HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0489.756 2018-2020 From: Nancy Redfeather
To: Council TestimonyiU 'w Cc: Nancy Redfeather
ID 56
Subject: Testimony Bill 101-Hearing Wednesday January 8,2020
Date: Tuesday,January 07,2020 7:54:02 AM
Aloha Members of the Hawai'i County Council,
Mahalo to the Council for considering the Veto override of Bill 101, banning the use of listed
herbicides from County properties with certain exemptions. I would be testifying in person,
but the centipede bite I received on Christmas eve, requires that I still remain at home.
I realize that it is always difficult to be a"leader" especially in land use management practices.
The chemical companies and their products have had quite a hold on Hawai'i since the
plantation era, but clearly, current"research and practice shows that these products (herbicides)
are extremely harmful to human health and the environment. It seems only a matter of time
before the County could find themselves in a lawsuit over spraying of roadsides and parks.
One of the Counties strongest mandates is to care for the health of the environment and the
citizens, something that thankfully the County still has some control over. The County can
create a"higher standard" than the State. By Passing Bill 101, the County is beginning to
develop an IPM system and protocols for County roadsides, parks, and other corridors.
I have lived,worked, and raised my family in the Kona Community for the past 42 years. I
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.
There are now more than 18,000 Round-up/Glyphosate lawsuits and growing. We can read
expert studies that show that herbicides are indeed dangerous for human 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, that could
include steam or hot-foam, increased ability to mow, use of organic products, etc.
Once the new direction is clear, the right information will come, I'm sure of it. The County
will then be setting a precedent for a new direction for agriculture and the homeowner who
can all learn from this new direction. 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. I would be interested in being
part of a Transition Team.
Aloha and Mahalo for your work,
Nancy Redfeather
Kawanui Farm
Honalo, Hawai'i r,�
Comm. No. �Qv�Q�,v-�1$
Ref. To: PI14,11164
Ref. DateJ4AN_ -8 2020