Mahalo, county employees
On behalf of all those early birds who use the walking path at Ane Keohokalole Highway, I want to thank the county employees who mow and otherwise maintain the area for all to enjoy. Your efforts are deeply appreciated by all who enjoy this public amenity.
David Monfort
Kona
^
Be aware
We live like there is no tomorrow. How many of us, consumers all, think about our behaviors, our driving, our consumption and/or our travel, with our beleaguered environment in mind? Kona — Big Island — is happy because of the return of the Ironman. Another wake up call.
All those athletes flying in, driving in. All those rental cars discharging heat, using fossil fuels, emitting carbon. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated Honolulu, Hawaii, and Maui counties as primary natural disaster areas due to drought. The Ironman: great for the economy. The corporate hotels love the profits.
Do we think about how our behaviors contribute to rising sea levels and the abundance of wildfires and floods. Scientists estimate that 150 to 200 species of plant, insect, bird and mammal become extinct every 24 hours. This is nearly 1,000 times the “natural” or “background” rate and, say many biologists, is greater than anything the world has experienced since the vanishing of the dinosaurs nearly 65 million years ago.
Driving matters. Consumption matters. Travel matters. I have a friend who uses, exclusively, her solar clothes dryer – the clothes line. She mows her grass with a push mower. I have been car-free for 10 years. Do we ride share asking our neighbors, “Do you think sometime we could go shopping together?” Can we be aware of the difference between a want and a need?
Can we think about our natural world 10, 50 or a hundred years from now?
Gary Harrold
Hilo
^
Tell us about it
Do you have a story idea or news tip? Is there a community problem that has not been addressed? Do you know someone unique, whose story should be shared and enjoyed with the rest of the community? We want to know. Email the West Hawaii Today newsroom at news@westhawaiitoday.com and share the information with our readers.
^
Letters policy
Letters to the editor should be 300 words or less and will be edited for style and grammar. Longer viewpoint guest columns may not exceed 800 words. Submit online at https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/letter-to-the-editor/ or address letters to:
Editor
West Hawaii Today
PO Box 789
Kailua-Kona, HI 96745
Email: letters@westhawaiitoday.com