Re: “Preventing pollution trumps recycling” (TGI Editorials, Sept. 23): Yes, I agree. However, we all have created a condition wherein both need and must be dealt with in order for us to turn our environment around. Now, unlike most places,
Re: “Preventing pollution trumps recycling” (TGI Editorials, Sept. 23): Yes, I
agree. However, we all have created a condition wherein both need and must be
dealt with in order for us to turn our environment around.
Now, unlike most
places, our islands are a sufficient distance (approximately 2,430) from all
other land masses that we could start a project to prevent pollution and
recycle. If we stopped containers that we are not presently able to recycle
from being brought into the islands with their products, and/or required the
providers of those products and no recyclable containers to have to take those
same containers back out of the islands, that would be a huge (paradigm) change
for the better and stop those unrecyclable containers from going into the
landfill as is being done now.
We are only recycling no. 2s and no. 4s
(bags and containers) by collecting them and then shipping to Maui. But the
true problem is the 1s, 3, 4s, 5s and 6s, etc. that are not being recycled in
Hawai’i and not being collected and sent back to where they came from –
mainland, etc. – but are being put in our landfill as I understand. Please
correct me if I am wrong.
If we were growing industrial hemp rather than
sugar cane for biomass burning to accomplish our federally mandated diversion
(supposed to be 50 percent by 2000-02 instead of only 15 to 18 percent, as is
presently being done), we would not be emitting as much C02 as is being emitted
presently from Kaua’i Electric’s exhaust stacks. Not to mention the possibility
of multitudes of other fuel, oil, lubricants, etc. that could be researched out
and developed, then used in our vehicles (private and commercial) and machinery
in our industrial plants and operations islandwide, ultimately going off
petroleum fossil fuels altogether at some point in the future, and making us
self-sufficient (heaven forbid) and actually creating diversified and
alternative jobs in addition to dealing with and triumphing over the pollution
and recycling circumstances facing us today.
We’ve got the land available,
the facilities and the infrastructure in place for the most part. Why don’t
more people see this?
We just laid off 400 more people from agriculture
(Amfac). And now Gay & Robinson want to lease Lihu’e Plantation lands to
continue growing the sugar cane that JMB/Amfac were growing. Why are they so
hellbent on sugar cane?
Oh, yes, and the visitor industry (hospitality)
development of more guestrooms. Is this the only two things they know? We
aren’t filling up our present capacity of hotel rooms on Kaua’i, as it
is.
Instead of just creating low-wage jobs, let’s look at developing
industries whereby we create higher-wage jobs at the entry level. And if our
present so-called leaders don’t have any ideas as to how that can be done, then
I say get out of the way and let someone in that does have an idea how that can
be accomplished. Just like those who don’t seem to be able to come up with any
ideas how to solve our present solid-waste problems and more extensive
recycling problems.
The answers are out there and are not difficult to
locate, together with bold aggressive thinking and vision concepts.
Ask
yourself: Why haven’t our past and present leaders and elected officials come
up with such ideas and accomplished the necessary legislation to correct and
change the tide of these continuous problems? I believe those of you who are
honest with yourselves shall come up with the same answer. I have. They just
don’t have the necessary vision and wisdom that is needed for solving such
problems.
ROBERT MEASEL Jr.
Kaua’i
