Ka‘ū News Briefs, Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021

Attendants hang promises and petitions to world leaders in the form of leaves of different colors at the Climate Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, which included representatives from Hawai'i. UN photo by Kiara Worth

PROGRESS ON COAL, CARS, CASH AND TREES was a quick summary of the deal struck between countries at the U.N.  Climate Conference in Glasgow Scotland, attended by a number of Hawai'i public officials, including Gov. David Ige, state Department of Land & Natural Resources chief Suzanne Case and Sen. Brian Schatz. The Conference wrapped up today and its President Alok Sharma called the deal “something meaningful for our people and our planet.”   See a summary of the results at https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105792

Sen. Brian Schatz praises U.S. investment to stem climate change.
Photo from Schatz facebook

   Hawai'i Senator Brian Schatz noted U.S. contributions. "Investments that the United States is about to make are historic: More than $320 billion in clean energy and electric vehicle tax credits, more than $100 billion to strengthen our infrastructure against climate change, $110 billion for clean energy supply chains, $20 billion to help the federal government in R&D.

     "This will be the biggest climate effort in American history, and arguably the biggest climate effort in human history, but it's  also true to say that it is not enough. It is also true to say that this has to be a generational, lifetime commitment and this has to be treated as a first step.  

     "We have to understand the tension between the people in this room and the people out there protesting, demanding more aggressive action. Be angry. Demand more, but understand that despair will not save the planet — action will. And we are in the process of taking action. #COP26 #ActOnClimate."

     During the Conference, Schatz met with the French and Brazilian delegations to discuss international climate solutions and led a business roundtable on his FOREST Act. "The United States is ready to engage with global partners and lead by example in this fight for the planet," said Schatz. He called Hawai'i a leader in the effort, He pointed to the Hawai'i Clean Energy Initiative with its aim to reach 100 percent clean energy by 2045. Schatz noted Gov. David Ige’s promise to protect 30 percent of Hawaiian waters by 2030. He noted that the there is not only a climate crisis but an ocean catastrophe unfolding. "By the next decade there will be more plastics in the ocean than fish in the ocean," he stated.

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PROFESSOR MAXINE BURKETT also attended the  Climate Conference in Glasgow, on leave from University of Hawai'i Richardson School of Law to work with President Joe Biden's Climate Envoy John Kerry.
    Burkett has given a climate talk in Pāhala, chose Kaʻū for her wedding where her husband Josh Stanbro and her extended family have been involved in preserving the Kaʻū Coast, setting aside Kaʻū agricultural lands for conservation, and the development of Kaʻū Coffee Mill's hydroelectric plant to produce clean energy to manufacture value added products in this region.
    Burkett recently took leave from the law school for the appointment to the Biden Administration in the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. Burkett accompanied Envoy John Carey to the
Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

      Burkett also cofounded the Institute for Climate and Peace, which is based in Hawai'i. Regarding her appointment to the Biden Administration, ICP Board President Dr. Maya Soetoro recently said, “I am so proud that my colleague and dear friend, Maxine Burkett, has been selected to advance such important and urgent work in our country and world. Maxine clearly understands the multidimensional nature of the climate crisis and the commitments, advocacy, and innovation necessary to address it. Her strategic approach so often emphasizes the activation of community-based solutions and the wisdom of frontline peoples. I am delighted that her efforts to advance just climate outcomes for all will positively impact even more people as a result of this new position.”

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GRASSROOT INSTITUTE OF HAWAI'I ISSUED AN OPINION piece today on the latest executive orders for COVID restrictions. The editorial is written by its founder Keli'i Akina, Phd:
    When it comes to the measures still in place to address COVID-19, our leaders are oddly reluctant to engage in any discussion of the costs. People tend to have a visceral dislike of putting a dollar value on things like health and safety. I understand. It feels wrong to put a number next to something as priceless as human life. But when we're talking about executive orders that affect the lives and livelihoods of millions of people, ignoring the full cost is tantamount to malpractice.
    For example, consider the recently announced COVID-19 vaccine mandate from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, issued at the behest of the president and scheduled to go into effect Jan. 4. Promulgated by OSHA without going through the ordinary rulemaking procedures, it says that all workers at private companies with 100 employees or more must be vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing and wear a face mask at work in lieu of vaccination. Noncompliance will result in severe penalties and fines.

Dr. Keali'i Akina weighs in on latest Covid mandates.
Photo from Grass Root Institute of Hawai'i

    The order immediately faced numerous legal challenges nationwide, with plaintiffs ranging from trucking companies to media organizations to small business advocacy groups. The many challengers universally claim that the rule is an overreach of executive power that will have a devastating effect on business.
    Transportation companies say it will disrupt the supply chain. State governments say it will interfere with their own policies and local economies. Retail groups say that compliance would be "virtually impossible." A manufacturing company in Ohio claims the mandate will cause it to lose 17 workers and cost it approximately $1 million in personnel costs.
    In other words, every restriction, mandate, rule or order has a cost. Maybe the cost is worth it. Maybe it isn't. But how can we know if we don't make the effort to understand the full picture?
    For nearly two years, policymakers have been closing their eyes to the full cost of their decisions. In Hawai'i, we all know of local businesses that have died, or are barely hanging on, as a result of the seemingly endless yo-yo-ing between different coronavirus tiers and restrictions. Every single struggling business represents neighbors, friends and family who have lost a job, all or much of their savings, a dream or more.
    The governor has given no indication that he will ever end his emergency orders. While we have already achieved his earlier-announced 70% vaccination goal, that standard was quietly disposed of in favor of a subjective it's-over-when-we-say-it-is standard. The governor's most recent proclamation expires on Nov. 30, but does anyone really believe that it won't be renewed?
    All around us are signs that the public is growing weary of executive overreach and is ready to get on with normal life. Punishing the majority because some people choose not to vaccinate sounds a bit too much like giving the whole class detention because one student was talking during the principal's morning announcements. We all hated it when we were in elementary school, and the tactic hasn't improved with time.

Image from Grassroot Institute of Hawai'i

    Fortunately, there is reason to hope. At the national level, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans just yesterday ordered the federal government to halt all enforcement of the OSHA mandate while legal challenges work their way through the federal court system. The court in New Orleans was ruling on a request by petitioner and Louisiana business owner Brandon Trosclair and a group of employees from Texas who sued over the mandate last week. Trosclair employs nearly 500 people across 15 grocery stores in Louisiana and Mississippi. After the ruling, he said: "It's wrong for the federal government to order me to interfere in the private medical decisions of my team members or to impose insurmountable costs on my businesses."
    Here in Hawai'i, House Speaker Scott Saiki said this week he intends to introduce legislation in the 2022 legislative session that would curb the governor's emergency powers — which was music to my ears, since that is something the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii has been recommending for more than a year.
    "I don't think anyone agrees that a proclamation should continue forever," Saiki was quoted as saying. "I'll be working on a bill that will allow the Legislature to basically disapprove the governor's emergency proclamation, whether it's the entire proclamation or just a portion of the proclamation."
   My hope is that this will mean the end of arbitrary executive rule in our state. More than anything, we need to see our government's constitutional balance of powers restored. With legislators taking a more active role in the management of emergencies, we could feel more confident that our voices were being heard, and that the costs of any state actions are fully understood and considered.
   We have all paid a price to stop COVID-19. Now, we need to see that our leaders appreciate that fact and return the power to the people.

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ST. JUDE'S WILL HOLD SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP AT MCKINNEY PLACE. Those who are unable to attend, can join via Zoom link. Services begin at 9:30 a.m. The Zoom link
is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85798655114?pwd=QW5YSmQwNFAyWVZud3QvSVBiNXJ0Zz09Meeting ID: 857 9865 5114; Passcode: Aloha

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

KAʻŪ COFFEE MILL & VISITOR CENTER. Buy online at kaucoffeemill.com and in person at 96-2694 Wood Valley Road, daily, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

PUNALUʻU BAKESHOP online at bakeshophawaii.com and in-person 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week in x.

ALIʻI HAWAIʻI HULA HANDS COFFEE. Order by calling 928-0608 or emailing alihhhcoffee@yahoo.com.

AIKANE PLANTATION COFFEE COMPANY. Order online at aikaneplantation.com. Call 808-927-2252

MIRANDA'S FARMS KAʻŪ COFFEE. Order online at mirandafarms.com or, in person at 73-7136 Mamalahoa Hwy. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com..

KUAHIWI RANCH STORE, in person. Shop weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, 11 am to 3 p.m. at 95-5520 Hwy 11. Locally processed grass-fed beef, live meat chickens, and feed for cattle, goats, sheep, chickens, horses, dogs, and pigs. Call 929-7333 of 938-1625, email kaohi@kuahiwiranch.com.

DEPRESSED, ANXIOUS, NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO? Call Department of Health's expanded Hawai‘i C.A.R.E.S. program at 1-800-753-6879 – the same number previously used by Crisis Line of Hawai‘i. Individuals in crisis can also text ALOHA to 741741, available 24/7.

LEARN SELF-CARE THROUGH Big Island Substance Abuse Council's Practice Self-Care Series. For additional series that feature refreshing wellness tips, follow the Behavioral Health & Homelessness Statewide Unified Response Group at facebook.com/bhhsurg

WOMEN'S COLLECTIVE OFFERS HEALTH PROGRAMS. Piko focuses on reproductive health; increasing access, respect, cultural competence, education, and choice. Pilina aims to grow membership and establish a culture of collaborative decision-making. Follow @kau_womens_health_collective. Contact rootsmedieshawaii@gmail.com. Call 808-450-0498.

YOGA WITH EMILY Catey Weiss, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Volcano Art Center Niʻaulani Campus in Volcano Village. Advanced registration required; $5 per class. volcanoartcenter.org/events, 967-8222.

CHOOSE ALOHA FOR HOME is available to families, to provide a healthy way to grow together using neuroscience and positive psychology. Program uses a series of self-guided videos, activities, and "dinner table discussion topics." Sign up at chooselovemovement.org/choose-love-home.

EDUCATION

Register for Boys & Girls Club Mobile Outreach and Tutoring Programs at rb.gy/o1o2hy. For keiki grades 1-6. Contact Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island Administrative Office, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at (808) 961-5536 or email mobiletutoring@bgcbi.org or info@bgcbi.org.

ʻOhana Help Desk offers online How-To Guides for Chromebooks and iPads at rb.gy/8er9wm. ʻOhana Help Desk also available by phone, weekdays, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sundays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Invite Park Rangers to Virtually Visit Classes, through connecting with teachers and home-schoolers with distance learning programs and virtual huakaʻi (field trips). Contact havo_education@nps.gov.

Public Libraries are open for WiFi, pick-up, and other services. Nāʻālehu open Monday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pāhala open Tuesday, noon to 7 p.m., Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., limited entry into library with Wiki Visits. Schedule a Library Take Out time at picktime.com/hspls. Open for library card account help and reference assistance from the front door. WiFi available to anyone with a library card, from each library parking lot. See librarieshawaii.org.

Free Book Exchanges, at laundromats in Ocean View and Nāʻālehu, provided by Friends of the Kaʻū Libraries. Open to all. Keep the books, pass them on to other readers, or return them. Selection of books replenished weekly at both sites.

Read Report on Public Input about Disaster Recovery from damage during the 2018 Kīlauea eruption.
View the Civic Engagement and Comment Analysis Report at rb.gy/awu65k.

Learn About Hawaiʻi's History & Culture through Papakilo Database, papakilodatabase.com.
Virtual Workshops on Hawaiʻi's Legislative Processes through Public Access Room. Sign up by contacting (808) 587-0478 or par@capitol.hawaii.gov. Ask questions and discuss all things legislative in a non-partisan environment. Attend Coffee Hour with PAR: Fridays at 3 p.m. on Zoom, meeting ID 990 4865 9652 or click zoom.us/j/99048659652. PAR staff will be available to answer questions and to discuss the legislative process. Anyone wanting to listen in without taking part in discussions is welcome. Learn more at lrb.hawaii.gov/public-access-room.

Online Directory at shopbigisland.com, co-sponsored by County of Hawai‘i, has a signup sheet for local businesses to fill in the blanks. The only requirement is a physical address on this island.

COMMUNITY
Food Assistance: Apply for The Volcano School of Arts & Sciences COVID-19 Family Relief Funds. Funded by Volcano Community Association, and members of the VSAS Friends and Governing Boards, who have donated, the fund supplies KTA or Dimple Cheek Gift Cards, or gift cards to other locally owned business, to VSAS families in need. Contact Kim Miller at 985-8537, kmiller@volcanoschool.net. Contributions to the fund can be sent in by check to: VSAS, PO Box 845, Volcano, HI 96785 – write Relief Fund in the memo. See volcanoschool.net

ENROLL CHILDREN, from first through eighth grade, in Kula ʻAmakihi, a program from Volcano School of the Arts & Sciences. It started Aug. 3. Call 808-985- 9800 or visit www.volcanoschool.net.

WALK THROUGH A GUIDED NATURE TRAIL & Sculpture Garden, Mondays, 9:30 a.m. at Volcano Art Center Niʻaulani Campus in Volcano Village. No reservations for five or fewer – limited to ten people. Free; donations appreciated. Email programs@volcanoartcenter.org. Garden is open to walk through at one's own pace, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. www.volcanoartcenter.org. Call 967-8222.

KAʻŪ ART GALLERY is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. in Nāʻālehu. It features and sells works by local artists and offers other gift items.Vendor applications are being accepted for its Holiday Arts & Crafts Sale on Saturday, Nov. 13. Kaʻū Art Gallery's website has 24/7 access online and is frequently updated to show current inventory items. "We are always looking to collaborate with local artists in our community," said assistant Alexandra Kaupu. Artists with an interest in being featured at Kaʻū Art Gallery and Gift Shop, contact gallery owner and director Corrine Kaupu at kauartgallery@hawaiiantel.biz.

GOLF & MEMBERSHIPS for Discovery Harbour Golf Course and its Clubhouse: The Club offers Social Memberships, with future use of the clubhouse and current use of the pickleball courts as well as walking and running on specified areas of the golf course before 8 a.m. and after 3 p.m. to enjoy the panoramiocean views. Golf memberships range from unlimited play for the avid golfer to casual play options. Membership is required to play and practice golf on the course. All golf memberships include Social Membership amenities. Membership fees are designed to help underwrite programs and improvements to the facilities.Call 808-731-5122 or stop by the Clubhouse during business hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at 94-1581 Kaulua Circle. Email clubatdiscoveryharbour@gmail.com. See The Club at Discovery Harbour Facebook page.

ALOHA FRIDAY MARKETPLACE, hosted by Main Street, is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., grounds of The Old Shirakawa Estate in Waiʻohinu. It features: Made in Hawai'i Products, Organic Produce, Creative Crafts, ARt, Flower and Plants, Food, Ka`u Coffee, Gluen Free Low Carb Goodies, Wellness Services and Products, Clothing, Hand Crafted Treats, Music and more. Vendor and customer inquiries: AlohaFridayMarket@gmail.com.

VOLCANO FARMERS MARKET, Cooper Center, Volcano Village on Sundays. 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with much local produce, baked goods, food to go, island beef and Hawai‘i Coffee. Cooper Center's EBT Machine, used at the Farmer's Market, is out of service until further notice. EBT is used for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly Food Stamps. Call 808-967-7800.

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY MARKET, open Saturdays and Thursdays, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., on the corner of Kona Drive and Highway 11, where Thai Grindz is located. Managed by Mark Council. Masks mandatory. 100-person limit, social distancing required. Gate unlocked for vendors at 5:30 a.m., $15 dollars, no reservations needed. Parking in upper lot only. Vendors must provide own sanitizer. Food vendor permits required. Carpooling encouraged.

O KAʻŪ KĀKOU MARKET, in Nāʻālehu, open Wednesday, and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon. Limit of 50 customers per hour, 20 vendor booths, with 20 feet of space between vendors. Masks and hand sanitizing required, social distancing enforced. Contact Sue Barnett, OKK Market Manager, at 808-345-9374 (voice or text) or kaufarmer@aol.com for more and to apply to vend. See facebook.com/OKauKakouMarket.

OCEAN VIEW SWAP MEET is open at Ocean View makai shopping center, near Mālama Market. Hours for patrons are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Vendor set-up time is 5 a.m. Masks required.

BUY LOCAL GIFTS ONLINE, IN-PERSON

VOLCANO ART CENTER ONLINE, in person. Shop at Niʻaulani Campus in Volcano Village, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Gallery in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Virtual Shopping Appointments offered via Skype or FaceTime. Book at volcanoartcenter.org/shop for $5. Shop online gallery 24/7. Orders shipped or free local pickup available. See the VAC Virtual Classroom, which features over 90 videos. See volcanoartcenter.org/events, call 967-8222.