Excerpts of Sen. Colleen Hanabusa's speech to the Legislature yesterday:

I stood here before you a year ago, having assumed the presidency of the Senate for the first time. On that day, I informed you that the overarching theme of the Senate was sustainability for the future of our state. I asked you to remember that this journey to sustainability would not be quick or easy, and that it would require all of us to remain focused and patient in achieving our goals.

Since then, the Sustainability 2050 Task Force has completed another year of work and has published its report. We expect the standard litany of criticism: "There they go again, doing another report and spending more taxpayer dollars."

This standard criticism would be valid if we, as policymakers, did nothing with the wealth of facts and concerns provided by those who took the time and responsibility to get involved in our work and share their views of sustainability.

We are taking action on the work of the task force. Our Senate majority package includes bills that will help address our housing needs and our educational needs. Bills that will help our kupuna, help build sustainable communities and help improve our tax base. Bills that reflect the needs and desires of our state and our people.

Over the past year, two events came together to show me — in stark terms — the crossroads that we stand at today.

The first was some concern over what we all came to lovingly refer to as "that darn boat." Love it or hate it, the Superferry was the lightning-rod question of the year. On its face, the Superferry issue seemed only whether or not the state should have granted an environmental exemption to allow the ferry to operate. But the Superferry controversy was not about a boat, or a mode of transportation, or the environmental laws of this state. It was about how that single question — like a pebble hitting a rock hitting a boulder — created an avalanche.

It was about people feeling irrelevant, ignored and helpless. It was about communities dividing, positions hardening and people losing hope.

Worst of all, it was about fear. The fear that one's future was no longer within one's control. The fear that tomorrow belongs to them — and not to us. The fear that the ferry somehow symbolized our future, good or bad, and whether we like it or not. The fear of what is the future? What is the Hawai'i that we will have in 20 to 40 years?

This manifested itself in what we legislators had to deal with in the special session. The questions of Honolulu-centrism. Us versus them. Neighbor Islands versus O'ahu. Locals versus new arrivals. And then what was not said but clearly there: growth versus the status quo; development versus agriculture; urban egotism versus rural reverse-elitism.

These labels showed us the division in our community. But how deep or how hardened it is — how long we allow it to remain — will determine how we address the challenge of our shared future.

For those of us who heard the Superferry testimony on the Neighbor Islands, we asked if we can cure this divide over all of those polarized positions.

But then, just as the Superferry erupted, seemingly out of nowhere, we experienced another phenomenon. A phenomenon that made it clear that the people of this state can pull together. The phenomenon of Warrior fever. The shared experience of watching our football team go undefeated in the regular season.

The deep shadows of the Superferry battles faded in the bright light shone by our pride and ownership in every win of the UH Warriors.

Joined together by this unprecedented string of victories, united in our admiration and gratitude for the talent, commitment and determination of those young men and the coaches who showed them the way, we were again one community. This was a thing we shared, a unique expression of what we are together, and what we can accomplish when we share a goal.

A few months ago, at a meeting of the Hawai'i 2050 Task Force, someone asked a group of nine student participants how many of them saw themselves in Hawai'i at age 35. The student members are all in Hawai'i public and private high schools and represent some of our finest young minds. And faced with that question, not one raised their hand. None of them saw a future here at home.

Now, I have nothing but respect for these young men and women. I think I share the opinion of the entire task force that they are doing our state a great service by participating in developing our Hawai'i of tomorrow. But I will tell you: I intend to prove them wrong.

If we cannot make Hawai'i a place where our best and brightest can build a rewarding future, then we will have failed. And we will not fail.

For the leaders of tomorrow, we must provide leadership today. This is truly a time for great leaders. A time to demonstrate our determination to master our destiny. A time for a vision that extends beyond our immediate needs and our petty differences. And the effort cannot be limited to this room or this Capitol building.

A sustainable Hawai'i is a Hawai'i that we will share. This time, there is no "them"; it is all "us." This time, we all play for the same team.