The freedom to live
I’m 79 years old and have a heart condition, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
I’ve been a nurse since 1963. I’ve worked nearly consistently except for periods to have children or breaks for mental rest.
I’m protesting the selfishness of people who threaten my right to live out my natural lifetime, to see my grandchildren marry, to see my great-grandchildren. There are millions like me.
COVID-19 is a public health crisis. It is not a political crisis unless some choose to make it one.
Your freedom? What about the freedom of the rest of us to live?
How many have to die at the rate of 1,500 per day, more than 700,000 people total, sacrificed on the altar of foolish ideas.
Masks work. They always have. Social distancing works.
Please stop deceiving yourselves. It is OK to let people die? You can’t honor kupuna or keiki if you refuse vaccination.
Sue Bennett
Hilo
Regarding recycling
Recycling is always suggested as one solution to high carbon emissions, but is it?
There is so much bias on the subject of recycling. I’m here to offer a nonbiased or neutral view on recycling. It is important that we find a way to reduce carbon emissions whether it’s using recycled or some other method. If we don’t find a way to reduce carbon emissions, there will be more rising oceans, storms and air-pollution-related deaths.
Recycling is drilled into our heads as environmentally friendly and a good way to reduce carbon emissions, but is it?
Most studies will tell you that recycling reduces carbon emissions. If we keep recycling by 2050, we will reduce our carbon emissions by 25%, which isn’t bad. But if we use different methods besides recycling, we can reduce our emissions even more, but will it be worth it?
Not many people know that whole boxes of recyclables can be contaminated by a few items that either can’t be recycled or are in the wrong bin. If we increase the effectiveness of sorting our recyclables and educate people on proper recycling, we will surely reduce our carbon emissions.
But are there more effective ways to lower carbon emissions? If everyone would pitch in to use more public transportation, or unplug devices after you are done using them, that would reduce carbon emissions far more than recycling ever will.
But why only use one method? Recycling isn’t cheap and only makes around $150 profit per ton, so any other way to bring down carbon emissions that is cheaper would be a good option.
To sum things up, I’m not here to tell you not to recycle. I’m telling you to think for yourself and try to find different ways to help the environment and not just throw your problems in a bin and hope it fixes itself.
Alexander Santiago
Honokaa
