This our very last call… because The Moment of Truth has arrived!

I have been told that if our food self-sufficiency bill, HB2703, makes it out of Conference Committee it will –finally- become law.

We need one last outpouring of support.

Join us for a special discussion this Wednesday! Democracy Under the Influence is a series of monthly meetups to explore the connection between money, influence, and politics in Hawaii, how it affects us all, and what we can do about it. This month, Democracy Under the Influence is celebrating Earth Day with a discussion on money in politics, special interests, and the environment. Our guest speakers are Robert Harris of Sierra Club Hawaii Chapter and Henry Curtis of Life of the Land. Here are the details....

With your help we have come a tremendous distance towards reducing the amount of deleterious plastics in the environment. Our Bag Bill at the state legislature has remained one of the brightest items on the radar and garnered more diverse and exuberant support than any environmental bill in recent history. While the state Bag Bill which would implement a 10 cent fee on both plastic and paper bags awaits its precarious fate in the final two weeks of the legislative session, we will continue to build support to see it through. A press conference for HB 2483 last Thursday made the evening news and news publications across the nation, rousing even more support and pressure on House Leadership reluctant to move this popular bill. At this time, all we can do is ask Speaker of the House Calvin Say to recognize the will of the people and businesses of Hawaii, and move HB 2483. Please continue to call his office at (808) 586-6100 and voice your support for the Bag Bill.

In the meantime, we are proceeding with the enactment of a plastic bag ban for the City and County of Honolulu, following in the footsteps of Kauai, Maui, and Big Island. All of the outer islands have been rewarded with a dramatic reduction of plastic in the environment- Oahu residents visiting the outer islands marvel at their experiences while surfing and not seeing locally ubiquitous plastic bags floating by. THIS Wednesday, April 25, the City Council will likely pass a plastic bag ban (Bill 10) through the City and County of Honolulu. We want to make sure this will happen, so please join us for the hearing on Wednesday, April 25 at 10AM. The hearing will be held in Kapolei at:

Aloha Gang,

I confess, I feel a bit like a used car salesman! How many times can I keep coming back to you promising: “One last email and it’s in the bag?”

But the truth is we didn’t see this one coming and we need your help!

Our food sustainability bill -to commit the state to double food production by 2020- has passed every committee on both sides of the Legislature leaving just minor differences between the Senate and House versions to be ironed out in a Conference Committee before final votes on the floor of both chambers. Hallelujah! It’s a done deal, right?

Well, Not so fast…

The Senate has appointed its Conferees. But the Speaker, Calvin Say, has not named his House reps yet. No House conferees, no conference. No conference, no bill. It’s that simple.

HB2703 would set the stage to press for all the things needed to spark a true food-farming renaissance in Hawaii. Things like helping farmers get leases, investing in irrigation systems, providing covered port facilities to encourage inter-island commerce, building processing and purchasing networks and revising procurement codes so institutions like the Board of Education can start buying local, investing in training and loan assistance programs, putting food stamp machines in farmers’ markets, etc, etc.

So we need a huge response.

We need everyone to contact Speaker Say and the House Ag Committee Chair, Clift Tsuji, to politely ask them to pass this bill out of Conference Committee. We need the response to be bigger that at any previous stage. We need people who don’t normally do this kind of lobbying. We need people to identify themselves – “I’m a teacher, I’m a lawyer, I’m a waiter…” to impress on our reps the breadth of support.

And we’d really love it if you could email this to one or two friends, even if you don’t normally do that kind of thing. Hundreds of people have sent in testimony. Dozens have testified in person. We can’t allow that broad popular support to be squashed out of pique.

So please can you call and email:

Speaker Calvin Say

Phone 808-586-6100

E-Mail:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

and

House Ag Committee Chair Clift Tsuji

Phone 808-586-8480

E-Mail:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

You don’t need to write much. A couple of lines would do. Preferably in your own words. And keep the message positive. Ask them to pass the bill out of conference committee and here’s some other things you could say:

§  Doubling food production would give a $313 million boost to the economy, provide $6 million in state tax revenues and create more than 2,300 jobs.

§  Hawaii only grows 8% of the food we eat, according to the US Department of Agriculture.  This leaves us incredibly vulnerable to supply disruptions.

§  Opinion polls show this issue is one of the top concerns of voters in Hawaii and that people are prepared to pay a little more for locally grown food.

§  A statutory goal for food production will galvanize the state and the private sector – just like the Clean Energy Initiative helped kick-start the booming alternative energy sector.

Thanks for all that you do.