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| Current and past activity of Kilauea Volcano's ongoing 30-year eruption is the topic at a free program presented by Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Tim Orr tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. Photo from USGS/HVO |
PREVENTING FOOD LOSS & WASTE in Ka`u and around the world is a new campaign announced today by the United Nations, which contends that enough food is wasted each year across the planet to feed the 870 million hungry people. Worldwide, about one-third of all food produced, worth around US$1 trillion, gets lost or wasted in food production and consumption systems, according to data released by the Food Agriculture Organization. FAO reports that food loss occurs mostly at the production stages - harvesting, processing and distribution - while food waste typically takes place at the retailer and consumer end of the food-supply chain.
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| Jose Graziano da Silva |
To combat the problem, the organizations launched Think.Eat.Save.Reduce Your Foodprint campaign “to accelerate action and provide a global vision and information-sharing portal (www.thinkeatsave.org) for the many and diverse initiatives currently underway around the world.”
UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Environmental Program executive director Achim Steiner said, “In a world of seven billion people, set to grow to nine billion by 2050, wasting food makes no sense - economically, environmentally and ethically. Aside from the cost implications, all the land, water, fertilizers and labour needed to grow that food is wasted - not to mention the generation of greenhouse gas emissions produced by food decomposing on landfill and the transport of food that is ultimately thrown away. To bring about the vision of a truly sustainable world, we need a transformation in the way we produce and consume our natural resources.”
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| Achim Steiner |
“If we can help food producers to reduce losses through better harvesting, processing, storage, transport and marketing methods, and combine this with profound and lasting changes in the way people consume food, then we can have a healthier and hunger-free world,” Graziano da Silva added.
The organizations also pointed out that the global food system has profound implications for the environment, and producing more food than is consumed only exacerbates the pressures, some of which follow:
The organizations also pointed out that the global food system has profound implications for the environment, and producing more food than is consumed only exacerbates the pressures, some of which follow:
- More than 20 percent of all cultivated land, 30 percent of forests and 10 percent of grasslands are undergoing degradation;
- Globally, nine percent of the freshwater resources are withdrawn, 70 percent of this by irrigated agriculture;
- Agriculture and land use changes like deforestation contribute to more than 30 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions;
- Globally, the agri-food system accounts for nearly 30 percent of end-user available energy;
- Overfishing and poor management contribute to declining numbers of fish, some 30 percent of marine fish stocks are now considered overexploited.
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| Food Agricultural Organization wants to prevent food loss and waste worldwide. Image from thinkeatsave.org |
However, in the developed world the end of the chain is far more significant. At the food manufacturing and retail level in the developed world, large quantities of food are wasted due to inefficient practices, quality standards that over-emphasize appearance, confusion over date labels and consumers being quick to throw away edible food due to over-buying, inappropriate storage and preparing meals that are too large.
Per-capita waste by consumers is between 95 and 115 kg a year in Europe and North America/Oceania, while consumers in sub-Saharan Africa, south and southeastern Asia each throw away only 6 to 11 kg a year.
According to WRAP, the average UK family could save US$1,090 and the UK hospitality sector could save US$1.2 billion per year by tackling food waste.
The campaign website, www.thinkeatsave.org, provides tips for consumers, retailers and the hospitality industry to help reduce waste - thus reducing their environmental impact and saving money. For consumers, it suggests:
THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY of Kilauea Volcano’s East Rift Eruption is the topic at Pahala Plantation House tomorrow evening. Showing photos and videos of the ongoing eruption, Tim Orr, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist, reviews highlights from the past 30 years and talks about recent developments on Kilauea’s East Rift Zone. During its first three years, spectacular lava fountains spewed episodically from Pu`u `O`o vent. Since then, nearly continuous lava effusion has built a vast plain of pahoehoe lava that stretches from the volcano’s rift zone to the sea. Although the eruption has been relatively quiet during the past year, with mostly steady, but unusually weak activity, it has produced some dramatic lava flows in past years.
The program, which is part of Volcano Awareness Month, begins at 6:30 p.m. Call 928-9811 for more information.
Per-capita waste by consumers is between 95 and 115 kg a year in Europe and North America/Oceania, while consumers in sub-Saharan Africa, south and southeastern Asia each throw away only 6 to 11 kg a year.
According to WRAP, the average UK family could save US$1,090 and the UK hospitality sector could save US$1.2 billion per year by tackling food waste.
The campaign website, www.thinkeatsave.org, provides tips for consumers, retailers and the hospitality industry to help reduce waste - thus reducing their environmental impact and saving money. For consumers, it suggests:
- Shop Smart: Plan meals, use shopping lists, avoid impulse buys and don’t succumb to marketing tricks that lead you to buy more food than you need.
- Buy Funny Fruit: Many fruits and vegetables are thrown out because their size, shape, or color are deemed not “right.” Buying these perfectly good fruit, at the farmer’s market or elsewhere, utilizes food that might otherwise go to waste.
- Understand Expiration Dates: “Best-before” dates are generally manufacturer suggestions for peak quality. Most foods can be safely consumed well after these dates. The important date is “use by” - eat food by that date or check if you can freeze it.
- Zero Down Your Fridge: Websites such as WRAP's www.lovefoodhatewaste.com can help consumers get creative with recipes to use up anything that might go bad soon.
- Other actions include: freezing food; following storage guidance to keep food at its best; requesting smaller portions at restaurants; eating leftovers - whether home-cooked, from restaurants or takeaway; composting food; and donating spare food to local food banks, soup kitchens, pantries, and shelters.
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| Hawai`i House Speaker Joe Souki |
MARIJUANA COULD BE LEGALLY USED by adults in Hawai`i if House Bill 150, introduced Friday by House Speaker Joe Souki, passes the state Legislature.
Also referred to as the Personal Use of Marijuana Act, HB150 would allow possession and consumption of up to an ounce of marijuana for personal use by authorized persons 21 years and older. According to the Hawai`i State Legislature website, capitol.hawaii.gov, the bill also “provides for the licensing of marijuana cultivation facilities, product manufacturing facilities, safety testing facilities and retail stores.” If the bill is passed and the state fails to provide for licensing of marijuana facilities, the obligation falls to the counties, which would also be authorized to further “regulate or prohibit marijuana facilities within their boundaries,” the website says.
According to the measure, legalization would generate revenue for the state through taxes and licenses and save money in law enforcement costs.
Much of the legislation is formatted on a measure passed by citizens in Colorado last November to legalize use of marijuana by adults. Washington State passed a similar bill in November to legalize marijuana and establish regulations and taxes similar to those for alcohol.
The measure reinforces that driving while under the influence of marijuana, smoking marijuana in public and use of marijuana by those under 21 would remain illegal.
The bill passed the first reading in the house on Friday. Today, the bill was referred to the House committees on Health, Finance and Judiciary for review.
Much of the legislation is formatted on a measure passed by citizens in Colorado last November to legalize use of marijuana by adults. Washington State passed a similar bill in November to legalize marijuana and establish regulations and taxes similar to those for alcohol.
The measure reinforces that driving while under the influence of marijuana, smoking marijuana in public and use of marijuana by those under 21 would remain illegal.
The bill passed the first reading in the house on Friday. Today, the bill was referred to the House committees on Health, Finance and Judiciary for review.
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| Ka`u and South Kona residents can participate in local government at Ocean View Community Center's remote testimony site tomorrow during the County Council meeting held at West Hawai`i Civic Center. |
HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL meets tomorrow at 9 a.m. at West Hawai`i Civic Center. Ka`u and South Kona residents can participate from Ocean View Community Center’s remote testimony site.
Agenda is available at hawaiicounty.gov.
THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY of Kilauea Volcano’s East Rift Eruption is the topic at Pahala Plantation House tomorrow evening. Showing photos and videos of the ongoing eruption, Tim Orr, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist, reviews highlights from the past 30 years and talks about recent developments on Kilauea’s East Rift Zone. During its first three years, spectacular lava fountains spewed episodically from Pu`u `O`o vent. Since then, nearly continuous lava effusion has built a vast plain of pahoehoe lava that stretches from the volcano’s rift zone to the sea. Although the eruption has been relatively quiet during the past year, with mostly steady, but unusually weak activity, it has produced some dramatic lava flows in past years.
The program, which is part of Volcano Awareness Month, begins at 6:30 p.m. Call 928-9811 for more information.
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| The View, by Wanda Aus, graces the cover of The Directory 2013. |
HAWAI`I POLICE DEPARTMENT host a community access meeting Friday from noon to 2 p.m. at Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village. The event allows the public to meet the Police Department’s command staff and to discuss police-related concerns with the police chief and commanders who oversee police operations in Volcano and Puna.
The Volcano event continues district community meetings, which are rotated throughout the eight police districts on the Big Island. To aid police commanders in focusing on specific community concerns, police officers ask that participation in this meeting be limited to persons who live or work in the immediate area.
Those interested in participating but unable to attend may e-mail their concerns or comments to copsysop@hawaiipolice.com. For more information, call Acting Captain Reed Mahuna at 965-2716.
KA`U CHAMBER OF COMMERCE holds a general membership meeting Friday at 4 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. The Directory 2013, with cover art by Wanda Aus, of Ocean View, will be distributed. See kauchamber.org.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
The Volcano event continues district community meetings, which are rotated throughout the eight police districts on the Big Island. To aid police commanders in focusing on specific community concerns, police officers ask that participation in this meeting be limited to persons who live or work in the immediate area.
Those interested in participating but unable to attend may e-mail their concerns or comments to copsysop@hawaiipolice.com. For more information, call Acting Captain Reed Mahuna at 965-2716.
KA`U CHAMBER OF COMMERCE holds a general membership meeting Friday at 4 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. The Directory 2013, with cover art by Wanda Aus, of Ocean View, will be distributed. See kauchamber.org.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.