HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0918.017 2012-2014 Page 1 of 2
COU ITY CLERK
Murashige, Laura COUNT,' 4AWA11
From: Kahi Pacarro [kahi @sustainablecoastlineshawaii.org] 2114 JUN 16 AN 7: 52
Sent: Saturday, June 14, 2014 11:10 AM
To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: Reso 452 AWESC
As Executive Director of Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii I have seen first hand the pros and cons
of an Incinerator, specifically H-Power at Campbell Industrial Park on Oahu. Currently the
plant is burning 90% of the islands trash and producing 7% of the islands energy. On the
surface this looks good but when you dive deeper to better understand the mentality that is has
created,you see the exact opposite of what we as a State are trying to portray with the notion of
malama honua. Constantly we hear from the City and County of Honolulu that we need to
"Feed the Beast!", the beast meaning H-power. The only way to make it efficient is to provide
huge amounts of waste. The beast is so hungry that they have even suggested burning our Hi-5
plastics instead of sending it off island for processing.
What this mentality creates is the need to consume and the need for waste. In a time when we
need to be reducing our consumption in order to remain a sustainable planet, moving forward
with an H-Power project would be a negligent decision that will haunt your constituents and
economy for decades. It's a huge loss for our environment of which our tourism economy relies
on, and a big win for special interests like Big Oil, the American Chemistry Council, and other
pro-development and pro-commercialism movements.
The true solution is in alternatives like reducing our independence on oil and the reduction of
unnecessary plastics, composting to provide fertile soil to grow healthy organic foods, reusing
instead of trashing, and recycling as necessary.
By approving an H-Power project you are giving the green light to over consumption,
irresponsible consumer behaviors, and the feed the beast mentality.
I urge you to consider alternatives to the waste issue and lead by example, not follow the
mistakes already made on Oahu.
Aloha,
K
Kahi Pacarro
Executive Director
kahi @sustainablecoastlineshawaii.org
808.221.7678
www.sustainablecoastlineshawaii.org
Comm. No. 9/ 8, 17
Ref. To: P/AV✓ES 4
Ref. Dote JUN 1
6/16/2014
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6/16/2014