Filed under: Food & Energy Security, Sustainability | Tags: consumption, golden age of consumption, maui, Maury King, resources, stuff, Sustainability
When historians in the future look back at 2009, it will appear as the Golden Age of Consumption. This moment will probably be remembered as the time of the biggest cars, biggest homes on large pieces of land designed with excessive use of raw materials, water thirsty landscapes of ornamentals and not edibles, closets filled with extraordinary amounts of possessions. Lucky we live this age, eh?
Historians will also know what happened next. How we got from the Golden Age of Consumption to the Age of Sustainability, where by definition it means managing resource use so the next generations can thrive as we have. I think most people would agree that different behaviors will be needed. The opposite of keeping up with the Joneses, unless the Joneses happen to be the greenest family on the block.
Will people be willing to change their mindset and actions to create a workable new reality? I don’t know. Short of a wakeup call in the form of a catastrophe (like ships not coming here for awhile with everything we consume) I think not. Because the world continues to look and operate just as we are used to. Gas and food are plentiful. There is more stuff than ever available to fill our closets with and it seems an expanding economy is the only way to measure success.
Much of design of the world – or is it just Maui? – seems to revolve around the privileged few and not the average ‘rest of us’. And they use a hugely disproportionate amount of resources and stuff. That doesn’t seem like a recipe for a sustainable future. This is where I intended to put a brilliant closing thought. Sorry, I don’t have one.
So, let’s hope there is a future for those historians to look back from, and let’s make them proud of us.
Maury King
Filed under: Maui Politics | Tags: beach activities, government, maui, Maury King, vacation rentals, wedding industry
How does OUR government work, anyway? In just the last 3 years I’ve seen several industries that weren’t broken being “fixed” in a way that seems to have horrendous results for the local economy and the idea of keeping money circulating on Maui and creating local jobs.
The vacation rental business has been ’slashed and burned’. That cost us a whole class of tourists that doesn’t prefer to stay in a hotel and cost us all the meals and activities and other purchases they might participate in; and jobs for the local people working to service and maintain the units. And after finally coming up with a plan for short term rental units, a new tax shoots the whole thing in the foot for many people. Of course the owners that lost their properties already due to the loss of income won’t be affected by the new rules. They’re gone.
The wedding business. What was wrong with the way that industry operated? It seemed to work just fine and made Maui a great choice for people to get married along with all the friends and family that would travel here and contribute to the local economy. Then, new rules were introduced in a most confusing manner with permits required for each and every ceremony and somehow national press appeared suggesting this wasn’t an easy place to get married anymore and that industry suffered.
And now, beach activity businesses. A new set of rules is being proposed that is intended to protect the reefs from the scuba industry. The reasoning (including consultants hired to review the process that supposedly never even talked to any of the business operators that would be affected)and the end result of this debacle just seems so wrongheaded. How were these conclusions arrived at for something that is currently a non issue but new rules will turn into overcrowding at certain beaches at certain times, but will put many operators stone cold out of business. The dive industry says they not only don’t hurt the reefs but teach people how to protect the reefs. The reefs are fishiest and healthiest in the reserves like Honolua Bay and Ahihi-Kinau, visited by thousands of divers and snorkelers, but no fishing is allowed. And with all dive instructors first aid trained, it is like having extra free help on the beaches in case of accidents.
I can’t wait to see the next thing government decides needing fixing around here. Just kidding.
I’m coming to visit our local politicians to learn more about the way things work around here and find out where the OUR is in our government. Who wants the first appointment?
Maury King
