Sustainability - Food and the Environment

To achieve true long term sustainability as an island state, we must be proactive in preserving our natural environment as well as supporting local farmers. Our shrinking supply of viable agricultural lands and fragile coastal and mountain environmental resources must be protected. Hawaii is dangerously dependent on imported food and with united government and public support we could dramatically reduce our reliance on imported meat, fish, milk and produce. Our state government spends millions each year to feed public school students in our schools, inmates in our prisons and patients in our public hospitals – state government should set the example and buy locally grown food first.

Sustainability is a key value that must accompany every decision made in our state. We already know that Hawaii's streams and marine environment are threatened by high levels of sewage and pesticide runoff.

As the Vice-Chair of the Hawai‘i State Senate Committee on Energy and the Environment, I have been a passionate advocate for environmental protection. My colleagues and I in the Senate, working with organizations such as the Sierra Club, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), and Earth Justice, have rallied commitment to protect our air and water, public lands, and endangered species.

I will continue to oppose attempts to limit public participation in government decisions about the environment, work hard to protect pristine areas from natural resource exploitation, and continue to support legislation that combats global warming and increases the availability of renewable energy sources.