Friends, we have reached the infamous hurdle for the throwaway bag bill, SB 2511. In order for the bill to keep moving (not die), it must be scheduled for a hearing with the Finance Committee very soon! Please call Chair Marcus Oshiro at (808) 586-6200 and ask him to schedule a hearing. This is the committee that stopped the house version HB 2260 in its tracks, and could do the same to the only remaining Bag Bill.

SB 2511 has overwhelming public support—from numerous retailers (such as Tamura's Market, Safeway, Times, and Down to Earth), environmentalists (Surfrider Foundation, Sierra Club, Kanu Hawaii), and businesses (such as Castle & Cooke Resorts, and the Pacific Resources Partnership) alike. This measure would place a ten cent fee on paper and plastic bags thereby encouraging people to bring reusable bags to the store and keeping harmful plastic bags out of the environment. One of the attractive aspects of this measure was the fact that it would have produced an estimated $12 million in funding for watershed protection, one of Governor Abercrombie's key initiatives. University of Hawaii climatologist, Tom Giambelluca, recently reported that Hawaii has seen a century-long trend of decreasing rainfall, with greater declines in the last 30 years. Recent scientific research has shown that healthy native rainforests help capture rainfall and direct the water into our aquifers, rather than simply washing off into our oceans.

The “Bag Bill” SB 2511, which would place a small fee on throwaway checkout grocery bags and generate funds to preserve and protect Hawaii’s watersheds has its second to last committee hearing this Tuesday, March 20 at 8:30 a.m. with the House Committee on Economic Revitalization & Business in conference room 312.

SB 2511 has widespread support from consumers, retailers, and environmental groups alike, and has been one of the hottest legislative topics in recent Hawaii news! Hawaii would be the first State in the Nation to have statewide legislation addressing pressing the problem of plastic bags in the environment and the heavy environmental footprint of both paper and plastic bags. Be a part of what is sure to be a historic moment, not just in Hawaii but also in the Nation!

Join us on March 20th for a Rebuild the Dream event-- a "pop-up dinner" conversation with nationally renowned speaker and activist Van Jones, live poetry, music, and conversation in the Capitol Rotunda.

Van Jones was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2009, served as a Special Advisor for Green Jobs to President Obama, is founder of Rebuild the Dream and is the bestselling author of Green Collar Economy.

This FREE EVENT is sponsored by Hawaiʻi with Faith Action for Community Equity (FACE) Hawaiʻi, Kanu Hawaiʻi, Sierra Club, Common Cause Hawaiʻi, UNITE HERE Local 5, Surfrider Foundation, Blue Planet Foundation, and University of Hawaiʻi.

We want to fill the Capitol Rotunda with folks who will bring their ideas to the State Capitol and settle in for a discussion with Van about creating a sustainable, equitable economy. Van Jones will present a platform for bottom-up, people-powered economic solutions to promote sustainable agriculture, state banks, and affordable education.

The Dream Revivals are cultural, political, spiritual, and educational celebrations being held across the country, for the 99% movement—thousands are joining celebrities, musicians, artists, and progressive leaders calling for a more just and sustainable economy.

Hawaiʻi's gathering features slam poetry by Kealoha, live music by Kupa 'aina and Jive Nene, and a discussion with renowned activist Van Jones.

Hawaii’s Deposit Beverage Container Program, a.k.a. the Bottle Bill has been a tremendous success, keeping 686 million bottles out of our limited landfill space each year. Being an island State means we cannot keep burying our waste, especially when we have a good system in place to collect and recycle our bottles.  Including more containers in the program will keep more material from entering the waste stream.

However, a loophole exempting “dietary supplements” in the law allows some trendy drinks such as vitamin waters, mineral waters, and lemonade-type drinks to be exempt from this successful deposit program that encourages recycling of beverage containers. In addition, wine bottles and hard spirit bottles are also not part of the Deposit Beverage Container Program and are sometimes not accepted at recycling centers.

The Senate Throwaway Bag Fee bill has its first hearing on the House side this Tuesday, March 13 at 9 a.m. in conference room 325 with the Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection (EEP). SB 2511 is the only Watershed Initiative-funding single-use bag bill that is still alive, which means it is critical we continue to show strong support so that it will continue through its upcoming committee hearings with EEP, Economic Revitalization & Business (ERB), and Finance (FIN) Committees. You can submit your testimony online here.

Another excellent way to show support for our Throwaway Bag Fee Bill is to write Letters to the Editor. The Bag Bill has been getting quite a bit of media attention and we need positive responses to overwhelm any negative responses. It’s easy to write a ~150 word, succinct letter for papers like the Star-Advertiser. Submit your Letter in support of the Bag Bill to the Editor here.