Going Green with Andrea Dean

From Nancy Redfeather:
I hope you’ve all had a chance to visit The Kohala Center’s Web site for the “Hua Ka Hua – Restore Our Seed” Symposium in Kona on April 16-18, 2010, at www.kohalacenter.org/seedsymposium/about.html.

The deadline to take advantage of the early registration discounted price is March 15. Before March 15, the registration fee is $100 for both days. After March 15, the cost goes up to $150. Spaces are limited, so register early to secure your spot at the Symposium. The Keauhou Beach Resort is offering a special rate for conference accommodations of $122.53 per night (including tax) for a single/double room with a partial ocean view and a daily buffet breakfast.

The Symposium will also feature a Seed Swap hosted by Regeneration Botanicals on Saturday, April 17, following the last session of the day. Information tables will be available in the foyer for a nominal fee, for conference participants who wish to share programs and information with the public.

This Symposium is an excellent opportunity to come together, expand our basic knowledge, connect with experts and resources, create island-wide working groups, and get our farmers and gardeners growing, selecting, processing, using, trading, and selling high quality seed. Seed is the foundation of a thriving local agricultural economy and food abundance. Please join us for this landmark event and let’s take charge of our agricultural future.

If you have any questions please call Nancy Redfeather at 808-322-2801 or e-mail nredfeather at kohalacenter.org. If you have already registered and are interested in an information table, please let me know. Mahalo! Please forward to all Farmers and Gardeners you know who are ready to take this step!

Susan Cox is the woman behind the green cape- the real life Green Power Woman whose imagination had fueled Green Power Girl, and the Green Power Heroes.


Read the story by Andrea Dean in the March/April 2010 issue of Ke Ola Magazine. Hard copies on the news stands now.

Kohala Trash Bash Art and Fashion Show Needs Your Help

Kohala Trash Bash Art and Fashion Show 2010 Needs Your Help


News flash: County of Hawaii running out of land fill space, money, funding for recycling programs. This is the perfect storm for more waste and less recycling on our island.


As we approach this storm, North Kohala leads the Big Island in the amount of materials we recycle per capita. This is due in a large part to the efforts of our local recycling group WasteStream. The Trash Bash, supported in part by WasteStream, is a grass roots effort to entertain, educate, and inspire Kohala residents to expand their recycling efforts. Each year this event inspires more kids and adults to look at waste differently and use creative ways to turn it into art and fashion. New this year, the Trash Bash is sponsoring Linda Damas from Recycle Hawaii, who will be leading a workshop to help folks find easier ways to incorporate recycling in their homes.


Each year, we ask our community to help support the Kohala Trash Bash. The Trash Bash budget is about $4000 to cover costs of road closing, cash prizes, advertising, luas etc. We currently have 40 volunteers contributing their time and effort. We are asking you to help us with funding.


The County of Hawaii has resolved to implement a Zero Waste Program, but with the current budget shortfalls, all recycling efforts are in jeopardy. Our community’s commitment to recycling and education helps the County realize how important recycling is to us, the island of Hawaii, and the earth we live on.


Please help us with a tax deductable donation to the North Kohala Community Resource Center, noting that it is for the Kohala Trash Bash. You can mail your donation to P.O. Box 519, Hawi, HI, 96719, or drop it off with Karen at Kohala Coffee Mill.


Thank you for loving North Kohala! See our website at www.kohalatrashbash.com

Local eco-artist Peter Kowalke has paintings that are featured in a new exhibit at the Elisa Contemporary Art gallery in New York. The show is called “Aloha.”

A presentation on Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) with Michael Kramer, Accredited Investment Fiduciary and Managing Partner at Natural Investments LLC.


February 23, 2010 • 6 pm • Kona Stories in Kainaliu • Free


Utilizing mutual funds, stocks, bonds, and other instruments, Natural Investments LLC serves clients large and small with customized portfolios that fulfill each person’s social and environmental concerns. With hundreds of socially responsible funds and managers investing in virtually every asset class, today’s investment portfolios can achieve the diversification and competitive performance of conventional approaches.


If you are looking for ways to make money while helping to fund solutions to the social and environmental challenges of our time, come learn more about Socially Responsible Investing from one of the leaders in the field of values-based investing.


Michael Kramer, M.Ed. AIF®, is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary and Managing Partner at Natural Investments LLC, Hawai`i’s only registered investment adviser which exclusively manages portfolios of socially and environmentally responsible investments. Natural Investments LLC is an investment adviser registered with the SEC with offices in five states which serves individual and institutional clients nationwide. Michael has lived in Kona since 1999, where he founded the Kuleana Green Business Program of the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce in 2005 and the Kona Earth Festival. He currently serves on the board of the Sustainability Association of Hawaii and the Hawaii chapter of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies.