HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0842.002 2010-2012 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specifications of the UBC are derived from outdated building habits, primarily the use of wood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
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micheledavid7l Cgmail.com Ref. To: X17
Ref. Dote [lf.T 0 2 2012