Hawai‘i
Beyond Pesticides has served as a policy and information resource for communities and organizations across Hawai‘i for years. We strive to continue bringing our resources and years of experience across the United States to support grassroots efforts and priorities driven by local leaders in communities across Hawai‘i.
- Hawai‘i Program Director, Autumn Ness
Projects:
Pesticide Free Public Spaces
2016: We were invited to Maui by Council Member Elle Cochran for the state’s first ever multi-agency pesticide free land management training events. It was a huge success, that trip kicked off a 4-site pesticide free county park pilot program, and included a project that showed the State Department of Transportation how to effectively use goats along busy highways to eradicate invasive species and build soil health.
2017: We were invited to join the Protect Our Keiki Coalition, an incredibly effective group of organizations working policy and campaigns in communities across Hawai‘i and with state and county governments.
2018- : We support policies regulating pesticide use in Maui and Hawai‘i Counties. We provide trainings and support for public and private entities who want to transition to organic land management, including:
- County of Maui Parks Department
- County of Kaua‘i Parks Department
- County of Hawai‘i Parks Department
- West Maui Hotels and Resorts
2019: Lee Johnson Speaking Tour (first person to successfully sue Monsanto, when a court ruled his Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma was directly related to his use of Roundup). Working with the Protect Our Keiki Coalition, we brough Lee Johnson to Maui, Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i and ‘Oahu to speak to policy makers, parks and highways staff, and Department of Education about the dangers of pesticides, building support for organic land management.
More media from the tour: Big Island News, Maui Time
Herbicides Banned in Public Schools: Superintendent of Hawai‘i Schools banned the use of herbicides on all public school grounds, effective the day following Lee Johnson’s meeting with the Board of Education.
>> More media: Hawai‘i News Now
Pesticide Regulations
We work with the Protect Our Keiki Coalition to engage average people in the political process, amplify their voices in government, and drive policy that results in better regulation of pesticide-heavy industrial agriculture and the chemical companies conducting outdoor genetic engineering (GE) crop testing.
Sustainable Farming
- Farmworker Housing
- Legal roadblocks to living and housing farmworkers on agricultural land is a major barrier to success of small, independent farms. We work with state and county boards and agencies to change and streamline policies on behalf of farmers.
- Cover crop & other sustainable farming practice incentives
- Working on county, state and national levels to increase incentives for cover cropping and other sustainable practices.
Watchdogging
We examine pesticide use records, look for regulatory loopholes, monitor patterns and practices so we can better understand pesticide use trends by the chemical corporations and large industrial agriculture operations
More photos...
