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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0664.021 2014-2016 n/EMG 06,cf Murashige, Laura From: lamson@hawaii.edu on behalf of Megan Lamson <meg.HWF@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, February 12, 2016 10:03 AM To: Council Testimony; Poindexter,Valerie; Chung,Aaron; Onishi, Dennis;Ilagan, Greggor; Paleka, Daniel; David, Maile; Kanuha, Dru; Eoff, Karen;Wille, Margaret Subject: HWF testimony in SUPPORT of Bill 140 (for Tues 2/16 hearing) Attachments: HWF_2016_EPSfoam.pdf Aloha mai kakou, Please see attached for Hawai'i Wildlife Fund's testimony in support of the EPS foam reduction bill. Many thanks for your time and consideration. Also and FYI, there has been a styrofoam reduction petition circulating on change.org since Oct 2015 that is requesting Hawai'i County representatives ban EPS/stryo-foam containers. As of this morning there were > 4,150 signatures (and see link below)! Now is your chance to make this goal a reality. https://www.change.org/p/william-keno i-hawaii-county-department-of-environmental-management-hawai i-county-co until-ban-single-u se- eps-styrofoam-containers-in-hawaii- county?recruiter=false&utm source=share petition&utm medium=email&utm campaign=share email responsive Feel free to contact me if you'd like any more information. Me ka mahalo, megan #stryofreehawaii ))D <*D))<< )))) >>(((*> <"))))<< Megan R.McWhite Lamson,M.S. &HAWAI'I WILDLIFE FUND t http://www.wildhawaii.org/ Hawai'i Island Program Director k @wildhawaii-#wildhawaii .µa'w.R meg.HWF(a)gmail.com debris hotline 808/769-7629 ,N) - C:emm: No. ( '(91Ref. To: 'i V.'1( Ref. Date t-EB i 2016 ccr D t, hawai`i wildlife Fund Post.Office,5ox70 • Volcano,11/ • 9��76 A i r, �i. WILbLIFG atl.flr _ t Uxm `"' :44: Celebrating zo cjears of protecting hawaii's -c'ff ti:Of" native wildlife through research,education and conservation. 12 February 2016 Re: County of Hawaii EPS Foam Bill 140 Aloha County Council members, Hawaii Wildlife Fund is in unanimous support of the proposed County of Hawai`I Bill 140. The Hawaiian Archipelago is the most isolated island chain in the world. As such,we need to protect the natural and cultural resources that these lands and seas provide, and avoid bringing in products (like EPS foam)that are environmentally toxic,bad for wildlife and human health, and difficult to dispose of. It's simple, really. We live on an island. If we cannot properly recycle or reuse items in a safe way for our communities,then what are we doing bringing them here in the first place? Hawaii Wildlife Fund(HWF) is a community-driven and volunteered-based non-governmental organization. Founded in 1996 by two National Marine Fisheries Service scientists,we are committed to protecting native wildlife in Hawaiian coastal and marine ecosystems. For 20 years,we have been involved in dozens of projects to conserve native flora and fauna, educate and share mana`o with community members and local businesses, and to advocate for a healthier natural environment here in Hawaii nei. Two of these projects include marine debris removal and prevention. Over the years, HWF and volunteers have collected and removed at least 204 tons of marine debris(or 408,000 lbs!) from the shores of Hawaii Island, Maui, Midway, and French Frigate Shoals. Of that, over 186 tons of marine debris were removed from Hawaii Island alone and this figure includes thousands of fragments of EPS foam! We estimate that 85 — 90% of all the marine debris we've collected to date is made of plastic,including styrofoam buoys, cups,bits and pieces. And this is especially frightening because the vast majority of plastics do not biodegrade. Instead, they photodegrade, then get brittle and break into smaller and smaller pieces; pieces that resemble and are often mistaken for food by fish, seabirds, marine mammals and sea turtles. A recent journal article stated that over 690 different species of marine life were affected by marine debris (Gall and Thompson 20151), and EPS foam is a likely culprit. This past year,we visited 27elementary-school classrooms on Hawaii Island and reached over �' 6o6 students with our newly developed"Marine Debris Keiki Education&Outreach" curriculum. Our children are now advocating to protect our oceans by reducing our single-usage plastics consumption. In addition, in 2015 we hosted over 34 cleanup events on Hawai`i Island and Maui, and with the help of hundreds of community volunteers we removed over 7.5 tons of marine debris from our shorelines(that's over 15,000 lbs!). 1 Avail from:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X14008571 www.wildhiawaii.org• Tax ID 99--0326669 As our islands populations continue to increase,more people will create more waste, and unfortunately much of this waste is plastic debris. We are mindlessly using products like EPS foam clamshells and plastic utensils for five minutes (or less!), and then throwing them"away" (out of sight and mind)where they will stay for generations. Plastic pollution and marine debris are a very serious and global problems. But they are people problems, and can be resolved by the steadfast commitment of people. As representatives of our island community,you are charged with protecting the interests of all of our residents and visitors alike. So we ask you to think twice about this important bill. Yes, compostable, cardboard, or plant-based materials might be slightly more expensive initially. However,if we truly consider the exponential cost of environmental degradation, threats to native wildlife and human health,plus the burden of our overflowing landfills, and continuous solid waste management challenges on this island, ...then we think not. Reducing EPS foam usage is an environmental necessity and an economically sound decision. We urge you to push this bill forward for the health of both our native wildlife and community members. HWF stands in strong support of Bill 140! Thank you for your kind consideration. - Mahalo nui loa! lce aloha pumehiana, g�.6 William Gilmartin Megan K. Lamson President 6,Co-founder hawai`i/stand Program Director hawai`i Wildlife Fund - hawai`i hawai`i Wildlife Fund - hawai`i bill.hWr@gmail.com • (808) 895-0395 meg.hWF@gmail.com • (808)769-7629 Hannah Bernard Executive Director&Co-founder hawai`i Wildlife Fund - Maui wild@aloka.net • (808) 280-812+ www.wildhawaii.org• Tax ID 99--0326669 Please contact us directly for more information! You can also follow us on Facebook or Instagram(@wildhawaii) or search for us using the following hashtags: #wildhawaii #HWFturns2o .... or search for this grass-roots campaign: #styrofreehawaii J www.wilclhiawaii.org• Tax ID 99-0326669