Tamlyn Hunt

Economy Our single biggest vulnerability is food. Food is life! We remain dangerously at risk from global supply chain shocks, conflict, natural disasters, etc. We need to ramp up local food production for resilience, jobs, and health -- and fast! Infrastructure / Transportation Hemp can be used to create many different building products including hempcrete, which is fireproof, light, easy to work with, and doesn't mold. Bamboo can grow very well here and it is incredibly strong. Combining hempcrete for walls with bamboo for structural support might be the best of all worlds. Architects like Deborah Todd are pioneering this technology on our island. Building codes and other rules need to catch up with innovative and sustainable materials like hempcrete and bamboo. Economy We need more food hubs and affordable commercial kitchens to support local food preparation and businesses. Far too much food sold here isn't grown or prepared here. New cottage food laws make it easier for local businesses to prepare and sell food at local markets of all kinds -- we just need the infrastructure to allow it to happen. Environment / Energy I am working with my team at Think BIG, Ke O Mau Center, UH's CTAHR, and other partners to educate people about growing local crops that want to grow here, and can provide food forests, without a lot of work. We need choke papaya, ulu, lilikoi, mango, all over Puna and the Big Island! Let's get planting. Environment / Energy Electric vehicles (EVs) are here now and are increasingly affordable. They are amazing cars, quiet, powerful, very clean, and with far less maintenance required than gas or diesel cars. We need more public charger options around our island and our state. And we need to bring back EV purchase rebates so that all income levels can get into an EV. Environment / Energy The solar future is here! Solar has become incredibly cheap and easy to install on homes, businesses, parking lots, government buildings, big box stores, etc. Rooftop and parking lot solar can provide almost all of our power needs when combined with battery storage and baseload geothermal power.