Get Involved!

Join our network of supporters in advocating for change by participating in various activities.

Attend Virtual Events with guest speakers and our Global Partners to stay informed and connected with our work. Express your thoughts on population-related issues by writing LTEs or Op-Ed pieces, amplifying your voice on critical topics. Become a local advocate by raising awareness in your community—share resources, foster conversations, and be a catalyst for change. Take direct action by contacting your representatives, urging them to prioritize investments in family planning programs. Stand up for reproductive rights by working with our sister organization, Population Connection Action Fund.

Together, we can create a powerful force for positive transformation! Learn more about how to get involved with our efforts below.

UN Commission on Population and Development 

Demographic and Contraceptive Research, Technology, and Education to Support Sustainable Population Dynamics

We’re hosting an official side event for the UN Commission on Population and Development, fifty-nineth session. This year’s theme is “Population, technology and research in the context of sustainable development.”

Demographic, health, and geospatial environmental research has stalled due to devastating funding cuts. As a result, there is a deficit of current, high-quality data, thwarting efforts to address pressing sustainable development challenges, all of which are exacerbated by population growth.

Filling knowledge gaps among policymakers and journalists is crucial to building support for funding demographic and contraceptive research and technological developments. Education on demographic data, trends, and dynamics, and on barriers to contraceptive use, is imperative to achieve progress on these issues, which are intimately intertwined with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Author, former journalist, and current Population Connection board member Robert Engelman will explore this topic during an interactive discussion.

Date: Tuesday, April 14th
Time: 1:00pm ET/10:00am PT

Register Here!

Earth Day Presentation with John Seager

The Good Crisis: How Population Stabilization Can Foster a Healthy U.S. Economy 

It’s been 10 years since our co-publication, The Good Crisis: How Population Stabilization Can Foster a Healthy U.S. Economy. A decade later, we’re still making the same argument: lower fertility rates are good for the health and well-being of people and the planet.

Join Population Connection President and CEO, John Seager, as he unpacks how the demographic changes now underway represent an extraordinary opportunity for us to focus on creating a greater, rather than larger, society. Lower fertility rates can help solve some of our most intractable problems, avert some of the worst climate catastrophes, and create opportunities for those who are often left out of our economy.

During the event, John will unpack the challenge of The Good Crisis—keeping our aging population healthy, productive, and prepared for today’s technologically-focused jobs. At the same time, today’s youth must be prepared for productive futures through education, skills training, and delayed parenthood enabled by improved family planning services.

Contact the Membership Relations Team at engage@popconnect.org to request a hard copy of The Good Crisis, while supplies last!

Date: Wednesday, April 22nd
Time: 3:00pm ET/12:00pm PT

Register Here!

Book Club Discussion

Becoming Earth by Ferris Jabr

Humans are one of the most extreme examples of life transforming Earth. Through fossil fuel consumption, agriculture, and pollution, we have altered more layers of the planet in less time than any other species, pushing Earth into a crisis. But we are also uniquely able to understand and protect the planet’s wondrous ecology and self-stabilizing processes. Jabr introduces us to a diverse cast of fascinating people who have devoted themselves to this vital work.

Date: Wednesday, May 13th
Time: 4:00pm ET/1:00pm PT

Register Here!

*We don’t record book club meetings, so tune in live, if you can, to catch the discussions! 

John Milliken

Member Since 2008

Population Connection member John Milliken’s life has been shaped by a rich tapestry of experiences, starting with his upbringing in a military family.

John was around ten-years-old when he visited his grandparents in New York City. The sheer number of people there struck him. “When I saw how crowded New York City was, I’d lie awake at night thinking, ‘How do they have enough clean water for all these people? There must be 10,000 flushes going on all the time in that city!” This curiosity grew as he moved from Elmira, a small farm community,  to a larger city, Sacramento, California, where he became more involved in thinking about the world’s growing population.

Shortly after graduating from Sacramento State College, John joined the Air Force in 1967, serving two tours in Vietnam and spending 14 years, including reserve time, in the military. His career took a different flight path when he became a pilot for Delta, a role he filled for 28 years. His wife, a flight attendant, joined him in exploring the world, often with their son in tow.

Now retired from his flying career, John stays busy with his love for antique cars and traveling. He combines his hobbies and travels to judge car shows, including serving as Chief Judge at the International Auto Expo in New Delhi and the San Marino Car Show in California.

John was aware of the Zero Population Growth (ZPG) movement and became a supporting donor of Population Connection in 2008. He views rapid population growth as the root cause of many global issues. He expresses concern about the environmental changes he has witnessed over the years, saying, “I’ve traveled to other places, too, that I knew when I was much, much younger, and now they’re changed, and not nearly as pretty as they were before.”

John’s frustration with the lack of attention to population issues motivates him to stay involved. He actively responds to misleading headlines about population growth, particularly those from economists, by writing letters to the editor. “I would like people to become more aware of their carbon footprints,” John says, emphasizing his desire to break stigmas and shift negative perceptions about how population impacts our environment and social issues. His activism extends to women’s rights, a cause he passionately supports.

As a member of Population Connection, John is part of the Leadership Circle and stays engaged through virtual programs and reading our quarterly magazine. He also enjoys the interactive #MyPopulationNumber activity, reflecting on how the global population has grown during his lifetime: “When I was born in December of 44′, there were 2.4 billion people. My wife was born in August of ’58, and it was up to 2.9 billion people. When my son was born in 1995, the population was 5.7 billion. It has gone from 2.4 billion people to 8.2 billion people in my 80 years.”

Through his activism, John hopes to inspire others to become more aware of their impact on the planet and to advocate for meaningful change in addressing population growth and its role in global issues. We greatly appreciate having such a passionate member dedicated to protecting our planet. If you’re as committed to achieving global population stabilization as John, we encourage you to contact us at engage@popconnect.org or to tune in for an upcoming virtual event!

Membership Relations Staff