Skip site map

Reprinted from the Iowa City Press-Citizen, June 6, 2002

Road trip promotes cause

Population growth concerns bicyclist

Iowa City Press-Citizen

Ben Stallings is on a mission.

Stallings has been on the road since May 20, riding his recumbent bicycle around the Midwest, from Minnesota to Iowa and back again, to spread the word about over population.

Ben Stallings, chief operating officer of World Population Balance, is promoting the benefits of population stabilization on a three-week speaking tour on a recumbent bicycle. Algona Publishing Co./Kelly Crutchlow

Stallings, 26, of Minneapolis, chief operating officer of World Population Balance, pedaled his way [out of] Iowa City through a thunderstorm Tuesday. He wore a poncho over navy blue slacks and a short-sleeved button shirt, which made him look as if he had just stepped away from a desk. Only his stretchy nylon shoes would have been out of place in an office.

"The shoes dry quickly and have no laces," explained Stallings, who is about 450 miles into his 700-mile tour.

Stallings said education is the key to providing the public with solutions to over population and over-consumption. He said the United States has the highest standard of living in the world, which translates to a bigger problem with over-consumption.

Although the United States ranks third in the world behind China and India in population, Stallings said people in this country consume more than the total of four out of the five most populated countries.

Stallings, who doesn't have a car, said he is riding a bike to make a point about over consumption.

"The No. 1 way we could cut down on energy consumption is by driving less," he said.

Population in the United States has increased by 3 million a year since the mid-1970s.

"It's driven by immigration," Stallings said. Although the group hasn't taken a stand on immigration, it does feel population growth in the U.S. is a problem, he said.

Stallings said so far the trip has been a success despite predictions from acquaintances that Iowans wouldn't relate to his message.

"Some people in Minnesota thought I was crazy for trying to spread the word in Iowa, when there is so much empty space here," he said.

For the most part, though, Iowans have been supportive and aware, Stallings said - even in north central Iowa's Algona.

"Some guy, who looked like he walked off the set of 'The Dukes of Hazzard,' walked up to me in a parking lot," Stallings said, referring to the popular 1970s television series. "He was very encouraging and said, 'I'm with you.'"

A 1998 graduate of Grinnell College, Stallings said he attended his four-year reunion along the way. Former classmates were intrigued by his mission.

"The values at the school are such that everybody is always supportive of anything crazy like this," he said with a laugh.

Stallings is paying for the trip out-of-pocket and expects it to cost more than $3,000. The bike and trailer, on which he hauls about 100 pounds of gear, make up a large portion of that, accounting for about $1,000 of the cost, he said.

Stallings said he mostly camps at night, although he occasionally stays in a hotel or private home.

World Population Balance, a non-profit group based in Minneapolis, is funded by the Minneapolis Foundation. An anonymous donor stipulated that the gift be used for education about population growth.

The group's Web site is http://worldpopulationbalance.org.