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| Ka`u Coffee farmer Leo Norberte urges all farmers to attend the coffee berry borer workshop tomorrow. Photo by Julia Neal |
THE PLASTIC BAG BAN BECAME law yesterday, and businesses have a year to deplete their inventory before it becomes illegal to provide plastic at checkout counters in Hawai`i County.
Rather that veto or let the bill stand without his signature, the mayor signed it, following the lead of Kaua`i and Maui counties. Kenoi wrote to the County Council about his decision. As a surfer, he has seen plastic bags in the ocean, and the mayor noted that plastic bags threaten marine mammals that could mistake them for food, and also become unwanted litter in the water. According to the mayor, “the bill holds the promise of keeping our island clean, healthy and safe.”
The bill was championed by its sponsor, North Kohala Council member Pete Hoffmann. It was supported by many community organizations, such as the Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, which cleans many tons of trash off the Ka`u Coastal beaches – most of it plastic – every year with numerous volunteer events.
The bill was championed by its sponsor, North Kohala Council member Pete Hoffmann. It was supported by many community organizations, such as the Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, which cleans many tons of trash off the Ka`u Coastal beaches – most of it plastic – every year with numerous volunteer events.
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| Megan Lamson teaching about the threat of plastics in the ocean. |
During her testimony last year, Megan Lamson, debris project coordinator with Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, said she counted 47 plastic bags littering Hwy 11 just driving from Ka`u to the Council meeting. She said that, during ten beach cleanups over a year and a half, volunteers removed at least 16 tons of debris from beaches, and most of it was plastic.
“Together with our four employees and over 340 volunteers, Hawai`i Wildlife Fund is striving to lessen the negative effects that marine debris plastics are having on our ocean and its inhabitants. Some of these impacts include entanglement in derelict fishing nets and ingestion of floating plastic debris by various species of seabird, myriad fish species, the Hawaiian monk seal, and all types of sea turtles.”
Lamson is a resident of Ka`u with a master’s degree in marine biology. Her master’s thesis focused on Honu`apo. She called reducing the amount of single-use plastic bags from everyday life “one of the most fundamental ways we can each work to lessen marine debris in Hawai`i and worldwide.”
Voting against the measure were Council members J Yoshimoto, Donald Ikeda, and Dennis Onishi. Ka`u Council member Brittany Smart supported the bill, as did South Kona Council member Brenda Ford, who will run for Smart’s seat this summer.
Supporters have suggested that the use of more expensive paper bags could be reduced by incentivizing people to bring reusable bags when shopping.
“Together with our four employees and over 340 volunteers, Hawai`i Wildlife Fund is striving to lessen the negative effects that marine debris plastics are having on our ocean and its inhabitants. Some of these impacts include entanglement in derelict fishing nets and ingestion of floating plastic debris by various species of seabird, myriad fish species, the Hawaiian monk seal, and all types of sea turtles.”
Lamson is a resident of Ka`u with a master’s degree in marine biology. Her master’s thesis focused on Honu`apo. She called reducing the amount of single-use plastic bags from everyday life “one of the most fundamental ways we can each work to lessen marine debris in Hawai`i and worldwide.”
Voting against the measure were Council members J Yoshimoto, Donald Ikeda, and Dennis Onishi. Ka`u Council member Brittany Smart supported the bill, as did South Kona Council member Brenda Ford, who will run for Smart’s seat this summer.
Supporters have suggested that the use of more expensive paper bags could be reduced by incentivizing people to bring reusable bags when shopping.
HAWAI`I CONSTRUCTION ALLIANCE has endorsed Mufi Hannemann for U.S. House of Representatives. The more than 15,000 members of the statewide alliance include laborers, masons, carpenters and heavy equipment operators. Ron Taketa, executive secretary-treasurer of the carpenters, cited Hannemann’s longstanding commitment to organized labor and the rights of working families everywhere. Nolan Moriwaki, financial secretary-treasurer of the masons’ union, also mentioned Hannemann’s achievements on behalf of the visitor industry as president and CEO of the Hawai`i Hotel & Lodging Association, within the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the Hawai`i Council of Mayors, which he helped establish for the state’s four mayors to work on inter-county issues.
Hannemann said, “We need to invest in our public infrastructure, bolster our visitor industry and create opportunities for housing and other construction if we are to reinvigorate our economy. This endorsement demonstrates their confidence in my track record and ability to champion these causes in Congress.”
KA`U HIGH was host to St. Joseph’s sports teams yesterday. The visitor boys basketball team won 56 to 29. Donald Garo, Jr. was Ka`u’s high point scorer with seven, and Royden Esperon got six points.
A RISK MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP on the coffee berry borer is open to everyone at the Old Pahala Clubhouse on Maile Street tomorrow from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Farmers and scientists will focus on keeping the coffee berry borer out of Ka`u and introduce a visiting intern, Karla Casco, from Honduras, who will be living and working on the problem in Ka`u for 15 weeks. Dr. Elsie Burbano will provide an update on the CBB management strategies and experiments installed in Ka`u. She will also share with the farmers risk mitigation practices to minimize crop loss. Andrea Kawabata, the new coffee and fruit orchard extension agent for the Big Island, will also be introduced.
For more information contact Didi Diaz-Lyke at 887-6183 or mddiaz@hawaii.edu. The workshop is sponsored by the University of Hawai`i and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
KA`U HIGH was host to St. Joseph’s sports teams yesterday. The visitor boys basketball team won 56 to 29. Donald Garo, Jr. was Ka`u’s high point scorer with seven, and Royden Esperon got six points.
In girls soccer, Brooke Medeiros-Shibuya got Ka`u’s single goal, and St. Joseph’s won with four goals.
KENNETH MAKUAKANE performs live in concert at 6:30 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The twelve-time Na Hoku Hanohano award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer features songs from his latest albums. The concert is free, and park entrance fees apply.
KENNETH MAKUAKANE performs live in concert at 6:30 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The twelve-time Na Hoku Hanohano award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer features songs from his latest albums. The concert is free, and park entrance fees apply.
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| Ka`u Coffee is healthy, and there is concern that trees could be devastated by the borer, which ruined many farmers in Kona. Photo by Julia Neal |
THE KAHUKU UNIT of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park invites families to Ka`u `Ohana Day this Saturday at the Kahuku Unit from 10 a.m. to noon. Sam and Edna Baldado share the cultural uses of kalo, explaining how it was used for food, medicine, glue, dyes and much more. Call 985-6019 today or tomorrow to be included in the free lunch count.
A RISK MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP on the coffee berry borer is open to everyone at the Old Pahala Clubhouse on Maile Street tomorrow from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Farmers and scientists will focus on keeping the coffee berry borer out of Ka`u and introduce a visiting intern, Karla Casco, from Honduras, who will be living and working on the problem in Ka`u for 15 weeks. Dr. Elsie Burbano will provide an update on the CBB management strategies and experiments installed in Ka`u. She will also share with the farmers risk mitigation practices to minimize crop loss. Andrea Kawabata, the new coffee and fruit orchard extension agent for the Big Island, will also be introduced.
For more information contact Didi Diaz-Lyke at 887-6183 or mddiaz@hawaii.edu. The workshop is sponsored by the University of Hawai`i and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.