Future should be plastic-free

House Bill 2260 is a new bill that would reduce the use of single-use plastic products by placing a 10-cent fee on paper and plastic checkout bags.

Not only would HB 2260 reduce the amount of plastic in the environment, it also would give some of the revenue to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources. Based on cities with similar bills, $20 million of revenue is expected from this fee, with $11 million of it going toward DLNR. Such funding would be invaluable for the protection and regeneration of Hawaii’s forests.

Meanwhile the reduction of plastics will help eliminate the amount of plastics that ends up in the ocean each year.

Contact your local legislator and voice your support for HB 2260. Together we can make a plastic-free future.

Dana Cotter
Honolulu

Bus funds could be spent better

The latest round in the school bus crisis would be laughable were it not so tragic ("As school bus costs rise, so do lawmakers’ concerns," Star-Advertiser, Jan. 28).

The cost of busing reached $75.5 million this year for the 39,000 students who use the bus. This is more than $1,900 annually per student.

This much money could buy each of these students a new $400 bicycle, plus $100 of safety equipment (air horn, helmet, lights), and still leave $55 million annually. This could be used for infrastructural improvements and driver education to make walking and pedaling to school safer again.

We could decrease the number of students needing busing, boost their physical activity, lower the high fatality rates of pedestrians and bicyclists in Hawaii, save a few billion dollars on gasoline and reduce global climate change. Just for openers.

Ed Johnson
Makiki

Some farmers hurt by GMOs

Haven’t you received any letters protesting your article, "Producers of seed crops make gains in hardiness" (Star-Advertiser, Jan. 22)?

It was published four days after a panel discussion at the University of Hawaii’s Department of Hawaiian Studies raised ethical questions concerning Monsanto’s $500,000 contribution to the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources for a Monsanto Research Fellows Fund, as well as the firm’s controversial genetically modified seed production and testing of GMO crops on our islands.

The "hardiness" of the seed crops is a result of their modification to survive lethal doses of herbicides, resulting in increased herbicide use and the contamination of organic and conventional crops. But it allows Monsanto to package its hardy seeds with its Roundup herbicide.

Interviewing those farmers who lose revenue because they can’t sell their GMO-tainted products to Japan or the European Union would provide a more balanced picture.

Beverly Major
Kalihi

Tenure needed to lure teachers

House Bill 1668 attempts to eliminate tenure for teachers and school administrators. I believe, however, that the measure is short-sighted.

We have known for some time that teacher recruitment and teacher retention are essential issues in addressing teacher quality. What will happen if this bill passes into law? Teachers and other educators will no longer have job permanence guarantees.

While this is an overwhelming possibility, a gloomier picture looms behind that event. What will happen to young people in our state who are potential teacher candidates considering entry into teacher education programs?

I would expect one of two things: Either they will complete their programs and go to the mainland to teach where tenure is still available, or they will choose other careers, leaving our public schools decimated with few new teachers. We already need an estimated 1,500 new teachers this year. Where will this bill leave us?

Jonathan Gillentine
Kaneohe

Bicyclists should wear helmets

I was so disappointed to see that in the photo of the Waikiki Spokes for Folks bikers, only one rider had a helmet on ("Spokes for folks," Star-Advertiser, Jan. 31). You can’t ride on city streets in any of the local triathlons without a helmet check.

I, for one, am guilty of riding sans helmet. However, when I think about the influence I’ve had on the young kids in our community, I feel so guilty.

Lately I have been riding with my helmet and I have noticed the expressions on little kids’ faces: "Wow, look, she’s got a helmet on, too!"

While sharing the roads with automobiles, if the excursion is also about safety, riders, please put on your helmets first.

Candas Lee Rego
Kailua