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Environment

News stories regarding Molokai’s outdoor environment

Hawaii’s Golden Age of Orchids

Sunday, September 1st, 2013

Hawaii’s Golden Age of Orchids

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves, UH County Extension Agent

The first orchids made their way to Hawaii around the mid-1800s via Asia, and by the end of the 19th century, wealthy individuals and even Hawaiian royalty maintained orchid collections. Soon, the average Hawaii resident learned they could grow orchids without effort in the perfect climate.

In late 1945, members of the 442nd Infantry returned home from Europe as decorated heroes, and these Nisei or first generation Hawaii-born of Japanese ancestry took up the growing of orchids as a hobby. Many were self-taught, and took orchid production to another level as they learned new technology.…

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Dream Green Team

Thursday, August 29th, 2013

Talking trash isn’t usually a good thing, but a small team in Kalaupapa is changing the way people think about rubbish with their award winning solid waste management program. The Kalaupapa National Historical Park (KNHP) Green Team, comprised of five local Molokai employees, has received national recognition for the work they’re doing to make the peninsula a statewide model of waste management.

The team — Arthur Ainoa, Joseph Kahee, Brennan Lee-Namakaeha, Pa`oneakai Lee-Namakaeha, and Ryan Mahiai — has recently been named one of seven recipients of the National Park Service’s 2013 Environmental Achievement awards. The award recognizes their accomplishment of drastically reducing the peninsula’s solid waste through recycling, composting, conserving and reusing.…

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MECO Planned Kaluakoi Outages

Thursday, August 29th, 2013

MECO News Release

Maui Electric Company (MECO) will be scheduling periodic interruptions in electrical service for the Kaluakoi subdivision as part of a system improvement project to install new equipment in this community. Kaluakoi residences will be notified of specific dates and times of the outages via printed flyers delivered to their homes.

As part of this project, the periodic outages will be scheduled through October to replace several switchgears. A combination of electrical disconnect switches, fuses or circuit breakers used to control, protect and isolate electrical equipment, switchgears provide continued reliability of the electricity Maui Electric provides to customers.

Should there be any questions or concerns, please contact Maui Electric directly at 1-877-871-8461.…

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Bringing Electric Vehicles to Molokai

Wednesday, August 28th, 2013

Maui Electric Vehicle Alliance News Release

Molokai residents know all too well about high gas prices.  The island has some of the highest in the nation.  Electric vehicles – cars that can plug in to the electricity grid for some or all of their power – promise relief from these high costs.  Plus, they offer a sustainable and energy-independent way to get around the island, reinforcing the island ethic of caring for the environment.

A few Molokai residents have managed to purchase electric vehicles, taking advantage of a current price war among the automakers and new lease deals that remove high upfront costs. …

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The Future of Pu`u Opala

Wednesday, August 28th, 2013

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves, UH County Extension Agent

We have the beginnings of new mountain range forming on the south side of Molokai. Pu`u Opala or Garbage Mountain is composed mostly of our rubbish with some soil added for stability. Already several stories high, who knows how high it will be when it finally goes dormant. The question is how many more mountains will be formed in the process to add to the South Molokai mountains? That decision lies mostly with us, the creators of this mountain.

There are ways to slow the growth of the mountain, including recycling to minimize what is being thrown away, hauling the green waste out of the land fill, and finding value in the things that we throw away.…

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Funding for Improved Kalaupapa Waste Management

Thursday, August 22nd, 2013

KNHP News Release

Joseph Kahee, Pa`oneakai Lee-Namakaeha and Ryan Mahiai, employees of the Solid Waste Facility of Kalaupapa National Historical Park (KNHP), were awarded one of 33 grants across the country in the amount of $12,500. The funding was through the Horace M. Albright-Conrad L. Wirth Grant Program at the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks. The Albright Wirth Grant Program supports a wide range of innovative projects that give National Park Service employees the opportunity to pursue personal and professional training experiences.

This group grant was used to implement a comprehensive “greening” plan for KNHP. One of the core components of the plan was to lay the groundwork for an integrated solid waste management system in Kalaupapa.…

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A Decade of Environmental Leadership

Thursday, August 22nd, 2013

A Decade of Environmental Leadership

As a child, Uncle Mac Poepoe fondly remembers fishing down at Mo`omomi Beach with family and friends, but as time passed, he began seeing the area increasingly populated with unfamiliar boats and people, over-fishing in its waters.

“I said, ‘Hey we’ve got to do something about this because if this continues, we’re not going to have many fish left for ourselves,’” said Poepoe.

He came together with a group of Molokai fishermen and community members who decided they needed more public input as to how environmental resources are managed.

Nearly 20 years later, his efforts have spread statewide. With the help of Kua`aina Ulu `Auamo (KUA)—formerly known as the Hawaiian Community Stewardship Network—a community-based management network formed incorporating more than 25 communities statewide dedicated to restore and sustain their environmental heritage.…

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MECO Scheduled Kaluakoi Outages

Thursday, August 22nd, 2013

MECO News Release

Maui Electric Company (MECO) is scheduling an electricity outage for the Kaluakoi subdivision in west Molokai this Friday, Aug. 23, from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The planned outage is part of an improvement project to install new equipment in that area.

As part of this project, periodic outages will be scheduled through October to replace several switchgears. A combination of electrical disconnect switches, fuses or circuit breakers used to control, protect and isolate electrical equipment, switchgears provide continued reliability of the electrical supply.

Should there be any questions or concerns, please contact Maui Electric directly at 1-877-871-8461.…

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Impaired Driving Enforcement

Wednesday, August 21st, 2013

Maui Police Department News Release

The Maui Police Department will be participating with the nationwide Impaired Driving National Enforcement crackdown from August 16 to September 2, 2013. Police will set up intoxication checkpoints at unannounced locations and times during this two week period. Intoxication checkpoints will be set up county wide, which will include Hana, Lanai and Molokai.

People are encouraged to drive sober. Those that will be consuming alcoholic beverages are reminded not to drive and to use a designated driver or find an alternate mode of transportation.

Police will also step up enforcement with seat belt usage, speeding and electronic mobile devices.…

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Propagating Breadfruit

Wednesday, August 21st, 2013

Community Contributed

By Joe Kennedy

Breadfruit is one of the easiest to grow, most abundant fruits for the amount of labor it takes to thrive. It can be prepared in endless ways for a starch or dessert. Propagation of this tree is key for many families to grow it successfully. The first two times I tried to propagate breadfruit were very successful. The next time was a failure but that was because I failed to maintain constant moisture. I think it’s pretty easy for most people to do this.

First, get the site ready where you want to grow your new breadfruit trees.…

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