Posted by Mark Glick on Monday, April 5, 2010 In : Chair Report
2010 marks the fifth decade in which the Hawai’i Chapter of the Sierra Club has been protecting the environment. With our network of volunteers and members, we work on two broad fronts led by an extremely capable and energetic Executive Committee. First and foremost, we vigorously pursue a statewide environmental education agenda with our hikes and service projects. Many of you actively participate in our weekly local outings that are always free and open to the public. We also continue... Continue reading...
Posted by Rick Barboza on Monday, April 5, 2010 In : Planting Native
Planting Native by Rick Barboza
‘Ulei
Osteomeles anthylidifolia
Indigenous: All of Hawai’i except Ni’ihau and Kaho’olawe.Description: Amazing shrubs with dark, glossy, pinnate leaves and very fragrant white flower clusters. These are one of my most favorite smelling native flowers. The flowers develop into white fleshy, fruit that ripen purple and contain up to four seeds inside. Generally this is a low crawling plant usually under four feet tall but some specimens on Maui and Hawai...
Posted by Janice Marsters on Monday, April 5, 2010 In : Outings
The Hawai’i Service Trip Program (HSTP) conducted a service trip with 12 adventurous volunteers to Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a on the island of Hawai‘i from January 2-9, 2010. The work was conducted in coordination with DLNR Staff at Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a, and was HSTP’s fourth trip to the preserve. Thanks to DLNR for allowing us to spend time in this lovely place.  Dry and mesic forests in the area of Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a were once considered the most diverse forests in all the Hawaiian Islands....
Posted by Robert D. Harris on Monday, April 5, 2010 In : Legislative
 “A coup.” That’s how one participant described the Sierra Club’s recent forum focusing on “Property Assessed Clean Energy” (PACE) measure. Over 150 people from around the State gathered to hear from Cisco DeVries, pioneer of the PACE concept, and others discuss what Harvard Business Review has described as “one of the breakthrough ideas of 2010.”
So what was the hullabaloo about? Let’s start with a simple question: why don’t more people install renewable energy system...
Posted by Anthony Aalto & Robert D. Harris on Monday, April 5, 2010 In : Agriculture
Preserving Prime Farmland so Future Generations Can Enjoy a Sustainable Hawai‘i
 Some of the best and most productive farmland left on O`ahu will soon be history if we give David Murdock, owner of Castle & Cooke, permission to build 5,000 houses on Koa Ridge. Together with projects already approved in Central O`ahu -Waiawa by Gentry and Royal Kunia- it's a repeat of a failed 20th century policy: urban sprawl. Ours would hardly be the first civilization to destroy its best farmland en route to...
Posted by Robert D. Harris on Sunday, February 7, 2010 In : Legislative
Every year, bills are introduced that "automatically approve" a project after a set period of time so as to encourage the development of some particular area of industry. The rationale is that the industry is lacking because the permitting process is too slow or too cumbersome. Although the Sierra Club usually supports the development of business like renewable energy or affordable housing, we've steadfastly opposed automatic approvals. I thought it would beneficial to put out testimony we'... Continue reading...
Posted by Robert D. Harris on Saturday, January 30, 2010 In : Legislative
HB 2338, which allows the Counties to reclassify land before the Land Use Commission without meaningfully involving the public, is a terrible idea.
Citizen participation in land use decisions is an essential part of our democratic tradition. It ensures decisions are based on complete information (which may involved directly challenging biased studies paid for by developers). It gives decision makers sufficient information so that they can attached protective, enforceable conditions to perm... Continue reading...
Posted by Robert D. Harris on Saturday, January 30, 2010 In : Legislative
The Sierra Club supports reducing the use of single-use plastic bags in Hawai`i by imposing a statewide ban or modest fee. (See, e.g., HB2645, HB2125, SB2559 and SB2560). Oil-based plastic bags simply are not a part of Hawai`i's sustainable future. Consider: - Plastic bags contribute to litter and pose a consistent threat to avian and marine life in Hawai`i -- the endangered species Capitol of the world;
- Plastic bags are manufactured from a polluting resource that is becoming increasingly scar...
Continue reading...
Posted by Robert D. Harris on Thursday, December 31, 2009 In : Green Tips
No, not that kind of weight. Instead make a commitment to lose one ton of carbon dioxide from your life. Carbon dioxide emissions contribute to the greenhouse effect and global climate change. Global warming is a massive change in the Earth’s environment, and we are gambling our planet’s future on the results. You can reduce the risk (and save money) with some simple lifestyle changes.
Want to lose a ton? Go on an energy diet.
Global warming is the most serious long-term environmental thre... Continue reading...
Posted by Robert Harris on Friday, December 18, 2009 In : General Stuff
If it seems like we're moving sites once a year . . . it's because we are. We are transferring to a web-based user interface to allow a greater number of volunteers edit and update the website. It also seems like a more robust system, which is a good thing. After having recovered the website from one "crash," we don't want to go through that experience again. One of the downfalls, however, is that we're going to lose all of our old blog posts. I guess we'll just have to write a lot more in... Continue reading...
| |
