March 1, 2011 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
Some Small Steps Toward Clean Energy
Our beautiful state is world-renowned for its uniqueness in a number of areas, including culture, language, landscapes, and marine life. However, a distinction that prompts concern rather than pride is Hawaii’s status as the most fossil fuel dependent state in the country.
Hawaii’s Clean Energy Initiative aims to change that. Launched by the state of Hawaii and the U.S. Department of Energy in 2008 to reduce Hawaii’s dependence on oil, the initiative set one of the most ambitious goals ever in our country: To achieve 70% clean energy by 2030. Alternative sources of energy, such as wind and geothermal energy, are being studied. Solid waste combustion is being considered. And it is no secret that solar power has a place in this sunny state. Projects are being proposed on all islands, in support of renewable energy resources and energy-efficiency efforts. The larger projects, such as the Hawai‘i Interisland Renewable Energy Program (HIREP), have earned much media attention and inevitably caused controversy. But there are some smaller projects popping up that are worth noting, such as the 2030 Clean Energy Rebate Program and the Clean Energy Hawaii STEM iPad Application.
February 28, 2011 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
On Friday, February 25, 2011, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources unanimously approved California-based Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) Observatory Corp’s plan to construct the largest telescope in the world atop Mauna Kea. Residents of Hawaii are anything but unanimous in their feelings on the construction of the massive telescope.
Some fast facts on this ponderous plan
- The University of Hawaii currently manages the land upon which the proposed telescope would be built. TMT would lease this land from UH.
- According to a report by the Star Advertiser, the 184-foot-tall telescope and 18,000-square-foot support building will be visible from 14 percent of the island.
- Construction could begin as soon as 2012 and will take an estimated eight years to complete.
- TMT says that the telescope will “get pictures 10 times clearer than the Hubble Space Telescope and be able to see 13 billion light-years away”.
- Although the plan was approved by the Board, a contested case hearing will be conducted. This will allow those opposed to the plan to be heard one final time before the board’s final review.
Those in favor say…
February 26, 2011 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
Laie-kiki: Is this how we “Envision” Laie?
With plans to build hundreds of homes, churches, shops, and a 220-room Marriott hotel, apparently some do.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ insists the “Envision Laie” plan is necessary for the creation of more jobs and affordable housing in the area.
The question is, for whom? And at what cost to the community?
The Cost
According to a report by the Hawaii Independent, a few of the immediate impacts of the plan include widening Kamehameha Highway, “which will require condemning some properties along that road, as well as seizing some kuleana lands”, to make way for roads that will connect the different pieces of the development project. In addition, with an increase in population, an increase in cars on the road is inevitable, leading to additional fuel consumption and increased traffic congestion.
Some opponents of the plan also cite concerns over a potential change in the conservative country character that an influx of new people may bring to Laie and the surrounding communities. Choon James, a member of the Koolauloa Sustainable Communities Planning Advisory Committee, urged LDS officials to “consider the multiplier impacts an overly large hotel will impose on the rural character, traffic and lifestyle of this community and region”.
February 24, 2011 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
No energy, no fuel, no problem: Can the “eneloop” bike get you where you want to go?
If you despise traffic, prefer the scenic route, love the earth and like to get a little exercise, you might be happy to learn that SANYO’s award-winning “eneloop” bike has arrived in the Aloha State. You might be happy, that is, if you have even heard of it.
It seems that the bike is currently geared toward tourists. In interviews with PR Newswire, the president of SANYO used the words “vacation” and “vacationers”, and the president of Assist the World of Green, LLC talked about the advantages of the eneloop for tourists.
So aside from it’s strange name, just what makes this bike so special? And why should we care?
According to SANYO, the eneloop (named for it’s ability to harness and “loop” energy created by braking) “uses a combination of pedal-power and battery-power to help riders go further and easily maneuver hills”. For bicyclists, this means expending less energy to travel longer distances.
February 22, 2011 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
Feeling smothered? Try some uni!
While that may not be the best advice for humans, it seems to be working for our local reefs.
Kappaphycus, otherwise fittingly known as “smothering seaweed”, has been strangling our country’s only barrier reef system, found in Kaneohe Bay. Originally brought to Hawaii for commercial purposes, such as keeping ice chunks from forming in ice cream, the fast-growing algae is suffocating the reefs and endangering the aquatic life living within and around them.
In an interview with Star Advertiser, Christy Martin, the spokeswoman for the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species, described the reef system as a shelter and “a nursery for the fish”. But if the smothering seaweed, with the alarming ability to double in size in just 15-30 days, is left to grow, it could turn this nursery into a dead zone.
Cynthia Hunter, an assistant biology professor at the University of Hawaii, echoed these concerns, saying that these particular types of seaweed “take a very complex habitat with nooks and crevices preferred by reef fish and flatten it”. She expressed the urgency of the problem, stating, “The coral can only recover if you get the alien algae off of it.” resource
Former efforts to remove the algae actually involved an underwater vacuum, called the Super Sucker, which had the ability to remove up to 800 pounds of algae in an hour. These efforts were admirable but not sustainable. Operation of the Super Sucker required a five-person crew and state funding. With state budget cuts a concern, the latter could not be guaranteed. And even if funding came through, the crew assembled, and the Super Sucker went to work, the seaweed would eventually return and need to be removed again. And again. And again.
February 17, 2011 - Posted by admin - 5 Comments
There is something fishy going on in the state senate.
Bill 580, presented to the senate committee just last week (February 10, 2011), calls for prohibiting the sale of “aquatic life for aquarium purposes”. The bill defines aquatic life as “any type or species of mammal, fish, amphibian, reptile, mollusk, crustacean, arthropod, invertebrate, coral, or other animal that inhabits the freshwater or marine environment and includes any part, product, egg, or offspring thereof; or freshwater or marine plants, including seeds, roots, products, and other parts thereof”.
So what does all of this mean for Hawaii?
To some, like Randy Fernley, shop owner of Coral Fish Hawaii, it could mean closing the doors on his nearly 40-year-old business. He told Hawaii News Now that the bill would not only affect him but, also “hundreds of salt water hobbyists throughout the state”.
February 10, 2011 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
And the Plastic Bag Band Plays on!
There is a lot of talk (and a bit of shouting) these days about the “plastic bag ban” here in our great Aloha State. Here are some facts about the fuss:
The plastic bag ban in Maui and Kaua’i counties: It’s official
Beginning on 1/1/11, Maui and Kaua’i counties officially banned single use plastic bags.
According to the “Rules Relating to the Plastic Bag Reduction”, provided on the Maui County Official Website (PDF), the new law prohibits all businesses, including restaurants, from providing plastic bags to customers “for the purpose of transporting groceries or other goods”. The exceptions to this ban include handle-less bags used for the protection of food products (such as raw meat) and garments (as provided by a dry cleaning service). Violators of the law face an initial fine of up to $500 per day, and additional fines up to $1,000 per day after a thirty-day period, should the violator choose not to take corrective action.
February 8, 2011 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
The old debate is back with a twist:
Paper or Plastic or The Planet
If you go to the grocery store on Maui or Kauai, don’t be surprised if the clerk doesn’t offer you a plastic bag at checkout. He’s not being lazy or discourteous. He’s following the law and saving the planet.
The “plastic bag ban”, as it’s being referred to, went into effect in Kauai and Maui counties officially on 1/1/11.
So what are the rest of us waiting for? An island created entirely by rubbish, chiefly by plastics? Oh wait. We’ve already got one of those. “The Great Garbage Patch”, as it is so delightfully deemed, is a mass of mostly plastics and garbage that is estimated at twice the size of Texas. And it’s floating around in the ocean, somewhere between Hawaii and San Francisco.
I’m ashamed to think of the damage we have done to our oceans, the marine life we have strangled with our plastics, the destruction we have caused with our carelessness. With plastic to sea life ratios at an astounding 6:1, plastic is officially a (completely unnatural and utterly detrimental) part of our ‘aina.
We have forever altered the make up of our oceans. It seems to me that the very least we could do is address our addiction to the petroleum-packed stuff.
My recommendation is to quit, cold turkey. Drop that plastic bag (preferably in a plastic bag recycling bin or drop off center), pick up a reusable bag for the low, low price of $.99, and pledge to never touch the toxic stuff again.
October 25, 2010 - Posted by admin - 3 Comments
Hawaii is blessed with an abundance or rich, volcanic soils, a great climate and plenty of rainfall making it a great place for growing organic cops. From organic Kona coffee to organic fruits and vegetables, there is no shortage of choices when it comes to finding organic products in Hawaii.
Some of Hawaii’s finest and sweetest Hawaiian oranges are those grown organically. The islands also provide an abundance of other organic fruits such as papayas, mangos, lychee, guavas, and avocados.
When it comes to vegetables, Hawaii organic products have began to truly excel in the last decade. With the rise of Hawaii Regional Cuisine and Pacific Rim Cuisine, that has been a great demand by the finest restaurants throughout the Hawaiian Islands for top quality organic greens and herbs.
Even visitors to Hawaii are more often opting out of the hotels and resorts and staying in more private rentals, like Lanikai vacation rentals or Wailea luxury rentals. They are focusing on healthy vacations and part of that is the organics movement.
August 23, 2010 - Posted by admin - 2 Comments
Of course we all know about the argument to maintaining a more sustainable lifestyle and the benefits for the earth. But certain businesses see their future riding on a cleaner planet. Tour operators that offer Maui scuba diving, scenic tours on Oahu, Kauai helicopter tours and the like have a vested interest in conservation in Hawaii. Without the pristine nature of our island chain, few visitors would pay to tour it.
Being that tourism is such a huge economic force for Hawaii, combined with the national trends, means that recycling in Hawaii is thriving. All of the main Hawaiian Islands have active recycling operations including various recycling and redemption centers as well as non-profit and for-profit organizations that have the goal of promoting environmentally sustainable practices including recycling programs for both residential and commercial customers.