Musings: Old, New and Recycled

A cruise to the North Shore revealed a proliferation of Barca and other political signs are still marring the beauty there. Come on candidates — especially those of you who profess to “malama da aina” — take a run of the island and remove what is now illegal opala.

This one, with the signs of losing candidates juxtaposed as they are between rubbish and recycling bins, tells a story all its own.

Speaking of recycling, the particularly persistent — though still officially unconfirmed — rumor report is that Mike Tresler is going to be returning to his old position as county Director of Finance. If only the county were as successful at recycling household waste as it is employees, the landfill would be a lot smaller.

While we're talking hana hou, anti-GMO icon Vandana Shiva will be returning next month for the opening of the state Legislature and a trip to Maui. What, again? you're asking. Yes, again. And don't forget, she charges $40,000, plus first class airfare, to foment folks with her particular brand of propaganda. Mainland funders pick up the tab, though you'll have to pay $45 to attend the cocktail “talk story” reception. 

She'll be joined again by Center for Food Safety's Andrew Kimbrell, though this time they've slightly shifted their mantra to ”home rule.” According to the CFS press release:

More than anywhere else, counties in Hawaii should have the right and authority to determine the future of their food system. This is home rule.

Like anybody is stopping folks from growing food or determining the future of food systems in the Islands. It's not home rule that's the obstacle to more local food production, it's home work. As in it's hard to be a farmer, especially a successful one.

But don't worry. Keone Kealoha has it covered. Hadn't you heard? Under his stewardship, the long-stalled, 75-ace Kilauea ag park “will serve thousands of residents on Kauai as a regional food hub assisting Hawaii’s shared efforts to increase food security, preserve rural character, provide viable, agriculturally based economic development with a long term vision to provide our youth with rewarding jobs and skills in agriculture.”

Using “traditional practices,” no less.

He was on Hawaii Public Radio today, talking about how local food production is a “more reasonable” use of the land than growing GMO seeds. No doubt. But talk is cheap. So once you get those 75 acres up and running, Keone, come share your plans for converting the thousands of acres currently in seed production. Or better yet, get some of the ag land the seed companies aren't using into production. Like maybe the ag CPR lots with fancy houses that have proliferated around Kilauea?

Food production and seed cultivation are not incompatible. In fact, I'd be willing to venture the seed companies are producing more food than the “antis,” what with their subleases to ranchers and veggie growers.

The Foodie Farmer blog had an interesting post on the “top 10 annoying words about agriculture." You've heard them all on Kauai, whether the discussion is seed companies or the dairy, words like "big, factory, industrial, douse, pump, corporate, GMO/Frankenfoods, superweed, shill and agrarian."

Here's an example:

"Pump" really goes in line with the word "douse" as in every thing farmers do, we're believed to do to the excess. Any good business person will tell you that makes no sense whatsoever, but I suspect most of those who throw these terms around have never run their own businesses. Its easy to criticize someone's business when your paycheck is funded by "unnamed donors" to a non-profit.

Like Keone's?

My favorite bit of agrarian hyperbole was the comparison between cow manure and visitors that Poipu resident Steve Lauryn drew in a recent guest editorial:

The Boeing 717-200 aircraft that Hawaiian Airlines uses to bring visitors to Kauai every day has a max takeoff weight for people and cargo combined of 42,000 pounds. The solid waste output alone (not counting urine) will be the equivalent of 2,400 Boeing 717’s—filled from bulkhead to bulkhead —if you took the seats out and used the cargo area below—full of manure….every year, on 578 acres, with no plan to haul any of it away. Personally, I’d rather see those planes packed with visitors.

Because we all know cows don't spend. And visitors, of course, don't produce any waste. Not even 2,400 plane loads full of 'em.