kauai environment: 100% Kauai Sustainability - How will we get there? - 01/11/10 04:11 AM
Raising gas prices by 50 cents a gallon has been proposed by the county as a way to deal with its shortfall. This and other issues were addressed  Thursday at a public presentation of the final draft of the long-awaited Kaua‘i Energy Sustainability Plan. Fuel taxes in Hawai‘i are nothing new. The state already levies 17 cents per gallon in addition to a federal tax of around 18 cents. Hawaii is also one of only a handful of states which allows its counties to charge an additional tax. Kaua‘i currentlyhttp://activerain.com/action/blogs_admin/writeCheck  charges 13 cents per gallon. An additional 50-cent tax would push … (0 comments)

kauai environment: Lush Kauai co-exists with Agrochemical Efforts - 04/20/09 03:45 AM
I just read a pretty provocative article about the GMO efforts happening on Kauai's west side and how much of our food on island is chemically processed and imported. Did not make me feel too good although we buy most of our produce from locally held farmer's markets. Read this compelling  story about Kauai and some of the research that happens here. The author is clearly passionate but i felt there was enough good info here to link to it. THis little snippet below is taken from the article. I'm fortunate to have a good friend who grows organic dwarfed apple … (2 comments)

kauai environment: Think and Do Tank - Kauai Sustainability - 02/13/09 04:26 AM
Ken Stokes, noted environmentalist and director of the Kauaian Institute, posts about a new group of leaders on Kauai who are focused on moving from the stage of talking about sustainability and are now digging into the DOING phase. As Ken notes, Kauai has a long way to go, but with clear intentions progress can happen rapidly.
Read more on the SUSHI Blog

… (0 comments)

kauai environment: Kauai Businesses Honored for Going Green - 10/23/08 04:17 AM
The Rotary Club of Kapa`a  honored eight local businesses as winners of the 2008 Kaua`i Green Business Initiative Awards (KGBIA) at yesterday's Rotary Luncheon held at the Aloha Beach Resort . “All of the winning businesses have gone beyond environmental compliance to adopt and exemplify best ‘green’ practices over the past 12 months,” says Rodney Pascua, chairman of this year’s program, noting that each business displayed a proven track record in one or more of the areas of efficiently using raw materials/supplies, managing waste responsibly, managing shipping/handling responsibly, saving water and saving energy.” Winners included:  Island Soap Company, in the category … (1 comments)

kauai environment: Whale Tech to assist Hawaii Superferry? - 10/19/08 06:32 AM
The front page of this morning's Honolulu Advertiser has a story above the fold about the controversial Hawaii Superferry integrating so new high tech devices on their vessels. According the Advertiser, the  Hawaii Superferry is installing a high-tech thermal imaging system that could detect whale spouts more than a mile away and reduce the risk of collisions with humpback whales.
Perhaps this will address one great level of concern about the ecological soundness of this transportation alternative. Read the full story about whale tech on the Hawaii Superferry.
… (3 comments)

kauai environment: Air, Ground and See - More Sustainability on Kauai - 10/19/08 06:23 AM
My friend Ken Stokes, from the Kauaian Institue, will be on the radio at  Noon hosting the Friday talk show on KKCR normally honcho’d by Keone Kealoha and Andrea Brower of Malama Kauai.Click here or on the KKCR graphic to listen live
Keone and Andrea are at the Bioneers conference in San Rafael, and will be calling in to report on the opening days’ plenary roster of inspiring speakers. That’s the air attack bit.
On the ground,Ken is  down for the consultants’ briefing on the County’s “energy sustainability plan” RFP, and hopes to be part of a team to get this … (2 comments)

kauai environment: Build Your Own Wind and Power - Kaua`i Style - 10/03/08 06:49 AM
Well, the bailout passed this morning and hopefully that will put a little wind back in all of our sales. As I've heard so often the last week, it's the end of the beginning, meaning we are making a start in freeing up our credit markets and getting back to a more normal sense of business though it may hardly be normal for quite some time.For those of you interested in using the physical wind, there's an upcoming workshop at Malama Kaua`i, one of Kaua`i's leading sustainability organization located on Kuawa Rd. in Kilauea. If you want to follow sustainability on … (3 comments)

kauai environment: One Year NO SUPERFERRY Celebration - 08/21/08 04:34 AM
The Surfrider Fondation released this to the press yesterday to keep their spirit of resistance alive. From my point of view the Superferry has benefits and significant risks. We have not heard much about the Environmental Impact Study that the Supreme Court mandated before the SuperFerry resumes service. The SuperFerry is operating successfully between Oahu and Maui and with rising airfares, business is growing and more people are traveling on the ferry. On Kauai, the groups opposed to the Superferry remain more vocal in the community and continue to champion their cause.
The press release info is listed below:
SURFRIDER FOUNDATION … (5 comments)

kauai environment: Earth Day at Lydgate - 04/19/08 01:24 PM
Today is Earth Day. And while I am sitting open house at a beautiful Lae Nani Condominium in Wailuamy wife Gwen is over at Lydgate Park just a half a mile down the road.
Earth Day is a worldwide opportunity to think globally and act locally by getting out and becoming involved in outdoor activities. Help the planet feel a little better locally in a fun way and make some new friends.
LYDGATE PARK IN WAILUA WITH A BEAUTIFUL ENCLOSED SWIMMING AREA
This year Earth Day is being celebrated with a volunteer workday at Lydgate Park in Wailua on Kaua‘i.  These events help … (0 comments)

kauai environment: SuperFerry EIS still a quandry - 04/10/08 05:35 PM
Superferry EIS begins amid continued concerns.

The Hawaii Superferry has been in dry dock being repaired for its service in Maui. This week the Alikai finally sailed , a week or so ahead of schedule, to Maui with 100 passengers and some vehicles. Meanwhie, a couple of weeks ago about 60 local residents showed up for the first of two three-hour informational meeting at the KCC Performing arts center to meet with representatives from Belt Collins Hawaii and the state DOT. The session was part of statewide effort that ended on March 31 on Lana`i to set the scope of … (4 comments)

kauai environment: Kaua`i Bike Path Finishes Next Phase - 02/18/08 06:28 PM
Last week, officials held A blessing  for a recently completed segment of the pedestrian bike path. Thus,  the project moves one step closer to meeting its goal of offering 16 miles of coastal trails.Beginning at the Lihi Park trailhead, the completed section continues 2.5 miles to Kealia Beach Park and represents the first half of the path’s second phase. The remining portion is set to open this summer and runs about 1.8 miles from Kealia to Kuna Bay (Donkey Beach). The bike path is one of the coolest projects on east side of Kauai and insures beach access along alll the … (0 comments)

kauai environment: Environment's Existential Moment - 02/10/08 07:47 AM
Gristmill published a "guest essay" last fall from controversial Environmentalist's Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger.
Ted and Michael are founding members of American Environics. American Environics is a research and strategy firm that uses cutting edge social values , psychological and cognitive science research to inform social change strategies. In the essay Ted and Michael explain that there are five reasons why setting a price on carbon dioxide, either through a cap and trade approach or an outright tax, cannot reduce greenhouse gas emissions anywhere close to what is needed.This kind of cognitive thinking is more of what we need to create … (2 comments)

kauai environment: Hawaii in 2050? - Will any of us be around to see it? - 11/27/07 05:40 PM
What will Hawaii be like in 2050? There have been many articles about the topic of this article in the local newspaper, on blogs, and even in the monthly Hawaii Realtors magazine, published by the Hawaii Association of Realtors. What kinds of jobs will our children and grandchildren have? Where will they live? How will the "Aloha Spirit" survive in the 21st century? Questions like these are at the core of the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability plan. Hawaii 2050 was founded in 2005 and is guided by the Hawai`i 2050 Sustainability task Force, a 25-member body of private citizen, state lawmakers, and … (0 comments)

kauai environment: Sugar Producer making the transition to Green Energy - 11/23/07 07:16 PM

Ethanol plant stirs coal debate

On November 7th, TGI reported that issue of "burning coal" was a devisive point in the utilization of an upcoming ethanol plant about to break ground in Kaumakani on the campus of Gay & Robinson. Gay & Robinson is one of the two remaining producers of sugar in a state where sugar cane used to be one of the islands' main industries. Then on Nov. 10th, Gay & Robinson President Alan Kennett said yesterday that coal will not power a proposed ethanol plant under development by partners Gay & Robinson and Pacific West Energy, … (9 comments)

kauai environment: The Garbage Game - Check it Out - 11/20/07 04:10 AM
If you are interested in sustainability in Hawaii, please check out my good friend Ken Stokes' blog at The Kauaian Institute.
I discovered a link there for something called The Garbage Game. ‘Tis a great way to play with the interconnections and the indirect consequences of our waste behaviors.

Like most American communities, Kauai spends gazillions to spirit away the detritus of our daily living.
In this game, at least, you get to make personal choices about the fate of your trash, whether you decide to compost your kitchen waste, give up bottled water, or choose cloth diapers over disposable … (1 comments)

kauai environment: Kauai Council to Finalize Shoreline Setback this Week - 11/19/07 01:50 AM
Shoreline Setback Bill heading to Kauai Council.

As global warming becomes more and more of a reality facing each of us in our lives and our communities, here in Kauai as with all of the islands, the notion of sea level rising, which it is, will continue to have an effect on our shorelines and on each counties rules and regulations about such.

The Kauai county council completed hearing from state experts last week and with drafgt legislation heading to the floor Tuesday, Nov. 20, council members are expecting approve a final version of the bill by day's … (3 comments)