I wrote an Op-Ed piece that appeared in yesterday’s Hawaii Tribune-Herald:
Oil price may lead to exporting our children
By RICHARD HA
Here are some real world facts, which people probably don’t realize yet because nobody’s comfortable talking about this: If we weren’t starting to change how we power our farm, we’d possibly be looking at bankruptcy before too long.
Recently, I talked to Dean Okimoto, of Nalo Farms, and he said the same thing. He’s not sure he’s going to be able to stay in business in the face of rising electricity costs.
I think there are plenty of other farmers in this same boat, too. Electricity prices keep doubling and doubling again — as do fertilizer and other farm input costs — and yet we cannot turn around and double the prices of our products.
Farmers are feeling guilty, like they’re failing in some way because they cannot make ends meet, but it’s not their fault as farmers. Energy prices are rising, and circumstances are out of our control.
…We need to come to grips with our situation, because there are serious consequences.
We will have to continue exporting our children, and Hawaii will change. Already there are more Hawaiians living on the U.S. mainland than here in Hawaii. People who have money will move here and find it a wonderful place to live, and those who can no longer afford it will leave.
It’s already happening. Look around downtown, and go into the nicer restaurants. They aren’t filled with local people. There are more mainland folks I don’t recognize than local people.
I don’t have any problem with people moving here, but I do have a problem with us having to export our children because we cannot afford to live here.
This is a call to action. We cannot sit back. We cannot afford to be quiet and afraid to rock the boat. We cannot afford to NOT take a stand. We have to do something….
There’s more. Read the rest here.
Also, I’m speaking on all this at Lyman Museum soon. It’s on Monday, May 19 at 7 p.m., if you are interested.
But Richard isn’t there something fundamentally wrong with comparing the resources we have now to what was used then? 100% sustainable energy sounds great from rosy glasses perspective, and then you got to wonder how close that is to the “free energy” theory. This whole unlimited energy sounds extremely dangerous for preserving our eco-system and natural resources, and for me as a farmer, aina and wai, water, is more important than the energy needed to meet maximum production limited energy put module used in hydroponics and other mono-crop modules. I think the Hawaiians had it right way back when, would love to see it preserved. This new type of Agriculture I don’t think is quite the same. I had an Uncle say something that sticks out in my mind, I can live without energy, being plugged in. But I can not live without water. Maybe we should de-centralize the profit in everything and maybe then move from there.
The bottom line is this Geothermal is a major ingredient for development and industry and that is more dangerous to preservation than any of these silly points both sides are making. I hope you understand I come from a place of Love for the aina and as a farmer that sees and hurts from the people who go hungry here. Is 100% energy produced really a good thing for solving these precious issues that threaten us today? Or is there a more obvious solution than threatening the preservation. You should know, this is all about big business and bucks not about preserving the island. Peak oil is real, but I question the merits of Geothermal. I hurt too from the people that are dealing with serious medical issues from this. It stirs my heart every morning and the group is growing, maybe you should try to get in touch with this group and hear.
Mahalo
Aloha Mike
give me a call cell 960 1057
Mahalo