Accomplishments

• April-June 2003 West Hawaii Island Report
• April-June 2003 East Hawaii Island Report
• Review Previous Reports
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     The intense work of our first three months began to develop into a more locally concentrated effort as Hawaii GEAN moved through these past three months. In this period of time we have been developing communication. Communicating with lawmakers on the state and local levels, communication with the public through letters to the editor, viewpoint articles, news articles, public meetings with presentations, communication building through development of our website www.higean.org, communication with colleagues throughout the Hawaiian islands and the mainland.  Developing viewpoints, sharing research information, assisting one another with projects, finding sources of correct information, research and development of ideas, these are the ways we have been developing communication and deepening our knowledge of this subject throughout the islands and across the globe.

     Through today’s advanced technology we can work as colleagues around the world.  Our website, www.higean.org, the GEfree Hawaii group e-mail, and conference calls, along with our individual e-mails enables us to share ideas, research, information, questions, and support on a daily basis.  Our monthly conference calls and grassroots island updates further serve to connect our work and our goals with our future.  This network has been built in 6 months.

    We prepared for an April 12th papaya testing workshop and day of education, at Laa’kea Gardens, including procuring the reagent from several sources, gathering information and alerting the press.  The day went well cosponsored by Sarah’s group.  30 people showed up.  50 organic papayas were tested and 7 were GE contaminated-  15%.  There was much shock over finding GE trees on organic farms. (See report on East Hawaii below)

     April began by preparing for Steven Druker’s visit, Earth Day at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, our visit with Mayor Harry Kim, numerous speaking engagements around the island and culminating with our afternoon conversation with Governor Linda Lingle on her visit to Hawai’i.

     Steven Druker is a tireless champion of the truth and with his coalition sued the FDA for not following the advice of their own scientists, and not adhering to their own federal directives.  He was given access to over 44,000 pages of internal documents and arrived at this conclusion...the FDA is not regulating GE foods in any way. That truth was echoed last week by FDA head Lester Crawford who told a congressional committee that it was no longer necessary for biotech companies to even notify the FDA of a new novel food coming to the marketplace.

     Steven spoke in the Universities Agriculture Department classrooms of Bruce Matthew's sustainable ag professor, and Nelson Ho Environmental studies professor respectively.  Students were interested and sometimes enraged at the information he presented.  He also did an evening with Ania, the educational liaison for the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  This debate of sorts was held at the Komohana Ag center in Hilo.  Steven also gave public talks in Puna and Waimea.

     We also had a table on Earth Day, April 22, at the Universities celebration and educational gathering under the lanai on a very rainy day. Thousands of school children and community came by our table which was entitled "Kids Can Compost".  On the table we had built a real compost pile surrounded by glass jars illustrating the separate contents of the pile. At the end of the compost pile was a glass bowl filled with fine finished compost which we encouraged the children to touch...and the teachers said..."don’t touch you’ll get your hands dirty."Small rolly pollys in the compost and a tiny green inch worm in the pile were sources of endless fascination for the children.   With a colorful information board behind with interesting facts such as "on a average acre live 40,000 worms...each worm producing 1 pound of castings per year...that’s 40,000 pounds of the most perfect plant food free per year"...or...Alan Chadwick’s old adage..."Give back to the Earth a little more that you take"..or John Jeavons..."Feed the soil not the plant"and with Melanie’s giant street puppet of the Sad Farmer holding his blue papaya singing the papaya blues a fun day was had by all. We passed out educational packets to each classroom teacher and our Earth Day stickers to all the kids.

     One of our last meetings in Hilo was with Mayor Kim who warmly received us in jeans and boots in his spacious office. Eileen O’Hora Weir long time HOFA coordinator joined us in the conversation.  She has a comprehensive knowledge of the GE situation and had just been hired by the Mayor to head up the new Keaau recycling plant.  Our conversation was warm and cordial, swapping stories and points to consider.  Harry has a strong connection to the land and has been a champion of its protection for many years.  We appreciate his sensitive approach to the GE issues and his desire to protect and preserve the aina from any contamination.

     In response to his request to develop concise points for his consideration we developed an Executive Summary and Recommendations which we will share with the County Council Members, lawmakers, and interested parties.  Melanie, Una, and I worked on and refined these papers.

     In May, we had a chance to meet with Governor Lingle following her talk at the public luncheon at the Four Seasons Hualalai.  Joining us were representatives of the Kona Coffee Stakeholders groups led by Christine Sheppard, president of the Kona Coffee Council.  We had a chance to express our concerns about GE coffee and other coffee issues, along with our major GE concerns.  We presented her with the book "Fatal Harvest" by Andrew Kimbrell, an historical accounting of Industrial Agriculture in America presented along side the agrarian, organic view.  We hope she has time to peruse the beautifully pictured story.

     Also in May, prior to the American Farmland Trust meeting at the Extension Station in Kainaliu, we met with the new chair of the state Department of Agriculture, Sandra Kunimoto.  Again, as with the Governor, a meeting was called for as outlined in the County Council Resolution passed last fall calling for discussions between the Dept. of Ag and the Kona Coffee Stakeholders to develop regional protocols before the introduction of any GE coffee to the island.  There was little response or recognition by Ms. Kunimoto at that meeting. Local representative bodies who express the will of the people deserve to be taken seriously in a democratic government. Time will tell. 

     Also, we had an informational and inspirational meeting with Claire Cummings who has been our mentor and supporter at Mayumi Oda’s House in June.  It gave us a chance to catch up on the latest developments in GE and the biotech industry.

     We are also developing a relationship with Patagonia, an outdoor clothing gear company headed up by Yvon Chouinard.  His goals include inspiration and implementation of solutions to the environmental crisis, protecting habitats, wilderness, and diversity.  Patagonia has pledged 1% for the Planet Program and are extremely active in their support of local environmental issues.  The Hawaii store headed by Paul Carson is located on the North Shore of Oahu in Haleiwa.  They generously donated 6 dozen 100% organic cotton t-shirts for us to print and sell as a fund raiser.  10% of all agricultural chemicals are used in the production of cotton, and the move to carry only 100% organic cotton clothing is a major step forward for the environment.  Yvon feels that the cure for depression is action and that the personal mountains we climb can effect positive change in our communities and the world.

     Speaking of t-shirts, Barret Werk our Hawaii GEAN graphic artist and Elisha Goodman who have both given tirelessly for this work have recently relocated to a permaculture farm around the Byron Bay area of Australia.  We miss their young, vivacious, artistic, and boundless energy and we wish them well.  Barret created our t-shirt design and our Earth Day Sticker.

     In June, I attended "Seeding The Future" a 2 day workshop in Kona sponsored by the Kohala Center.  There were presentations by Susan Mazer, evolutionary biologist from the University of California at Santa Barbara, the Baskins from the University of Kentucky with 30 years of seed work, and Alvin Yoshinaga restoration ecologist from the Conservation Laboratory at the Lyon’s Arboretum on Oahu.  The Kohala Center is coordinating an ambitious project to begin an indigenous plant, and agricultural seed bank to be housed at the Amy Greenwell Gardens in Kona.  This project will also include an educational outreach program for Hawaii's children which will include participation and education with our native forests and the importance of seed saving as a tool to pass on to the future. We are very excited about this work which provides an excellent example of working in partnership with the natural world to protect and produce food and forest resources which will sustain our island culture for generations.

     On June 21, at Laa’kea Permaculture Gardens in Puna the second Seed and Plant Exchange for this year was held.  Fifty plus enthusiastic folks came together to share seed, plants, information, and conversation on the Solstice.  There was much good discussion surrounding the topic of promoting local food and self-sufficiency.  We thank our sister group for sponsoring this event. 

     When I was over in Puna for the above event, Sarah and I took to the back roads of Kapoho, the main papaya growing area of Puna and spent an entire day looking for feral papayas to test.  Upon arriving back at Laa’kea we used the GUS gene test given to us by the papaya’s creator Richard Manshardt to test the 5 trees we found.  They all tested positive...4 were from GE seed and one from cross pollination.  This kind of information which we hope the University of Hawaii will begin to do, or PBARC, will help to form a larger picture of the transgenic papaya and its effect on the larger ecosystem. 

     Dr. Marti Crouch, former genetic engineer from the University of Indiana, is one of our treasured mentors.  Treasured for her enthusiastic support and clear thinking on this subject.  She is interested in looking into this issue...studying the feral papaya and its impact of agriculture, ecosystems, and communities.  This type of scientific evaluation is so needed in this area.  Biotech companies or Land Grant Universities put these transgenic plants into agricultural systems and so into whole natural ecosystems without followup on the effects upon the systems and the health of those who eat them.  We thank Marti for her support and consultation with all of us.

     I hope all of you got to read Alan McNaire’s excellent article "Plenty Papaya Problems" in the Hawaiian Island Journal.  Alan documented some of the numerous difficulties with the introduction of the GE papayas into the Puna area. We thank Alan for his continued coverage over the past years to educate and illuminate the complex story unfolding around the papaya on our island.  Just for your information...the Sunset, Rainbow, and Sun-up varieties available at the local supermarkets are all transgenic...we can ask these store managers to label the papayas as genetically engineered or to carry the Kapoho Solo instead.  There are currently many field tests being done on new transgenic varieties, but these are the most common.

     Our Hilo sister group located at Laa’kea Permaculture Gardens headed up by Sara Sullivan has coalesced  into a working group identifying and developing projects for the Hilo-Puna area.  I will let Sara speak for herself in the adjoining report.  We have been working together since February following the retreat and are developing a fine working relationship together.

    June was spent preparing to help Greenpeace Asia in their effort to fight off the commercial release of a GE Papaya in Thailand, by collecting stories and information about it’s real effect on farmers in Hawaii.  On June 29th Melanie and another Hawaiian farmer flew to Thailand to speak to Thai farmers about Hawaii’s experience.  This seems to have galvanized a farmers movement against the GE papaya as well as raining awaremess in Hawaii about the much touted papaya whose negative impacts are suppressed in US press.  (See papaya.htm for all the news!)

    At the end of June, Melanie, Sarah, and I met the crew from German Public Television who traveled to Hilo to produce a piece about GE seed contamination and it’s problems for growers and consumers.  They were interested in the papaya story and how it impacted the Puna community. Melanie did a wonderful job as the spokeswoman for the "higher concerns" and John Caverly the organic papaya farmer who planted GE seed thinking it was organic seed also was interviewed.  The story began in the Pahoa Sunday Market with interviews and then traveled to John’s 2700 year old kipuka where he and Jackie have their farm in Kalapana.  We hope to recieve a tape of this production which ran in Germany in June just before the EU voted to drop the moratorium and replace it with labeling laws.  Germany has elected a Green Party woman for the Minister of Agriculture.  She has a vision for Germany of 20% organics by 2012.

     On the national level, the National Food Processors, and the Grocery Manufactures of America are calling for 0 tolerance of the contamination of the nations food supply through cross pollination with Biopharm crops.  They are asking for Federal regulations that prohibit biopharming in food crops...at this time most vaccines, antibodies, and other novel drugs are being experimented with in corn.

      Environment California a public interest research organization , issued a 600 page report on GE field testing in the United States.  Hawaii is Ground Zero for these tests of novel proteins.  They are critical of the regulatory structure and oversight of all of the Government Agencies charged to oversee GE field test in the US.  This report also makes recommendations for changing this problem...for a report...see www.environmentcalifornia.org.

     On the international level, the EU has voted to discontinue the moratorium on GE foods and in its place instigate a regime of labeling and premarket testing with traceability of substances.  If a food has more than .09% GE substances it must be labeled.  In another international development the Independent Science Panel, a group of thirty eminent scientists from all over the world issued a report in May, "A Case for a GMO Free World".  This 105 pg. document prepared for the UK government who at the end of this summer will be evaluating their GE field tests, documents the scientific concerns for genetic engineering of crops on agriculture, the environment, and human health.  It also outlines the plan for an ecologically sound agricultural system to be implemented in the UK.  This document is available at www.thecampaign.org/gmfree.pdf.

     The Center for Food Safety in California was generous in their gift to us of a case of the large format edition of Andrew Kimbrell’s "Fatal Harvest".  We are sending them out and personally giving them to lawmakers. We have sent one with our new Executive Summary to Mayor Kim, we have personally given one to Linda Lingle and the remaining copies will be going to other key lawmakers in Hawaii.  We have presented one to the Hawaii Island Journal for their superb dedication to coverage of environmental issues on Hawaii. 

     The public issue of genetic engineering appears to finally be heating up to a new level.   Coverage in the media has increased, and small grassroots groups all over the Hawaiian Islands are making an impact on educational awareness.  Worldwide there are large groups and individuals coming forward with new regulations and calls for accountability and responsibility for the biotech corporations.  My sense is that the rest of this year and the next one will be a crucial turning point for this assault on the natural world and human health.  We thank the Ho’oli Foundation for their continuing courageous support of our educational efforts, and dedication to environmental issues that effect our precious island.  We will endeavor to keep our focus clear, our research broad and thoughtful, and search for bridges of understanding between groups and individuals as we seek passage over troubled waters.

         Ua mau ke ea o ka’aina i ka pono                                    Malama ka’aina,

                Nancy Redfeather

April - June 2003 East Hawaii Activities
Compiled by Sarah Sullivan

Things with our group and the efforts to alter the path of GE in Puna have been both fruitful and hectic as of late.

During April a few members of our group helped Uncle Robert and his ohana throw their Kalapana Kalabash which was a celebration of native culture and a platform for speakers on the Hawaiian Independence issue. One of the guests of honor was the Hawaiian Kingdom's Prime Minister Henry Noa. I talked to him about GE and David Leteaurno from the HI-GEAN group spoke to him as well, making a connection and sparking Henry's interest. I've since heard through the grapevine that David has sent Henry some information regarding GE in Hawaii. This is a huge success in alerting our native Hawaiian supporters about the risk that GE presents to them and all of our indepence. 

La'akea (the community I live in) had a booth at the bash and sold native plants, passed out materials for HI-GEAN including their brochures, and plugged the alternatives: our permaculture education facility and all of the courses on alternative agriculture that we hold here. (www.permaculture-hawaii.com)

Among other things we (as Nancy said) tested feral papayas for Marti Crouch to determine how widespread contamination is in Puna of GE papayas. Although we only tested 5 trees, 4 were positive. This was ample evidence for Marti to finish her work on writing grants to do more work with feral GE papayas in the fall. 

We met with German Public Access TV and toured John Cavelry's integrated farm and heard his full story on his GE papayas. (Which he and his partner Jackie unknowingly grew from GE seed.) One good lesson we learned from the media event is that when in public with cameras, EVERYONE wants to know what the film is all about. Be prepared with flyers and extra people to talk to interested folks who might be more than willing to help us when they realize Hawaii is the center of biotechnology!

The process of helping Greenpeace Asia and Melanie Bondera was interesting for me. I spent several hours talking to Mike Durkan, Ernesto Tugalicud, Ginny Aste, and others involved in the dark politics of the original release of the GE papaya. Mike is the one who was sued by UH and Ernesto is also well known in the fight: he has stood out against Monsanto, UH, Dennis Gonsalves and all others involved for years. Making a personal connection to them was valuable and shed a lot of light on the intricacies of the papaya disaster. I learned the importance of getting all sides of the story and talking to the FARMERS, realizing how important that is in our process. When it came down to it, Ernesto and Mike were too afraid to venture to Thailand to stand up against the intro of the GE papaya over there (if that gives you any indication of the way they have been treated and their position now) but even so, the information we got from them has helped us already. As a side note, Mike Durkan told me about when he tried to grow organic papayas. He planted 7 acres of organics (unknowingly fairly close to his GE  papayas) and when he went to get them certified, a percentage were contaminated and he could never sell them as organic! He (obviously) was angry about this because he could not get the organic price per lb. although he had taken the time and care to grow them organically...This may be valuable later and I know he is willing to talk to us.

On another note, I was driving along the road behind one of the several trucks loaded down with papayas I see every day cruising around Puna and as the truck went around the corner, several papayas flew off into the road and nearby ditch. (The trucks are rarely covered with a tarp or anything.) When I saw the truck pull down the road to the dump, I decided to follow it! It went past the dump and then down a little one-way road (which I didn't think was a good idea to follow after on) and came out shortly after empty. Ginny Aste told me they dump the GE papayas they can't sell in various places and I suspect this might have been the case. Anyway, I drove back, took pictures of the silly papayas in the road (ha ha!) and tested it later...sure enough, GE. It just reaffirmed my theory that seed contamination with papayas may be our biggest threat and the countless ways that these GMOs spread is unfathomable. (Also, I've been noticing that ALL of the GE papayas I test have several-perhaps a third -of their seeds empty. I mean, the seed looks full but when I open it there is nothing in side: no embryo, no nothing. Just air. Does anyone know if this is normal? I know Nancy and Elisha have noticed it too when testing with me.)

As far as our bi-monthly meetings go, things have distilled down quite a bit (as they always do) to the most dedicated which is a regular group of ten folks. This has been valuable, actually, in helping us to focus and direct our efforts. One of the best things we did a month or so ago was watch a short segment in the video of the Kona training conference with Skip (on the second tape) about organizing a campaign. 
He goes through all the questions we need to ask ourselves: 

• What are our specific goals (long term and short?)
• What is our plan for strategy, action, focus? 
• Who is our target? 
• Who can get us what we want? 
• What are we trying to accomplish? 

I highly recommend re-watching this with your group or by yourself. It was very helpful in
motivating, empowering, and refocusing us. When we answered all of the above and other questions, we came up with the following ideas which I would love feedback on.

We need a campaign focus which, right now, we believe as a group, is a moratorium on GE. Our target is not necessarily all of the public, but those legislature and those willing to also pressure legislature.(Or more accurately, educate. Although we are still continuing the discussion on this focus next week.) 

We see the moratorium as a two part goal:

• 1.No more open field testing
• 2.No more introductions of commercially grown  GE products

• 1. Liability. Companies/the University must be liable for the repercussions of their experimentation and release of GMOs. We should not have to pay to test our fruits and vegetables, pay if our crops are contaminated, etc.
• 2. Secrecy. We demand to know what is being tested and where. (Although Nancy found out there are no test sites on this island, we feel this is future and island-wide issue to address now.)
• 3. Testing. We want adequate long term peer reviewed testing. The lack of regulation happening now must be brought to light and we must make it known that this is NOT adequate.

A fourth idea was discussed which was the possibility of the reassessment of the commercial GE papaya. This, obviously, was a controversial issue in the group and is still being discussed. We have some interest by organic farmers and permaculturalists to, at least, present alternatives (including their land as an example) to try to redirect the spread of GE papaya.

Some thoughts behind these ideas were:

• Targeting our allies, (those, as I mentioned, that would easily and immediately be willing to help pressure or educate legislature.) People who care about what they eat will care about GE. We would like to meet with all managers of all Hawaii Island natural food stores and gain thier support, educate them, and table at their stores. We would like the tabling to focus on  getting people to write letters to legislature, local county council representatives, etc. in protest of the presence of GE in Hawaii with a focus on our campaign. (The moratorium, perhaps.)
• We would like to target representatives and all parties involved with economic facts (as this may be a more likely "in", as Kona Coffee growers found) including the fact that GE is causing a rise in organic food, the fastest  growing section of the food market.
• We would like to redirect financial focus from GE-money-making-schemes to the rising "Wellness" Industry, focusing on Hawaii as a center of healing and health and pointing out that this may be way more lucrative, sustainable, and prosperous in the long term. (And it already is a big draw here in Hawaii.)
• As always, we would like to present alternatives. We want to get testimonies, vision statements, and financial figures on how profitable, say, our idea of Hawaii as the heirloom seedbank of the world would be or what benefits Organic Farming entail.

Besides that, I have made a personal committment to my group and self to stay focused on positivity, the celebration and spread of education on existing working systems and organics and also to offer an opinion and demonstation site of successful diverse growing. La'akea is holding a "Concious Living Forum" centered on Permaculture next Wednesday as well as a Intro to Permaculture course next Saturday. Both will partly focus on GE as a threat to Hawaii and what our alternatives are. I feel it is our responsibility for us to include this in all work that we do, recognizing the power of word and tangible nature of example.

Among other personal insights I would like to share is the value of community in all of this work. Several of the most devout GE-FREE groupies in Puna are neighbors to La'akea. This work has strengthened my personal bonds with the surrounding land on which I reside and offered  what I feel is the most valuable of all successes in this-friendship and support-in light of such difficult work. Jeff, (who was at the conference in Kona) is now ALSO volunteering with us here at La'akea one day a week with his partner Lyne. Much of our campaign building and constuctive conversation goes on through the limbs of citrus while pruning or while sifting compost...something about this seems so uplifting and righteous: tending to fruitful trees and building up soil while planning our future of sustainability.

As the spearheader to the "Visionary" group (that I volunteered for back when we met) I have a request. Something I have found inspiring and valuable to do as a group is go over our accomplishments and our long term visions. (Over do it with the list of accomplishment! We deserve to pat ourselves on the back! Whatever your long term vision is, please voice it. THIS has an effect on things too.) I would greatly appreciate if we can all think about this and send it to the GEFREEHI group to catalyze inspiration, motivation and remember that we are all in support of each other, near or far.

What our group in Puna has done since it's recent birth in March 4 months ago is:

• bridge gaps with our native Hawaiian friends who have offered their unconditional support and blessings,
• educate upwards of 100 people about GE (who all attending our meetings in the beginning,)
• connect with Henry Noa-prime minister of the Kingdom of Hawaii,
• hold a papaya testing which got international attention and helped spark awareness, grant writing, action (of taking down GE papayas,) helped bring John Cavelry's story to light which will be viewed in Germany, and help other GE FREE groups hold thier own testing
• helped bring awareness, in general, to the GE papaya issue including having media coverage in the Hawaii Island Journal in "Plenty Papaya Problems" by Alan McNarie
• tested feral papayas which helped support possible follow-up projects regarding seed contamination
• held a "Non-GMO" focused Solstice seed exchange
• marched in the Volcano parade with "No more Genetic Engineering" signs in support of the Green Party!
• connected with local farmers and found valuable information and connections for future actions on GE on the Big Island
• developed invaluable connections as friends and activist.

We can do ANYTHING together...

Looking forward to hearing all of your updates.
Aloha,
Sarah Sullivan -  La'akea Gardens