Recycle Hawaii, Sierra Club’s Moku Loa Group and a number of Native Hawaiian panelists are coming together this month to help voters answer the question “Where does your candidate stand on the environment?” ADVERTISING Recycle Hawaii, Sierra Club’s Moku Loa
Recycle Hawaii, Sierra Club’s Moku Loa Group and a number of Native Hawaiian panelists are coming together this month to help voters answer the question “Where does your candidate stand on the environment?”
Forums were hosted Monday in Pahoa, Tuesday in Hilo and another is scheduled from 6-9 p.m. today at the Pahala Community Center.
“We also will be planning a forum in Waimea for District 9 and District 1 in the coming weeks,” said spokeswoman Kristine Kubat.
The series of forums is focusing on sustainability and environmental justice issues by posing related questions to candidates seeking election to the Hawaii County Council.
“We are making the effort to ensure that voters know where the candidates stand on these issues before they go to the polls Aug. 9,” said Kubat, who works for Recycle Hawaii and is the series organizer.
Formed in 1992, Recycle Hawaii is the state’s longest standing and most active recycling organization. Kubat is known locally for promoting and staging zero-waste events.
Resource management issues will be a hot topic during the forum, as will conservation and concerns related to overdevelopment.
Nelson Ho, chair of the Sierra Club’s Moku Loa Group, which covers Hawaii Island, asks the community to make an effort to attend.
“Since Hawaii County adopted a non-partisan election format, many of the council races would be decided in the Aug. 9 primary,” he said.
“We want voters to make sure their vote counts and we want them to be informed.”
Laakea Caravalho and Kanani Frazier of Knowledge in Motion, a nonprofit environmental education organization, are handling the guest list for Hawaiian panelists.
