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Editor’s Note: At first glance, Hawai’i’s greenhouse gas output appears low to middling compared with the rest of the country. We rank 43rd among the states and 32nd in per capita emissions per resident. But our real carbon footprint–the releases of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide we’re responsible for–is a lot bigger. That’s because the rankings don’t take into account Hawai’i’s reliance on goods made elsewhere. The gases released in producing the food, fuel and building supplies we import are not counted against us. Nor are the fossil fuels burnt in transporting all this stuff to our shores.

Filling the renewable gap

State law requires utilities to have at least 20 percent of their net electricity sales generated by renewable resources by the year 2020. But nearly 90 percent of Hawai’i’s electrical power came from petroleum in 2005. Utilities are activating. Kaua’i Island Utility Co-op has committed to producing 50 percent of its electricity from renewable, non-fossil-fuel sources within 15 years. Wind farms have been built, refurbished, or are being planned on Maui, Hawai’i, and O’ahu. The City and County of Honolulu is planning to increase electrical generation from municipal solid waste. And HECO is planning to build a 110-megawatt biodiesel-fueled plant at Kalaeloa.But HECO’s fuel choice is controversial palm oil. According to Greenpeace, some 1.8 billion tons a year of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is released as forests are cleared to make way for oil palm plantations. And a biofuel-spurred spike in demand is rendering this staple cooking oil unaffordable to the word’s poor.

As for the cultivation of biofuels locally, William Steiner, dean of the University of Hawai’i-Hilo College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resource Management, has obtained a lease on Big Island land to undertake a demonstration project to grow varieties of oil palm here. But some oil-rich plants (switchgrass, for example) could turn out to be invasive. And in Hawaii, as elsewhere, more acreage put into biofuel crops could drive down cultivation of local produce and lead to food shortages. Plus, the burning of a E85, an 85 percent ethanol/ 25 percent gasoline mix, produces dangerous air pollution.

Still, Mina Morita, chair of the House Energy and Environmental Protection Committee, is optimistic about Hawai’i and energy self-sufficiency. ‘It’s a very realistic goal because of the amount of renewables that we have,’ she told Environment Hawai’i. ‘We don’t have to look at heating costs, we have minimal cooling costs - cooling is just a matter of good design, really.’ -Pat Tummons

How much have we already exceeded our 1990 footprint?

The Hawai’i Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism has done a rough recalculation of the 1990 figures, using updated calculations of the carbon-dioxide equivalency of several important greenhouse gases, including methane and nitrous oxide.

According to John Tantlinger, who last month retired from his position as manager of DBEDT’s energy policy and planning branch, those recalculated figures show that in 1990, Hawai’i generated 24.925 million tons of CO2 equivalent.

By 2005, Tantlinger found, Hawai’i was generating 26.795 million tons of CO2 equivalents, for an increase of 7.5 percent over 15 years.Top Source: Electric Utilities. Responsible for a third of Hawaii’s carbon weight, utilities increased emissions by nearly 15 percent from 1990 to 2005.

Runner-Up: Ground Transportation: Responsible for 19 percent of Hawai’i’s greenhouse gas emissions, cars and other road vehicles’ share grew more than 28 percent from 1990 to 2005.

Air Transportation: While emissions actually declined here because aircraft have become much more fuel efficient, the future remains uncertain because Act 234 exempts airlines from greenhouse gas regulations. According to Robbie Alm, a member of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Task Force set up by Act 234 and senior vice president for public affairs for Hawaiian Electric Co., the exclusion ‘was done so we didn’t burden the tourist industry in such a way as to drive away a portion of our economy, and therefore we exempted out aviation fuel.’

With respect to military uses of fossil fuels, the data are silent

– Pat Tummons

Hale’iwa
bags the plastic (hopefully)

San Francisco, Dublin, Paris Ö Hale’iwa?

Hale’iwa may soon join these gorgeous, greening cities in getting rid of plastic bags. San Francisco and Paris have banned non-biodegradable shopping bags and in Dublin their use is taxed. But the small North Shore community is thinking outside the bag: The Kokua Hawai’i Foundation’s new project, Plastic Free Hale’iwa, aims to reduce the consumption and disposal of single-use plastics, including take-out food containers, plastic utensils and water bottles, as well.

‘We are excited to work with the local businesses and residents to make Hale’iwa an example of what is possible,’ says Kim Johnson, executive director of Kokua, which she founded with her husband, Jack. ‘With some small changes such as bringing your own bag to the store and using reusable water bottles, we can make a huge difference in our local and global community,’ Johnson says, adding that the greening of Hale’iwa fits the Foundation’s mission of supporting environmental education in Hawai’i’s schools and the larger community.

In a beach town like Hale’iwa, there’s strong motivation to prevent the damage caused by single-use plastics, from their origination in the petroleum industry, to health issues for consumers, to collective disposal costs and the despoliation of the marine environment, trashing the coast (and imperiling those precious tourism dollars) and harming marine animals vulnerable to entanglement in and ingestion of plastics. According to the U.N., 80% of marine debris comes from land-based sources and is made up primarily of plastic.

While many concerned communities are addressing these challenges through government regulation, Hale’iwa is leaning towards voluntary collective action at this time. According to Katie Wright Pere, Kokua’s director of greening and events, the foundation supports regulatory proposals such as those currently before the Honolulu City Council and the Maui County Council that would ban plastic bag use. However, rather than wait for such proposals to pass, she prefers ‘to pursue a voluntary, community-driven campaign in which businesses sign on willingly, once they understand the negative impacts of their current practices, and appreciate the positive branding and community benefits of switching to reusable and biodegradable options.’

In December, Kokua presented this idea to the Board of the North Shore Chamber of Commerce, which was receptive. Before the end of January, they will present the proposal to the full Chamber membership. One Hale’iwa business, Growing Keiki, is already fully on board. ‘If businesses start it, that’s where people get ideas’ that can inspire lifestyle changes, says owner Lee Roy.

To get things going, the foundation’s strategy is to provide alternatives, helping businesses connect with vendors for reusable shopping bags and beverage bottles and biodegradable food wares. While businesses are welcome to sell any reusable shopping bags, Kokua is encouraging them to sell one with a ‘Plastic Free Hale’iwa’ logo, designed by local artist Heather Brown, which will clearly mark them as part of the campaign.

A caveat: It’s true that the current answer to the paper-versus-plastic debate–’neither, reusable please’–does not result in zero ecological impact. Among reusable materials, non-organic cotton is grown with synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, and polypropylene mesh, however durable, is a petroleum product, nonetheless. Nor can we completely rely on biodegradables, which do not biodegrade well in a municipal landfill and require industrial scale composting facilities (and curbside compost pickup!). However, reuse dramatically reduces the volume of waste heading to the landfill–and the ocean. And bags and other wares made of post-consumer-waste, recycled materials are the best choice yet, and we can trust that Kokua and others are on the lookout for these greenest wares.

Where to Get Reusable Bags and Credit for Reusing

In local stores
Kokua Market: Sells a range of bags, from netted to canvas at $5-$20 each. Kokua gives one stamp per reusable bag/container customers bring (this includes bringing one’s own jar for peanut butter, liquids, etc. Some customers receive up to 25 stamps per shopping trip). After acquiring 100 stamps, Kokua takes $1.00 off the next shopping purchase.
Down to Earth: Sells canvas bags at $10 each The store gives five cents credit per bag per shopping trip.
Foodland & Star Markets: Both sell two bags for $3.00, give five cents credit.
Times Supermarket: Sells bags at $1.99 each. Five cents credit.
Longs Drugs: Sells bags for 99 cents. No store credit.
Biodegradable containers, utensils, & serving ware
biobagusa.com
worldcentric.org
Sharing surplus plastic bags
The McCully-Mˆ’ili’ili and Kailua Libraries have informal plastic bag drop-offs/pick-ups. Drop off extra plastic bags you don’t need so others can re-use those bags and tote their books home (or get grocery store credit for reusing bags).
Online
(look for organic cotton and/or post-consumer-recycled materials)
1001bags.com
bagsontherun.com
enviro-tote.com
gogreenbag.com
inyourfacegreen.com
olivesmart.com
oneorganicearth.com
organicbags.net
papernorplastic.com
rejavanate.com
reusablebags.com
thegreenbag.org