Excerpts of Rep. Calvin Say's address to the Legislature yesterday:

It is not my intention to offend anyone here today when I say that we are too complacent, too focused on our own individual concerns and too accepting of the way things are. Forces beyond our state's control will work against our shared beliefs if we do not act.

We are thousands of miles away from the resources necessary to support the lives of well over a million people. So we must significantly increase our efforts to achieve greater sustainability. Our commitment to that effort will truly help Hawai'i take charge of its destiny.

So let me begin with what I believe is our most pressing environmental and economic concern — our total dependence on imported fossil fuels — fuels that cost us more and more each day.

The increase in their price shows up in the gas we buy, the electricity we use and the food we eat.

Hawai'i is not far away from a day when the cost of jet fuel will start to play havoc with our tourist-based economy. Some say it has already started to do that.

You can be sure that many of our families are struggling with rising gas prices.

Why are we moving so slowly? Most of the energy we need can be created here at home. Are the threats to the status quo and the increasing appetites of real estate developers standing in our way?

Hawai'i's unique environment presents us with an unparalleled opportunity to lead our nation in the development of renewable energies. Consider a few possibilities:

Ethanol from sugarcane is more than five times as energy-efficient as ethanol produced from corn, and it significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

I realize there are considerable challenges surrounding the increased production of sugarcane and other bio-fuel crops. Issues of water rights and infrastructure; issues that will require us to change our land-use policies.

But wouldn't most of us rather gaze at a sugarcane field that helps power our cars, than a field of high-rise condos built for the offshore rich?

Leeward O'ahu, Moloka'i, Lana'i and western Maui have some of the best solar energy resources in the nation. And yet we have hardly begun to tap their potential.

The U.S. Department of Energy says Hawai'i has wind resources consistent with utility-scale production. Every single one of our islands has potential for generating power from wind.

Lana'i and Maui already have a start, but there is much we can do to accelerate the permitting of renewable energy development.

Kaua'i is the wettest spot on Earth and yet we have done almost nothing to develop hydropower as a potential resource. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that Kaua'i has hydropower resources equal to about 70 percent of its electricity needs.

Wave energy development lies just over the horizon. We sure have plenty of waves just waiting for that day.

All of these alternative energies will require big changes: changes in how we view our landscapes, changes in state support levels, and changes in our willingness to be energy efficient and conserve energy.

In the end, achieving better energy efficiency and practicing conservation are the two most immediate ways we can decrease our dependence on outside resources.

If we could just produce half of Hawai'i's energy, we would add at least $2 billion to the state's economy. And the money stays here, not in a bank somewhere in Texas or the Middle East. This is how we will begin to take charge of our own destiny.

If Hawai'i is to take charge of its own destiny, we must take a closer look at another change we will need to make.

The young adults of this state have virtually no seat at the table where the real decisions are made. This is wrong and it works to our disadvantage.

Generation X is now entering its late 30s and early 40s. Members of this generation founded Google, Yahoo, MySpace, Dell, and YouTube. Those are billion-dollar tech companies. Should we expect less of those who follow from Generation Y?

We will never know unless we open up our institutions, our committees and boardrooms to provide the kind of access to leadership these young people deserve.

All of us are saddened by the decision of UH football coach June Jones to leave Hawai'i. We wish him well. Regrettably, his departure draws attention to a badly neglected problem at the university: the deplorable condition of many of its facilities.

Lack of adequate attention to this problem is leading many of the best faculty members at the university to consider leaving. We cannot allow this to happen.

Regardless of the tough budget problems we face this year, we must find the money to help the university deal with this crisis. I promise you, on behalf of the 51 members of this chamber, we will do our share.