WalletHub Tax Survey; Banking Seeds; Natural Farming Symposium; Sleepy Orange Butterfly
WalletHub Survey, Most & Least Fair State Tax Systems: Jill Gonzalez
We often hear the term “Paradise Tax” applied to our exaggerated cost of living here, and we have mostly benumbed ourselves to the expense without looking, in detail, at its causes. WalletHub has looked at tax burdens in its ranking of ‘Most & Least Fair State Tax Systems,’ and Hawaii ranks near the bottom. Company spokesperson Jill Gonzalez shares her take on consumer finance issues and has been featured in The New York Times, the Washington Post, and Kiplinger.
Intro Music: Another One by Oscar Pettiford
Outro Music: Can't Stop Running by Adam Ben Ezra
Saving Seeds for the Future: Jill Wagner
The Hawaii Island Seed Bank has been collecting and saving seeds since 2008 and using the seeds for restoration, research and mitigation, hoping to preserve the native plants here in the islands. Jill Wagner is an ethnobotanist who has been an essential part of these efforts. They have attracted the attention of the Kailua-Kona Public Library who have started a different kind of seed bank to help those who want to grow their own plants and vegetables. Jill has taught Hawaiian horticulture, restoration, and taxonomy for many years. She grows native Hawaiian species for forest restoration, and is a garden designer. She’ll be at the library, giving a free lecture on seed banking this Saturday, October 3, from 10 to 11:30 am.
Intro Music: Emerald Isle by Whitehorse
Outro Music: One By One by The Black Seeds
Natural Farming Symposium: Jacque Prell
How many of the solutions for contemporary problems have been around for hundreds of years? It’s a pattern we see repeated again and again… As people pay more and more attention to the way their food is grown and prepared, many turn to centuries-old practices like Korean Natural Farming. Jacque Prell is the organizer of Natural Farming Symposium 2015, sponsored by the Hawaii Farmers Union United East Hawaii Chapter. It starts tomorrow and runs through Saturday at the Komohana Research Extension Center in Hilo.
Intro Music: Peterbilt Coalmine by Whitehors
Outro Music: Waltz For Leann by Steve Bailey
New Butterfly Species to Hawaiian Islands: Daniel Rubinoff
Every once in a while a new species is discovered here in the islands. Given the potential for damage to native plants and trees, it’s not always good news. Daniel Rubinoff, professor of Entomology and Director of the University of Hawaii Insect Museum in the College of Tropical Agriculture and his colleagues discovered the Sleepy Orange butterfly that has found a home here in the islands. This project was done with collaborators Janis Matsunaga, Will Haines and Forest and Kim Starr.
Intro Music: Butterfly by Xavier Rudd: Butterfly
Outro Music: Butterfly Wings by Owl City
