COM 0972.001 2004-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Devyn Park July 16, 2006 Age 12 8th Grade, Hualalai Academy Home Address 73-4789 Halolani St. Kailua Kona HI Home Phone Number (808) 325 - 6253 Cell Phone Number (808) 987 - 0014 Email Address puglover6@hotmail.com Why Smoking Should be Banned at Kahalu'u State Beach Park Imagine, you have just arrived on the island of Hawaii on your family vacation, you had a vision of beautiful beaches with sparkling white sand and pristine waters, however when you arrive to the beach, you see the beach ridden with cigarette butts and the ocean breeze is tainted by someone's cigarette smoke. Unfortunately some smokers tend not to throw away their cigarette butts in the proper trash receptacle, but instead leave them in the sand where the toxic chemicals that are in the cigarettes slowly sink into the sand which will eventually lead into the ocean harming our marine creatures. In an effort to help save Kahalu'u from this plight I and the rest of my fellow volunteers at The Junior West Hawaii Fisheries Council, have put together a petition to ban smoking at Kahalu'u County Beach Park. The Cigarettes on the beach: a few scientific facts. As recent surveys show the most common plastic trash found on beaches worldwide is a cigarette filter (a.k.a. "butt"). Also scientific tests prove that only 0.125 filters per liter (one filter for two gallons of water) of water, can be deadly to the sea fleas(Daphnia magna). Other studies show that cigarettes affect the number of the ghost crab holes in the area which has the most cigarette filters. Along with the cigarette filters harming the sea creatures, the cigarette filter is an eye - sore to look at for nonsmokers. As a non smoking person it is also a bummer to be at the beach trying to enjoy the fresh ocean breezes while having to have a smokers' burning cigarette pollute the air that everyone must share at the beach. Ultimately if cigarette smoking is not banned its negative effects Kahalu'u County beach park could affect tourism and our local businesses. I know that I do not want to go and sit and swim in a giant ashtray. I think that this petition should be passed because of how much more it would add to the beauty, the population of the marine animals, and the visitor aspect to Kahalu'u Beach Park. I hope that this petition will be passed so Hawaii can be made a more beautiful place than it already is one step at a time. References 1. http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/eiglitterarticle.htm