There have been some changes at the Neighborhood Board. Following the October meeting, Shad Kane resigned as Chair and resigned from the Neighborhood Board itself. Shad always put the people first, and his departure is a great loss to the Board and to the community. As Vice Chair, I have moved up to Acting Chair.

The chair has the important task of setting the agenda for the meetings. During my tenure, I will use this privilege to try to make a difference. Over the years, the Board has often received presentations from government, developers, and businesses planning to build large complexes. No one has ever been invited to speak on alternative possibilities, to speak for the environment, or about our quality of life, or to address issues of even greater scope. To help us plan more knowledgeably, I will bring a variety of speakers before the board.

This will start at our January meeting with a presentation by Professor Ira Rohter. Professor Rohter is often called the father of sustainability n Hawai’i. His book, A Green Hawai’i, first introduced sustainable thought to the state in 1994. Always ahead of his time, Rohter has oved on to study four interconnected and potentially catastrophic issues that will soon confront mankind. Join us for his fascinating talk and slide program, “Everything As We Know It Will Change — How will Hawai’i and the world adapt to the convergences of

(1) the end of cheap oil and gas
(2) collapsing, poisoned and polluted ecosystems
(3) runaway global climate changes and rising seas and
(4) financial system breakdowns?”

The meeting will be at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 23rd, at Kapolei High School cafeteria. I strongly encourage you to attend, or to catch it on subsequent Saturday evenings from 6:00 to 9:00 on Channel 54.