Connect With Lt. Governor Chin
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I recently met with 13 International journalists participating in the East West Center's Senior Journalists Seminar.
Launched in 2013, the Senior Journalists Seminar is an immersive 21-day dialogue, study, and travel program intended to enhance media coverage and elevate the public debate regarding identity and religion’s role in and resulting impact on the public sphere, specifically as it concerns U.S. relations with Muslim majority regions. The participants also explore religious identity, experience, and diversity in the literary, visual, performing, and media arts of those countries visited as well as the role of media in choosing, framing, and disseminating stories with a religious element and its effective shaping of public perception and U.S. relations with the Muslim region.
The Seminar is funded by the East-West Center, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.
On behalf of Governor David Ige, it’s my pleasure to attend with my wife, Kathleen, the Sunset on the Beach and the 2018 World Premiere of Magnum and Hawaii Five-0. The stars came out but first, we all enjoyed a gorgeous sunset.
One of my goals, as Lieutenant Governor, is to ensure that the Aina Pono Hawaii State Farm to School Program expands and becomes sustainable for future generations.
Here is my opinion piece in today's Star Advertiser:
www.staradvertiser.com/2018/09/13/editorial/island-voices/column-from-farm-to-school-cafeteria-bu...
During preparations for Hurricane Lane recently, Hawaii was ordered to close its waters to cargo ships and all incoming vessels. Moments like this remind Hawaii of its dependence on imported food. Approximately 85 percent of our food is grown on the mainland or abroad and we have only weeks of food available if our ports ever close.
Achieving food security is a key motivation for the ‘Aina Pono Hawai‘i State Farm to School Program. Launched by former Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui in 2015, ‘Aina Pono is the state’s innovative program to stimulate local food production and improve childhood health by purchasing 40 percent local food for school meals statewide.
With 197 cafeterias serving more than 100,000 meals per day, or 18 million plus meals a year, Hawaii’s Department of Education (HIDOE) is the largest restaurant in Hawaii. HIDOE’s annual school food budget is approximately $108 million, of which about $35 million is spent on food.
By replacing imported food with local produce, beef, milk and more, ‘Aina Pono may expand local food production, boost farmer earnings and the local economy by tens of millions of dollars and create hundreds of new jobs.
To test the feasibility of sourcing local food for school meals, the ‘Aina Pono executive committee oversaw two pilot projects from 2016 through 2018. Both were successful in training cafeteria staff, local farmer outreach, developing new recipes/menus, and tracking data points. The cafeterias went from serving primarily processed foods to delicious scratch-cooked meals with fresh, local food while decreasing food waste and costs.
The pilots exceeded expectations, but taking ‘Aina Pono into statewide implementation may require significant shifts in school food programs in Hawaii, including increasing HIDOE’s administrative bandwidth to: train cafeteria staff statewide; network with the agricultural community to follow trends in local food production and provide guidance on government contracting; track data; create localized USDA-approved menus and recipes; manage multiple local food contracts; and more.
Hawaii now has an incredible opportunity to increase federal funding for public school food to the tune of $15 million per year. Currently, the federal government funds 50 percent of Hawaii’s food programs, with cash sales (25 percent) and state tax revenues (25 percent) covering the balance. However, Hawaii loses approximately $15 million annually because the feds use outdated costs of living statistics from 1979 to determine our federal school food reimbursement.
To update our federal allocation to 2018 levels, HIDOE must provide details of current food program costs to the federal government. Thanks to Superintendent Christina Kishimoto’s commitment to ‘Aina Pono, HIDOE’s School Food Services Branch is developing a new financial management system to track ‘Aina Pono’s goals of purchasing 40 percent local food, purchasing 60 percent fresh food, and achieving cost neutrality by reducing food waste and increasing efficiencies. The new system will also generate the data needed by the feds to consider increasing Hawaii’s funding allocation.
By reinvesting tax dollars into local communities, sustainable practices and nutrition education for students, ‘Aina Pono can ignite the next generation of “citizen eaters,” who understand and value the connection between food, health and agriculture.
HIDOE has committed to harnessing its tremendous buying power to make ‘Aina Pono a reality statewide. We can all help. Contact your state and federal legislators and school officials in support of updating the federal reimbursement rate to reflect 2018 costs of living.
By supporting the ‘Aina Pono Hawai‘i State Farm to School Program, we’re investing in Hawaii’s keiki, school cafeteria workers, and local farmers to ensure food security and a healthier future.
The annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony is held to honor the memory of all those we lost in the 2001 attacks. On this 17th anniversary of the attack, it was my honor to recognize our many first responders, from the Honolulu Police Department, Fire Department, and Emergency Medical Services.
On behalf of Governor David Ige, I presented this Special Proclamation:
WHEREAS, 2018 marks the 17th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the hijacked plane crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, on September 11, 2001, the American people endured the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil in the nation's history with courage and heroism; and
WHEREAS, more than 400 first responders -- firefighters, law enforcement officers, emergency rescue workers, and military personnel -- bravely sacrificed their lives to aid their fellow citizens; and
WHEREAS, courage and selflessness knew no bounds when neighbors helped neighbors and strangers helped strangers, regardless of race, gender, age background or faith; and
WHEREAS, each year on 9/11, we respectfully honor the memory of those who were lost in the attacks -- Michael Collins, 38; Patricia Colodner, 39; Georgine Corrigan, 56; Maile Hale, 26; Heather Ho, 32; Richard Keane, 54; David Laychak, 40; Richard Y.C. Lee, 34; and Christine Snyder, 32 -- whose hearts and memories are with families in Hawai'i, and will always be remembered with much love and honor; and
WHEREAS, our hearts go out to the Hawaii personnel of American and United Airlines who lost team members that day; and
WHEREAS, we remember the sacrifice of the many first responders, and we salute the Honolulu Police Department, Honolulu Fire Department, and Emergency Medical Services and all first responders who serve to protect the people of Hawai'i; and
WHEREAS, the freedom and liberty we enjoy today at home in the islands and abroad is due to the service and commitment of individuals and communities that work together to protect our values, lives, families, state and nation;
THEREFORE I, DAVID Y. IGE, Governor, and I, DOUGLAS S. CHIN, Lieutenant Governor of the State of Hawai'i, do hereby proclaim September 11, 2018 as "9/11 REMEMBRANCE DAY" in Hawaii.
Governor Ige and I ask the citizens of the Aloha State to join us in observing this day as we honor and remember the lives of those lost on 9 /11, continue to support the families and survivors in healing, pay tribute to those who rose in service, and give thanks to those who continue to serve our country today, including active duty and reserve soldiers and their families, veterans, and first responders.
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On behalf of Governor David Ige, it was my honor and sincere
pleasure to recently attend the Daniel Robert Sayre Memorial Foundation 21st Annual Awards Ceremony on the Big Island.
I commended everyone for their mission of the heart, for long supporting the Foundation, which has helped the Hawaii County Fire Department acquire state of the art rescue and life-saving equipment and training for the past 21 years.
Their collective endeavor is truly impressive and reflects community spirit at its best.
In memory of their son, Dr. Frank Sayre and Laura Mallery-Sayre, created this Foundation and ignited many community members and businesses to forge amazing partnerships that have helped the Foundation be so successful.
Awards were presented to members of the Hawaii Fire Department, highlighting the many contributions made by the entire department in providing services to the community and to our visitors, including Fire Suppression, EMS Services, Emergency Rescue, HAZMAT, and Ocean Safety.
The evening reflected a true, compassionate community made up of emergency personnel, volunteers and supporters. Every one of them can be proud to have played a part in helping save lives in Hawaii.
The photos here are courtesy of West Hawaii Today and here's a link to its article about the event:
www.westhawaiitoday.com/2018/09/02/hawaii-news/turning-tragedy-into-a-miracle-daniel-r-sayre-memo...
‘Aina Pono Farm to School
