Posts: 14,124
Threads: 424
Joined: Aug 2012
I realize it's pointless to consider solutions that County will never implement, especially when the ideas are radical.
One argument against "unhosted B&B rentals" is that these "belong in the proper zone", which zoning isn't generally available in Puna.
Solution: upzone the remainder of Leilani. If the State won't grant Urban for proper V zoning, write a blanket SUP over the whole thing.
Presto: those residents now have income and/or the opportunity to cash out for a new house elsewhere. Tourists will return to Pahoa.
The alternative seems to be endless hand-wringing about "what are we going to do" followed by tax increases that are "urgently needed" because County refuses to let the economy grow.
Posts: 3,225
Threads: 109
Joined: Jun 2010
Talked to some folks making a living in Pahoa today; they are hurting for business. For example, tree planters and grounds maintainers are now travelling to other parts of the island (and competing with local businesses there) to try to stay afloat. Restaurants and shops in Pahoa are seeing a huge drop in customers. Apparently they are not seeing much business from the national guard / police / USGS, and the media has come and gone...
Maybe Pele can lift her (park ranger's made-up) curse on removing lava from Hawaii, and we can start selling it to all the mainland nightly news viewers that think the island is about to explode.
Adventure tours and viewing areas, as discussed in other threads.
Is there a direct but portable use for the thermal energy being released? Thermoelectric generation?
Should we close the landfills and dump all our trash into the lava channel? Get payed to import trash from other places and melt it into rock? What happens to plastic when submerged into red hot lava, does it break down?
Could we learn to handle, pump, and mold the lava into structures? Giant lava barges, lava dome homes, lava building blocks, rebar-reinforced lava posts?
Could the lava be used to build berms around the rift zone such that all future flows would follow the same path to the sea?
Can anything useful be extracted from the lava? Iron? Trace elements?
Posts: 7,753
Threads: 687
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 785
Threads: 6
Joined: Apr 2012
Please let's not start that silly discussion again... ain't going to happen. The lithium concentrations in Hawaiian rocks and geothermal fluids are so low that it wouldn't possibly economically feasible.
Posts: 2,484
Threads: 10
Joined: Feb 2008
Pretty sure that while lava is hot it is not all that hot compared to a proper incinerator. Add to that the total lack of control over the combustion and you would get a miserable smokey mess of partly combusted pollutants burned just enough that whatever toxic crap doesn't leave as smoke will easily leach out into the water.
Worst. Idea. Ever.
Posts: 3,225
Threads: 109
Joined: Jun 2010
Just brainstorming guys, feel free to add your own off the wall ideas.
Posts: 7,753
Threads: 687
Joined: Jun 2011
I wrote a really funny (to me) lava cremation post but realized it would offend at least half the users here so all you get now is this one-sentence teaser.
Posts: 7,753
Threads: 687
Joined: Jun 2011
quote:
Originally posted by MarkP
Pretty sure that while lava is hot it is not all that hot compared to a proper incinerator. Add to that the total lack of control over the combustion and you would get a miserable smokey mess of partly combusted pollutants burned just enough that whatever toxic crap doesn't leave as smoke will easily leach out into the water.
Worst. Idea. Ever.
In an unbelievable coincidence, I ran across this article today on FB:
https://www.popsci.com/why-dont-we-just-...o-volcanos
Posts: 5,640
Threads: 101
Joined: Dec 2008
Build a lava viewing platform and they will come.
Posts: 10,307
Threads: 345
Joined: Apr 2009
Very interesting report from Big Island Video News. I particularly enjoyed the interview with the Californian tourist towards the end:
https://youtu.be/Vpg_cnBcdvw
