Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Land Development
Since the 1960s, mass tourism has posed challenges to Hawaii's natural environment
with the rampant development of land-hungry resorts and water-thirsty golf courses.
Sprawling subdivisions also strain Hawaii's limited watershed and nearly full landfills.
Meanwhile, ongoing construction often uncovers and disturbs archaeological sites such
as heiau (temples), petroglyphs and burial grounds. Protecting these important Hawaiian
cultural sites and repatriating
ʻiwi kupuna
(human remains) can delay road building and
construction for years.
Mainland tech billionaire Larry Ellison, who bought 98% of the island of Lanaʻi in
2012, has announced plans to turn the island into a 'laboratory for sustainability' - but so
far without holding community meetings to ask if residents are willing to drive electric
cars, work on organic farms and drink water from desalination plants. Lanaʻi's previous
owner, David Murdock, retains rights to develop a controversial wind farm on the former
tp://friendsoflanai.org
)
argues that environmentally and culturally sensitive areas would
be destroyed, and that there are better renewable energy alternatives for such a small is-
land.
Future development of the sacred volcanic summits of Mauna Kea and Haleakalā are
another hot-button topic. Many environmental and Native Hawaiian groups adamantly
oppose building any new astronomical or solar observatories on either peak. In 2010,
Mauna Kea's final environmental impact statement (EIS) paved the way for building a
new Thirty Meter Telescope (
www.tmt.org
)
near its summit. In 2012, the state's Board of
Land and Natural Resources granted a permit to construct the world's largest optical sol-
ar telescope atop Haleakalā.
Curious about Hawaii's environmental health? Get the lowdown from Environment
Hawaiʻi (
www.environment-hawaii.org
), a watchdog group that publishes a monthly
newsletter on a wide range of topics, from wildlife conservation to development. Browse
top stories and recent issues online.
Farm & Military Cleanup
Vast tracts of Hawaii's native forest were long ago cleared to make way for the mono-
crop industries of sugarcane and pineapple. In the past, corporate agribusiness in Hawaii
has been found guilty of violating Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines
regarding soil and groundwater contamination on the islands. In 2010 - almost 15 years
after being added to the EPA's Superfund national priority list - Oʻahu's Del Monte Corp
