HowMany.org, March 7, 2012 In the midst of all the political attacks on contraceptive coverage and women’s rights here in the U.S., it is more important than ever that we celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th. It’s hard to believe that in the U.S., a country which has the highest rates
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York, HowMany.org, Feb. 21, 2012 Recently I had the privilege of meeting with Dr. Prakash Tyagi, a medical doctor and director of Gramin Vikas Vigyan Samiti (GRAVIS), a rural empowerment organization based in the state of Rajasthan, India. Dr. Tyagi was visiting the San Francisco Bay Area, courtesy of the International Development Exchange
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York, HowMany.org, January 17, 2012   photo: Creative Commons / Chin tin tin article.wn.com Some top thinkers recently gathered in Washington, DC to strategize on population, women’s rights and environment issues. Experts met at the Aspen Institute on January 12th to discuss “The Road to Rio: Climate Change, Population and Sustainability” and find
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York, HowMany.org, January 10, 2012 In a country that has one of the highest birthrates in South East Asia, a proposal to provide citizens free contraception sounds like a smart move. But in the Philippines, smart bumps up against culture and religion. With a population of over 95 million and a total fertility
[continue reading…]