Every day, I’m scouring the Internet for land use and environmental news from around the state and around the world that means something for us here in Hawaii. Noteworthy today: hundreds of Oahu offices remain vacant, biodiesel waste can be re-recycled into soap and a lawmaker argues against selling public land.

• Hundreds of Oahu offices are vacant, the Star-Bulletin reports today. Meanwhile, proposed developments like Koa Ridge and Hoopili set to include thousands of square feet of office space.
• “Re-recycling” coming soon? Used cooking oil makes biodiesel, and the waste from biodiesel can in turn make soap, according to the Honolulu Advertiser.
• In an Advertiser op-ed, Rep. Chris Lee argues against selling public land to balance the budget, saying it “cheats taxpayers out of billions of dollars.”
• Kansas City, under pressure from the Environmental Protection Agency, agrees to a $2.5 billion, 25-year overhaul of its sewer system. Some pipes date back to the Civil War!
• Canadian loggers and environmentalists have called a truce and will now collaborate on a plan to preserve 180 million forest acres — an area bigger than the state of Texas.
• Prime real estate: A tycoon’s son paid a record $8,746 per square foot, $233 million total, for a Hong Kong property. That makes Honolulu look pretty cheap by comparison.

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