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Dear Council Members, Aloha, my name is Michele David. I moved to the Seaview Estates subdivision about 5 months ago. I have recently become a board member of the Hawaii Sustainable Community Alliance (HSCA) and a Steering Committee Member for KAPONO (the Kalapana to Pohoiki Neighborhoods Organization). I am also working as a LEED Document Coordinator for the Hi'ilani Eco-house located on the Hamakua Coast. I lived in Santa Cruz, California for the past 15 years. I was very involved with the community and I was on the City Arts Commission where I worked on the implementation of a 100 unit affordable housing for artists community. I have a Masters Certificate in Environmental Planning, a Green Building Certificate, as well as LEED and CNU accreditations. I am most interested in facilitating creative, innovative, sustainable, green building and to protect Hawaii's beautiful environment with the promotion of low-impact development. I am in favor of the HSCA's goals to pass the Sustainable Habit Ordinance as well as the Sustainable Living Research Resolution, which will support the worldwide transition to a livable, just, and sustainable civilization, by requesting and urging the Government of the State of Hawaii to enact legislation that would allow Hawaii's County governments to permit the establishment and operation of "Sustainable Living Research Sites" on lands designated "agricultural" under state law when the land involved is less than fifteen acres in size. I attest that prohibitive building codes do not allow owner-builders to use affordable experimental design concepts or "yet to be approved" green building technologies or to use historic building techniques or local materials. The micro-management inherent in building "by the UBC book" can easily squelch innovation in building, which is vital to evolving sustainable architecture. The specifications of the UBC are derived from outdated building habits, primarily the use of wood framing and highly industrial building materials. Our forests cannot sustain continued decimation, our air cannot accommodate continued industrial pollution, and we cannot afford the rising costs of oil for the importation of these traditional/industrial building supplies to the Hawaiian Islands. The requirements of the UBC add up to a lot of money because many simple, effective means of construction are not allowed, such as the use of used or ungraded lumber. The UBC Building codes basically insure uniformity under the guise of safety. However, the Uniform Building Code does provide for the discretion of the inspector to allow different interpretations of the code, if the intent of the code is met. So, it is possible to allow alternative building materials and techniques as long as safety concerns are met. The primary safety concern in the UBC is safety from fires, but most alternative green building that I have seen is far safer than traditional wood framed homogenous construction. For instance, SCIP panels, straw bales, adobe, rammed earth, and cob do not promote combustion, and while some of these alternative building techniques are now allowed in certain locales—it took the courage of rebellious owner-builders to show that these green and innovative buildings were a safe and eco alternative. Overall, I feel that if we are going to achieve Hawaii's 2050 sustainability goals then we must allow for innovation via sustainable research sites and the allowance of alternative building codes. Mahalo for your time and consideration, Michele David 808-965-8683 �,,L omm. b �T�•� micheledavid7l Cgmail.com Ref. To: X17 Ref. Dote [lf.T 0 2 2012