Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Hawaii's Hottest Issue: Update On Geothermal Development, Paul Faulstich

Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research

Walking through Hawai'i's Wao Kele O Puna rainforest, you can hear the coarse volcanic soil crunch underfoot. A surrealistic calm lingers in the thick air while songbirds call out from the understory. Yet this is a forest under siege.

Geothermal developers want to tap the volcanic heat beneath the Wao Kele O Puna forest and use it to make electricity and profits.

Hawaiians Fight For The Rainforest, Paul Faulstich

Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research

On March 25, 141 were arrested as part of the largest demonstration yet against the drilling of geothermal wells in the Wao Kele O Puna Rainforest on the Big Island of Hawaii. The geothermal project, undertaken by True Geothermal Company and endorsed by Hawaii's governor and other high-powered, short-sighted people, has already invaded the largest intact tropical lowland rainforest in the United States. The demonstration drew over 1500 protesters,

Hawaii's Rainforest Crunch: Land, People, And Geothermal Development, Paul Faulstich

Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research

One hundred and forty-one people, led by Native Hawaiians, were arrested on 25 March 1990 as part of the largest demonstration yet against geothermal development in Hawaii. The gathering was intended to focus attention on Native Hawaiian rights and the ecological consequences of drilling geothermal wells in the near-pristine Wao Kele O Puna rain forest. The energy project, undertaken by True Geothermal Company and endorsed by Hawaii's governor and other imposing figures, has already invaded the largest intact tropical lowland rain forest in the United States.