My Idea List

Many of you read my letter to the editor of the Maui News several weeks ago. It's important to note that what I wrote is the guts of what I'm trying to accomplish here. In essence, my letter explained that Maui and Maui County are uniquely poised to be a world leader in the development of alternate energy sources and self sustainability. Not only is this an important direction for us to take as a community and as a leader, it's certainly time that we seriously explore viable and fiscally sound options to the juggernaut of hyper dependency on tourism.

And we do have these options and they are abundant...as we are abundant. Throughout this blog, I will explore several of these options and hope that your involvement will not only enlighten but lead to real action. Over time, here are some of the brainstorming topics I'd like to cover:
Solar energy (and not just for individual homes...and we DO live in Hawaii!).
Photovoltaics (also, not just for individual homes, but for condo and apartment units and done retroactively. And, HELLLLLOHHH!!!).
Wind energy (with turbines that don't rust and, ultimately, get abandoned and that actually reduce our energy costs).
Desalinization (there are some new and much more user-friendly technologies out there that should be explored and we should be the explorers).
Locally Grown (plants are happy here and, whether we like it or not, we're going to have to have a rational GMO conversation).
Biofuels (not my favorite, but it must be explored).
Alternate Building Materials (do the R&D here...do we not have a "Tech Park?").
Retroactive Community Development (community gardens and semi-agricultural use of common grounds and who knows what else?).
Responsible, Accountable Government ( hahahahaha! I'm a funny girl. But have faith, it IS doable).

There you have it...a synopsis of just some of the things that we can seriously explore and quite possibly employ, and not just for our own benefit, but for the benefit of us all.

So, pick your passion and let's start moving forward towards the change we need.

Imua!

Think Outside the Box

As we all know, the citizens of Maui and Maui County face a lot of challenges in these already trying times. Many of us use the local newspapers and the ever present coconut wireless to keep up to date and to share our opinions and ideas. And, often, important public meetings are at inconvenient times. Although all of these are wonderful outlets, there is a disconnect...you say your peace and move on...if you get the chance. I'm hoping that this blog site will be that important conduit that will allow ideas to flow freely but remain connected and that these ideas and ideals will have a place to take hold and grow into innovative, solid solutions for this unique community. Educated brainstorming is a powerful tool and this blog is a least a step in that direction.

I look forward to seeing our community blossom as a result of all of you Maui Idealists out there who arn't afraid of thinking outside the box.

Malama pono,
Jonica

BTW, all photos are by me and are copyrighted