Tomorrow – Thursday, March 2 at 930am, the Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee will be conducting decision-making on an important OXYBENZONE bill. Conf Room 016 down in the basement. Please be there if you can to show the Senators that this bill has SUPPORT. The Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party thanks you very much!
-Alan Burdick
Vice Chair, Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii
The Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii had a general membership meeting which was a huge success. We gathered and approved many legislative priorities in each of our three subcommittees. One of the approved priorities included support of the effort to ban expanded polystyrene (EPS)-“styrofoam”.
A polystyrene bill, SB 1109 -ban of EPS foam in food establishments is scheduled to be heard this Wednesday, February 8 at 1:15pm.
Please show up at the hearing to show your support/testimony or submit testimony online (www.capitol.hawaii.gov).
Plastic Free Hawaii program manager, Doorae Shin has asked us to share the sample testimony below.
SAMPLE TESTIMONY:
Please use the below format to submit testimony. If you dont have any time, just fill out the basic info and click “Support” and submit without text. If you do have time, copy/paste any or all of the talking points below, or write something from the heart. Use the heading below to start your testimony.
Hearing Date: Wednesday February 8th, 2017
Hearing Time: 1:15 PM
Place: Conference Room 224
Committee: Agriculture & Environment/Public Safety Intergovernmental, & Military Affairs
Aloha Chairs Gabbard & Nishihara, Members of the joint committee on AE & PSM,
My name is _______________ and I am a resident of _______________. I am writing in full support of SB1109 to prohibit the use of polystyrene foam containers by food vendors.
[INSERT YOUR PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS, OPINIONS, & STORIES ON FOAM HERE AND THEN CHOOSE YOUR FAVORITE TALKING POINTS BELOW TO INCLUDE]
Themes:
Cleanup Costs & Economic Benefits
Plastic is costing cities, counties, states, & countries millions of dollars and our global economy billions. Costs are passed to the taxpayers by burdening our storm water management systems with the need for expensive best management practices and the costs of cleanups.
Hawaii State Department of Transportation has produced a trash plan that shows styrofoam and plastic bags as the top two contributors to the waste stream.
The Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) created a plastic cleanup valuation study for 90+ counties in California:
CA taxpayers are paying $428 million per year to clean up plastic through storm drain management, street sweeping, and cleanups.
San Diego County (with population of 1.3 equivalent to Hawaii) spends $14 million alone on plastic cleanup
United Nations Environmental Program Global Estimates are in the billions for the global cost to cleanup plastics, $14 billion for marine plastic alone.
This cost is closer to $78 billion annually if all costs are considered, including the cost lost in fossil fuel production and loss of resources.
Burden on the public
According to cleanup hours recorded across Hawaii’s beach cleaning organizations and volunteer hour base rates, we spent $750,000 – $1 million on beach cleanups in 2016 alone
Environmental Impact
It is argued that styrofoam is acceptable because we can incinerate it for energy. However, this approach is not without significant impacts. According to the Hawaii DOH Clean Air Branch the Covanta H-POWER plant emits 0.15 million metrics tons of carbon dioxide (a potent greenhouse gas) annually. Although touted as a “clean energy solution” for Hawaii, H-POWER only generates about 3% of Oahu’s energy needs while still emitting greenhouse gases through burning plastic.
Further, for each ton of polystyrene not produced, 2.5 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions are avoided. This directly supports Hawaii’s greenhouse gas reduction goals as stated in the Aloha + Challenge and as mandated by the US EPA.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Waste Reduction Model (WARM) report shows that burning polystyrene emits more carbon dioxide equivalent than other plastics. For each ton of polystyrene incinerated, 1.64 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent are emitted.
If burned at HPower, one compostable clamshell burns 1.76 times greater energy compared to one EPS Foam clamshell of the same size. And burning compostable products come without the toxic ash or smoke that EPS foam creates in the burning process.
Fiber clamshells are also less than half the volume of EPS, so a restaurant could fit about twice as many clamshells on the same amount of shelf space or have more space for other things.
The material for fiber containers can be grown and then made here in Hawaii, so more jobs and sustainable ones, not jobs that are exposing workers directly to large amounts of toxic chemicals. EPS can also be made here, but raw, toxic source chemicals need to be shipped to Hawaii.
EPS is designed to be used it once, and according to the US EPA less than 1% of foam is recycled nationally. 0% of EPS Foam is recycled locally.
EPS Foam is composed of over 90% air, so even when properly disposed of, foam products easily fly out of trash bins and dumpsters, and they enter into the natural environment, eventually polluting our ocean and negatively impacting ocean health and threatening marine wildlife.
EPS Foam also breaks apart more easily and quicker than other plastics, making it more difficult to clean up than other plastics and easier for animals to mistake as food and ingest
According to the EPA Waste Reduction Model Report, 7% of plastic waste generation in US is polystyrene. Of our total plastic recovery, polystyrene makes up 0.7% of recycled plastic
Human Health
Styrene is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen and a confirmed animal carcinogen as reported by the National Institute of Health in their Report on Carcinogens (2011); this conclusion is also endorsed by the National Academy of Sciences (2014)
When combusted, styrene produces benzaldehyde (US EPA classifies this as a hazardous substance), acetophenone (Group D carcinogen by US EPA, causes chromosomal damage on hamsters, but hasn’t been tested in humans), styrene oxide (main metabolite of styrene, which is known carcinogenic, and considered possibly carcinogenic).
Apologies…Some may have recieved a message which indicated meeting time of 5:30. This is to clarify that our general membership meeting is tonight at 7pm. See the post below for teleconference instructions.
Please join us in person at the Democratic Party Headquarters or by teleconference!!
Environmental Caucus General Meeting
Wed, Feb 1, 2017 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM HSTPlease join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/396923933You can also dial in using your phone.
United States (Toll Free): 1 877 568 4106
United States: +1 (646) 749-3129Access Code: 396-923-933
AMAZING AND WONDERFUL NEWS FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT IN HAWAII !!
Tim Vanderveer is the new State Chair of the Democratic Party of Hawaii.
Let’s please support Tim by giving small donations to boost the party and show our support grassroots style. Big money may not be happy with this appointment but environmentalists are.
Please chip in here: https://hawaiidemocrats.org/contribute/
Donate Hawaii Democratic Party
“I strongly believe in: Getting Big Money Out of Politics and Restoring Democracy, Fighting for A Clean and Healthy Environment, Strengthening Our Public Education System by Supporting and Enhancing the Professional Roles of Teachers, Making College Tuition Free and Debt Free, Fighting for the Rights of Native Hawaiians, Racial Justing, Fighting for LGBT Equality and the Rights of Women.” – Tim Vandeveer
Environmental Caucus of Hawaii has successfully elected new officers at it’s biannual general membership meeting.
We are looking forward to these new individuals bringing fresh energy and helping our islands and our people become models of sustainability.
See our About page for the updated list of officers.
Sorry about the last minute notice. The meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday May 18, 2016 is not going to happen. Democratic party of Hawaii intervention has created delay. Stay tuned for more information about a future planning meeting to prepare for election of officers at convention.
The Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii would like to invite you to our General Membership Meeting
When: Wednesday, May 18 from 6pm to 8pm
Where: McCully District Park – Japanese School Bldg. 1st floor
831 Pumehana St.
Meet past and present ECDPH caucus chairs and officers to strategize about:
2016 DPH State Convention
2016-2018 ECDPH officer election process
JOIN A SUBCOMMITTEE:
Pa’ina potluck style.
The Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii would like to invite you to attend a Social gathering
When: Wednesday, April 27 at 6pm to 8pm
Where: McCully District Park – Japanese School Bldg. 1st floor
831 Pumehana St.
Meet past and present ECDPH caucus chairs and officers who will talk story about:
2016 DPH State Convention
ECDPH Caucus mission and goals
Discussion about how the 2016-2018 ECDPH officer election process
JOIN A SUBCOMMITTEE: FOOD AND FARM SUSTAINABILITY
ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION OF HAWAII
LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Pa’ina potluck style.
For more info contact – Juanita, Lisa or Barbara at ecodemhi@gmail.com
education advocacy legislation
Mission
The Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai’i is dedicated to educating each other, the Party, and the public to Aloha ‘Āina critical to the preservation and restoration of the environment at local, state, and oceanic levels. The Caucus will research and network with relevant stakeholders, conduct public forums, create position papers, advocate for and propose legislation in support of environmental causes statewide. In carrying out these tasks, the Environmental Caucus will be guided by environment related party platform positions and state party convention adopted resolutions.