HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0771.024 2020-2022 P/GRNRMG
bill (Cr(
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From: Georgiana Bostean
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2022 5:18 PM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Bill 167
Dear Councilpersons Villegas and Kimball,
I am writing in support of Bill 167. I am a professor of Environmental Science, Health, and Policy and I am so proud
that Hawaii county is taking a step to protect the marine environment.
Being trained as a sociologist, I know that evidence shows that individual level approaches to behavior change are
generally not effective on a large scale, and are costly and time consuming...yet we do not have time to waste when
we consider the state of the marine environment and the extent of use of our oceans. The most effective changes in
consumer behavior tend to be top-down and supply-driven.
Even being in this field, I was initially confused about reef friendly versus reef safe sunscreens and had been
unintentionally using dangerous sunscreens for some years. It is simply not feasible to educate all residents and
incoming tourists about these issues and expect most of them to make the environmentally friendly decision.
The research on consumer behavior is clear--providing only reef safe sunscreens in stores on the Big Island will
make a huge, long-term and broad-scale impact on the marine environment. Moreover, might help support local
businesses, some of which have been producing excellent mineral sunscreens sold in local stores. I therefore fully
support Bill 167 and ask you to do the same.
Thank you.
Georgiana Bostean =
Kalopa homesteads, Honoka'a
Comm. o. 111.114
Ref. TONIN O-Mc.
Ref. Date MAY 1 7 2022