HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0482.155 2024-2026From:
Malama Aina
Sent: Tuesday, November 4, 2025 8:57 AM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Support Bill 83 - Ahlyna Flores Testimony
Aloha Hawai'i County Council,
My name is Ahlyna Flores and I'm a junior in Ka'u High & Pahala Elementary School. I'm also part of the
zero waste youth advocate and the continuation of single use plastic is a big problem that we are facing
right now. Not only in our community but also in ourselves, being a youth and seeing land experiencing a
major crisis because of single use plastic plastic makes my heart ache. Imagine growing up in a world
that is surrounded by trash, and nobody wanna keep living like this. So in our program, we came up with
a lot of solutions, an example is turning our cafeteria waste into compost to give to our community. Small
gestures like this make a big impact in our world. If we want to see a change, it should start within us.
Plastic pollution is one of the greatest threats to our island's health, ecosystems, and future generations.
Every year, more than 11 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean, breaking down into microplastics
that now contaminate our air, water, and even human blood and organs. Hawai'i's marine life —turtles,
seabirds, and fish —are ingesting plastics at alarming rates, and these same toxins enter ourfood chain.
Mahalo,
Ahlyna Flores
Na' alehu 96772
Comm. JJ
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