Each week Editorial and Opinion Editor Jeanne Mariani-Belding hosts The Hot Seat, our opinion-page blog that brings in elected leaders and people in the news and lets you ask the questions during a live online chat.

On The Hot Seat last week was Jeff Mikulina, director of the Sierra Club's Hawai'i chapter.

Here is an excerpt from that Hot Seat session. To see the full conversation, go to The Hot Seat blog at www.honoluluadvertiser.com/opinion and click on "The Hot Seat." (Names of questioners are screen names given during our online chat.)

Stacy: How does the Sierra Club view the rail project here on O'ahu? I know nationally Sierra Club is a supporter of rail but I have not seen or heard anything from the Sierra Club here on O'ahu about it. What are your thoughts on it?

Mikulina: Our local O'ahu leadership has a transit policy that supports some sort of fixed guideway transit system, in conjunction with other, multi-modal transit planning. You are welcome to read the policy here: www.hi.sierra club.org/oahu/nonPermanent/tran sit/position.html.

Now, that said, the local leadership has been concerned — as have many folks — about the political machinations surrounding the recent rail discussions. We do think that some sort of dedicated transit way is necessary to both reduce pressure on car traffic and facilitate smart planning.

Annie: I have a follow-up question to one of your earlier responses to the rail project. By dedicated transit way, you don't mean HOV lanes, do you? I would think that would be more harmful to the environment? Also, will the Sierra Club on O'ahu make some kind of commitment to rail if that is what happens?

Mikulina: By dedicated transit, we mean some form of true mass transit, not special Lexus lanes. Transit offers a lot of benefits, not the least of which are providing transit options for those who are unable to drive (young, elderly, differently abled, carless).

I believe the local leadership will make some sort of commitment on the final technology chosen.

Maxine in Palolo Valley: What are the important first steps the state needs to take to tackle climate change impacts on the islands?

I'm most concerned about Hawai'i's ability to achieve and maintain long-term independence in the areas of energy and agriculture. What is the Sierra Club doing to forward these efforts? Is the group working with the public and private sector to bring about solutions in the next five to 10 years?

How can we improve the public's participation in climate change solutions?

Mikulina: We have to address two issues: 1) how to reduce Hawai'i's contribution to the problem, and 2) how to prepare for the inevitable impacts that we will likely experience from a changing climate. Briefly, for No. 1, we have started to make some strides. The 2007 Global Warming Solutions Act (setting a binding limit on the amount of greenhouse gas our state emits) was a big step in capping our contribution to the problem. The passage of the solar roofs bill and similar policies will help us to the easy energy savings (and monetary savings) steps first. But we have a long way to go to transform our energy sources — and energy culture — in Hawai'i. That will require everyone's participation.

For No. 2, we need to start planning as though climate change matters. We know the sea level is going to rise. We can't say with certainty how much or how soon, but we know change is coming. So we should start to have "managed retreat" from our shorelines — setting our development back farther to reduce the need for beach-destroying seawalls. We have to start to examine (and soon) other ways to prepare for the coming changes. Some focused leadership and research attention from the university is also sorely needed.

But I think we, as a state, can overcome this. Change is nature. It begins when we decide.

Grayson314: People need food. People need housing. People need jobs. People need open space. People need a clean environment. People need clean, renewable energy instead of depending on foreign oil. How do you suggest we balance our conflicting needs? We can't realistically stop all growth unless we want people sleeping on beaches and everyone burning oil, oil, oil.

Mikulina: Yes, people need food. That is one reason why the Sierra Club has fought many of the "fake farm" developments that are urbanizing the state's agricultural land. It is also one reason why the Sierra Club has worked with other environmental organizations to restore stream flow for taro farmers.

Proper planning can make housing more affordable, particularly if features such as solar water heating are incorporated in housing design up-front. It also can ensure that housing is built near jobs, rather than being sprawled out. Given the capacity of the islands' sewer systems, landfills and roads, it is time to rethink the kind of growth the state has been facing. We need to provide jobs and housing for local people. But do we need to develop luxury subdivisions for millionaires? Those are the tradeoff decisions that we — as a society — need to make. We need to let the sustainability of our islands be the benchmark for decision making.

Natalie: What is your vision for a sustainable and energy independent future in Hawai'i? How can people help to get there?

Mikulina: I don't know how much room we have here for the vision thing.

When we look at Hawai'i's long-term sustainability (environmentally, culturally, economically), we need to look at what our strategic advantages are. If we choose, we could be the role model for developing clean energy solutions — solutions that the rest of the globe hungers for. If we choose, we can cultivate a tourism industry that respects the local culture and preserves the millennial old values that it provides. If we choose, we can develop a strong local organic agriculture industry that supports rural lifestyles.

Everyone has a role to play in shaping our preferred future. It could be doing your part at home with replacing lightbulbs or committing to drive less or eat lower on the food chain. It could be working on a campaign of a politician whose values you share. It could be simply being the change you want to see, to paraphrase Gandhi.

Lisa: With the shutdown of the Aloha Airlines Cargo, what are your feelings toward the Superferry now? Is the Sierra Club still opposed to the Superferry?

Because the state is so spread apart, I think it's important to have all different types of transportation. What are your thoughts on this?

Mikulina: From the very beginning, the Sierra Club's concern has been that the state make an informed decision before authorizing the Superferry. If the state and the Superferry had done what we had first asked for years ago — and what the law clearly requires — a full-disclosure environmental impact statement (EIS) would have been completed by now. The legislative auditor's report and The Honolulu Advertiser's reporting have confirmed that state officials realized years ago that an EIS was needed. If they had complied with the law instead of flagrantly violating it, all of us would have been a lot better off (and such an effort would have gone a long way in smoothing relations with concerned Neighbor Island residents as well).

This EIS would have allowed the state to make an informed decision as to whether the Superferry should operate, and under what conditions it should operate. Is Superferry the right size and technology for Hawai'i's interisland travel? Would a different type of vessel be better? Those issues would have been addressed upfront.

Clearly, sentiment about the impacts of the Superferry are different on the Neighbor Islands than on O'ahu. These impacts include collisions with whales, the spread of alien species like coqui frogs (and mongoose to Kaua'i), and the transformation of a way of life. Think about it. The reason why so many people in Honolulu like the Neighbor Islands is that the Neighbor Islands are different than Honolulu. If the Superferry helps to change the character of the Neighbor Islands, that would truly be sad. These are the kinds of issues that decisionmakers need to wrestle with — rather than providing privileged treatment to a special interest.

Tina: Is the Sierra Club doing anything about the depleted uranium out at Schofield? They say that it poses no risks, but I find that hard to believe.

Mikulina: Our group on the Big Island has been particularly active on the depleted uranium issue. One of our volunteers there has been pursuing this issue for years, forcing the Defense Department to provide public documents that contradicted its earlier claims, and shining public attention on this issue. We believe that depleted uranium is far more dangerous than the Army is willing to acknowledge — particularly when it gets airborne and people breathe it in. Ultimately, if anything is going to be done, our Congressional delegation needs to aggressively demand that the Army clean up its mess.

Michael K.: Who are the Sierra Club's largest corporate donors? Does the Sierra Club contribute to political campaigns locally; if so, to whom, please?

Mikulina: The Sierra Club has a strict policy about corporate donations. We do not accept corporate donations locally. We also do not take federal grants and have not received state grants (aside from some service trip contracts).

Nearly 100 percent of our funds come from local concerned individuals.

The Sierra Club does not contribute money to political candidates. We have, however, formed a political action committee that very occasionally raises money and contributes to environmentally friendly candidates. We did spend funds on airing a Jack Johnson radio spot in support of the curbside recycling charter amendment back in 2006.

Virginia: I'm interested in trying to help clean up the plastic mess that we've inadvertently created in the beautiful Hawaiian atolls. How can a private citizen help? Is the Sierra Club active in this area?

Mikulina: Good to hear you are interested in helping. Actually, each of us can contribute toward solving this problem. Minimizing the use of plastics at home and on the road is a good step. Going further, we want to put policies in place to reduce the amount of plastic in our environment. Our attempt at reducing the number of plastic bags from stores failed this year at the Legislature. We could use support at the state and county levels to make some sensible changes to reduce this plastic burden.