Jul 13, 2011 | Environment, Sustainability
Tucked away in the hot, arid hills above Kihei is a model organic oasis which Nick Oosterveen and his wife Diane have been cultivating since 1987 called Kaimanu Botanical Garden. With generations of agriculture knowledge passed down through his family and a passionate interest in permaculture, Oosterveen has perfected a self-contained ecosystem that epitomizes a “zero-waste” philosophy. Not only does his sustainable farm boast a fertile collection of many exotic vegetables, herbs, fruit, and flowering plants and trees—creating what Oosterveen calls a “food forest”—but it also contains an aquaponics system, in which he raises tilapia and plants together in one integrated, soilless system that utilizes a fraction of the water it usually takes to grow the same crops. And being vegetarians, the Oosterveens eat as much as possible from their own land. “The only food I buy from the grocery store is dairy products,” he declared.
Nick Oosterveen is originally from Holland, but moved to Hawaii nearly 30 years ago after a long career in the music industry in Los Angeles. Since then, he has been whole-heartedly committed to the education, promotion, and development of sustainable living through the sharing of information and creating self-sufficient ecosystems. Oosterveen volunteers to teach Maui students and residents about growing their own food which will help decrease the island’s dependence on imports. “Sustainable food production is going to be one of the key issues this island will face in the future, and with this approach, you can raise a lot of food even in very little space,” adds Oosterveen.
Oosterveen welcomes visitors to learn through hands-on workshops every second Saturday of the month. Topics include: Sustainable Living, Permaculture, Food Forests, Aquaponics, Healing Foods, and more. He offers student tours and classes to any Maui School wanting to participate. For reservations or to schedule private educational tours, send an email to nikodesigns@hawaii.rr.com, or call (808) 250-5113.
Jun 22, 2011 | Environment, Sustainability
Derrick Sonoda of Hawaii Energy
Qualifying nonprofits and small businesses can help save the environment, and save money too, by acting fast to accept a free offer by enrolling in a new energy initiative. The first shipment of energy-saving LED lamps gets distributed this week to participants in the Lighting the Future program. The program, coordinated by Hawaii Energy, aims to raise awareness for the need to reduce dependence on imported oil, keeping money in our economy and conserving our resources. Lighting is the second-largest energy expense for most Hawaii small businesses—the largest is air conditioning, according to Hawaii Energy Director of Operations Derrick Sonoda.
For lighting, Hawaii Energy and its partner, Toshiba, are offering LED lamps at no cost to qualified small businesses and nonprofit organizations. Participants agree to install the new lighting technology prior to June 30. More than 200 entities across the state have taken up the offer. “It’s tremendous,” Sonoda says of the response so far. Qualified businesses and nonprofits should go to www.hawaiienergy.com for more information.
Each LED lamp provides an estimated 30,000 hours of light compared to 2,000 hours for a conventional incandescent light bulb. A LED lamp lasts between six and seven years before it needs to be replaced. Qualified businesses and nonprofits can ask for as many LED lamps as they need to install. “If you can screw in a light bulb, you can get energy savings,” Sonoda said. He said energy costs affect prices of all kinds of goods, including one of Hawaii’s favorite indulgences. “Everything is so dependent in the state on oil, even the price of Spam musubi is affected.”
Also supporting this energy-saving initiative are Hawaii Energy’s distribution partners, who have agreed to provide assistance in getting the LED lamps to the participating businesses and nonprofits. The Maui Economic Development Board is one of many that have agreed to serve as a distribution center for the LED lamps. Sonoda said community support is crucial to Lighting the Future’s success. “If we don’t tackle this as a community, it will kill us… we really need to be less tied to oil.”
Mar 3, 2011 | Sustainability
Lehn Huff, Maui School Garden Network
The Maui School Garden Network that Lehn Huff created and coordinates as a community volunteer supports project-based learning for students of all ages across the County. It also serves to promote valuable information on nutrition and growing food locally. The Network is a partnership involving over 40 public and private schools (from preschool through high school) across the County and a broad alliance of entities including the County of Maui, UH-Maui College, the Nutrition and Physical Activity Coalition, Community Work Day, and others.
Lehn Huff is one of the most respected educators on Maui; she started and headed the Middle School at Seabury Hall for 20 years until her retirement in 2008. Since then, her volunteer work has focused on mentoring young educators, global education initiatives, supporting women in developing countries starting their own businesses or schools, and food and energy sustainability issues. Huff was inspired to form the Maui School Garden Network because it involved young people in learning how to take seeds, nurture them and grow them to produce food. “This empowers our students, makes them the guardians of their own nutrition, gives them physical exercise, and provides them with a living lab for project learning that integrates their curriculum: math, science, technology, social studies, and the arts,” Huff elaborates.
“It’s also about sharing information, learning about best practices, and initiating community involvement through parent workshops and volunteering.” Maui is the first County in the State to have restaurants and farms “adopting” schools and providing resources through the Network, which has developed over the last two years. “It’s exciting – sustainability and small scale gardening yielding fresh, local produce are part of a grass roots movement that’s happening on a national scale. Michelle Obama put in a garden at the White House, which helped put these issues on the national map,” adds Huff. In March 2011, a website will be launched, at http://mauischoolgardennetwork.org/.
Feb 9, 2011 | Community, Sustainability
Harlan Hughes
Hughes has retired now from the food and beverage industry, a background that helps explain his particular passion in giving back. He learned about volunteerism and serving the community from his mother, Lottie, who was a dedicated volunteer here on Maui well into her 80s. He also developed and directs the annual “Chefs on the Beach” fundraiser (netting $20,000 last year) which helps support several Maui nonprofits, and his work for the Food Bank serves as another remarkable example.
The Food Bank, headed by Executive Director Richard Yust, in turn leaves no stone unturned in its mission to mitigate hunger across the County. Whether it’s collecting goods from community food drives or retail and wholesale store donations, distributing perishable items through partner agencies in a timely manner, or working with local farmers to bring in donated nutritional fresh produce, about 140,000 pounds of food per month reaches needy families and individuals. “We’re all about partnerships,” says Yust. “By working together, we are able to create win-win situations.” About 90 community service agencies and faith-based organizations that run a total of 105 programs access the inventory of the Food Bank, and over 10,000 recipients each month benefit through these programs – and from the dedication of volunteers like Harlan Hughes.
Jan 13, 2011 | Community, Sustainability
For many of Maui’s residents, it’s hard now to remember what life was like before the current public bus system got off the ground in 2004. That was shortly after the initial Focus Maui Nui civic engagement process had identified addressing infrastructure challenges as a top priority in our community. Latest ridership figures show that in 2010, an average of more than 6,000 trips are taken each day by bus. Clearly, the system is addressing the needs of a significant number of residents.
The bus system is operated by the County of Maui in part through Federal support. “The uncertainty regarding Federal “earmark” funding represents a major challenge in the coming months to maintaining our successful public bus system,” says Jo Anne Johnson, the incoming Director of the County’s Department of Transportation. Service is provided by Roberts Hawaii and is available in and between communities in Central, South, West and Upcountry Maui. 
The bus system operates seven days a week, including holidays, and costs $1 per boarding, with daily and monthly passes also available. The system also features a commuter service (costing $2) designed for early morning and evening travelers to/from Wailea and Kapalua. All route and fare information as well as schedules are posted on the County website at www.mauicounty.gov/bus
One further windfall from the increase in public transit use is the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and savings in imported fossil fuel as a result of passengers switching from using cars. “The higher gas prices have risen, the more passengers are choosing to ride the bus,” says Jo Anne Johnson. The system represents a promising step towards greater island sustainability.
Do you use the Public Bus system? How often?
Oct 30, 2010 | Sustainability
It’s lunchtime, and 18 middle- and high-school students are enjoying the sandwiches they made together on the shaded lanai at Hui Malama Learning Center in Wailuku. The discussion is about local sources of food, the benefits of buying Mauigrown produce. It’s agreed—the food is fresher, it tastes better, and it keeps our own farmers in business. There are minimal transportation costs, which also means fewer harmful environmental effects.
This is one element of Hui Malama’s integrated curriculum, Na Ka `Aina Ke Ola – “From the Land There is Life.” “There are practical benefits of the program,” observes Pualani Enos, Executive Director and science teacher. “Hui Malama serves students with unmet needs; our goal is to engage and empower them and provide the tools they need to succeed in the workforce and as individuals. It’s about instilling confidence, teaching responsible citizenship, and providing the skills they need to be effective contributors in society. They learn they can be agents of change.”
Hui Malama’s program on food and its role in learning about sustainability works on many levels. The students learn about agriculture and visit farms, and they also learn about nutrition and eating right. The program teaches shopping for value and keeping to a budget, and the students are learning to cook for themselves. “At our shared meals, it’s an opportunity to work on table manners, social skills, and group conversation,” says Enos.
This year, the sustainability theme is food and agriculture; next year, the theme will be renewable energy, a hot topic on Maui these days and a likely source of rewarding careers. In addition to its current enrollment of 18 students, Hui Malama currently runs an afternoon GED program for 12 students, a number that will expand to 60 in January 2011.
Jun 10, 2010 | Environment, Sustainability
In 1790, Capt. John Kendrick of Boston set out to trade Pacific Northwest seal and otter fur in China. He stopped in Hawai’i to replenish his ship with wood, water and salt. Sailing offshore he smelled a familiar odor emanating from a cooking fire. It was sandalwood, so revered and precious in Asia, and a commodity that was escalating in world prices.
Hawaiians called it ‘iliahi. It was sandalwood that introduced Hawaiians to the concept of credit. Foreign merchants used items such as military uniforms, liquor, guns, silks, leather, silver mirrors, and brass cannon, to barter for sandalwood.
In 1805, after unifying the Hawaiian Islands, King Kamehameha I began to trade with foreign countries. To participate in the lucrative sandalwood trade he purchased a brig, the Ka’ahumanu, and in 1817, with Capt. Alexander Adams, sailed to China. Because of China’s brokerage charges and port fees, he failed to make a profit. But having learned from that experience, he imposed an anchorage fee of 80 Spanish dollars for every ship sailing into Hawai’i harbors. When he died in 1819, the monopoly on ‘iliahi took a downward plunge.
By 1821 credit debt extended on promised sandalwood reached a stunning $300,000. The common people were displaced from their agricultural and fishing duties, and all labor was diverted to harvesting sandalwood. In 1826, to reduce the staggering promissory note debt, the Kingdom of Hawai’i enacted a sandalwood tax.
Every man was ordered to deliver to the government a half picul of ‘iliahi, (a “picul” was 133.3 pounds of ‘iliahi heartwood, at $8 to $10 dollars per picul) or pay four Spanish dollars. Every woman older than 13 was obligated to make a 12-by-6-foot kapa cloth for trade. The Kingdom of Hawaii continued selling sandalwood until the mid 1840s. This period saw two major famines and ‘iliahi was harvested to the point of commercial extinction in Hawai’i forests.
Organizations involved in education, conservation, protection and restoration of native Hawaiian endemic and indigenous plants and eco-systems can be found by visiting the Directory of Resources at http://www.iliahi.org/
Question Of The Week:
What else has been harvested into extinction?
Leave a comment here or post it on the Focus Maui Nui Facebook Page. Mahalo!
Oct 22, 2009 | Environment, Sustainability
Aia i ka`ōpua ke ola (There is life in the clouds.)
Water conservation is something we all can practice. Except for the air we breath, water is the single most important element in our lives. It is too precious to waste.
Here are some simple suggestions to help you save hundreds, even thousands, of gallons per month. Do one thing each day to save water. Don’t worry if the savings seem minimal, every drop counts, and every person will make a difference.
Run your clothes and dish washer only when they are full. You can save up to 1,000 gallons a month.
Shorten your shower by a minute or two and you’ll save up to 150 gallons per month.
Turn off the water when brushing your teeth, shaving or washing your hair and save 25-300 gallons a month.
Use a hose nozzle or turn off the water while you wash your car and save up to 100 gallons every time.
Sweep instead of hose your lanai and sidewalks and save 25 gallons of water for every 5 minutes of hosing.
You are in control. START TODAY!
To find out how much water you use at home visit http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/sq3.html.
Question of the Week: How do you conserve water?
Tucked away in the hot, arid hills above Kihei is a model organic oasis which Nick Oosterveen and his wife Diane have been cultivating since 1987 called Kaimanu Botanical Garden. With generations of agriculture knowledge passed down through his family and a passionate interest in permaculture, Oosterveen has perfected a self-contained ecosystem that epitomizes a “zero-waste” philosophy. Not only does his sustainable farm boast a fertile collection of many exotic vegetables, herbs, fruit, and flowering plants and trees—creating what Oosterveen calls a “food forest”—but it also contains an aquaponics system, in which he raises tilapia and plants together in one integrated, soilless system that utilizes a fraction of the water it usually takes to grow the same crops. And being vegetarians, the Oosterveens eat as much as possible from their own land. “The only food I buy from the grocery store is dairy products,” he declared.
