Robotics and Sustainability

September 26, 2008 Richard Ha 2 Comments

James Takamine and some of his staff at American Savings Bank met with Art Kimura today about possibly sponsoring an exhibit on robotics at the E Malama ‘Aina festival, which is a festival that emphasizes sustainability.

It was an amazing experience listening to Art tell us how robotics help students learn how to cooperate and innovate, and that they become so involved they don’t even realize they are learning engineering concepts. Robotic students are more than eight times more likely to end up in the engineering field than students without a background in robotics.

He talked about how the program depends on dedicated teachers that are willing to accept the challenge. They help the program get off the ground and then invariably fall behind the students as time goes on.

The students enter an international competition with students from China, Japan and other countries. Sometimes the Hawai‘i high school students compete against graduate school students in those countries and hold their own. One group from Waiakea High School won first place in the international competition. Very impressive.

Art told us they are now doing competitions where the students help older people compete. We all know how kids can run circles around us when it comes to electronic gadgets, and Art says it’s the same way with robotics. He says the adults just love being a part of this project where the students are learning and don’t even know it.

How is robotics related to the subject of sustainability? We know that robots are used to assemble and paint cars. Could they be used to help our local agricultural industry?

I’ll bet if we think hard enough about this we may be able to find ways in which robots can help us do our work. I wonder if the students could help us design a banana harvesting machine?

Peter Merriman

Merriman’s

September 24, 2008 Richard Ha 2 Comments

My friend Peter Merriman invited me to sit in yesterday as a New York television crew taped a story about his restaurant. Here’s his Waimea restaurant.

Myself (left) and Peter Merriman.

Lunch at Merriman’s

If you look closely at this next photo, you’ll notice that Merriman’s landscape is edible. They grow herbs, lettuce, sugar cane, lavendar and artichokes. The chef walks outside several times per day to get fresh herbs to cook with.

More of the edible garden.

Many years ago we heard through the grapevine that Chef Peter Merriman was offering to purchase vegetables directly from local farmers. This was unheard of then. In those days, farmers could only sell through distributors, who based the farmer’s price on the cost of imported produce.

Peter was the first to pay local farmers more than what it cost to get produce from the mainland. Not only that did he pay farmers well, he also told them, “I want to see you guys drive up in a Mercedes one day.” The farmers stepped up and grew all kinds of stuff for him.

Twenty years ago, on Christmas Day, I was lying around reflecting on things. And one thought kept nagging at me: What a special thing it was that Peter was doing for Big Island farmers. I looked up his name up in the phone book and I called him.

I said, “You don’t know me, I’m a banana farmer on the Hilo side of the island and I won’t benefit from what you’re doing for farmers on the Kona side. But I want to tell you how much I appreciate what you are doing for the small farmers. Thank you.”

Yesterday Peter told me: “I remember that day many years ago. It means a lot to me.”

It means a lot to me!

Community

Kinoole Farmers Market

September 22, 2008 Richard Ha

As time passes, the Kino‘ole Farmers Market keeps getting busier. People tell us they like the convenient parking and also that the actual farmers are there at the market.

In addition, there are always talks at 10 a.m., which are about a wide range of subjects; from Korean natural farming to Ji Gong, jatropha biofuel farming and making sushi.

The place is starting to achieve critical mass. It’s had more than twice the customers it had in early January.

Jenny Perry is a good friend of ours. We’ve known Rusty and Jenny for 25 years or more. They have lettuce, papayas and various orchids at their booth, including nice scented ones.

This next photo is looking from the old Food Fair Market, which is now County offices, toward Kino‘ole Street. There are more vendors and different things every week — from baby catfish to andagi, ‘ohi‘a plants, orchids and poi; from tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers to melons, summer squash and tropical fruit. One day there were baby goats.

Cyrus Wagastuma has araimo, summer squash, melon, bananas, green onions and many other items:

Desert Rose flowers and orchids on one side, authentic Korean kim chee on the other:

There are all kinds of tropical fruit. You can see this farm from the air when you fly into Hilo. It’s located just above Amau‘ulu Camp.

Aaron and Vionel Sugino and their Blue Kalo line of products. They have sweet potato and taro chips, poi, cookies, banana bread and lots more.

They operate out of the old Fuji Bakery at Wailea. They now have a storefront on the old road that goes down into Kolokole Gulch and up to the highway.

Hilo Andagi. Delicious.

This is a booth that features all kinds of flowers from Green Point Nursery. Makes everyone feel happy.

This booth features a variety of things: Sunrise papayas, flowers, tomatoes, egg plant, ginger, avocado and other items.

This next photo is the Hamakua Springs booth. Kimo’s mom and dad run the booth. On this side, Manoa, green leaf, romaine and swiss chard.

We also have heirloom tomatoes, cocktail and beef tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet potatoes and green onions.

This boy knows what he likes — grape tomatoes.

Community

Foodland Supermarket and Lunch

September 19, 2008 Richard Ha

On Wednesday we were treated to lunch at the Pineapple Room by Jenai Walls, President of Foodland, as well as Abel Porter, Foodland’s Chief Operating Officer and John Schilf, who is its Director of Produce and Frozen Foods.

We talked about our plans for the future:

• We are working on a hydroelectric plant, which will cut our $15,000/month electricity costs in half and hold them steady for the next 30 years.

• We plan to lower our shipping costs by working with other local farmers to fill containers, thereby lowering each other’s freight costs.

• Due to our soon-to-be-lower cost of electricity, we don’t mind serving as a place where other farmers can cool their products, thereby extending the freshness—something they cannot afford to do themselves.

We talked about our efforts to convert banana waste into fertilizer. The idea is that we will feed our banana waste to tilapia fish, which are vegetarians. Then we will run the ammonia fish waste through a biofilter and convert it into nitrogen fertilizer for use on lettuce plants downstream.

Jenai and Abel visited our farm a couple of years ago and Abel has visited another time since then. I recently wrote about John’s visit to the farmers market, where I introduced him to many small farmers.

John talked about working with us to plan in advance so we can coordinate production and delivery. John and Kimo will be working very closely to our mutual benefit.

I am happy that Kimo and Tracy, the next generation at Hamakua Springs, could be there at the Pineapple Room with us to touch bases and strengthen the relationship we have with Foodland Supermarkets. We have had a business relationship with Foodland for more than 20 years.

It is good when the people at the supermarket’s highest level find time to talk to their farmer partners. Foodland is determined to increase its share of locally grown produce and this is very encouraging.

Peak Oil

Oil Prices Down – “It Gives Us Some Time To Prepare”

September 17, 2008 Richard Ha

I asked Richard to comment on the fact that oil prices ($97/barrel today) are substantially lower these days, and tell us what this means. Was that just a temporary spike we saw until recently, and does it mean that Peak Oil isn’t really that big of a problem after all? (You understand that I’m playing devil’s advocate here.)

As I expected, he was dismissive of the question. “The long-term trend is that supplies will absolutely start to drop off,” he said. “That’s irreversible. They haven’t done that yet because there’s a recession going on, so there’s less demand right now.”

He said oil prices will probably be low for a bit yet. “I’m not even concerned about the next few months. The price of oil will probably be low for a while. It’s not going to spike and go up suddenly.

“What I’m concerned about is years.”

He referred to a video that he calls the clearest explanation of Peak Oil he’s ever seen. (He suggests watching the rest of Chapter 17 as well as Chapter 18, too.)

“What’s happening right now,” he said, “is giving us some time. The danger, though, is that people are possibly interpreting it as though we’re going into a recession and thinking we’ll come out of it eventually and oil prices will be fine.

“But that’s not the case. It’s not what’s happening today that’s important. What’s happening today does give us more time to prepare, though, if we don’t fritter it away.”

He stressed that as the world’s population gets larger and larger, the world’s resources are being used up. “We need to utilize the resources available to us here in Hawai‘i in a wise way, and maximize opportunities. We need to make opportunities.

“This is what drives me to advocate for the Thirty-Meter Telescope (TMT) and its boon for education,” he said, “and to disagree with the banning of GMO taro and coffee. This is what makes me ask, ‘Why can’t we produce more geothermal energy?’”

The world has changed, he said, and we cannot keep on fighting yesterday’s battle. “Today, it is no longer about us; now it’s about future generations.”

“Our life style is funded by the net energy return on investment. How much energy does it take to get the energy we use? The difference between the two funds our lifestyles. Since it is taking much more energy to find energy, our lifestyle will soon start to diminish.”

He described bringing the Thirty-Meter Telescope here as locating a business here that generates millions of dollars in employment and educational benefits.

“As far as GMO taro and coffee is concerned,” he said, “there might not have been The Great Potato Famine if there were GMO Irish potatoes at the time.”

“We need to do the things necessary to protect our culture and our environment and help each other to make it happen.

“When will we realize that we cannot accept ‘No can?” he asked.

“Not, ‘no can.’ ‘CAN!’”

Community

Kohala: An Overview

September 15, 2008 Richard Ha

My friend Duane Kanuha invited Roberta Chu, President of the Kohala Center, Matt Hamabata, its Executive Director, and myself to take an air and ground tour of Surety Corporation lands in Kohala.

I, too, am on the board of the Kohala Center, and we may be working closely with Surety Corporation on stewardship issues.

(left to right: Bill Shontell, Sophia Schweitzer, Roberta Chu and Matt Hamabata.)

The north boundary of the property — the Mahukona pier, where Duane folks are doing a residential development:

Looking down the coast from the southern boundary toward Pololu Valley at the end of the road:

Kohala Ditch is a 22.5 mile irrigation system built by 600 laborers, almost all Japanese, in 1905 and 1906. It has been an important irrigation system for farmers ever since.

The dam that starts the Kohala Ditch is further up this valley:

We were instructed to get out and walk in front of the chopper since there was not enough room to walk around the tail on this postage stamp-sized landing zone:

The origin of the Kohala Ditch. The chopper had to stand back. The pilot did not want to cause any rocks to fall off the cliffs:

We flew in through this gap, and we had to fly back out through it:

Getting ready to do the ground tour:

Duane folks want to fence off and restore this area to its original state. He reminded me that many years ago we did a mountain bike ride through the property. I rode most of the way with my friend John Cross:

This house was built in the 1920’s and is still very functional. The only thing missing was the Bull Durham bag that used to filter water from the faucet.

Now a house costs so much our kids cannot afford to build one.

My tutu lady’s house down Maku’u looked like this, with lauhala mats on the floor:

Community, Mauna Kea

TMT – A New Paradigm

September 10, 2008 Richard Ha

Last week Keaukaha Elementary School welcomed some very important visitors: Dr. Henry Yang, President of the Thirty-Meter Telescope (TMT) (he is also Chancellor of the University of California at Santa Barbara) and Dr. Jean-Lou Chameau, President of Cal Tech University.

I’ve survived in a very difficult business for 25 years, and one thing I’ve learned is that with some people, you clench your fist and say, “Don’t mistake kindness for weakness.” There are others you can do business with on a handshake. Dr. Henry Yang and Dr. Jean-Lou Chameau are both people I would do business with over a handshake.

Last week’s meeting came about because Dr. Yang asked me if I would arrange a meeting with Kumu Lehua Veincent, the principal of Keaukaha Elementary School.

Kumu Lehua invited Patrick Kahawaiola’a, President of the Keaukaha Community Association, and Luana Kawelu, Director of the Merrie Monarch Festival and daughter of its founder Aunty Dottie Thompson.

I took it upon myself to invite ‘Ahia Dye, the second female Hawaiian astronomy graduate from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, and Hoku Cody, a Marine Biology major who is in the UH Hilo Keaholoa STEM program.

We met in the Keaukaha Elementary School library and sat around a simple table on straight-backed chairs. I brought doughnuts from KTA and we drank instant Sanka coffee. Nothing fancy.

Kumu Lehua talked about the history of Keaukaha Elementary School and how it had underperformed for so long that people thought it was the permanent state of things. He is very low key, but it became clear that this school went from underperforming for as long as anyone can remember to being a “role model school” in just the three years that Kumu Lehua has been its principal.

It also became very apparent that the community is integrated into the school, and that the keiki are supported in many different ways. Kumu Lehua grounds the students in their culture and that gives them a solid foundation from which to go forward. Kumu Lehua, Uncle Patrick, and especially the staff at Keaukaha School are not talkers – they are doers.

Patrick talked about going into the Navy without a high school diploma and some friends insisting that he take the GED test. He passed. Whether or not he has a high school degree is not relevant. Uncle Pat is a true leader. He has common sense and he is clear, articulate and uncompromisingly focused on education for the keiki now and in future generations.

If I had to choose a leader between someone with 10 university degrees but no common sense, and Patrick with only a high school GED, there is no question – I would pick Patrick. The results speak for themselves.

I was the fly on the wall at the meeting, observing everything. Every so often a teacher would drop in to say hello. Some brought a few kids from their class, and the kids introduced themselves with confidence and a sense of purpose.

‘Ahia Dye operates the planetarium at the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center. I once sat through a planetarium and was so impressed that I had to go meet the person with that wonderful voice who was running that high tech show.

She was attending UH Hilo and working part-time. I was with my grandson Kapono, who was a junior in high school at the time, and he was fascinated with the gadgets and the computer controls. He and ‘Ahia chatted, and then he volunteered and started working there under ‘Ahia’s wing.

One day I decided to see how Kapono was doing, and I sat in. ‘Ahia taught him so well that he was actually running the planetarium show and doing the narrative. It impressed me and made me realize that ‘Ahia must be a great teacher.

By then ‘Ahia had graduated from UH Hilo with an astronomy degree. I told her, “Do you realize that as a native Hawaiian wahine astronomer, you are a role model for Hawaiian girls?” Since then, I’ve bragged about her to everyone.

Hoku Cody is a Marine Science student at UH Hilo. She testified at the last Comprehensive Management Plan public hearing. She spoke about the conflicts she faced in honoring her culture and her elders and reconciling that with her pursuit of a science degree. She slowly and deliberately described how she struggled, trying to reconcile both pursuits while honoring both.

And then she said, in a straightforward and non-personal way, that the things being discussed about Mauna Kea would have an effect on her generation, not previous ones. I looked around the room and noted that most of the testifiers, including myself, had white hair and were kind of long in the tooth. It hit me that she was right: It is not about us; it is about future generations.

The simple power of her speech made everyone pause. Her one speech weighed as much as 10 of the rest—it was that powerful.

Dr. Yang and Dr. Chameau mostly listened, commenting every so often. They are both engineers, not astronomers. Dr. Chameau told everyone that if they needed a sewer fixed, he could do that. Patrick and Kumu both said that they knew where they could use some help and we all laughed.

Henry Yang said that they came to listen to the community and that they were very appreciative of the opportunity.

It was very apparent that the community might have nontraditional educational needs. Both Dr. Yang and Dr. Chameau said that TMT is committed to funding educational opportunities – but that it would leave the actual administration and direction of the educational funding up to the community. They emphasized that this was a new paradigm. That it is different this time.

By the end of the hour everyone felt comfortable.

We went outside for a welcoming ceremony. Hoku had to leave and tutor some young kids. But Dr. Yang and Dr. Chameau, together with Kumu Lehua and ‘Ahia and myself, stood in front of the class that was assembled on the front steps of the school. We were each given a lei and then the students chanted a welcome. There were so many lessons rolled up into that ceremony. Most of all, it is part of the reason that Keaukaha Elementary School is doing so well.

We went to see some of the classes in action, and it made us understand why Keaukaha Elementary School is doing so well. They have incredibly dedicated teachers who are well organized and do not tolerate disrespect, and the kids know that they are loved.

There was a child on the porch taking a test with an adult supervisor. Kumu Lehua explained: “Frequent evaluation. That’s how I keep kids from falling through the cracks.”

At the end, while we were chatting, Dr. Yang told ‘Ahia, “You should go on to grad school and become an astronomy teacher. If you do, I’ll give you a letter of recommendation.” Dr. Chameau told her the same thing: “If you go on to grad school, let me know and I’ll give you a letter of recommendation.”

I walked back to my truck thinking about what all took place. This is indeed a new paradigm.

Food Security, Peak Oil, Sustainability

Farmers Are In Trouble

September 8, 2008 Richard Ha 3 Comments

John Schilf, Foodland’s produce and meat buyer, visited the Kino‘ole Farmers Market on Saturday. He chatted with each vendor and told us all that Foodland is very interested in supporting local food producers. That gave farmers a big boost.

Of course, the economics need to work for both sides. The rumor going around the farmers market is that two large farmers on the Big Island, and a bunch of small farmers, are thinking of calling it quits. The reasons have to do with rising costs of fertilizer, supplies and transportation, coupled with slowing retail sales. Distributors are calling them up at the last minute saying, “Don’t ship tomorrow.” The farmer has sunk costs, and after a few of these calls they are asking, “Why am I doing this?”

On Friday, I received a press release from the Potash Corporation of America. Workers there just went on strike.

At Hamakua Springs, we are facing the exact same problems as the small farmers. I mentioned to John that we are working on getting a hydroelectric generator online soon, which will cut our $15,000/month electric bill to less than half that. We plan on cooling and consolidating Hamakua Coast farmers’ products and shipping together, so we can lower each others’ freight costs.

A writer from the magazine Conde Nast Traveler came to visit us today. I told her that I was the only person from Hawai‘i to attend the Peak Oil conference in Houston this past October, where I learned that the world oil supply has nearly hit its peak and will soon start to decline.

Because agriculture is so dependent on petroleum, we need to adjust to these new conditions and make ourselves self-sustaining. We need to ensure that our food supply is secure. This is why all farmers, big and small, on all islands, in high and low elevations and on the dry and wet sides of the island need to come together to help one another thrive.

The Hamakua Coast can be the breadbasket of this state. We have adequate sunshine, good soil and more than enough water (our rainfall exceeds 140 inches per year). But farmers are in trouble right now, and the state needs to step up to help farmers.

The state must let Hawai‘i’s people know that the world has changed and that we must learn to sustain ourselves. This is not a luxury. This is about survival.

Food Security, Mauna Kea

What Is Our Plan?

September 3, 2008 Richard Ha

What is our plan for the future?

Recently there have been headlines about building a giant new telescope on Mauna Kea. It’s called the Thirty-Meter Telescope (TMT), and I have written before about some of the unprecedented benefits we may see if the telescope is built here.

I look upon this telescope within the context of food security.

Does that angle surprise you? I’m a farmer, and this is a subject I know about.

I also know that we built our whole society on cheap oil, and assumed it would last forever. It will not, and we need to come to grips with this reality. The history of oil is only 150 years old. It is only a small blip in the history of human kind.

This past October I attended the Peak Oil conference – the only person from Hawai‘i to do so – in Houston. The Association for the Study of Peak Oil is a non-partisan organization whose objective is to bring accurate information to people about the subject of Peak Oil (the point where oil has reached its point of highest production, after which production will decrease at an increasing rate).

As oil production decreases, demand from developing countries will increase at an increasing rate, and that means higher prices for all things associated with oil. It also means that oil will go to the highest bidder worldwide. Others who depend on oil might starve.

It’s important to realize, too, that oil supply and world population stats are tied together. Oil has allowed us to grow more food, and more food equals more people.

So what will happen when there is less oil? Less oil equals less food, and less food means fewer people. This is inevitable.

What will we do, sitting out here in the middle of the Pacific? Will we try to feed all our people? Or will we send some of the people away to look for new lands?

For those of us who are over 60 years old, it’s really not about us. We have lived our lives already. We can stash cans of spam and corned beef for a few years.

It’s about the youngsters now, and future generations. Let’s help them.

We are at a tipping point, and the Thirty-Meter Telescope gives us a real option. It is a much better option than tourism.

What is our plan for the future?

Community, Current Affairs, Mauna Kea

TMT – It’s Not About Us Anymore

September 1, 2008 Richard Ha 2 Comments

Seeing the powerful play Kamau recently was gut wrenching, and very emotional for me.

I knew that it was my grandson Kapono up there, acting. But it wasn’t him. It was the character Alika. And it was me.

Sitting in the audience, I absolutely identified with the family losing the only home they knew. And the conflicts within one’s self – that is real, too.

I went through all that myself when I was younger. I had no direction. I flunked out of school and got drafted. I volunteered to become an officer and then went to Vietnam.

There, we were 100 people in an infantry company walking through the jungle. No one could easily come and help us if we needed. It was real – people were shooting and getting shot.

There was no room for feeling sorry for oneself; not even a little bit. You used every bit of skill and cleverness that you had, fought and took care of each other to survive.

As in the play, there was loyalty. Every single one of the people in our company in Vietnam absolutely knew and there was no doubt – not even a little – that leaving someone behind was not an option.

When I came back from Vietnam, I was a changed person. I had direction. I majored in accounting because I wanted to run some sort of business and I needed to keep score.

Now, everything is simple and very clear to me. It is not about us anymore – it is about the future generations. Leaving someone behind is still not an option. We live in the here and now and must use every bit of our skill and cleverness so that we can create the best environment for the following generations.

This is why I am for building the Thirty-Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea. If we concentrate on what we can develop for future generations, instead of wallowing in past mistakes, it can help us transition to a future of sustainability for the next generations.

Thinking about sustainability shapes everything I do. It’s why we do everything we can to make our farm energy-self-sufficient. It’s why we started the Adopt-A-Class program – to take care of our own. It’s why we are putting on the E Malama ‘Aina festival – so people know they are not alone.

All of our people’s stories were in that play. It really hit me hard.