I recently had the privilege of traveling to the beautiful Hawaiian island of Kauai for a much needed vacation. After considering a number of warm sunny options, we chose the Garden Isle based on its recreational diversity, natural beauty and relaxed atmosphere. Others have also noted Kauai as a tropical Eden; Jurassic Park was filmed near the rugged western Na Pali coast, and for those of us old enough to remember, the producers of the television show Fantasy Island selected the lush rainforest and waterfalls as the backdrop for paradise.
As a popular tourist destination, it offers surfing, hiking with incredible vistas, good old fashioned sunbathing on gorgeous white sand beaches, world-class golf and quaint art shops. The tourism heavy economy is reliant on ensuring that all of these treasures are well preserved.
In addition to the beautiful natural resources, it also has a LNG (liquefied natural gas) plant, as natural gas provides much of the commercial and residential energy. Like the proposed Woodfibre LNG plant, the Kauai plant peacefully co-exists with the ecofriendly tourist services and properties.
Kauai is not a large place. The road that circles the island is shorter in length than my commute from Squamish into the lower mainland. All of the LNG tankers, trucks and tank farm go largely unnoticed by the locals and tourists alike, in relatively close proximity to one another. In fact, the cruise ship terminal and Marriott resort are within a stone’s throw of the LNG plant.
I have now seen firsthand that clean industry and recreationally based tourism not only can go hand in hand, they already do. Tourism in Kauai is growing continually, a testament to that fact. When the naysayers tell you the opposite, check the facts for yourself.
Keith Sones
Squamish
