Hawaiian Airlines and The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii have formed a partnership that will include having airline employees volunteer for conservation projects.
Hawaiian Airlines also will promote The Nature Conservancy's message of environmental preservation through its onboard "Hawaiian Skies" video program, as well as other communication channels. In addition, Hawaiian is providing The Nature Conservancy with a $10,000 gift to support its Corporate Council for the Environment - money that will be used for educational outreach programs. The partnership is part of the airline's 80th anniversary celebration.
The volunteer effort kicks off July 18 with Hawaiian employees helping remove invasive foreign plants from the Waikamoi Bird Loop on Maui. Other projects are planned for the Big Island, O'ahu and Kaua'i.
The Nature Conservancy since 1951 has been using science and partnerships to protect Earth's most important natural places. It is the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. Their accomplishments:
Protected more than 119 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide - and we operate more than 100 marine conservation projects globally.
Have more than 1 million members.
Work in all 50 states and more than 30 countries - protecting habitats from grasslands to coral reefs, from Australia to Alaska to Zambia.
Address threats to conservation involving climate change, fire, fresh water, forests, invasive species, and marine ecosystems.
Hawaii is such a special place, and such an endangered one with constant threats from species disappearance to Maunalua Bay pollution, that Hawaiian Air's commitment is very encouraging and exemplary. Our thanks to Hawaiian Airlines.
Personal income in Hawai'i grew at the fastest rate of any state in the first quarter, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 0.8%. Hawaii's rise was driven by earnings growth in the federal civilian and military sectors because of first-quarter pay raises as well as some initial hiring for the 2010 Census. The average personal income nationally fell 0.5 percent as earnings in 37 states declined.
When adjusted for inflation, the state's personal income actually declined and is expected to continue to fall during the year. State employees will be furloughed in a measure to cut costs in the state budget, and these will translate to about a 14% salary reduction.
The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism has forecast a 1.1 percent drop in real personal income this year that doesn't take into account the proposed furloughs. Without the inflation adjustment, DBEDT is forecasting a modest 0.1 rise in personal income this year.
Real estate in Hawaii Kai is holding steady, and there are some great buys available. Visit my web site to obtain a Free Relocation package, and contact me for real estate market data for Hawaii Kai.
As the Hawaii pet shelters fill with unwanted dogs and cats because their owners can't afford the pet food, it seems timely to figure out how to cut expenses. Cooking for your dog or cat isn't so unusual. Many people make at least pet treats, even if they still use commercial main courses.
Rick Woodford, of Portland, OR, taught himself pet nutrition when his best friend, Jackson, developed lymphoma and stopped eating. After studying pet cookbooks, comparing ingredients to USDA nutrient charts, and reading veterinarians' reference books, he started cooking Jackson's food. Jackson started eating, and neither has looked at commercial dog food in several years.
In Hawaii, with transportation adding such a larger percentage to the cost of our food, saving even in small ways makes sense. Woodford suggested, "The average American househould throws away hundreds of dollars worth of food every year. Before it goes bad, see if it can go in the dog or cat bowl."
Although we've been conditioned not to feed our pets people food, he says we need to define people food. "An apple is not people food," he says, "but apple pie is. Share ingredients, not foods."
There's no doubt cooking for your pet using leftover ingredients and bulk foods can save money, but use balanced recipies and supplements, especially calcium. Here are 4 good pet nutrition books:
* Canine & Feline Nutrition: a Resource for Companion Animal Professionals. Linda P. Case, Daniel P. Carey, et al. Mosby Inc. $45. * The Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog. Wendy Volhard. Howell Book House. $19. * K9 Kitchen. Monica Segal. Self-published. $21.90. * Home-prepared Dog & Cat Diets. Donald Strombeck. Wiley-Blackwell. $42.99.
Woodford is writing his own book on making your pet's food. Read his suggestions at OregonLive.
Visit the pet page on my web site for resources on bringing your pet to Hawaii and keeping him/her happy in the Islands. Consider joining Hui 'Ilio, the non-profit organization that spearheaded the creation of the Hawaii Kai Dog Park. And contact me for any information about your pet in Hawaii. It's a subject close to my heart.
The John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawai'i has been awarded the maximum eight-year accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, a national accrediting organization.
To achieve this ranking, the school was evaluated by site inspections; clinical educators and practioners, underwent extensive reviews of records; and interviews with faculty, staff, and students.
This is a validation of the quality of the UH School of Medicine and something about which our entire community can be proud.
If you are considering relocation to Hawaii Kai or anywhere on Oahu, visit my web site to request a free Relocation Guide to our island paradise.
Going into effect July 1, Hawaii's new law affects 1) only Oahu and 2) bans "hand-held mobile electronic devices" while driving. "Hands-free" devices will be allowed. Many residents are unaware of the new law or think police will give warnings for awhile.
But, Honolulu police plan to ticket drivers who are not in compliance with the new law. The Honolulu Advertiser reported yesterday that "Maj. Thomas Nitta, commander of the HPD's traffic division, said his officers will ticket drivers caught with electronic devices in their hands while driving. It will then be up to the drivers to prove to a judge that they should not have gotten a ticket, Nitta said."
The fine is $67 for a first offense, with additional penalties to $500. There is no grace period before July 1. Honolulu police have set up a page on their Web site, www.honolulupd.org, to try to clarify details of the law. The Advertiser wrote, "According to information provided by Honolulu police yesterday, a 'mobile electronic device' is 'any hand-held or other portable electronic equipment capable of providing wireless and/or data communication between two or more persons or of providing amusement, including but not limited to a cellular phone, text messaging device, paging device, personal digital assistant, laptop computer, video game, or digital photographic device.' The law does not prohibit the use of audio equipment installed in a motor vehicle for the purposes of providing navigation, emergency assistance to the operator of the motor vehicle, or video entertainment to the passengers in the rear seats of a motor vehicle. Use is considered any time you have a device in your hand."
Read the full Advertiser article for exceptions and public reation. Meanwhile, don't use a hand-held cell phone or PDA after June 30.
Prices: The median price of single-family resales on O'ahu in May fell 15.3% to $550,000 from $649,500 in the same month last year.
The nearly $100,000 drop, reported by the Honolulu Board of Realtors, continues a slide in O'ahu median home resale prices that began last year but has grown close to almost 10% this year through May. For all of last year, the median price dipped just 3 percent.
Harvey Shapiro, research economist for the Honolulu Board of Realtors, feels the low prices are starting to attract more buyers. May was the first month since October that there were more than 200 single-family home sales. That was still down 10.7 percent from 252 in the same month last year. But the decrease was the smallest percentage point drop since 8.3 percent in October.
He also thinks the low inventory here, compared to the glut on the mainland of homes for sale, is stabilizing prices. There were 1,739 single-family homes for sale last month, down from 2,043 a year earlier and 1,822 in April. Inventory in May 2006 and 2007 also was roughly between 1,700 and 1,800.
Days on Market: Homes that sold in May spent an average of 49 days on the market before selling. That compared with 52 days a year earlier and 51 days in April.
Absorption Rate: Based on the inventory and rate of sales, it would take 9.2 months to sell every single-family home listed on the market. That's still higher than 8.0 months a year ago but is down from 9.7 months in April.
Forecast: In March, The University of Hawai'i Economic Research Organization forecast that median single-family home prices on O'ahu will fall 9 percent this year, 4.9 percent next year and 0.6 percent in 2011.
Condo Market on Oahu
Prices: Reporting on figures provided by the Honolulu Board of Realtors, the Honolulu Advertiser stated, "the median price in May was down 9.6 percent to $305,000 from $337,300 a year earlier. The decrease has been higher twice in the past 12 months, but May's median price matches the recent low that has now occurred four times in the past six months.
"The median condo price was also $305,000 in December, January and March, helping put the median for the first five months of this year at $305,000, down 7.6 percent from the same period last year.
"There were 263 condos sold in May, down 31.2 percent from 382 a year earlier.
"Condo inventory at the end of May was 2,438 units, down from 2,717 a year earlier and 2,514 in April.
Days on Market: "Units sold last month spent an average 52 days on the market, up from 41 a year earlier but down from 66 in April.
Absorption Rate: "Based on the inventory and rate of sales, it would take 9.5 months to sell every condo on the market. A year earlier, the figure was 7.1 months, and in April it was 10.1 months.
Forecast: "The University of Hawai'i Economic Research Organization projects the median condo price will decline 8.5 percent this year, 10.4 percent next year and 7.2 percent in 2011."
Read the complete Advertiser article to see charts and neighborhood information.
Contact me for Hawaii Kai real estate market analysis.
Honolulu Magazine had an excellent section this month on Green Hawaii, a 32-page guide to living green. Here are some of their ideas, some of which you may not have considered.
1. Remove your shoes at home: dirt on your shoes can carry disease organisms, and reducing dirt lowers the amount of chemicals needed to clean plus vacuum time.
2. Test your refrigerator: test the seal by closing the door over a dollar bill. If it slips out easily, you are losing cool air and wasting electricity.
3. Test your toilet: pour a few drops of food coloring into the tank and wait a couple of hours. If color seeps into the bowl, your toilet flapper is leaking, wasting precious water.
4. Study the lint trap on your dryer: not only clean the lint filter every use, but clean the dryer vent now and then, to increase the efficiency of the dryer (and remove a fire hazard).
5. Use the dishwasher: washing a full load is much more efficient for water and electricity than doing the same amount of dishes by hand. If dishes aren't real dirty, don't rinse them, use the short cycle, and turn off the heated dryer for maximum efficiency.
6. Use dryer balls: these are reusable, non-toxic balls that replace softener sheets. They cut drying time by 25%. Available at Walgreen's.
7. Junk Mail: yikes! The average American receives 41 pounds of junk mail every year! Tonic Mailstopper can help you remove your name from mailing lists you don't want and monitor them to make sure you stay off. They also plant 10 trees for each kit they sell. Visit MailStopper.tonic.com. Or check out CatalogChoice.org which will empty your mailbox for free.
8. Use paper products: 48% of paper can be recovered to make new products, and only 25% can be recovered from plastic. Best - use reusable dishes, towels, etc.
9. Freecyle: stop throwing away those things you don't want, from clothes to household goods. Our economy is depressed, remember? There are plenty of folks who need things, for free! Use Craigslist, Freecycle, Salvation Army, Goodwill, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, your local church, etc. etc. Think 3R: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
10. Unplug those electric chargers: turn off the computer, the printer, the cell phone, the PDA, the music player and unplug their chargers. These "insignificant loads" use more electricity in the hours they are not in use than they do when in use.
This is my own - #11 - look around your home, and think again of the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. What can you do to help keep Hawaii Kai green, to reduce your energy costs, and help others in need?
For a second month in a row, Hawai'i was in the bottom half of states with the worst April foreclosure rates, as growth in local foreclosure filings continued to outpace the national average.
There were 684 foreclosure filings in Hawai'i last month, more than triple the 216 in the same month last year, according to real estate research firm RealtyTrac.
The number of filings was down from 724 in March, but was the second most since RealtyTrac began collecting and reporting data in January 2005.
Among counties, Honolulu had the highest overall number of filings at 290, but the lowest rate per households at one filing per 1,154 households.
According to Honolulu Advertiser, "Part of the reason for Hawai'i's fallen position is that housing markets in many other states previously crashed and now are faring better, while Hawai'i's housing market has experienced a moderate downturn that is still building modestly...Despite the rapid growth in Hawai'i foreclosures, the Islands still have a foreclosure rate well below the national average and hardest-hit states."
As of May 1, in Hawaii Kai, 6 active single family listings, out of 121 total, were listed as "foreclosure, lender sale, or short sale." Another 2 are in escrow. Counting both active and under contract listings, Hawaii Kai has about 5.2% in distressed property listings. This compares to 355 of 2308 total island listings, active and under contract, or 15.4%.
We are fortunate in Hawaii Kai to have lower than average foreclosure and preforeclosure properties, but if you find yourself struggling to make the mortgage payments - and you own a home in Hawaii Kai - contact me right away. There are options other than foreclosure!
The legislature, in their final days, overrode Gov. Lingle's vetoes and passed four measures that will increase taxes to balance the state budget.
Democratic legislators increased state income taxes on the wealthy, the hotel-room tax, the conveyance tax on the sale of luxury and second homes, and a tax on tobacco products, such as chewing tobacco, pipe tobacco and cigars.
Lingle vetoed the tax increases, saying they would discourage investment, hurt small-business owners and hamper the visitor industry at a time when it is struggling.
On Thursday, the state House and Senate gave final approval to a two-year state budget that contains $800 million in general-fund spending cuts and the elimination of 200 mostly vacant state jobs.
According to the Honolulu Advertiser, lawmakers could not have balanced the budget without $942 million in federal stimulus money and the roughly $250 million in tax increases.
The debate and votes were very much Republicans (no tax increases) vs Democrats.
Here is a synopsis of the new taxes, as presented by the Honolulu Advertiser:
The state income tax will increase from 8.25 percent to up to 11 percent on single taxpayers who make $150,000 or more a year, heads of households who earn $225,000 or more a year, and couples who make $300,000 or more a year. The tax increase would apply to roughly the top 2.6 percent of state taxpayers and is expected to generate more than $96 million in revenue over the two-year term of the budget.
The transient accommodations tax will go up by 1 percentage point in July - from 7.25 percent to 8.25 percent - and another 1 percentage point in July 2010 - from 8.25 percent to 9.25 percent. The tax increase would apply to operators of hotel rooms, apartments, condominiums, beach houses and other places rented to visitors or local guests. The increase would likely be passed on to consumers and is expected to generate more than $88 million over the two-year budget term.
The conveyance tax on the sale of properties of $2 million or more and on second-home purchases will rise in an effort to generate $8 million in revenue over two years.
The tax on the wholesale price of tobacco products, such as chewing tobacco or pipe tobacco, will rise from 40 percent to 70 percent starting at the end of September. The state's tax on the wholesale price of cigars would increase from 40 percent to 50 percent, and smaller cigars that resemble cigarettes would be taxed like cigarettes.
The state's 10-cent-per-cigarette tax will rise by 2 cents in July, in addition to the 1-cent increase already scheduled, bringing the tax to 13 cents.
Regardless of how you feel about the tax increases, as a visitor or resident, Hawaii Kai will still be a beautiful place to live, and will hold it's value. The community will always attract residents who value the quality of life and outstanding ambience which makes Hawaii Kai property so special. If you are thinking of relocation or a visit soon to look around, contact me for details on our Hawaii Kai real estate market.
There's been a lot of controversy the last couple of weeks over a dive operator's proposal to begin shark-feeding tours in the waters of Maunalua Bay. Happily, the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board voted this week to adopt a resolution calling for a total statewide ban on shark tours (read my blog about the details on my web site). As Relocation Specialist for Hawaii Kai, I feel better knowing our waters are safe for all users, and - although there are sharks in Hawaiian waters naturally - at least we aren't encouraging them to come close to shore.
But speaking of sharks, that get their share of bad press, I wanted to pass on this extraordinary email. Who knows if it is true, but the photos are really stunning.
Here's the email message:
It's happening off the South Australian coast, near Port Lincoln ...
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
Hawaiian Airlines and The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii have formed a partnership that will include having airline employees volunteer for conservation projects.
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