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Tired of your desk job? Become a farmer
A Hawaii initiative to boost farmers’ ranks is having more success than similar programs in the continental United States. That’s likely due to GoFarm Hawaii’s phased approach, which gives participants more of the transitional training and support they need to ultimately thrive as commercial farmers. With the average age of farmers in Hawaii topping 60, innovative programs that attract the next generation to an indispensable, difficult line of work are much needed, and GoFarm Hawaii fits the bill. The next round of free seminars for curious would-be farmers starts later this month. Check the calendar at www.gofarmhawaii.org.
Good news on toxic emissions, mostly
When it came to toxic emissions in 2013, two of Hawaii’s Top 3 polluters showed decreases from the previous year, a positive trend. No. 2 HECO-Kahe station released 559,112 pounds of toxins (down 5 percent from 2012), while No. 3 Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Hawaii emitted 417,214 pounds (down 0.4 percent).
But ominously, the No. 1 polluter, AES Hawaii Inc., which runs the state’s only coal-fired power plant at Campbell Industrial Park, more than doubled its toxic output: 662,599 pounds of emissions, from 303,938 pounds in 2012. Bad trend. Further, while No. 2 and No. 3 responded to Star-Advertiser queries for comment to provide context, AES declined.