Known for delicious pineapples and their one-of-a-kind drone workforce, Ananas Farms is a popular destination for tourists and fruit lovers alike. The hi-tech farm has revitalized pineapple farming on the island almost single-handedly, but their next innovation has run into trouble from the Lahaina City Council. The farm has been building a state-of-the-art algae growing facility for the past six months, with the hopes of beginning production before summer. That goal seems unlikely now, as the city council has voted to halt construction pending a zoning investigation, and an environmental impact study. The farm says they have already filed all relevant paperwork, including a study with the state.
Roy Ananas says, “Algae is not just the food of the future, it has the potential to power homes, clean the environment, and help everyone become self-sustainable.” Ananas says he became interested in farming algae after attending The Hawaiian AG Expo in 2045, but hadn’t been able to seriously explore the field until last year. “The success of the pineapple business has allowed us to really expand the farm and explore other opportunities,” he says.
Roy points out that algae contains twice as much protein as most meat, and is packed with vitamins and minerals.
“It has more beta carotene than carrots and more iron than spinach. It really is a superfood. On top of that, microalgae takes up very little space, can grow in non-potable water or on non-arable soil in a way that reduces greenhouse gases, and without putting pressure on the environment. In addition, as a photosynthetic organism: algae uses sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into usable energy, expelling oxygen as a byproduct. I can envision a time when everyone has a big algae tank for food and energy in their backyard.”
Ananas says the algae project was greenlighted months ago, and the county has numerous environmental impact studies concerning the expansion already on file. He says the council’s shift in attitude is due to last month’s shake-up over the trash scandal, and one person, in particular, Bob Abramo.
Despite Roys accusations, Maui District Health Office official Betsy Kaukau says she respects the council’s decision saying, “Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and there’s plenty of smoke regarding the safety of the tanks used by Ananas Farms.” Kaukau says, “I don’t think Roy and his family divulged that they were using some of the same contractors responsible for building the Pilua Shrimp Farm and we all know how that turned out. It was so bad that the FDA got involved, calling it, ‘the most dangerous aquaculture operation the agency has ever seen.’ Thousands got sick from eating their tainted shrimp, and over 500,000 cans of SSHAM, SSHAM Less, and SSHAM Extra Spicy, had to be recalled for public safety. As far as I’m concerned those contractors, and anyone who’d use them, are just as responsible for all those sick people, as the owner who used the toxic shrimp feed.”
Ananas calls Kaukau statements ridiculous, pointing out that the contractors in question specialize in building aquaculture pools, ponds, and tanks. He claims they had nothing to do with the mismanagement responsible for the public health disaster at Pilua. “It’s like saying a tire company is responsible for drunk driving,” he says.
However, newly appointed member of the Lahaina City Council and Chairman of The Solid Waste Resource Advisory Committee Bob Abramo says that too many unanswered questions remain about the proposed algae farm, and the council needs to take a better look.
“If I’m not mistaken, Veilcorp dumped millions of urchins into the water surrounding Lahaina to eat the algae that was killing the coral. Now we’re going to grow more algae, on purpose so WE can eat it? I just have to ask why we didn’t send out a bunch of people who want to make salads out of this gunk, and cut out the urchins in the first place? We’re not talking about Nori wraps or Kombu and a nice dashi broth, we’re talking about pond scum. Our waters are too important to allow what is in essence, a scum factory to operate in Lahaina. Look, if you want to live your life taking supplements, drinking fermented tea, and licking the slime of off rocks to survive, that’s your right. Just don’t ask me to advocate it, or use public funds to support it. Make no mistake, the algae farm is a slippery slope. It’s just a matter of time before they’re pushing “Slimy Sundays” along with “Meatless Mondays”. People did not climb to the top of the food chain to not eat meat two days in a row. Worse yet, is when they try making burgers, and fake-chicken out of it. Thinking of all the children forced to eat green hot dogs at a picnic, breaks my meat-loving heart.”
