HTH delivers
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”
Well, not quite.
Here in Ninole, the wind, rain and road hazards from Hurricane Lane kept the postman away. No mail here.
However, not so the Tribune-Herald! This lovely local paper did not miss a beat, and neither did the superman deliveryman Tommy, who delivered flawlessly despite the snow, rain, heat, gloom of night, road hazards and landslides. Despite Hurricane Lane.
Kudos to the Tribune-Herald for keeping the newspaper publishing, and kudos for Tommy the superman deliveryman for delivering it to waiting subscribers, all anxious for news.
Skip Sims
Ninole
We’re not powerless
Our bout with Hurricane Lane and the many weather disasters reported across the globe highlights how our climate has changed and how powerless we may appear in the battle to reverse climate change.
Hurricanes are getting stronger and wetter and are tracking further north as oceans warm (over the past few years, more hurricanes have threatened the islands). In western states, drought and heat have contributed to large fires and bad air quality.
In other states, flood damage from heavy rainfall and rising tides have affected countless.
There are even reports that the arctic circle will soon be ice-free! The toll of climate change is almost immeasurable, and it will likely get worse.
Are we powerless?
We are not powerless, and we can fix this. However, we ALL must do our part and we must apply a concerted and persistent effort. The problem is complex and requires a multi-pronged approach.
One approach is conservation, e.g., using energy-efficient lighting and appliances, driving energy-efficient cars (like electric vehicles), walking vs driving, telecommuting, carpooling and recycling.
Another is to adopt sustainable energy — rooftop solar on our homes, to utility-grade renewable solutions. We also can adopt broad measures to encourage industry to shift to more environmentally friendly impacts (the carbon fee and dividend solution is an example). There are many more.
Let’s all learn about what we can do to reduce our impact and share them with our family, neighbors and leaders. Let’s also practice what we learn.
If we ALL do our part, we are not powerless. After all, we were able to reverse the ozone “hole” with a ban on chlorofluorocarbon. We can heal this planet, but we cannot hesitate or hope that someone else with solve it for us. It’s not too late.
Noel Morin
Big Island Electric Vehicle Association (BigIslandev.org)