Steve Case, the Punahou graduate who went on to found AOL, gave a talk to business students at the East West Center recently, and Shara Enay at Hawaii Business magazine wrote about it.

His words really resonated with me. My dad told me the very same things when I was a young boy, and I never forgot them.

1. People: Motivated people can move mountains.

2. Perseverance: “Stick with it,” Case told students. “Don’t get discouraged and don’t let anything stop you.” “Big ideas take longer and usually involve bigger risks, but they are usually worth it.” It took AOL nine years to reach one million customers, Case said – but nine years later, they had 25 million.

3. Passion: You can’t fake it.

In his closing remarks, Case said he believes people in Hawai‘i are too risk-averse. “There’s too much concern about failing,” he said, “and that’s not going to result in great breakthrough companies. We can’t be afraid to fail.”

His ideas apply to my thinking about this project I was just asked to join.

It is huge, and if successful would change things beyond most folks’ imagination. It would result in lower and stable electricity rates for all of us. If we are successful, we will transform Hawai‘i into the place we all hoped it would be.

Some folks laugh out loud, uncontrollably, at the idea that we can do this. Others are very afraid for us personally. But if we can accomplish it, we will free Hawai‘i from the tyranny of oil.

The plan is to replace most, if not all, of Hawaii Electric Company’s oil-fired plants and instead use geothermal.

Geothermal is the greatest gift we have been given. When electricity is expensive, we all know that it’s the folks on the lowest rungs of the economic ladder who will get their lights turned off first. Too frequently, they will be Hawaiians.

The world has changed, oil is depleting faster than we would like, and out of this adversity comes our greatest opportunity. In modern Hawaiian history, the Hawaiian culture has given, given, given and the economy taken, taken, taken. If we can get our primary electrical power from geothermal, we will become relatively more competitive to the rest of the world and the standard of living of all of us, especially Hawaiians, will rise relative to the rest of the world. Then our aloha spirit can thrive.

And then, as with the example of how Hawaiians were sustainable in times past, we will become a shining example to show the world how people can live and work with each other in harmony with the ‘aina, and with respect for each other, now. In modern times.

This is the Hawai‘i we all want. There are a thousand reasons why “No can.” We are looking for the one reason why “CAN!”