ACLU Battles for Reproductive Rights in Kauai; Solar Panels in the Wake of Volcanic Emissions; Restoring Maui’s Watersheds; Studying Tourism at UH’s East-West Center
Kauai Physician files Reproductive Rights Lawsuit
It’s one of the pitfalls of an island state: unequal access to medical care, depending on where you live. Women who live on Kaua’i and wish to terminate a pregnancy cannot do so at home - even if they choose to do so with medication their doctor can legally prescribe. The American Civil Liberties Union is embroiled in a legal battle to make that medication available everywhere through a lawsuit filed by a Kauai physician, Dr. Graham Chelius. Julia Kaye, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union’s Reproductive Freedom Project, explained the ACLU’s case to us in an interview last week.
Volcano Impact on Solar Paneling
On Hawaii Island,officials have been meeting with residents of neighborhoods affected by the vog and noxious gases to address concerns about air quality. But if you live in an area that’s being affected by the volcano should you also be concerned about the corrosive effects of volcanic ash, Pele's hair and acid rain on things like your solar panels? The head of the Hawaii Island Energy cooperative Marco Mangelsdorf talked to us about just that.
Civil Beat Reality Check
It’s summertime and with that comes much hotter weather and less rain. A story in Civil Beat today looks at the city’s use of water at our parks. Chad Blair joins us with more on the results of a recent audit.
Protecting Maui’s Reefs
Coral reefs all over the world are under siege from various human impacts, and Maui’s reefs are among those that have been hard hit by runoffs: land-based water pollution. It’s a far cry from the days when the ahupua’a system of pre-contact days kept that runoff under control. Jennifer VanderVeur, Maui Program Manager for the Coral Reef Alliance, or CORAL is giving a talk later this week on "Restoring the Natural Function of Maui?s Ahupua?a to Protect Maui?s Coral Reefs," and we spoke earlier this morning.
Reflecting on Tourism in Hawaii
Many Pacific Island nations look to Hawaii as a model for what to do, and NOT do when it comes to Tourism. This summer, The East-West Center launched a new course of study thanks to a $250,000 grant from the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Pacific Island Fellows have been immersed in a six-week intensive in the island and made a trip to Washington DC over the Memorial Day weekend to meet with other cohorts in our nation’s Capital We sat down with one of the Pacific Fellows - Papua New Guinea’s PaulineRiman - last week about her first impressions about our visitor industry and what she will take back to her island.
