Speech before the American Public Works Association (APWA) Sustainability in

Speech before the American Public Works Association (APWA) Sustainability in Public Works Conference, July 27, 2011 in Portland, Oregon. Too often the debate over sustainability is brought down to a level of minutiae or a debate over whether or not climate change is real or not rather than understanding the importance of keeping the balance between the natural and  man-made environment. He cites Rachel Carson, Jane Benyus, and David Orr as models of integrity and vision.

George Crombie is President of the APWA and a senior faculty member for public works administration in the MPA program at Norwich University military college in Vermont.

He was interviewed by Ruth Ann Barrett of EarthSayers.tv, voices of sustainability.

Allan Savory is President and Co-founder of the Savory Institute

Allan Savory is President and Co-founder of the Savory Institute in Boulder, Colorado.

"Desertification is a fancy word for land that is turning to desert," begins Allan Savory in this quietly powerful talk. And terrifyingly, it's happening to about two-thirds of the world's grasslands, accelerating climate change and causing traditional grazing societies to descend into social chaos. Savory has devoted his life to stopping it. He now believes -- and his work so far shows -- that a surprising factor can protect grasslands and even reclaim degraded land that was once desert. Published on Mar 4, 2013