Published in The Mauimama magazine, Issue 40, Volume 5:3, January-February 2016 By Elle Cochran The future of our planet is strongly dependent on the health of our oceans and reefs, and island living gives us an up-close understanding of how our actions, big and small, affect our ocean. The health of our ocean is in […]
Published in The Maui News November 22, 2015 By ELLE COCHRAN, for The Maui News Maui County’s coral reef ecosystem is in critical condition and needs to be protected and restored. Last Monday, with the assistance of the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council and other ocean advocates in the community, I convened a panel discussion […]
Published in The Maui News, Oct. 25, 2015 By MIKE WHITE, for The Maui News Did you know Maui County is the only municipality in Hawaii with a planting plan? The planting plan serves as a landscaping guide for the care, preservation, pruning, planting, removal and disposition of planted material in public areas. The council […]
VIEWPOINT Published in The Maui News, May 24, 2015 By DON COUCH The 3 Can Plan – a pilot program for curbside recycling in some South Maui neighborhoods – was discontinued by the county’s Department of Environmental Management in February after two years. Most of the program’s 1,570 households still have their three cans – […]
VIEWPOINT published in The Maui News, April 5, 2015 By RIKI HOKAMA, for The Maui News The Arakawa administration is playing an accounting shell game of “Now you see it, now you don’t.” This action is putting the livelihood of existing employees in jeopardy and, simply put, is inappropriate. At the March 27 meeting of […]
Published in The Maui News, Nov. 30, 2014 By GLADYS C. BAISA, for The Maui News After seven meetings over almost the entire County Council term, the Water Resources Committee, chaired by Council Member Mike Victorino, on Nov. 19 passed a bill to provide water conservation guidelines and special controls during a water shortage. The […]
Published in The Maui News, Nov. 23, 2014 By ELLE COCHRAN, for The Maui News On July 28, the County Council’s Infrastructure and Environmental Management Committee, which I chair, initially discussed a bill that would generally prohibit the use and sale of single-use polystyrene disposable food containers in Maui County. Strong opinions from opposing sides […]
The Water Resources Committee yesterday received an update from the water director on the status of the Waikamoi flume renovation project. Director of Water Supply Dave Taylor said the $11.2 million, all-aluminum flume, is 90 percent complete. “The flume should last for many decades,” Taylor said. The renovated flume is located within Waikamoi Forest Reserve […]
Published in The Maui News, Nov. 9, 2014 By GLADYS C. BAISA, for The Maui News I’ve asked the County Council to look into current zoning-enforcement practices because illegal vacation rentals appear to be on the rise. In recent years, the council has worked hard in close consultation with the community to create several categories […]
