Jan 11, 2017 | Community
Makahiki is an ancient Hawai’ian celebration of the bounty of the ‘aina (land). It punctuated the yearly farming cycle of ancient Hawaii when the ‘aina was considered a living entity. People really care for it and still do.
Noho’ana Farm celebrates this natural way of life. As an energy self-sufficient, family-run farm situated on two acres of kuleana (privileged responsibility) land, Noho’ana comprises 12 ancient lo’i kalo stone terraces that are fed via the fresh waters of the Waikapu Stream. Along with kalo, other important Hawaiian and introduced crops are cultivated at the farm using traditional, sustainable and organic farming practices.
“We have developed an ‘aina-based program designed to educate everyone, from children to adults, about the importance of time-honored and sustainable lo’i kalo cultivation,” said Hokuao Pellegrino, owner and manager of Noho’ana Farm. “We teach the methods of traditional crop production, along with the use of plants and food preparation within an instructive landscape.”
“Participants actively engage with the land while learning the appropriate cultural and natural resource management practices,” Pellegrino explained. “Attendees are taught how to harvest the taro, pound the steamed roots into edible paste and cut the stems for replanting. In fact, many of our visitors get into the water and learn how to dig their heels into the mud to harvest the taro.”
Pellegrino is also a mentor in the Maui Economic Development Board Women in Technology Project, STEMworks™ Summer Internship Program. This year’s Agricultural interns, Noelani Reyes, Kealohalani Ka’aikala and Jade Chihara spent their STEMworks™ internship at Noho’ana Farm. “Our three interns assisted in running our summer culture and place-based program for students in grades 6-7,” Pellegrino said. “Prior to engaging with the younger students, they spent a good amount of time learning how to manage the farm. This included traditional irrigation and water resource management, using farm equipment, planting and harvesting crops, and food production. Behind all of this work they learned many cultural values that are in alignment with their day-to-day responsibilities and an overall appreciation for being food stewards of the ‘aina.”
Our internship at Noho’ana Farm gave us a more prominent concern for environmental issues. We learned that caring for the ‘aina is everyone’s kuleana, privileged responsibility.
Noelani Reyes, Kealohalani Ka’aikala and Jade Chihara, STEMworks™ Summer Interns
Jan 4, 2017 | Education, Stemworks
Jonathan Olsten, former STEMworks™ intern
Jonathan Olsten, once a student in Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) STEMworks™ Summer Internship Program, speaks of the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education in his life. “I interned with MEDB while I was in college,” explained Olsten, a Foreign Spacecraft Analyst at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC). “Through MEDB I worked at the University of New Mexico’s Maui Scientific Research Center doing data analysis of solar intensity. I took what I learned from that experience and applied it to my current job at NASIC, analyzing large amounts of data.”
Olsten first realized he wanted to pursue a degree in engineering while he was taking high school physics. Understanding the way things work in theory and applying that knowledge in practice, was the kind of academic experience that he found most interesting and enjoyable. “It was nice to be good in math, but math for math’s sake was not as interesting to me,” Olsten noted. “It was learning how to apply the mathematical concepts to solve real-world problems that made math interesting.”
After Olsten decided to pursue engineering, it wasn’t difficult to choose his major. Inspired by a couple of pilots in his family, and a child’s dream to be an astronaut, aerospace engineering seemed like a great career choice. “In fact, one of the first toys I can remember having was a space shuttle,” Olsten said. “My advice for kids still in school is to make sure they end up in a position where they have the tools they need to find the job they will enjoy. That is almost synonymous with STEM. Take electives in high school to decide what kinds of STEM careers interest you most.”
Olsten praises MEDB for the extraordinary job they do in the community. “MEDB’s assistance to teachers and students provides education in cutting-edge technologies,” he said. “MEDB’s programs provide STEM thinking skills that solve real problems in the community and beyond.”
MEDB continues to offer extraordinary STEM programs and internships throughout the year.
Jonathan Olsten, Foreign Spacecraft Analyst, NASIC
Dec 28, 2016 | Community
The Makahiki season, the ancient New Year festival to honor Lono, is still celebrated and practiced by Native Hawaiians, with games, sports and religious ceremonies. Our culturally diverse population also celebrates with fireworks, parties, and special New Year foods, from the Japanese traditions of eating sashimi and preparing mochi, to Portuguese bean soup, Filipino adobo, Chinese dumplings, and Southern black-eyed peas.
The New Year is also a time to make resolutions – affirmations of self-improvement and promises to do good things for others. This tradition dates back thousands of years to Babylon and biblical times and it was in the days of the Roman Empire and Julius Caesar that January 1st came to mark the beginning of the year. It was the Romans that named the first month of the calendar, January, after Janus, the God of beginnings. Janus had two faces, one facing forward and one back, so he could see into the past and the future simultaneously.
The Jewish tradition of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and the Christian observance of Lent are also precursors of making resolutions in the year ahead. Studies have shown that resolutions that set measurable goals, shared with and supported by others, are more likely to be successful. The most common resolutions include losing weight, eating more healthily, exercising more, and spending more time with family.
Whatever your personal resolutions, Maui Economic Development Board staff would like to be among the first to wish you “Hau‘oli Makihiki Hou” and the very best for 2017 – Happy New Year!
As the New Year approaches, MEDB would like to be among the first to wish you Hau‘oli Makihiki Hou – Happy New Year!
Dec 21, 2016 | Community, Environment, Sustainability
The Fairmont Kea Lani Resort, venue for Maui Economic Development Board’s annual Ke Alahele Fundraiser, is committed to responsible tourism practices and sustainable hotel management. “Our Sustainability Team, created in 2001, is comprised of leaders and colleagues dedicated to “greening” our operations and cultivating an enduring connection to the land and community,” said Rick Texeira, Chair, Fairmont Kea Lani Sustainability Team. “To date, the Sustainability Team has launched over 50 environmental initiatives at the resort, including the installation of over 1,528 solar photovoltaic panels, efforts in support of the critically endangered Hawksbill sea turtle at neighboring White Rock beach, and our sponsored Earth Day community reef clean-ups, to name a few.”
An especially interesting Kea Lani program, in partnership with Clean the World Foundation, Inc., recycles hygiene products, soap and bottled amenities for worldwide distribution to fight hygiene-related illness. “Clean the World takes our unused soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and shower gel and gives them a second life through a global hygiene initiative,” Texeira explained. “The distribution of recycled soap and hygiene products from hotels and resort partners helps millions of people in countries with a high death rate from these illnesses.”
Recycling with Clean the World and other sustainability projects are a great way to achieve corporate social responsibility goals and attract more guests. “The programs increase employee morale and visitors love it as well,” said Texeira. “I’m so proud of the commitment and effort our hotel has shown. Not only are we recycling, we are helping those in need and supporting the health and wellness of others. It is wonderful to see how simple and responsible acts can save so many lives. We look forward to continuing our sustainable movement for many years and are passionate about our efforts to make a difference for people, our communities and the planet.”
Our hotel has contributed to Clean the World’s distribution of soap, amenities, and hygiene kits in 96 countries.
Rick Texeira, Chair, Fairmont Kea Lani Sustainability Team
Dec 14, 2016 | Education
The Women in Technology (WIT) Project of Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) is proud to announce that one of their STEMworks™ AFTERschool teachers, Jennifer Suzuki, from Maui Waena Intermediate School in Kahului, was named the Maui District Teacher of the Year. Suzuki was one of eight teachers across the state that was considered for the 2017 Teacher of the Year honor by the Department of Education. As a District teacher honoree she received a $500.00 award from the corporate sponsor, The Polynesian Cultural Center.
“The Maui District Teacher of the Year award is a great tribute to Suzuki and our school,” said Maui Waena Intermediate School principal, Jamie Yap. “Suzuki has been recognized for all her hard work and time that she puts in with her students, whom she always puts first.”
“I was so happy to support Suzuki for Teacher of the Year,” said Isla Young, WIT Program Director. “Her classroom is an amazing example of an engaged and inspiring teacher who is truly having an incredible impact on her students, their families, and the community. Suzuki’s ability to bring people together for the betterment of her students and school is remarkable. She is raising the bar as to what middle school students are capable of. Additionally, she empowers her students with self-efficacy to impact their island community.”
Suzuki, a teacher for 17 years, emphasizes the importance of relating to her students, which enables her to guide the development of their talents in constructive ways. “I seek performance-based, real-work opportunities for my students,” she said. “My partnership with MEDB has enabled expansion of Maui Waena’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs such as video, media, robotics, coding, and gardening. It’s a great honor that I was selected as Maui District Teacher of the Year. I want to continue growing my STEMworks™ AFTERschool program with MEDB so that my students will be qualified for high-paying jobs right here on Maui.”
My goal is to create a space of creativity and innovation for my students.
Jennifer Suzuki, Waena Intermediate School, Maui District Teacher of the Year
