Pesticides & Public Health Panel Discussion on Dec 21st
Hawaiʻi may have some of the highest application rates (pounds of active ingredients/acre) of certain hazardous restricted use pesticides (RUP’s) in the US. Pursuant to the passage of Act 45 in 2018, starting in 2019 data on the extent of restricted use pesticides (RUP’s) used in Hawaiʻi became available for the first time. While a summary of total individual RUP usage by island is available on the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture website, 2019 RUP usage by parcel (tax map key/TMK) was obtained via UIPA request. An analysis of this first year of reporting is shining a light for the first time on the extent of RUP usage in Hawaiʻi.
About the Panel Discussion:
As part of the Future of Food & Agriculture in Hawaiʻi Speaker Series HAPA is partnering with the Sustainable Community Food Systems Program at the University of Hawiʻi - West Oʻahu and the UH Better Tomorrow Speaker Series to host a panel discussion on Pesticides and Public Health on December 21st, 2023 at 5 pm.
The panel event, entitled Pesticides & Public Health will explore the scientific evidence of the public health risks of pesticide exposure and its implications for Hawaiʻi communities. The panel will be hosted at Ka Waiwai (1110 University Ave, Suite 100, Honolulu) between 6 and 8pm. The first hour between 5 and 6pm will be gathering with educational materials available, then between 6 and 7pm we will host the panel discussion followed by an hour long community conversation and question & answer session.
The panel will feature Rosana Hernandez Weldon PhD, MPH, Associate Specialist at UH Manoa Office of Public Health Studies, Fern Holland, HAPA community organizer and environmental scientist and Maui County Council Member Keani Rawlins-Fernandez (Molokaʻi).
About our Panelists:
Rosana Hernandez Weldon PhD, MPH
Associate Specialist at UH Mānoa Office of Public Health Studies
Dr. Weldon’s research interests and expertise are in exposure assessment and environmental epidemiology of women, children, and reproduction. During her career in Public Health she has worked on various large-scale, federally-funded studies including: including a longitudinal birth cohort study of primarily Mexican-American women and children exposed to pesticides in the Salinas Valley (Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS). Dr. Weldon is working with HAPA to determine potential health effects of pesticides in agricultural communities across Hawai‘i.
Fern Holland
Community Organizer, HAPA
Ms. Holland is from Kauaʻi and has been active in local issues relating to heavy pesticide use, land management, native ecosystem restoration, food sovereignty, and regenerative agriculture locally for over a decade. She received her Bachelor of Science with triple majors in Wildlife Management, Environmental Science and Marine Biology from Griffith University’s School of Environment on the Gold Coast in Australia. Holland was an integral part of the development and passing of Kauaʻi County Bill 2491 for disclosure, buffers and protections related to biotech experimental research practices and she is featured in the award winning documentary, Poisoning Paradise. She has worked for over 15 years on environmental justice issues associated with industrialized agriculture and biotech pesticide and GE experimentation in Hawaiʻi and globally.
Councilmember Keani Rawlins-Fernandez
Maui County Councilmember (Molokaʻi)
Council Member Rawlins-Fernandez was born and raised on Molokaʻi, and grew up in a family intimately connected to 'āina. This connection instilled in her the importance of the reciprocal relationship between people and ʻāina. She is honored to serve the people and ‘āina of Molokaʻi, Maui, Lāna‘i, and Kaho‘olawe and is working to ensure that our community’s voice is put at the center of decision-making, that our ‘āina is protected, and that our people are cared for. It is Council Member Rawlins-Fernandez’s life's work to protect and serve our islands, our community and our culture here in Hawai'i. Along with being a steward for our 'āina, she is also the proud mother of two beautiful, kind and intelligent children.
About Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action
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The Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action (HAPA) is deeply committed to championing social, economic, and environmental justice throughout Hawaiʻi. Recognizing the interconnected nature of food systems, we underscore that the challenges plaguing these systems are not isolated from broader social, economic, and environmental concerns. We believe in an integrated approach that addresses these interdependencies to create a just, equitable, and sustainable future for Hawaiʻi.
Contact: info@hapahi.org | (808) 212-9616
