Aloha Members of the Environmental Caucus of the DPH

We hope that you are enjoying this holiday season. We just wanted to pass on a quick reminder regarding our upcoming meeting. Hope to see you there…

Steering Committee Meeting Agenda
December 29, 2010

5:45 Door opens, followed by  unofficial holiday hugs

5:55 Meeting called to order with brief introductions all around

6:00 Suzanne Marinelli from the Capitol’s Public Access Room has agreed to join us for the first half hour of our meeting; she will give a brief overview of the legislative process and how the public access room can help us in our advocacy and bill writing efforts. Her presentation will be followed by a short session of questions and answers. Suzanne is a woman we will all want to get to know over the upcoming session. Her job description might as well be “to facilitate, empower, and educate all citizen activists in their quests to becoming politically effective.”

General house keeping:

Secretary’s report: (5 minutes)
Accepting minutes from last meeting

Treasurer’s report: (5 minutes)
Current bank balance
Need for Deputy treasurer (volunteer anyone?)
Fund raising committee report (10 minutes)

Chair’s report: (5 minutes)
Invitation to Legislative meet and greet on January 18
Accepting of calendar for next year’s meetings
Click here to review next year’s proposed calendar

Mary’s At large request: Logo Contest still hasn’t happened. (5 minutes)

Subcommittee chair reports and questions: (10 minutes each)

Meeting adjourned at 7:30 followed by a pot luck holiday celebration.

Aloha Members of the Environmental Caucus of Hawai’i,

First Mahalo to all members who took time to attend our December 11, 2010, extended General Caucus meeting.  We had an excellent showing, and despite a few hiccups, we were able to accomplish everything we set out in our agenda. Special thanks to the Steering Committee and Subcommittee chairs for all their hard work, both during the meeting and for their hours of preparation before the meeting.

Second, much Aloha and mounds of Mahalo must go to our guest speakers for giving up their Saturday morning in order to inform us on many of the environmental issues vital to our state.

• Glenn Martinez, President of the Hawaii Farmers Union
• Sabry Shehata, Professor of Agribusiness at the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management at the  University of Hawai’i in Hilo
• Jeff Mikulina from Blue Planet
• Ronald J. Cannarella, from DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Management

I would also like to pass on a few exceptionally informative links that our speakers recommended. If we want to advocate successfully, we must be and sound informed. These sites will help provide you with the information you need:

• Blue Planet Foundation, Hawaii
• Hawai’i Ocean Resource Management Plan
• Hawai’i Environmental State Assessment Report
• Sierra Club’s Capitol Watch
• Hawai’i State Legislature’s Public Access Room

Finally, Mahalo to all neighbor island members who were not able to attend physically, but who took the time to cast their votes through our e-mail process.

Now for the main event.
What were the top priorities passed at yesterday’s General Caucus meeting for our 2011 legislative agenda and advocacy?

We selected three issues from the Natural Resources Subcommittee’s recommendations. They were:

1. Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail Project to PROTECT The Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail AND PRESERVE THE COASTLINE FROM UPOLU POINT TO Hawaii Volcanoes National Park ON THE ISLAND OF HAWAI’I BY REQUESTING A 2,000 FOOT CONSERVATION EASEMENT COASTLINE SETBACK ON ALL STATE OWNED LANDS. see http:// environmentalcaucusofthedemocraticpartyofhawaii.wordpress.com/subcommittees/natural- resource-management/ for details.
2. Ban the use of plastic bags and styrofoam food containers in Hawaii. The environmental community has been trying to get this legislation enacted for at least a decade. The bills are ready to go, and if we finally want to see it passed, we will need a lot of public support and your advocacy. In other words, call your Representatives, write your Senators, stay informed, keep in touch, get your friends involved, and be ready to testify in person or online if you can.
3. Improve quarantine inspection system that will minimize the introduction of alien pests, including joint federal-state inspection facilities at the ports of entry like Honolulu International Airport and Honolulu Harbor. We will be planning  how to proceed with this particular priority at our next steering committee meeting on December 29. We will need to decide if this legislation should be in the form of a resolution or a bill, and how the legislation should be worded.

Anyone who wishes to be involved in advocating for this legislation should e-mail their interest to Subcommittee Chair Bill Sager at bsager42@gmail.com.

We selected three issues from the Energy and Climate Subcommittee’s recommendations. They were:

1. Legislation to provide funding and development for smart grid renewable energy in support of Resolution Env 2010-07. Develop infrastructure for utilities to utilize and support the distribution of solar energy; allow clean energy producers to sell directly to end-users. Create competitive utility entities to compete with private owned utilities and create cooperatives. Support local small business enterprises to ensure the future of alternative energies are not monopolized by big corporate entities alone. (Murdoch’s wind farms, solar distributors, electric cars) Apply for grants from the Federal Government in this sector.
2. Reduce automobile use for short trips by developing specific procedures for HSDOT implementing Complete Streets legislation [HRS 264-20.5; Act 54 of Legislative Session 2009], making pedestrian and bicycle travel integral transportation modes within public rights of way.
3. Clean Energy Investment from Barrel Tax (HB 2421). These measures tap the source of our problem–imported oil–to help fund our solutions: planning and implementing energy efficiency and our clean energy future.

Anyone who wishes to be involved in advocating for this legislation should e-mail their recommendations to Subcommittee Chair Lisa Rey at hinanorey@gmail.com

We selected three issues from the Food Security and Sustainability Subcommittee’s interest. They were:

1. Create legislation mandating gardens and garden/agricultural instruction in every Hawaiian School.
2. Develop a resolution to investigate Hawaii’s DLNR and Department of Agriculture’s current restrictive policy for State Ag leases and how that policy affects food sustainability.
3. Create a resolution to study and propose an Agribusiness Cooperative Program to empower small local farms to jointly distribute to large institutional users and retail establishments in Hawai’i, including the feasibility of developing local feed mills to lower farm costs and the carbon footprint of current feed import.

Anyone who wishes to be involved in advocating for this legislation should e-mail their interest to Subcommittee Chair Juanita Kawamoto at farmfreshhawaii@yahoo.com

So there they are; the top nine priority items that our Caucus will work to bring into law over the 2011 session. We will of course keep an eye on other environmental legislation, and try to keep you informed about that as well. We encourage individuals to advocate on any proposals they feel important. However, the Caucus as a whole has chosen these nine items to focus its attention upon, and we look forward to working with all of you as we work towards these shared goals.

Mahalo again to everyone who took part.

Sincerely,

Lynn Marie Sager
Vice Chair
Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai’i

Aloha Members of the Democratic Party of Hawaii,

Just a note to remind you about our upcoming meeting this Saturday, December 11, 2010, from 9am to 1pm, at Democratic Headquarters. We have a wonderful line up of speakers planned, followed by a general discussion, and a caucus vote. If you have not been able to attend any of our other meetings, this is the one that counts. We will be determining our top ten priorities to fight for during the upcoming legislative year.

8:00 Door will be open for set up.

8:30 Sign in can begin. Look for pastries, coffee, and a lot of interesting people.

9:00 Group introductions and a brief overview of the day’s agenda and goals led by Gary Hooser.

9:15 Speaker Glenn Martinez, newly elected President of the Hawaii Farmers Union, will speak on Food Safety and Sustainability issues. Glen owns and operates a five acre Certified Organic farm in Waimanalo. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Hawaii Aquaculture and Aquaponics.

9:40 Speaker Sabry Shehata, Professor of Agribusiness at the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management, University of Hawai’i at Hilo will discuss issues specific to food sustainability in Hawaii.

10:00 Speaker Jeff Mikulina from Blue Planet will give an overview and background on Hawai’i’s energy issues and present Blue Planet’s legislative priorities.

10:45 Speaker Ronald J. Cannarella, from DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Management, will speak on high priority issues relating to natural resources, invasive species, and land management. Ronald helped author our State’s last federally mandated assessment on public and private land usage, and he has a wealth of information.

11:00 Gary will lead a full caucus discussion in which the subcommittees will report on the legislative recommendations they have received over the past two months. Our Goal during this time is to take these recommendations and as a Caucus prioritize them. Roughly five minutes for each committee to present their recommendations. We will also hear any individual legislative recommendations and testimony at this time, followed by a fifteen minute general discussion in which the Caucus will attempt to prioritize the individual subcommittee’s recommendations. Roughly twenty minutes for each subcommittee.

12:00 Half hour pizza lunch in which we expect you to continue consideing and discussing the subcommittee suggestions.

12:30 Caucus resumes to vote on our top legislative priorities for the upcoming session.

12:50 Individual announcements as time allows.

1:00 Meeting Concludes and the work really begins.

Some of you may have heard that Dr. Kioni Dudley had to resign within days of accepting the Subcommittee Chair post for Food Safety and Sustainability on November 17, 2010. He chose to pursue a race for city council, and we wish him the best.

In the meantime, Gary and I have been looking for a replacement, and we are thrilled to announce that Juanita Kawamoto has agreed to accept the position within days of our General Caucus meeting. We will be happy to introduce her to you at that time.

Juanita attended our November 3 meeting, is a member of the Hawaii Famer’s Union, works as a local farmer herself, and is extremely well informed regarding local food issuses. We know that you will find her as dedicated, passionate, and well informed as we did during our informal meeting tonight. In the meantime, here is her contact information.

Subcommittee Chair Juanita Kawamoto
farmfreshhawaii@yahoo.com

We hope that you will join us in welcoming her aboard at our next General Caucus meeting on December 1.

Lynn Marie Sager

Aloha Members of the Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai’i

Your steering committee has a few important announcements and reminders for you.

First, reminder that we have two General Caucus meetings coming up, which we hope you plan to attend.

• Meeting one is on December 1, 2010, click here to view our Caucus Calendar with specific time and location
  • Our purpose at this meeting is to report to the General Caucus regarding Steering and Subcommittee activities over the past months, as well as to encourage our General Caucus to become actively involved in our plans for the upcoming legislative year.
• Meeting two is on December 11, 2010, click here to view our Caucus Calendar with specific time and location
  • Our purpose for this four-hour Saturday session is to promote an in-depth General Caucus discussion regarding our upcoming legislative agenda. We are looking for specific bills that we as a Caucus can advocate during the upcoming legislative session. The meeting agenda includes guest speakers, subcommittee breakout sessions, active discussions, and a vote on our Caucus’s top legislative priorities for the upcoming session.
• Members on the Neighbor Islands are encouraged to attend both meetings via teleconference.
  • Contact either Gary or Lynn on the steering committee as soon as possible to make arrangements.

Second, reminder that we have made arrangements with the Sierra Club to have our Caucus Members included in their December 4, 2010, Capitol Watch’s “Forces for Good” Symposium

• This event will include:

• • Our Caucus’s much needed advocacy training
  • Guest Speakers, including our own Caucus Chair Gary Hooser
  • Meetings with several of our new Representatives and Senators
  • A tour of the inner workings of the Capitol
  • A light lunch and a t-shirt
• The cost is only $5, making it the best bargain in town
• Click here for more information and to RSVP

Third, we are updating our e-mail list and switching servers. In the past, we have had to update our e-mail lists manually. Christian Adams has spent hours imputing the vital information. By switching servers, we are able to automate the system and free up valuable member time. We have chosen a service that protects your information and actively prohibits spamming. However, we do ask that you to do one thing right away to ensure a seamless transition:

• Simply click on this link to resubmit your name and e-mail address to our new list. In other words, we would like everyone to re-request being on our mailing list. Your few minutes of time with save us hours of labor.
• After you have signed up, the service will send you an e-mail asking you to verify your request. Click on the link in that e-mail to verify your request, and we will be able to send you all future official Caucus news alerts and e-mails.
• We also encourage you to bookmark this link, so you can pass it on to colleagues and friends interested in joining our Caucus.

Fourth, we have a new website. You can visit it by clicking here. For those of you who truly want to be active in the Caucus, we suggest that you visit the website and subscribe to its blog. (You will find a “subscribe to this website” option located on the top right hand corner of every page, and you need only provide an e-mail address)  Subscribers will receive convenient e-mail notifications every time we post environmental news or action alerts. Unlike official Caucus e-mails, our blog allows members to interact, suggest posts, and make comments.

• The website also contains all Caucus and subcommittee contact information; our official Caucus meetings and events calendar; a link to our new e-mail service allowing people to join automatically; copies of our mission, bylaws, and meeting minutes; and links to recommended sites, including our new Facebook group page and our Facebook open forum page.
• We would love you to drop by, bookmark, and explore.
• We suggest that you share its link with interested friends.
• We especially encourage you to subscribe.

Finally, if you are still interested in joining a subcommittee, please contact the subcommittee chairs directly. Their contact information is posted on our website. Click here for a direct link.

Mahalo for your time, and we hope to see you at our next meeting.

Lynn Marie Sager
Vice Chair
Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii

Please attend if you can. The event will include our Caucus’s much needed advocacy training, a tour of the inner workings of the capital, and several guest speakers, including our own Caucus Chair, Gary Hooser.

All that, plus lunch and a t-shirt for the cost of five dollars.

Best bargain in town…

Click here for a link to RSVP