The draft 2050 Hawai‘i Sustainability Plan is open to public comments online or during two October community meetings on Kaua‘i. The plan, developed by a diverse task force team, is the state’s first since the 1970s. “The expressed opinions and
The draft 2050 Hawai‘i Sustainability Plan is open to public comments online or during two October community meetings on Kaua‘i.
The plan, developed by a diverse task force team, is the state’s first since the 1970s.
“The expressed opinions and desires of our communities for the future of our state are front-and-center with Hawai‘i 2050,” Sen. Russell Kokubun, chair of the Hawai‘i 2050 Sustainability Task Force, said in a news release. “Thousands of Hawai‘i residents have invested their time, energy and ideas in this process, and the draft plan embodies the input we have received. It is truly the ‘People’s Plan.’”
The plan embraces a “triple bottom line” concept that balances a vibrant, diverse economy, a strong society and a healthy environment in planning for future generations. This philosophy is the result of 18 months of extensive community outreach by the Task Force.
The outreach included a kick-off summit in August 2006 that attracted 500 participants, two rounds of statewide community meetings, dozens of small group focus meetings, an Internet survey, a scientific public opinion poll and the Hawai‘i 2050 Summit Saturday in Honolulu, which drew some 1,000 people for the draft plan’s premiere. (Look in The Garden Island next week for a story about the summit in Honolulu.)
The draft plan makes recommendations for state policy in the form of goals, strategic actions and indicators developed from community outreach and is designed to move Hawai‘i toward a more sustainable future.
Goals are broad themes. Strategic actions are strategies to achieve the goals. Indicators measure progress and would be published and promoted as a public report card on the state’s progress toward sustainability in diversifying the economy, protecting natural resources and the perpetuation of cultural activities.
The draft plan, a news release states, has five goals:
• Way of Life: Living sustainably is part of our daily practice in Hawai‘i.
• The Economy: Our diversified and globally competitive economy enables us to meaningfully live, work and play in Hawai‘i.
• Environment and Natural Resources: Our natural resources are responsibly and respectfully used, replenished and preserved for future generations.
• Community & Social Well-Being: Our community is strong, healthy, vibrant and nurturing, providing safety nets for those in need.
• Kanaka Maoli Culture and Island Values: Our Kanaka Maoli and island cultures and values are thriving and perpetuated.
To ensure implementation of the sustainability initiatives in the draft plan, the Task Force has proposed a new entity.
A Sustainability Council would be composed of a cross-section of Hawai‘i residents, state government and county representation, charged with carrying forward Hawai‘i 2050.
Issuing the public report card would be among the council’s functions.
“Our state pioneered sustainability and long-term planning in the 1970s, when the visionary Hawai‘i State Plan was created,” Kokubun says in the release. “Now a new generation of Hawai‘i citizens is honoring that tradition by working to ensure a more sustainable long-term future for our Islands.”
Following the input received from the community this fall, the draft plan will be revised. The final sustainability plan will be presented to the state Legislature in early 2008.
To share comments, visit www.hawaii2050.org or attend a community meeting.
On Kaua‘i, the first will be from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Oct. 9, at Kapa‘a Middle School cafeteria, 4867 Olohena Road, Kapa‘a.
The second will be from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Oct. 10, at the War Memorial Convention Hall, 4191 Hardy St., Lihu‘e.
