While most of us are well aware of Hawai'i's unfortunate moniker as the endangered species capital of the nation, the Endangered Species Coalition recently named the Hawaiian Islands as one of the top 10 places to save for wildlife, fish and plants on the brink of extinction. The report, It's Getting Hot Out There: Top 10 Places to Save for Endangered Species in a Warming World highlights the importance of saving habitat for endangered species and examines how the changing climate is increasing the risk of extinction for imperiled fish, plants and wildlife, and the importance of protecting key ecosystems.
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Following the lead of San Francisco, California, the first U.S. city to ban plastic shopping bags in April 2007, the Kokua Hawai'i Foundation launched its grassroots Plastic Free Hale'iwa campaign in December, asking local businesses in Hale'iwa to voluntarily stop using single-use plastic bags. The plastic-free effort caught on, but gained more large-scale traction across Maui and Kaua'i counties, where laws enacted in January 2011 now ban businesses from offering their customers plastic shopping bags.
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The current economic crunch has left the public with fewer discretionary dollars to donate and has severely limited government funding for nonprofit organizations. No strangers to fundraising, some nonprofits are getting creative and have found a new way to raise money for their organizations while at the same time helping to reforest land on the Big Island's Hamakua Coast with native koa trees.
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Whose to say you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Completed in 1929, the Historic Dillingham Transportation Building has undergone a renovation to bring its classic Mediterranean Revival/Italian Renaissance architecture into the modern age of sustainability.
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When developer Kyo-Ya first announced plans to tear down the Moana Surfrider's Diamond Head Tower and replace it with a tower three times higher, community members thought the City Council wouldn't allow it. After all, the proposed structure violated Waikiki's zoning laws and encroached on its public beaches. But in a curious decision, the City Council voted unanimously to grant their requests. Subsequently, Kyo-Ya went to the Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) to obtain a variance from Waikikiís Special District zoning laws. Once again, it was assumed that the agency would be forced to deny their request for a variance.
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In the 1970s, to the chagrin of many in Hawai'i's marine science community, a handful of researchers imported non-native seaweeds for aquaculture experiments in the islands, some of which took place in Kane'ohe Bay. After the experiments were abandoned, the invasive algae Kappaphycus escaped culture and found its way into the bay's fragile ecosystem where it smothered corals, native seaweeds and other organisms by quickly spreading across the reef in thick, dense mats.
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And the winner is... Hawai'i. The Surfrider Foundation's O'ahu Chapter recently celebrated its eighth annual John Kelly Environmental Achievement Awards to honor those who have made outstanding contributions to protect and enhance O'ahu's coastal community and environment. The annual event is held in memory of John Kelly, who passed away in 2007. He was one of Hawai'i's legendary surfers and environmental activists, and the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Makua Valley has been stuck in a tug-of-war between the Wai'anae community and the U.S. Army since 1943. GREEN recently featured the plight of the valley and community [Makua Valley: Challenges of a Sacred Space, volume 2 number 2] as it was locked in a legal battle with the Army over its use of the valley as a weapons training area and the impact on the natural and social environment.
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Nguyen Le, principal of Momentum Multisport, has long been a cycling enthusiast and competitor. So when he moved to O'ahu in 2001, adding triathlete to his repertoire was the obvious next step. After opening the retail sports store in August 2007, he has been working closely with the Hawai'i Department of Transportation and the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Transportation Services to improve conditions for bicyclers on the roadóimproving bike lanes and bike routesóbut it wasn't until Le spent some time in Paris, France in 2008 and saw a successful bike sharing program in action that he decided he would also bring bike sharing in Hawai'i to fruition.
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The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) promotes sustainable design and building practices across the country and has developed the LEED certification system for rating sustainability in homes and buildingsóthe national standard. They are also educating the next generation of college students on sustainable building practices, part of their Natural Talent Design Competition.
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Leaving an endearing legacy for future generations is paramount to sustainability in Hawai'i, a sentiment shared by the Legacy Land Conservation Program (LLCP). The program provides funding for the acquisition of land having unique and rare cultural and natural resources. Recently, seven state, county and nonprofit applicants were awarded grants for the permanent protection of sensitive land on Moloka'i, Hawai'i Island, O'ahu and Kaua'i.
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In Hawai'i, small-scale solar energy producersóprivate residences and small businessesótie into the grid through an agreement with Hawaiian Electric called net metering. It allows these clean energy producers to offset their overall energy demand by feeding the excess energy they produce back into the grid for credit at the current retail rate towards their monthly utility bill, but never for a profit or cash in hand.
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The annual Hawai'i Conservation Conference at the Hawai'i Convention Center always draws thousands of academics in the scientific community, students, resource managers and conscious citizens from across the state and the Pacific. This year's conference saw an additional influx of international speakers, largely due to its theme, "Pacific Ecosystem Management and Restoration: Applying Traditional and Western Knowledge Systems." full story

Koa (Acacia koa) is one of the most highly prized tropical hardwoods on Earth and a native of Hawai'i. Its colors vary from red and golden brown to ivory, and the curly grain makes it a favorite of furniture makers in Hawai'i. Native Hawaiians used the largest koa trees to carve their dugout canoes and in the world of musical instruments, the wood is fancied for the rich and warm tone it produces. Unfortunately, most of the accessible and original koa forests in Hawai'i have been cut down, leaving high demand and little supply for this magnificent and culturally important wood.
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Donavon Frankenreiter is known in the surf world as a classic throwback to the simpler days of single-fin surfboards and stylish turns, a prankster and, well, a hippie. Another everlasting Frankenreiter trademark is a guitar always in hand and a song on the lips. In the music industry, Donavon's apple didn't fall far from the surfing tree, and Frankenreiter has become a successful artist, strumming his guitar with a carefree, bluesy style all his own. His raw, yet soothing voice is the perfect match for his melodic high jinks. full story

The extinction of Hawai'i's native flora and fauna is one of the greatest ecological threats to this unique island chain. Already, Hawai'i has lost half of its native flora to the unrelenting spread of development, land conversion and the takeover of invasive non-native plants and animals. To protect Hawai'i's rarest plants from extinction, the Plant Extinction Prevention Program instituted recovery actions in 2003, focusing on plant species with fewer than 50 individual plants remaining in the wildóPEP species. full story

Pollution continues to contaminate the water across America's beaches, causing 2,352 closing and advisory days in Hawai'i last year and 18,682 nationwide according to the 20th annual beachwater quality report released by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Beachwater pollution nationwide causes a range of waterborne illnesses in swimmers including stomach flu, skin rashes, pinkeye, ear, nose and throat problems, dysentery, hepatitis, respiratory ailments, neurological disorders and other serious health problems. full story

When the Kai Kanani was found anchored on a damaged section of coral and live rock reef in 2007, the owners of the boat, Makena Boat Patners, were found liable for the damage and as part of their settlement, agreed to donate of $130,000 to conservation efforts. The Board of Land and Natural Resource awarded the money to Hawai'i community environmental groups Makai Watch Program and Malama Kai Foundation. full story

Kona Brewing Company, a Hawai'i-born and Hawai'i-based craft brewery, has always had sustainability in mind: brewing the freshest beer closest to market, which helps to minimize its carbon footprint by reducing shipping of raw materials, finished beer and wasteful packaging materials. In recent months Kona Brewing Company has seen several of its environmental initiatives reach fruition. In October, both of its pubs on the Big Island and O'ahu became Certified Green Restaurants by the Green Restaurant Association and in December the brewery made Hawai'i's first certified organic beer. Now they can boast that their Kailua-Kona brewery and pub is the first beer production facility in Hawai'i to go solar.
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The push to bring electric vehicles to Hawai'i's roadways has been somewhat of a "chicken or the egg" conundrum. Before electric vehicles were readily available to the public, entrepreneurs considered installing a charging network to service electric vehicles, but the charging network was a hard sell without electric vehicles on the road to utilize them. Fortunately, Nissan came to the table with a mass-produced electric vehicle: the egg is about to hatch. full story

The heart and soul of Ira Rohter's A Green Hawai'i: Sourcebook for Development Alternatives lies within these lines, "The people of planet Earth began, in the 21st century, to create a wide-ranging public discussion emphasizing the interrelationship between environment, energy, food production, population, and more democratic institutions and political forms. Hawai'i was at the forefront of this profound change in consciousness." Written in 1992, Rohter's eloquent and profoundly hopeful manifesto was clearly ahead of its time. full story

As our eating and food purchasing habits shift and support flourishes for locally grown food and farmers, so does the manner in which we obtain our produce. A new link between farmer and consumer has developed in Hawai'i and community supported agriculture (CSA) is taking root with vigor. full story

The Department of Land and Natural Resources formalized a new partnership with public and private landowners to form the Wai'anae Mountains Watershed Partnership, a joint effort to protect, restore and enhance the Wai'anae Mountains watershed from the ridge to the sea while incorporating traditional, cultural and community values. The members include DLNR, Honolulu Board of Water Supply, Gill-Olson Joint Venture, Ka'ala Farm, MA'O Organic Farms and the United States Army Garrison, Hawai'i and United States Navy Region. full story

Getting out of doors and enjoying Hawai'i's natural beauty is a cornerstone to a healthy life and sustainable living. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of State Parks, as part of their Recreational Renaissance initiative, just made the logistics of camping in state parks that much easier. full story

In a crucial decision, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled in favor of protecting the North Shore of O'ahu's sensitive coastal environment by requiring the Kuilima Resort Company to supplement the 25-year-old environmental impact statement (EIS) that was to be used for the widely contested Turtle Bay Resort expansion. full story

Lester Brown is a man on a mission. From his humble beginnings as a tomato farmer during high school, food and our dependency on the natural environment to provide it have been at the core of his life's work. In 1955 after earning a degree at Rutgers University in agricultural science he went to India where he saw in rural communities the deep interdependencies between food, population and the natural environment. full story

Sustainability has many faces throughout the community, an important one being the support for local business. In an unprecedented alliance, Aloha Air Cargo is extending the hand of partnership to the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation (HFBF), helping local farmers and producers of local goods ship their products across the state at a discounted rate.
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When the Kihei Elementary School science class, led by Alana Kaopuiki and South Maui Sustainability (SMS) volunteers, decided to plant an edible garden last year, they had no idea of the community support, success and tasty produce that it would foster. Fast forward a growing season and school principal Alvin Shima has called for the expansion of the garden and the program to all Kihei Elementary students.
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"There are more than six billion of us on Earth, and there will be no sustainable development if we cannot manage to live together," comments French photographer/filmmaker Yann Anthus-Bertrand, in reference to his latest film, Six Billion Others - Climate Voices. full story

GREEN: Hawai'i's Sustainable Living Magazine is proud to be a Presenting Sponsor of the first annual Square Foot Gardening (SFG) Teacher Certification Training in Hawai'i. This one-of-a-kind training course will be led by Square Foot Gardening Founder Mel Bartholomew on May 20 - 22, 2010 at Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of O'ahu. full story

Honolulu's mass transit plan to construct an elevated rail system, which is projected to alleviate road traffic by 30,000 vehicles, is moving ahead quicker than planned. In October, the City and County of Honolulu awarded the first of several construction contracts to Kiewit Pacific Company. full story

A gentleman wearing a light blue aloha shirt smiles at the omelet chef and places his order, "Mushrooms, tomatoes, chives and basil, please." full story

Filling up your gas tank with petroleum-based fuel may seem like an unavoidable fact of life. Regular, supreme or diesel, it really doesn't matter, they're all derived from the same ill fated and nearly exhausted source—oil. But although options may be slim for the time being, this doesn't have to be the case. full story

The Surfrider Foundation is celebrating 25 years at the forefront of the environmental and political fight to save beaches and coastlines across the globe from development. They are planning a huge bash in Los Angeles, Calif. where long-time supporter Eddie Vedder will be awarded the prestigious Wave Maker Award. full story

In 1996, the EV1, an electric car built by GM, began to appear all over California. These cars were fast, quiet, stylish, and produced no exhaust. Even more amazing, they ran without any gas at all. You simply plugged in your car at home or at a charging station and a full charge would yield 100 miles of driving. Imagine never having to pump gas again. Your car could charge while you slept and if your house could be powered with renewable energy... the possibility for a fossil free life was nearing reality. full story

The Big Island is aptly named not just because of its size, but because the island leads the state in renewable energy generation with 32 percent of their energy coming from renewable resources, mainly geothermal power. Unfortunately, the county itself is one of the biggest users of energy on the island, according to Mayor William P. Kenoi. The county recently acknowledged their grandiose energy budget and decided to scale back in more ways than one.
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I pulled my faded blue kayak down the sandy beach access-public access sign defaced to confuse and ward off tourists-slid it down the seven, steep wooden stairs and right to the edge of the water. Moku Nui was just to the southeast from my windswept perch on Lanikai's affluent shore. The wind was howling at 25 knots, the surf was 4 to 6 feet, just below advisory levels, and the gray sky was warning of rain. Dreading the paddle into the wind, I was already thinking about the way back. full story

Solar power technology has been around for a long time, but its popularity among consumers as an alternative source of energy has grown tremendously in the last few years. No doubt that solar tax credits, originally enacted by Congress in 2005, were a contributing force in solar's rise to energy-efficient stardom. full story

Solar power technology has been around for a long time, but its popularity among consumers as an alternative source of energy has grown tremendously in the last few years. No doubt that solar tax credits, originally enacted by Congress in 2005, were a contributing force in solar's rise to energy-efficient stardom. full story

In a move to reach the goals set by the Hawai'i Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI)ó70 percent clean energy for the state by 2030óHawaiian Electric Company and sustainability mobility operator Better Place have teamed up to create an electric-car network for Hawai'i. The proposed network is only the second in the nation, serving as a blue print for other states and continuing Hawai'i's role as a leader in reducing dependency on foreign oil and utilizing renewable energy resources. full story

When it comes to fish and coral reef ecology, Dr. Alan Friedlander is one of the most sought after experts in his field. Focusing on the conservation of nearshore fisheries and community-based fisheries management, Dr. Friedlander is leading the charge to establish marine reserves throughout Hawai'i to increase fish populations and preserve the health of entire ecosystems. full story

An agreement between The Nature Conservancy and Ponoholo Ranch, a 96-acre parcel consisting of a long plateau along the rim of Honokane Valley at elevations between 3,400 and 3,800 feet, will help protect a one-of-kind population of Hawaiian tree snails in the Kohala region of the island of Hawai'i. full story

Wednesday, Jan. 21 marks the first of two statewide bi-annual waterbird surveys across the state of Hawai'i. Conducted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Forestry and Wildlife, the survey covers more than 250 wetland sites, including marshes, reservoirs, golf course canals, prawn farms and even the Honolulu International Airport's reef runway. full story

Long time Hawai'i developer Castle & Cooke Inc. has ambitious green plans for Lana'i. They want the island, of which they own about 98 percent, to be powered completely by solar power by 2020. And with their recent completion of the state's largest single-site solar farm, Lana'i is on its way to that goal. full story