Sustainable Initiatives by Andrea Dean

On Friday, Oct. 16th, the Kohala Center held a fundraiser for the Hawaii Island School Garden Network on board the Golden Princess, a luxury cruise ship docked in Hilo Harbor. I have never been on a cruise ship and it was definitely an experience. I think it is safe to say that it was a bit of a paradoxical experience for many of the down to earth folks present- the size and opulence of the ship was certainly a long way from the simplicity of the garden. But it was a glimpse into another world and the cause was good, the company excellent, and the food and service over the top. We were served tropical virgin drinks in a theater with fake constellations blinking overhead. We sipped our drinks and nibbled maraschino cherries while Mayor Billy Kenoi, Senator Russell Kokubun and Senator Dwight Takamine stressed the importance of the school garden program and sustainability in general. Nancy Redfeather, Program Director of the Hawaii Island School Garden Network was a passionate and informative speaker, as always. We also saw a trailer for the new film Na Kupu Mana’olana: Seeds of Hope about the future of Hawaii agriculture and our food self-sufficiency movement (see below). Then we were treated to a four course lunch (I am not sure if you are supposed to include dessert when counting courses, but I just did!) Shrimp cocktail to start, followed by a pasta in cream sauce, then the main course- salmon or beef, and then a hot chocolate souffle with some delicious, sweet sauce. Roll me off the ship, please!

I spoke today at the Sustainability for Business Forum on Oahu today. Organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii and Sponsored by First Wind and Ulupono Initiative.





Ramsay Taum from the UH School of Travel Industry Management is always a great speaker and this time was no exception. He spoke about the Hawaiian values based perspective on current environmental issues and made us all feel “lucky we live Hawaii.”


Representative Hermina Morita is such and intelligent and beautiful woman, I could have listed to her speak all day long. She combined the spiritual, environmental and political into a great talk on poi and energy policy! (Really, you just had to be there!)


It was also interesting to get caught up on what is happening with energy policy in our state from Colton Ching from Hawaiian Electric Company, Michael Chang from Hawaii Energy, and Ted Peck from DBEDT.


Erwin Hudelist, owner of Hagadone Printing was a total character and, of course, a great model of sustainable business in Hawaii.


Tyler Mongan of the Honu Guide and Nella Media Group spoke about marketing strategies for the green business and communicating to the green consumer. Sheep Poo Paper TM is what is really sticking in my mind from Tyler’s presentation. I know he had a lot of great statistics and all, but it is pretty hard to get Sheep Poo Paper TM out of your mind once you hear about it. (Take a marketing lesson folks.)


Kyle Datta and Robin Campaniano spoke on behalf of the Ulupono Initiative, a social investment initiative focused in the areas of local food, waste reduction and renewable energy.


I spoke about the Business Case for Sustainability and using the Natural Step framework for Sustainability Strategic Planning.

Is your community interested in local food self-reliance? The North Kohala community came together on August 22nd at the North Kohala Food Forum to discuss how we can supply more of our food from local sources. Check out the North Kohala Food Forum video on You Tube:

On August 22, 2009, the North Kohala community convened the North Kohala Food Forum. The Food Forum focused on the commercial production, distribution and sale of food in the community. The Food Forum looked at consumption from the viewpoint of the local retailers, restaurants, & caterers.


The North Kohala Food Forum recognized that home food production, hunting, fishing and gathering are critical to overall food self-sufficiency in the community. In addition, the Forum recognized that there is a long-standing tradition of the informal sharing of food with one another. However, the measurement and discussion about how this informal economy contributes towards our community goal was beyond the scope of the North Kohala Food Forum. Gathering information on home food production and sharing was just too big a fish to fry.


Now, under the guidance of Guy Kaulukukui, Director of the Kohala Center’s Food Self-Reliance Project, student volunteers from the University of Hawaii-Hilo are conducting a pilot study in North Kohala surveying consumer behavior and preferences with regards to local food.


From the Kohala Center’s Guy Kaulukukui, Director of Food Self-Reliance Project:


North Kohala Consumer Food Survey


What:
Community canvassing to conduct a consumer survey looking at issues related to household consumption and production of food in North Kohala.


When:
On Saturday, October 17, 2009 between the hours of 10:30am and 3:30pm, volunteers will be going door-to-door in North Kohala to conduct the consumer survey.


Where:
North Kohala, focusing on residential areas between Kokoiki and Keokea.


Why:
The survey aims at gaining a better understanding of the North Kohala community’s consumer preferences as it relates to home production and consumption of FOOD. Results of this survey will help guide the North Kohala community in reaching it’s goal of producing 50 percent of the food that it consumes.


How:
Under the guidance of The Kohala Center, student volunteers from the University of Hawaii-Hilo will be distributing surveys to households in North Kohala. Surveys are in print form consisting of approximately 30 questions and should take approximately 10-15 minutes to fill out.


Mahalo in advance for allowing us in your community and for participating in the consumer survey.

If you want to become a green business, organization or community- you need a plan to get there. And you need to have a common definition of sustainability that everyone can agree upon. Many businesses here in Hawaii are taking the first steps towards sustainability, picking the low hanging fruits (conserving energy, waste, water), but few are looking into the future. How can planning for sustainability help you to take advantage of new markets? How can planning for sustainability help you avoid future resource problems? How can you communicate sustainability to your customers, your suppliers?


I was a part of a group of 30 sustainability leaders on Hawaii Island who were trained in how to use The Natural Step framework for strategic planning for sustainability. The Hawaii County Resource Center and the Kohala Center partnered to bring The Natural Step senior trainers Sarah Brooks and Mike Purcell to Hawaii to train us.


Now a group of us are working to localize The Natural Step for Sustainability Primer, highlighting local examples of sustainable practices.