Kailua-Kona, Big Island of Hawaii, March 9, 2010 . . . In a move to minimize environmental impact, Kona Brewing Company has announced its award-winning beer will be produced in glass bottles that are 11% lighter than before. The company, Hawaii’s largest brewer, has reduced its bottle weight from 8 ounces to 7.3 ounces for all Kona brands. The new lightweight Longboard Island Lager bottles will begin hitting shelves of grocers and specialty beer stores in early March, and the new bottle will be virtually identical to current bottles in look and feel. The new weight Fire Rock Pale Ale and Wailua Wheat Ale bottles will be on shelves by late March.

The flavors of Kona brands will be completely unaffected, and no changes will be made to the brewing process, quality or recipes of the beers. Like many sustainability programs the brewer has implemented, such as its new solar energy generating system at the brewery on Hawaii’s Big Island, the savings on the new lightweight bottle will be great for both the company and the environment. The reduction in bottle weight will save 3,375 tons of CO2 emitted per year, which is the same as the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by a car traveling 8 million miles and equates to taking 511 cars off the road for a year. Seen another way, the savings also equates to easing the workload of 154,688 trees, which would have been taxed with offsetting the CO2 emitted by production of bottles, shipping and fuel.

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Current Forclosure on Kailua (Click image for MLS)

Pacific Business News reports that the Kailia-Kona area of the Big Island leads the State of Hawaii in Foreclosures for the first half of 2009.

Realtors who specialize in selling bank-owned properties have seen business along the Kona and Kohala Coasts soar as Mainland investors lose their second homes to foreclosure.

“Let’s say six months ago, I was pretty blown away that I was getting two or three new ones during a month,” said Robin Simon, a Realtor with Century 21 All Islands in Kailua-Kona, who said half of his current inventory is in Kailua-Kona. “Now, I’m getting two or three new ones a week.”

In the Big Island resort community of Waikoloa, one in 24 homes were affected by foreclosure during the first six months of the year, according to the data. There were a total of 122 filings, which was 20 times the number filed during the first two quarters of 2008.

Hilo and Pahoa on the east side of the Big Island also saw increases in the number of foreclosures, though those were more likely the result of local investor default.

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Now is the time to make your plans to attend the 39th Annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival on the Big Island of Hawaii. This year’s festival will be held from November 16-25, 2009 at various locations around Kailua-Kona. If you’re thinking about visiting Hawaii this fall, this is one event that you should consider making plans to attend.

The award-winning Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is recognized as the oldest and most successful food festival in Hawaii. The 10-day Festival celebrates Kona’s special cultural heritage and recognizes the accomplishments of Kona coffee pioneers, farmers and artisans.

The 2009 festival will feature nearly fifty events (many free) including contests, tastings, two parades, a scholarship pageant, farm tours, coffee workshops, art exhibits, an outdoor concert and more.

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