PDHblog
This is a place for members of Progressive Democrats of Hawai‘i to express their thoughts
and exasperations about political happenings. The opinions and views are not necessarily
those of PDH's steering committee or membership as a whole.

Jeffrey Mikulina, a longtime environmental activist in Hawaii, is making waves, so to speak, with the Blue Planet Foundation.

An editorial in the New York Times quotes him in the lead sentence about “a new campaign to wean Hawaii from fossil fuels in 10 years.” According to the editorial,

A green consciousness is beginning to take root in Hawaii. In January, the state approved a plan to cut its reliance on foreign oil by 70 percent by 2030. Mr. Rogers doesn’t want to wait that long, so his [Blue Planet] foundation is trying to turbocharge the effort. Mr. Mikulina, the foundation’s executive director, says this will mean more than just throwing up lots more solar panels and windmills and making lavish investments on exotic technologies.

The editorial concludes,

Hawaiians have a long tradition of self-sufficiency, community action and a deep attachment to the land that sustains them — leadership in a clean-energy movement could powerfully reaffirm those values and perhaps spread them to the rest of the nation.

You’ve probably heard about this effort before. Perhaps you read about the ambitious conference in Ko Olina last April, bringing together dozens of experts in the field to develop tangible ways to advance the goal of clean energy for Hawaii (Blue Planet Summit taps array of experts). If not, check the summit’s website.

Anyway, it is not often that Hawaii is recognized by the New York Times for its leadership. Now, how can we engage the political process to promote achieving this campaign to wean Hawaii from fossil fuels in 10 years?

Bob

A very important series of community meetings is being held in the next 35 days on sustainability issues! This is our opportunity to contribute directly to this process, and will have a long-range impact on life in Hawaii! The following announcement is from the Hawaii2050 press release; for information on sites on the neighbor islands, see the press release.

PUBLIC INVITED TO STATEWIDE COMMUNITY MEETINGS FOR THE
HAWAI‘I 2050 SUSTAINABILITY PLANNING PROCESS

Community Input Crucial to Long-Term Planning for Hawai‘i

Honolulu – The Hawai‘i 2050 Sustainability Task Force invites the public to the second round of community meetings for the Hawai‘i 2050 Sustainability Plan in April and May.

The statewide gatherings will continue engaging residents in the discussion about sustainability and the long-term future of Hawai‘i. This community-driven process is one of the cornerstones of the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan that the Task Force will present to the state Legislature in December.

“Our communities are filled with insightful people. We want to tap the wisdom of our kupuna, the energy of the keiki, the experiences of working families and the innovative spirit of businesspeople,” said Senator Russell Kokubun, Chair of the Hawai‘i 2050 Task Force.

“By bringing as many facets from the community as possible to the planning process, we can create a better long-term future for everyone. We encourage the public to attend.”

The meeting schedule is:

O‘ahu
Coordinated by Derrick Kiyabu. Phone: 550-2661; derrick@hacbed.org

• Saturday, April 14 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Kapolei Elementary School Cafeteria – 91-1119 Kama‘aha Loop.
• Saturday, April 21 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Kailua High School Cafeteria – 451 Ulumanu Drive
• Saturday, April 28 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Sunset Beach Elementary School Cafeteria– 59-360 Kamehameha Highway
• Saturday, May 5 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at McKinley High School Cafeteria – 1039 S. King Street

These are important meetings! Let’s participate!

Bob Schacht

Chad Blair did a nice segment on Hawaii Public Radio on sustainability in Hawaii. He pointed out that our state legislature needs to come up with a sustainability plan this year, because the plan is needed for the “Hawaii 2050” effort. Consequently, this year our state legislature may be in an unusually receptive mood to consider our views on this plank of our S.H.I.P.S. platform. A great opportunity!

Bob Schacht

Chad Blair’s commentary on the opening of the 2007 Hawaii State Legislature opening focuses on interest in Sustainability issues–an mp3 of his report is temporarily available. Don’t miss it!

Bob Schacht