Could it Happen Here?

In Benjamin Parzybok's eco-fiction novel Sherwood Nation, he speculates about what an American city would be like if an extended drought limited water rations to one gallon of water per person a day. Hoarding, riots, neighborhoods filled with abandoned homes and businesses, fires left to burn themselves out, power outages – residents quickly devolve into survival mode of doing whatever they think is necessary to stay alive.

How far-fetched is this disturbing "what if" story? Would the infrastructure, water policies and human kindness ethics of Silicon Valley be up to the challenge of losing unlimited access to the precious resource we take for granted – water.

Discussing "Could It Happen Here" with author Parzybok are panelists:
• Dr. Brian Green, Assistant Director, Campus Ethics, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics and Assistant Director of Engineering, Santa Clara University
• Jim Fiedler, Chief Operating Officer, Water Utility, Santa Clara Valley Water District
• Additional panelists to be announced

Moderated by Barbara Marshman, Editorial Page Editor, Mercury News. Audience questions will be encouraged.