WEST DUMMERSTON-Lydia's Friends, the friends-of-the-library organization that supports the Lydia Taft Pratt Library in West Dummerston, is hosting an Ecological Speakers Series. Their inaugural guest is Meg Mott, who will speak on "Floods, Science, and Democracy" on Tuesday, March 18, at 7 p.m. at the library.
After 20 years of teaching Marlboro College undergraduates, organizers say Mott has taken her love of argument to the general public. They say her award-winning series, Debating Our Rights, brings humor and disagreement to libraries across Vermont and New Hampshire.
In her presentation, Mott will explain how Vermont's terrain and roadways make it particularly vulnerable to flood damage. There was powerful remediation after Irene, but "what happens when the floods keep coming?" she asks. Some scientists argue that flood-ravaged towns should be "given back to the river." Mott asks: How are these small democracies supposed to respond?
"This presentation considers the pluses and minuses of democratic deliberation in the face of natural disaster. Some may argue that we can't afford to use democratic processes to solve a problem of this magnitude; that we don't have the time to deliberate," Mott explains. "Others may argue that we can't afford not to bring in all members of the community, even those who reject the notion of climate change."
Participants at this talk will consider the merits of both sides as well as a possible third way. Might these disruptive forces actually strengthen democracy?
According to Catherine O'Callaghan, a Dummerston resident and member of Lydia's Friends, this series "creates an opportunity for us to come together and reflect on what we share and value despite our many differences. Cultivating the practice of common inquiry and civil discourse will develop our fortitude to not only face our problems, but to solve them in community. I couldn't think of a better speaker to kick off our series than Meg Mott, who spent years teaching how to deliberate across divides with creativity and passion."
Established as Dummerston's municipal library in 1914, the Lydia Taft Pratt Library is located in the Dummerston Community Center, at 150 West St., in the heart of West Dummerston Village. For more information, contact the library at 802-258-9878 or [email protected], or call O'Callaghan at 802-380-7935.
This Town and Village item was submitted to The Commons.