A Maui resident for nearly 30 years, Helen Kordyl is well-known for her underwater photography as well as her nature photos. With a BA in visual arts, she has an impressive list of competitive photography. Eight of her images received honorable mention in the International Photography Awards, both in 2004 and 2014. Additionally, Kordyl shot the striking photo cover for award-winning Maui musician Lei’ohu Ryder’s hit CD, Love Returns.
Born on a rubber plantation in a Malaysian forest, Kordyl developed a deep connection with nature which continues to this day. She calls her images ‘Conversations with Nature’ as she truly feels a bond with all creation. “I have traveled the world; however, my heart connection is to Maui,” Kordyl explained. “It is said that when one lives ones’ passion, life flows with great ease and joy. I have listened to and deeply followed my intuition. My first passion is being in the beautiful blue ocean and feeling a deep connection with the creatures of the sea; and second, using my creativity, expressed through my photography—a moment of communication captured in an instant.”
Photography underwater is potentially the most difficult of photographic disciplines, as most techniques that work well on the surface usually fail underwater. Plus, monitoring one’s life support system, buoyancy and sea conditions complicate things even more. “When I am in the ocean I enter an altered state of consciousness and become totally immersed in another world,” Kordyl noted. “My images show my deep unseen relationship with the beautiful cetaceans I have photographed.”
Underwater photographers can create magnificent images, offering insight into their dedication and creative impulse. By learning numerous techniques, Kordyl discovered and developed the artist within. “There is much to consider for taking good photos in the ocean, including field-tested digital and film techniques and underwater photo equipment, such as lenses, strobes and camera systems,” she added. “Through the years I learned hidden techniques which are behind imaginative framing and lighting to achieve new striking results. From wide-angle and fish-eye, to macro photography, to above/below split images, the wonders of underwater photography are immeasurable.”
All of my photography is dedicated to a celebration of the world of nature, a profoundly touching and integral part of our lives.
Zoe Mounts, Seabury Hall freshman, was recently honored at the 2022 Blue Planet Foundation Student Energy Summit on Oahu for her work on climate awareness. Mounts dedicated a six- month solo research project to Climate Change Awareness culminating in the production of four informative videos, each 7-10 minutes in length: Climate Change is Real; Food Wasting in our World; Plastic Pollution and Solutions; and The Truth about Consumption. She created a Vimeo showcase of these short films and presented them to her school and church community during an Earth Hour event that she helped to coordinate.
“In 2019, I chose to implement many zero-waste practices in my own life,” said Mounts. “I am currently in the process of organizing a new Sustainability Club at Seabury Hall, and I have been in communication with the cafeteria staff to implement more sustainable practices in the campus dining program. The school club would help raise awareness of environmentally sustainable practices and motivate students to find clean energy solutions. During the Blue Planet Summit, I had the opportunity to network and collaborate with like-minded peers, applying ideas to real-world challenges, which I now want to share.”
Recognizing that the youth are our future, the Blue Planet Student Energy Summit emphasizes educating the students of Hawaii to empower them to speak up and act. Launched in 2015, the Summit motivates students island-wide to discover sustainable solutions for their own communities. Another focus is making the voices of Hawaii’s youth heard through building a collective roadmap to share with state and local leaders around the 2022 legislative session.
Mounts added, “The Summit offered a forum to cultivate ideas for solving the biggest challenges of our generation. Energy professionals equipped us with tools, connections, and information to continue to make positive changes for our islands. I was inspired to think creatively about renewable energy, clean-transportation alternatives and energy efficiency. Also, I was challenged to think critically about economics and policy, and how to take part in systemic change in Hawaii’s energy laws. Hawaii has an exciting 100-percent renewable energy future.”
I hope to share what I learned at the 2022 Blue Planet Student Energy Summit with my school and the community. We are tomorrow’s clean-energy leaders.
Under the Stars, Lit by the Moon, Powered by the Sun! Known as Hawaii’s answer to Sundance, the 2022 Maui Film Festival, an annual event except during the pandemic, is being presented Wednesday, July 6 thru Sunday July 10 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. Founded back in 2000 by Barry and Stella Rivers, the program is committed to the presentation of compassionate vision and transformative storytelling. Offering a wide range of films and ticket prices, anyone who wants to celebrate the wonderful world of feature films can take part, either in-person or virtually. Available for streaming, the virtual cinema showcases a colorful array of feature film premieres highlighting politically, culturally, and socially relevant films by producers from around the world.
For both Barry and Stella, the festival is a labor of love. They have seen it grow from a weekly series that began in 1997, to an event that spotlights current and future industry stars, and is regularly attended by many celebrities. Barry, a former producer-director and New York native noted, “We have always had the deep desire to showcase life-affirming stories. We wanted a festival that suggested how things might be, rather than how they necessarily were or are. Stella and I do not have any delusions of grandeur about what we are doing at this small festival in the middle of the ocean. Nevertheless, I often describe the festival program as living at the intersection of ‘smart and heart’ because some of the films that we showcase catch a little traction, open some eyes, and inspire creative thinking.”
Stella, a distinguished Maui artist, added, “We have always tried to find films we deem worthy of putting on the screen. We are all fired up for the July event! This year’s five-day festival is full of fantastic films and honorees. Additionally, there will be filmmaker panels after each 8pm show in the CandleLight Café. This meet-and-greet experience is not to be missed. See you at the movies!”
We enjoy presenting cinema that enlightens people and exposes them to infinite possibilities.
Barry and Stella Rivers, Maui Film Festival, Co-founders
Caroline Carl, newly appointed Executive Director of Hawaii Energy, gave a Spotlight Talk at the 2022 Hawaii Energy Conference (HEC). The event brought together experts on energy policy, strategies, leadership and innovation to help Hawaii reach its goal of 100-percent renewable energy sources by 2045.
Carl, who joined Hawaii Energy in 2011, explained, “The role of energy efficiency is important in the movement to electrify almost everything. Hawaii Energy, the rate-payer-funded energy efficiency program serving the islands of Maui, Oahu, Hawaii, Molokai, and Lanai, operates directly under contract with the public utilities commission. Our mission is to help local families and businesses make smart energy choices.”
This model began when Hawaii’s first clean-energy initiative was formalized in 2008 when the state committed to achieving 70 percent clean energy by 2030. Forty percent was to be from renewable generation and 30 percent from energy efficiency and conservation. This led to the establishment of the state’s energy efficiency portfolio standards, which set a reduction goal of 4300 gigawatt hours by 2030. The Hawaii Energy programs were created to help realize these goals.
“Today the Hawaii Energy programs have saved the people of Hawaii more than a billion dollars off their energy bills by helping them make smart energy choices,” Carl pointed out. “Nevertheless, the programs of the past decade are not what the programs of the next ten years will look like. We are facing a time of significant change across the entire energy landscape. Our programs will need to respond to the impact associated with the number of external drivers. As we face power plant retirements on Oahu and Maui, increasing concerns around capacity reserve shortfall and the Covid pandemic economic impacts remain significant even though looking ahead the outlook appears positive as the global economy continues to recover. Despite all these competing forces, at Hawaii Energy we believe the efficiency programs are key to helping customers and transforming the market for clean energy. I am happy to be able to reiterate the important role Hawaii Energy gets to play in our clean energy future.”
Our efficiency programs are an excellent resource that can be leveraged to reduce fossil fuel use, cost and emissions, simultaneously with electrification.
Last year, Juneteenth, short for June 19th, was designated a national, Federal holiday for the first time to commemorate the day in 1865 when the last enslaved African-Americans in Texas were freed. Hawaii was the 49th state to officially recognize Juneteenth when Governor Ige signed legislation marking the occasion (only South Dakota does not recognize the day). Because Juneteenth falls on a Sunday this year, Federal workers will have the day off on Friday, June 17. Juneteenth becomes the twelfth federal holiday, but it is only a State holiday in nine states, and State workers in Hawaii will still have to report to work.
Also called Freedom Day and Emancipation Day, Juneteenth is a landmark date for the African-American community nationwide. It marks the date when the Federal proclamation freeing all slaves finally reached Galveston, Texas, then a remote outpost of the Southern slave states. Although the rumors of freedom were widespread prior to this, actual emancipation did not come until General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston and issued General Order No. 3, on June 19, 1865, almost two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Juneteenth marks the culmination of a shameful era in American history and evokes mixed emotions for some. While for many, this is a joyful and celebratory occasion, others advocate for questioning progress towards true racial justice, especially in the light of recent events involving Trayvon Martin in Florida, George Floyd in Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, as well as others closer to home.
In Governor Ige’s words, “With the signing of this bill, I hope that June 19 will serve as a moment of reflection for everyone here in the islands and across the country to remember where we’ve come from, but most importantly, to be inspired to move our country and our community forward in search of that more perfect union where we treat everyone equally each and every day.”
There is no such thing as race. None. There is just a human race — scientifically, anthropologically.
Toni Morrison, critically-acclaimed African-American novelist, Pulitzer Prize winner and Nobel Laureate.
The 9th Annual Hawaii Energy Conference (HEC), presented by Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) and supported by the County of Maui Office of Economic Development, explored the theme “Electrification: Where are we now? What does the future hold?” The two-day virtual conference revisited all the aspects of electrifying the grid and transportation—current successes, potential pitfalls, and future opportunities.
Mayor Victorino stated, “MEDB is helping to lead the way to the future. Hawaii is a leading state for solar energy in the nation with a goal of 100-percent renewable energy by 2045. Our famous trade winds can help generate electricity and we have the potential to capture wave energy and geothermal for our energy needs. We have sustainable energy, and an abundance of sunshine and resources to help us. We look to the engineers, scientists, and other experts at this conference to help the people of Hawaii make a transition to renewable energy sooner than later.”
Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO said, “Electrification will completely impact how we approach the issues of energy, production, distribution, energy equity, resilience, and more. Our program focused on the challenges and opportunities before us all in building a resilient, sustainable, affordable, secure, and equitable energy future.”
Abigail Anthony of the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission said during her keynote at the conference, “Rhode Island, the smallest state in the country, roughly the size of Oahu, asserts that right rates and benefits are needed in order to encourage residents to convert to electrification. Electrification is no longer just for early adopters; it is ready to go to scale. We are focused on advancing equity, by making sure our customers are paying only for things that they can benefit from as well as afford.”
The 2022 HEC brought together experts on energy policy, strategies, leadership and innovation to help Hawaii reach its goal of 100-percent renewable energy sources.
Frank De Rego, Jr., MEDB Director of Business Development Projects, Co-Chair, 2022 HEC Program Committee
Recently, Hawaii’s Brian Kohne, an award-winning music producer and independent motion picture writer, director, and producer of the movies Kuleana and Get a Job, was the guest speaker at Maui TechOhana. Presented by Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) with the support of the County of Maui, Kohne talked story at the virtual meeting.
Kohne noted, “I hope the attendees gained a greater sense of our interconnected industries: the arts, media, and motion pictures. That in order to build a thriving, sustainable industry here on Maui, we must place equal emphasis on infrastructure, workforce development, and education.”
Kohne returned to Maui in 2005 from Silicon Valley, having excelled as a national director of sales and marketing in corporate video production and sports broadcasting, as well as a senior user-interface architect for an interactive television corporation. Presently, Kohne is principal of Hawaii Cinema Inc., and director of the Academy for Creative Media at University of Hawaii Maui College.
“During Maui TechOhana, I illuminated a few projects we were able to successfully complete , and how the state tax incentives were essential, as was the support of our local community,” Kohne recalled. “I also talked about the Academy for Creative Media, a multi-media school I have built in recent years that is beginning to thrive. We offer degrees in filmmaking, graphic design, creative media, and, coming soon, animation. Island creatives no longer need to leave the island to receive high level educational opportunities in media.”
Speaking about opportunities on Maui, Kohne added, “once the pandemic is no longer a major governing issue, producers and studios will return to business as usual in chasing the ripest tax and financial incentives in determining where they will spend their time and money. So, we must continue to invest resources to support and grow an industry from within. Hawaii residents must originate viable productions in order to truly enjoy the benefits of the arts, media, and motion picture industries.”
Kohne shared his unique experiences in film and music along with his efforts to build the creative industries sector of our local economy.
Frank De Rego, Jr., Director of Business Development Projects, MEDB
The Maui Arts and Cultural Center is presenting the O Kalani exhibit at the Schaefer International Gallery from April 5-June 18, 2022. The show, featuring the work of prominent, Kānaka contemporary artists, Sean Kekamakupa’aikapono Ka’onohiokalani Lee Loy Browne and Imaikalani Kalahele, represents a pivotal moment in the history of Hawaii. Browne and Kalahele have been active since the latter part of the 20th century during a resurgence of Hawaiian culture. Drawing inspiration from stories, history, legends, and current events, and using themes from the past to create contemporary art narratives, each artist has charted his own course and helped define contemporary Hawaiian art.
Kalahele, artist, poet, musician, and respected kupuna, has developed diverse forms of expression with his work, including various Hawaiian anthologies in addition to his own book, Kalahele (2002), a collection of poetry. “I like to imbue my paintings with vivid compositions and imagery that connect us to history and legends,” Kalahele noted. “Using ancestral knowledge to guide me, I interpret spirituality and nature to manifest ideas in a unique visual style, addressing issues faced by the Hawaiian community.”
Drawing inspiration from his Native Hawaiian ancestry, Browne portrays mythical and historic figures in sculptural forms using cast bronze, carved wood and stone. Contributing to a sense of place, his large public works of art are installed throughout Hawaii. “Many of my historic figures are depicted realistically,” Browne explained. “My works with gods and demi-gods are stylized, translating supernatural acts and legends into smaller simplified forms. Organized in collaboration with the Honolulu Museum of Art, I hope the Maui community enjoys the exhibit.”
“I was so impressed with this show when I saw it, I knew I had to bring it to Maui,” said Gallery Director Neida Bangerter. “The title, O Kalani, which can be translated as ‘from the heavens’, references a relationship with the divine, and also acknowledges the names of both artists: Kalani.” Agreeing, Assistant Director Jonathan Yukio Clark said, “The two artists bridge the connection between past inherited knowledge and contemporary issues through their own very distinct language and vocabulary. What is beautiful about this show is the way their art works together.”
Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10-4pm, free. Also free, the gallery is offering an Observe and Play Family Day on May 7, 10-12noon for families to view the exhibit together, explore activities in storytelling and legends, and make a piece of art to take home.
Maui journalist and community volunteer Emily O’Neil Bott recently celebrated her 100th birthday with family and friends. Recalling Bott’s many contributions to island life, Maui Mayor Michael Victorino proclaimed April 2, 2022, as Emily Bott Day. “Emily’s life demonstrates that good citizens are the riches of a community,” Victorino said. “Today, she is adding yet another hat to the collection worn over the course of her life, that of a centenarian.”
Bott’s column in the Haleakala Times was entitled Silver Streak. In 2012, at age 90, she published a book, Silver Streak Revisited, in which she recounts the adventures and misadventures of her life on Maui and her earlier years on the mainland. A fan of Bott’s said, “She is one of Maui’s treasures. Anyone who reads Emily is richer for it.” Author Tom Stevens says the book is all “wit, warmth and wisdom.” Fellow writer Paul Wood added that Bott has produced “the career retrospective of a born humorist. Her voice has always been wry, authentic, and sane.”
Bott’s most memorable community service is her 30 years and 5,000 hours of volunteering in the Emergency Room (ER) at Maui Memorial Medical Center. “Comforting children and adults with my puppet, Lamb Chop, was memorable for countless Mauians,” Bott recalls. “I remember the many hands I held as an ER volunteer, all the ripped up, blown out, agonized, bleeding human beings I have registered, iced, and comforted. It was meaningful work and I would do it all over again!”
Bott also dedicated 20 years to Make-a-Wish Hawaii, ultimately earning their Lifetime Achievement Award. Thanks to her unwavering support, numerous Maui families with a seriously ill child have been uplifted by the power of a wish. “There are numerous Maui keiki battling life-threatening medical conditions,” Emily explained. “Volunteering for Make-A-Wish Hawaii is a great way to give back to the community. It is so rewarding to bring joy to a family in need. It fulfills a dream for a youngster who does not have much control over his current situation. When you give, you receive much love in return.” Bott’s Secret: “Keep Giving!”
Maui Economic Development Board wishes Emily a happy 100th birthday. Thanks, Emily, for your dedicated years of community service!
Maui Economic Development Board STEMworks™ partnered with Mahi Pono, a Maui-based farming company, to present the 2022 STEMworks Solutions Challenge. The STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics)-related problem was open to all Hawaii high school and undergraduate college students to solve. It offered a $500 cash prize plus a summer internship with Mahi Pono, where the recipient will implement his or her winning solution, and through research and experiments, have the opportunity to improve their proposed design.
“As a company committed to a more sustainable and secure future for Maui, we know that getting the next generation involved is critical, and this is one way we are able to do that,” said Shan Tsutsui, Chief Operating Officer with Mahi Pono. “These are real-world challenges we deal with in local agriculture, so we are excited to see what our participating students come up with.”
This year’s challenge, to overcome the effects of wind on citrus trees, including tree damage, soil erosion and dust production, sought solutions for how to keep fruit trees upright with little or no windbreak, and how to mitigate dust clouds from lack of ground cover. The event kicked off with weekly professional development meetings with Mahi Pono experts. After being briefed on the goal of the project, students submitted their proposals via PowerPoint slides accompanied by a recorded video presentation.
First-place winner, Edwin Barrett from King Kekaulike High School explained his proposal. “My solution comes in two phases. The first phase is planting a cover crop of white clover because it is a very durable and effective way to stop the majority of dirt pollution. Also, it provides many benefits to the soil such as increasing nitrogen levels which were notably low according to the soil sample and prevents wind erosion, its main benefit. Additionally, it would encourage pollination of the plant and the citrus trees and offer a possible future business venture with Maui beekeepers. Secondly, my unique designs for a solar windbreak will keep trees upright, stop the blowing of dirt even further, and achieve a muti-purpose function by combining solar and wind technologies.”
My goal, to solve the problems of dust pollution and tree sustainability, was to also explore how modern technology can be implemented to have a positive impact on Maui’s farming and agricultural community. I am looking forward to my summer internship.
