10-23-2007, 12:55 AM
A few thoughts. . .but at this point no advocacy, mind you.
It seems to me that many of the issues impacting the big island, its economy, its inhabitants, its ecology are simply products of development and conventional exploitive business practices. This shouldn't surprise anyone, and I'm not pointing fingers, as as far as I'm concerned anyone who earns enough money to file a tax return has been sopping at the trough of guilt--myself included, in spite of my ecological leanings. But as I hear about frogs, shorelines, helicopters, the ferry, etc., and the rest what I really hear is just one thing loud and clear--it's getting crowded. And when it gets crowded, it's harder to take more than your fair share of the public trust without stepping on some one else's toes. And rightly so. If there's a big pie, and few pie eaters, everyone gets along and no one needs especially fine manners. If there's a small pie, and a lot of pie eaters--anybody who takes their big helping out first is pretty much a arse by any definition--capitalist or economic or legal evasions aside.
While I don't support the current "carbon neutral" policies as I see them more or less as a clear scam for large businesses to simply keep polluting--it seems clear that on a local scale--like Hawaii--a carbon neutral policy could be a HUGE boon. Especially since the biggest asset of the island IS it's ecology, and anyone who comes there impacts it--negatively--it seems we all do and should owe something to clean up the mess. If there was a carbon impact fee for:
Helicopter flights.
Tour Ships.
Buses.
Building.
Vehicle importation.
Trash of any sort.
Etc.
Where the fees go to reclaim sugar cane fields and replant with native plants, etc., I think we could all feel that we were moving towards a better Hawaii, not a deader one, which we clearly are and will.
It's a small enough community and a progressive enough one that it's a possibility, and a blanket solution to many problems-thoughts?
It seems to me that many of the issues impacting the big island, its economy, its inhabitants, its ecology are simply products of development and conventional exploitive business practices. This shouldn't surprise anyone, and I'm not pointing fingers, as as far as I'm concerned anyone who earns enough money to file a tax return has been sopping at the trough of guilt--myself included, in spite of my ecological leanings. But as I hear about frogs, shorelines, helicopters, the ferry, etc., and the rest what I really hear is just one thing loud and clear--it's getting crowded. And when it gets crowded, it's harder to take more than your fair share of the public trust without stepping on some one else's toes. And rightly so. If there's a big pie, and few pie eaters, everyone gets along and no one needs especially fine manners. If there's a small pie, and a lot of pie eaters--anybody who takes their big helping out first is pretty much a arse by any definition--capitalist or economic or legal evasions aside.
While I don't support the current "carbon neutral" policies as I see them more or less as a clear scam for large businesses to simply keep polluting--it seems clear that on a local scale--like Hawaii--a carbon neutral policy could be a HUGE boon. Especially since the biggest asset of the island IS it's ecology, and anyone who comes there impacts it--negatively--it seems we all do and should owe something to clean up the mess. If there was a carbon impact fee for:
Helicopter flights.
Tour Ships.
Buses.
Building.
Vehicle importation.
Trash of any sort.
Etc.
Where the fees go to reclaim sugar cane fields and replant with native plants, etc., I think we could all feel that we were moving towards a better Hawaii, not a deader one, which we clearly are and will.
It's a small enough community and a progressive enough one that it's a possibility, and a blanket solution to many problems-thoughts?