Letters for Thursday, July 12, 2007

• Is Kaua‘i rural?

• Live Earth Day 2007

• Between heaven and hell

Is Kaua‘i rural?

So defeating Wal-Mart and the Big Boxes has saved Kaua‘i’s rural nature. Hah! What a bunch of bull. Are people moving here because we do or do not have Wal-Mart?

About 3 miles away is Kaua‘i Lagoons new development with 750 plus “unique designs” starting at 1.7 million. Who’s going to buy these? Where will the people go to the beach. Kalapaki, check it out, it is looking like Waikiki already. This is rural?

How about the rampant development in Po‘ipu? Does Po‘ipu Beach seem rural to you?

Princeville keeps on growing. Kilauea, Kalaheo, Puhi, Hanamaulu, Waimea even Kekaha — remember when these places were quiet little towns? Do rural areas have bumper-to-bumper traffic like Kapa‘a to Wailua?

We have horrible traffic everywhere on Kaua‘i and it is getting worse. We have cruise ships arriving everyday in Nawiliwili and now here comes the superferry and all its potential problems.

Nothing like filming a major movie here to bring in more Hollywood types to discover Kaua‘i.

Throw in hundreds of real estate agents, time share salespeople, fractional ownership and small developers all trying to make a living selling Kaua‘i. The world’s largest timeshare companies are circling Kaua‘i like vultures.

Suddenly, a new grocery store with cheaper prices doesn’t seen like such a big deal…

If we want to maintain any of Kaua‘i’s rural nature, we must stop all new development now. Quit selling out to tourism and greed. Enough already.

John D. Hunt

Lihu‘e

Live Earth Day 2007

Think globally, act locally.

I hope everybody got a chance to watch Live Earth on Saturday.

We can do a lot here to help preserve Kaua‘i, and respect the ‘aina.

Here are just a few things we can all do today.

• Buy tote bags for grocery shopping, personal tote bags, or “Get Green” grocery bags, www.greensak.com, otherwise all those plastic bags you use one time will end up getting buried on our island. (You get a “bag credit” at the grocery store each time, and that will pay for the bags over time.)

Americans throw away around 50 billion every year. And they are going in the ground or in the ocean.

• Buy compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), you can get them cheap at Costco or Home Depot, they use two thirds less energy (saving you money, ie. paying for themselves and then some) and last up to 10 times as long as conventional bulbs, and they are just as bright as old-fashioned light bulbs.

• Only buy Energy Star appliances; you will save enough in electric bills to pay for the cost of the appliance you bought over time.

• The next time you buy a car; look at what kind of gas mileage you will be getting.

If you don’t get at least 25 miles to the gallon, you are part of the problem that our children, and their children, will be facing.

• Recycle plastic, newspaper, cardboard and bottles.

Every time you take your trash barrel to the curb, look at what you are putting into the ground on Kaua‘i.

Lots of other countries recycle because they have respect for their ‘aina.

This is a start. Do you care?

Dennis Chaquette

Kapa‘a

Between heaven and hell

 My hike up Sleeping Giant (Nounou) mountain was later than usual last Thursday. No one was around at 6:30 in the evening when I made the final steep climb up onto rocks that sculpt the Giant’s craggy face. Perched on top, I gazed north and noticed a small fire off in the distance. My first thought was, “that is an odd place for someone to burn rubbish.” But as the flames rapidly spread out farther and farther, I became alarmed when I realized that it was yet one more “out of control” brush fire.

Soon, far-off sirens began wailing and I prayed the firefighters could get there quickly because, fanned by the tradewinds, the flames had multiplied a hundred fold in just a few minutes. Hearing on the car radio coming over that Kuhio Highway had finally opened after a major fire near Lihu‘e had closed it for over an hour, I pitied the overworked firemen now.

Then turning my head to the left, I inhaled deeply with wonder and awe as I witnessed a shaft of light pouring under a cloud bank, which hung over Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale, illuminating a spot in the Wailua Valley like a searchlight or — a path to heaven. It was more brilliant than any of the rays I had seen in the past.

My head rotated to the right. The fire was huge now and I made out ant-sized bodies silhouetted against the brilliant flames furiously fighting the battle, yet one more time.

I turned back to the transcendent ray of light pouring over the sacred mountain, Wai‘ale‘ale, rising majestically out of the center of our beautiful island. Once again, I became mesmerized, calmed, nurtured and blessed by our beloved Kaua‘i. Then to the right — I gaped at the all-consuming fire, “hell on earth.” Back and forth: heaven … hell … heaven … hell … heaven.

The fire was still burning when I followed the path between heaven and hell to climb down the mountain around 7:15 p.m. The spectacular scene that I witnessed on Nounou remains indelibly engraved in my mind. I see that the vision of “heaven and hell” is a metaphor for Kaua‘i.

We have a choice at this critical time in the history of Kaua‘i. We are the caretakers of this precious place. The island cannot speak up for itself regarding destroyed reefs, unchecked development that impinges on nature and agricultural land, polluted ocean and streams, or people who are throwing cigarette butts out a car window.

We can choose to be caretakers by opposing monster timeshare and condo resorts at County Council or Planning Commission meetings, joining groups who are working for the environmental preservation of Kaua‘i, demanding an EIS for the Superferry, writing letters to the paper and educating our children about the fragility of nature. The gigantic resorts growing like cancer on the Southside and Waipouli/Wailua are changing our landscape and lifestyle irrevocably. If left up to the developers and county government, nature, as we know it, will be lost — forever.

Hell is unacceptable. Kauaians: please choose to malama the ‘aina. Choose heaven now — or it will be too late.

Gabriela Taylor

Kapa‘a