It was a busy legislative session for Hawaii, and we were closely following a number of environmental bills. You can catch up with all the details at the Sierra Club's Capitol Watch website. Unfortunately, SB1363, which would have imposed a small fee on disposable bags at the check out counter, actualizing the buried cost of plastic bags, failed to make it to a final vote. We really wanted to see our progressive state take action to reduce the amount of single-use plastic bags distributed in Hawaii.
But there is good news! For one, the postponement of a statewide measure leaves bag bans in place on Maui and Kauai. Moreover, this session has galvanized the need for community campaigns like Plastic Free Kailua. Many of you attended Surfrider's screenings of "Bag It," the Kanu Hawaii Rotunda Round-ups, and followed all the Rise Above Plastics news. We saw so much awareness and energy emerge, especially in Kailua.
Moving forward, our message remains the same: as consumers and retailers, we ultimately have the power to reduce plastic in our beautiful piece of the world through our thoughtful commitments.
Join us! As a small, impassioned group of local consumers and business owners, PFK is about to reboot for a summer campaign. With the help of the Le Jardin Academy Wild Kids, a lot of progress was made in April. This month we will be getting in touch with a number of Kailua businesses and officially adding them to our list of coalition members.
We need your support! This is a community effort. We invite all of you to encourage the businesses you frequent to move toward going plastic free and vocally applaud their current efforts. As customers, your word and approval make a large difference. Don't forget to direct businesses to PFK so we can report on the collective impact happening in Kailua!
PFK wants to hear from you! Get in touch with us about what you do at home to reduce plastic, tell us about events you want organized, or share your concerns and ideas. Spread the word among your peers about making plastic-free commitments. We are always looking for energetic volunteers.
Mark your calendars for our next community event!
Saturday, May 14th -- Beach Clean-up and Low Impact Potluck
10am-12pm, meet at the boat ramp between Lanikai and Kailua Beach Park
Surfrider Foundation will be there!
Local supporters Pinky's, Muumuu Heaven, and Kailua Verde will be providing goodies!
More details to follow. RSVP here on Facebook!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOur school Adopt a Block Clean Up day is also on May 14th. So we will be joining in your endeavors in Kailua Town. Just say no to plastic!
ReplyDeletegreat Mrs B! Be sure to share all the details of your clean-up day with us!
ReplyDelete