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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0972.001 2004-2006 Page 1 of 1 Murashige, Laura From: Donna Goodale [donna@goodale.org] Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 3:25 PM 20 TS JUL 18 fin 111 '79t To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us r,..., Cc: Bevanmarquez, Jean Subject: testimony for the committee on public safety and parks and recreation To Whom It May Concern: My name is Donna R. Goodale. I am the chairperson for the West Hawaii Fisheries Council committee for Youth and therefore, the coordinator of the West Hawaii Youth Fisheries Council. I am attaching the testimony of several students who wish to testify in behalf of the request to ban smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park which the committee is going to hear on 7/18/06. The students include: 1. Devyn Park, age 12 2. Tien Austin, age 13 3. Sarah Crawford, age 13 4. Amber Datta, age 14 5. Dominique Saks, age 14 6. Russell Hapgood, age 14 7. Ryan Marvick, age 14 8. Sonny Hapgood, age 12 9. Laura Triantos Andersen, age 13 There are a few more being sent to me but I don't have them at this moment. Virginia Isbell's aid, Jeanie Bevanmarquez said to send the testimonials to you and you would copy and distribute them to the committee members. Thank you so very much for your help. Donna Goodaee Comm. No. 172- Ref. To: Ref. Cate 1 R 2nna 7/18/2006 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 Tien Austin 7/17/06 13, 8 b grade 73-4325 Lihilihi PI Kailua-Kona HI 96740 Lilbassplayer34@hotmail.com People go to the beach to have a good time, swimming, surfing, or maybe just reading and looking at the view. But it is kind of hard to enjoy your time if you're hacking and coughing the whole time. Kahalu'u is a nice place where people like to go to snorkel, surf, and relax on the beach. But the cigarette smoke, and the cigarette butts all over the beach makes it harder to enjoy. Here is a paper that will explain the pros and cons about banning smoking at Kahalu'u. PROs • The air will be cleaner, and better for little kids. • The beach will be cleaner. • People with asthma can have a better time at the beach with out having to worry about having an attack. • The ocean would be cleaner. • For people who spend most of the day at the beach (Kahalu'u) don't have to worry about sore eyes, sneezing, a runny nose, headaches, coughing, wheezing, and hoarseness later in the day. CONS • People who usually go to Kahalu'u who are smokers might get mad. In a poll that I found (http://www.vizu.com/) the question was "Do you favor smoking bans in public places?" the results were 29.2% "No, they infringe on people's rights" 70.8% "Yes they make going out more enjoyable". I did a poll for "Do you think they should ban smoking at Kahalu'u beach?" My results were, 62.5% for "yes they should", and 37.5% for "no they shouldn't". Some reasons for banning smoking were, "The smell is horrible when you're trying to enjoy the beach" (name not available). "Because smoking kills you", quote from Harrison Hapgood, age 12. Jordan Witt (16) said, "Smoking kills you." Another quote from Christina (12) said, "It's not only damaging the smoker's lungs, but the little keiki (kids) who are around. It's not bad for the smoker but for everyone around the smoker." Other people think that smoking should be allowed at Kahalu'u. Justin (13) said, "let people do what they want, this isn't a communist government." My opinion is that, people come to Hawaii expecting spectacular sights, and beautiful beaches. Since Kahalu'u is so close to the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort (the place where I stayed when I first came to visit Kona), many of the guests go to Kahalu'u first before any other beaches. The first thing people may notice is how crowded it is. Then when you lay down in the sand you may have to pick up all the cigarette butts that are where you are sitting. That's not a very good first impression, and then when you are walking around you are most likely going to notice all the cigarette smoke hovering everywhere. I didn't like Kahalu'u the very first time I visited, and now that I live here I can do my best to make that beach more beautiful. Who wants to come to Hawaii to breath second hand smoke, go to the beach where there are more cigarette butts than sand, go snorkeling in water that is polluted, not me. Thank you for taking your time to read this even if your decision is not to ban smoking, I appreciate your time. Name: Sarah Crawford Age: 13 Grade: 9 I want to give my input with respect to a potential ban on smoking at Kahalu'u Beach in Kailua- Kona. There is no question that smoking is unhealthful, both for the smoker and for those who breathe the second hand smoke. Why would tourists want to visit a beach where the person next to them is smoking? Smoke travels in an area with about a 20 feet radius, depending on wind, so it doesn't help much to be out of doors. Four smokers could effectively foul most of the oceanfront land at Kahalu'u. Also, cigarette butts make up a large percentage of trash found at beaches. Why would tourists want to go to trashy beaches? We are economically dependent on tourists in Kona, and one of the main attractions of Kona is its beaches. If the beach is covered in trash, many people will simply not want to go to the beach. My class once visited Kahalu'u and picked up two thousand butts. There have even been calls to US poison centers about children eating tobacco products. It's disgusting to go to a beach, and be sitting in the midst of smokers and cigarette butts. We are economically dependent on tourists in Kona, and one of the main attractions of Kona is its beaches. If the beach is covered in trash, many people will simply not want to go to the beach. Beaches both in Hawaii and California have banned smoking. It makes sense for health and for business. Also, take into consideration the fact that the chemicals contained in cigarette butts are toxic to marine animals - not just fish, but shrimp, crabs, and other crustaceans, as well as worms, and echinoderms like star fish and sea urchins. All of these creatures can be found at Kahalu'u. These creatures contribute to the environment at Kahalu'u, and, if permanently harmed, would change the ecological make-up of the ocean cycle of life. I urge that you approve a ban on smoking at Kahalu'u Beach, for the visitors, locals, and for the animals. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Sarah Crawford Amber W. Datta P.O. Box 1070 Captain Cook, HI 96704 Age: 14 years old Entering 9th grade @ Hualalai Academy 328- 9044 ambie@earthlink.net Addressed to: Hawai'i County Council I would like to see the ban on smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park approved. Aloha, My name is Amber Datta, and I am a member of the West Hawaii Youth Fisheries Council. I have lived on the Big Island my entire life, and have gone to Kahalu'u Beach Park numerous times. I've gone to snorkel, play in the sand, or to pick up trash. The last time I visited with my school, Hualalai Academy, a group of 10 students, including myself, collected two large jars, packed full of cigarettes in 30 minutes, disgusting! Annually, 4.5 trillion cigarettes are littered worldwide. Of the trash found on beaches, 20% to 60% of it is cigarettes! These cigarettes have been found to negatively affect the population of ghost crabs on beaches, and are also known to kill birds and other animals. Cigarette butts are made of cellulose. These creatures mistake the butts for food, fill their stomachs with them and that alone can cause malnutrition as well as starvation. The cigarette butts also contain over 165 toxic chemicals. Beside cigarettes' effects on the fauna, a discarded still-burning cigarette can cause terrible fires, wiping out flora, buildings, cars, etc. Thousands of acres are burned each year because of cigarettes, some causing millions of dollars in damage. Communities such as ours are affected by cigarettes everyday, not only by the fires, but by things such as secondhand smoke and the unsightly littered butts. Neither we nor our visitors like to walk down the street or on a beach, and see hundreds of butts at their feet. Nobody wants to see a child build a sand castle and decorate it with the butts they've found in the process. At Kahalu'u, I have seen the butts being thrown on the ground, often still burning, played with by the children who find them, and I have picked them up myself. After helping to pick up over 1200 butts last spring in half an hour, I have seen just how many there are, and I know that if this ban isn't passed, there will be just as many there next year. Solana Beach, California, started it the ban of smoking on the beach and it is now spreading across the state into 35 other near-beach cities. Smoking is banned at Hanama Bay. Others have banned smoking on beaches and so can we. Thank you for your time in reading this paper. Aloha, Amber Datta Testimonial for Why Smoking Should Be Banned at Kahaluu Dominique Saks 7-16-06 91h Grade, Kealekehe High School Youth Hawaii Fisheries Council Kahalu'u Beach Park, a popular snorkeling and surfing beach, currently allows smoking within its perimeters. Smoking, which kills about 111,000 people every year, contains over 4,000 dangerous chemicals that harm the environment as well as people. Cigarettes happen to be the most littered item in America and are made of cellulose acetate that takes decades to degrade. Not only do these butts ruin a picturesque setting, but they also get into the water where toxic chemicals leak into the water threatening its quality and the aquatic life forms. The nicotine trapped inside those used filters are deadly, the amount in 200 is enough to kill an adult human. Many birds and animals mistake these butts for food. When animals low on the food chain ingest these chemicals and then are eaten by bigger life forms the toxins are concentrated and quickly spread up the food chain, often time, ending up in our stomachs. The tourist industry is the main source of income on this island. People fly in from all over the world to enjoy the tropic setting, including our beautiful marine ecosystems. If we destroy these ecosystems, a main source being cigarette pollution, our island will lose its beautiful and industrious value. I love the ocean and enjoy living in a place where I can view its majestic wonders every day. I have taken part in programs picking up trash at Kahaluu and the amount of cigarettes I picked up there astounded me. The butts are ugly to look at and I would like to keep the marine environment as healthy as possible so that future generations and I can enjoy it. When lying on the beach, drying off from the cool water, enjoying the warm sun, and taking in a deep breath of deadly toxins of cigarette smoke is annoying as well as unhealthy. I know there are many people who feel the same way about second hand smoke and it would be a lot more pleasant to go to the beach if you did not have to deal with it. The environment, animals and people who go to the beach to enjoy it deserve a healthy and beautiful place to go. By banning smoking at Kahaluu we can help preserve Hawaii's ecosystems and make the beach a cleaner, healthier place to enjoy. Ryan Marvick July 16, 2006 Age: 14; Going into 9w Grade P.O. Box 872 Captain Cook, HI 96704 323-2230 Rvanmmna Hawaii.mcom The West Hawaii Fisheries Youth Council is currently trying to form a law to ban smoking on beaches in Hawaii. We have countless reasons for wanting to ban smoking on beaches, two of the reasons are that it causes pollution, and is also harmful to other non-smokers. Many different things are destroying our coral reefs but the one of the leading causes of coral reef decay is pollution. The children from the West Hawaii Fisheries Youth Council did a beach cleanup at Kahalu'u Beach Park and collected bags full of trash. The most common article of rubbish was cigarette butts. Despite Kahalu'u Beach Park having numerous rubbish bins, smokers just seem to throw their finished cigarettes on the ground making our beautiful beaches into garbage dumps. Eventually those cigarette butts will and have found their way into the water where they pollute the reef. Now when tourists, or anyone for that matter, go swimming they are likely to encounter a cigarette butt. Our beaches are one of the main attractions to tourists, but if they are covered in garbage they will be much less inviting. This could cause a considerable drop in tourism, which is the main business in our economy. Everyone knows that cigarette smoke is harmful not only to the smoker but to anyone around that inhales it. Second hand smoke is responsible for approximately 40,000 deaths in the United States yearly. Cigarette smoke contains 4,000 different chemicals, 43 of which are known to cause cancer. Among those chemicals are Formaldehyde, which is used to preserve dead bodies, Arsenic, which is rat poison, and Hydrogen Cyanide, which is gas chamber poison, the very same Hitler used to kill thousands of people. Last but not least among toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke is Carbon Monoxide, the very same gas as car exhaust fumes. I am sure no one wants to suck on a tail pipe. All of these chemicals not only pollute the air but can and do affect the heath of the coral reef at Kahalu'u Beach Park and since it is a marine reserve I feel we are obligated to preserve the health of the reef and its marine life. Sonny Hapgood 7/16/06 Age 12; going into 8th Grade 75-1080 Keopu Mauka Dr. Holualoa, Hi 96725 Tel: (808) 329-7415 hopkinshEyood(o)hotmail.com Dear Council, I am part of the West Hawaii Junior Fisheries Council and I am writing this so we can band the smoking at Kahalu'u Beach. Smoking should be band because it is unhealthy for the person who is smoking and the people around that person who is smoking. The butts that are being left on the beach are killing and making it hard for our animals to live there without being in danger. The community around it does not like it, I know I don't', I go there to go surfing. It makes me disgusted that there are cigarette butts everywhere. It is insulting to the people that live around there because they picked that place to live because they wanted to be right next to the beach and they don't like it if it is covered in trash and cigarette butts. It is disgusting to the people that go to the beach, like the tourists. They like this beach because it is an excellent place to see Hawaiian fish. They might not even want to go there if there is trash on the beach. It might tell them that they're not at the right beach because they will hear all this great stuff about the beach and then they go there and see a beach that has cigarette butts all over it. Then before you know it, one of the best tourist attractions becomes just some old beach that no one knows the name of. That is why I do not think there should be any smoking at Kahalu'u Beach. Thank you. from, Sonny Hapgood Laura Triantos Andersen Age: 13; entering 8a' Grade Hualalai Academy 75-5773 Luna Pl. Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 Testimony - July 18, 2006 Meeting Resolution Requesting the Hawai'i County Council to Look Into Banning Smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park I think that there needs to be a smoking ban at Kahalu'u Beach Park because protecting the environment is important to me. This ban is needed to protect the environment and the people who frequent the beach. Cigarettes are toxic to marine life and people. There are at least 60 known human carcinogens in cigarettes. That means that cigarettes are poisonous to people and marine life. I researched the effects of chemicals in cigarette butts on crustaceans for my science project this year. My science project was titled "Ghost Crabs and Cigarette Butts" and I did tests at Kahalu'u Beach Park and the Old Airport Beach Park. I did tests to find out if there was a relationship between the number of cigarette butts and the number of ghost crabs at the beaches. There was a significant negative correlation, meaning there are less ghost crabs where there are more cigarette butts. My experiment showed that not putting your cigarette butts in an ashtray is hurting the beaches' ecosystem. This ban is important to me because I have gone to Kahalu'u since I was a baby, and it's always awful to dig in the sand and, instead of finding crabs or shells, all you find is another cigarette butt. When I go out snorkeling, I'll be looking at the fish when a cigarette butt floats past me. It is just gross to have to sit next to someone on the beach who is puffing away and stuffs their cigarette into the sand. This happened while I was doing my science project! Cigarette butts are one of the most common items found in beach clean-ups, accounting for at least 20-40% of what's found. Cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate which can take up to 15 years to degrade. Our beaches should not be used as ashtrays, because in addition to being disgusting, it is harmful to marine life as well as people. Please pass the ban on smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park. Thank you!