Olomana Heights’ developer, Chad Waters, declined to comment; however, an email from his firm asserted that soil quality is such that the House and Senate bills would have had no effect on the development.But whether Olomana Heights would allow such messy activities in a neighborhood of homes where the lots start at a million bucks would be up to the neighborhood, not the county.While the specter of running afoul of the committee might discourage a farmer hoping to set up, say, a smelly pig farm in Olomana Heights, the greater concern for farmers is the cost of land.Two miles away...… Olomana Heights’ developer, Chad Waters, declined to comment; however, an email from his firm asserted that soil quality is such that the House and Senate bills would have had no effect on the development.But whether Olomana Heights would allow such messy activities in a neighborhood of homes where the lots start at a million bucks would be up to the neighborhood, not the county.While the specter of running afoul of the committee might discourage a farmer hoping to set up, say, a smelly pig farm in Olomana Heights, the greater concern for farmers is the cost of land.Two miles away...WW…

Farmers are raising the alarm about the amount of plastic they’re finding in compost and soil made from the island’s green waste and they say Oahu’s main compost provider isn’t doing anything to stop it.“I’m seeing the plastic probably three, four times a week,” said Tommy Irwin, a landscaper who works with gardeners and farmers across the island. Hawaii Earth Recycling is the island’s largest compost provider, turning more than 140,000 tons of yard clippings, food scraps and wood every year into soil, compost and mulch for plants.This story is from Episode 11 of our environmental podcast,...…Farmers are raising the alarm about the amount of plastic they’re finding in compost and soil made from the island’s green waste and they say Oahu’s main compost provider isn’t doing anything to stop it.“I’m seeing the plastic probably three, four times a week,” said Tommy Irwin, a landscaper who works with gardeners and farmers across the island. Hawaii Earth Recycling is the island’s largest compost provider, turning more than 140,000 tons of yard clippings, food scraps and wood every year into soil, compost and mulch for plants.This story is from Episode 11 of our environmental podcast,...WW…

Landowners, volunteers and an army of local hunters are helping the state fight an uphill battle to protect Hawaii’s forests — and its drinking water.September 6, 2020When Serene Smalley hikes into the Koolau mountains, her goal is to kill as many plants as possible. Armed with a machete and syringes full of herbicide earlier this summer, her sights were set on the mule’s foot fern: a giant Jurassic-looking plant.Smalley pulled out her cellphone, scrolling through a map app with hundreds of white pins. Each GPS marker pins the suspected location of a mule’s foot fern. A local...…Landowners, volunteers and an army of local hunters are helping the state fight an uphill battle to protect Hawaii’s forests — and its drinking water.September 6, 2020When Serene Smalley hikes into the Koolau mountains, her goal is to kill as many plants as possible. Armed with a machete and syringes full of herbicide earlier this summer, her sights were set on the mule’s foot fern: a giant Jurassic-looking plant.Smalley pulled out her cellphone, scrolling through a map app with hundreds of white pins. Each GPS marker pins the suspected location of a mule’s foot fern. A local...WW…

As pandemic restrictions lift, some Hawaii residents are using the opportunity to help the environment, and beach cleanup groups are welcoming waves of eager volunteers.“Everything from the start of the pandemic to the Black Lives Matter movement has people wondering how do I help? What can I do? How can I give my time to make the world a better place?” said Rafael Bergstrom, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii’s executive director.“And then of course with COVID many people are feeling cooped up,” he added.Registration for Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii’s first beach cleanup event since the start...…As pandemic restrictions lift, some Hawaii residents are using the opportunity to help the environment, and beach cleanup groups are welcoming waves of eager volunteers.“Everything from the start of the pandemic to the Black Lives Matter movement has people wondering how do I help? What can I do? How can I give my time to make the world a better place?” said Rafael Bergstrom, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii’s executive director.“And then of course with COVID many people are feeling cooped up,” he added.Registration for Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii’s first beach cleanup event since the start...WW…

If you lived in Hawaii in the mid-19th century, you probably knew more about global affairs than an American living in a small town on the mainland.In the 1850s Hawaii was a major commercial crossroads. Hundreds of ships a year docked at harbors in Honolulu and Lahaina and brought news with them.“Little rowboats would go out and pick up the newspapers they had collected from around the world,” said local historian Anita Manning. “It’s like the Twitter of its day.”So when the American Civil War broke out in 1861, Hawaiians were instantly interested. Although the Kingdom of Hawaii remained...…If you lived in Hawaii in the mid-19th century, you probably knew more about global affairs than an American living in a small town on the mainland.In the 1850s Hawaii was a major commercial crossroads. Hundreds of ships a year docked at harbors in Honolulu and Lahaina and brought news with them.“Little rowboats would go out and pick up the newspapers they had collected from around the world,” said local historian Anita Manning. “It’s like the Twitter of its day.”So when the American Civil War broke out in 1861, Hawaiians were instantly interested. Although the Kingdom of Hawaii remained...WW…