HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0489.423 2018-2020 From: Nancy Redfeather
To: Council Testimony
Cc: Nancy Redfeather
Subject: Testimony for County Bill 101
Date: Tuesday,November 05,2019 6:34:47 AM
Aloha Members of the Hawai'i County Council,
I have lived,worked, and raised my family in the Dona Community for the past 42 years. I j
owned and operated the first commercial Nursery"The Greenhouse" for 6 years beginning in
1980. It was during those years, being intimately connected with the world of plants and
landscaping, that I learned about the toxicity of the industry and agriculture in general. �
I have had first hand experiences with the toxic nature of herbicides, And although I never
sprayed them myself, it is very much like living in a"second hand smoke" environment. We
are all affected by our environment. Our environment is one of the primary effectors of
human health.
I worked with the Dona Outdoor Circle in the 1980s when they tried to ban the roadway
spraying of herbicides, brought in the Hot Water Treatment Truck from New Zealand, gave a
Demonstration for the County, only to be told that it didn't economically "pencil out."
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There are now more than 47,000 individual Plaintiffs in the Round-Up Glyphosate Lawsuits
and the liability and knowledge available for those who choose to continue spraying also
continues to grow. We know that spraying herbicides is dangerous for human health and
environmental health. And, while there are no easy solutions, there are solutions, and
when you pass this Bill, the three year period will give the Transition Team at the County the
time they need to create the new strategy for a safer way to care for roadside management,
stream management, etc.
The Team should have wide experience, and have a clear work plan, and report regularly
along the way to the Director of Environmental Management, or whoever is best to oversee
this process. I am sure, that a safer and more healthy way forward can be accomplished, but
first you must have the vision and the will to make this decision.
Once the new direction is clear, the right information will come. The County will need to
invest additional funds for this process, in case someone is needed for consulting purposes, but
these directions are necessary for the future health of our people, lessen liability for the
County and County Workers, and begin to create the atmosphere for a new direction of health
for Hawai'i Island.
a
Aloha and Mahalo for your work, j
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Nancy Redfeather
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Kawanui Farm
Honalo, Hawai'i
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nancyreffeather2a hawaii.rr,com
808-322-801
Comm. 14o4%q-V)
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Ref. Date NOV 0 6 2019