Spring Fever (Where Is It?!)

July 8, 2009 Richard Ha

RLast week I took some photos of water coming from a spring we have not yet uncovered on the farm. The land area where the spring is located encompasses maybe five acres. We can see water coming out of the makai end of the block, running under the road through a culvert that the sugar plantation built.

If I drive about 50 yards mauka on the left side of the block, I can hear the spring running about 10 feet from the road. About 30 feet further up the road, the sound disappears. I think the spring water moves away from the road toward the middle of the block, which is about 50 yards wide.

About 200 yards further up the road, there are banana fields completely surrounding our mauka border. There are maybe five acres of wild sugar cane growing where the terrain is too tough for growing bananas.

At that top boundary, Kimo showed me a spot where we can again hear the spring running. That was yesterday, and today I went back with a cane knife to see if I could find the spring source.

I cut my way through the thick sugar cane as the sound of running water got louder and louder. The sugar cane was maybe two feet thick, and matted. I cut my way down into the ravine and had both feet on the ground, straddling the ravine and facing makai.

There was no water behind me – but in front of me, water was coming out of the right side of the ravine. It was running along the top of a solid rock formation, and out the side of the hill.

In the next few days, I’m going to clear away the sugar cane there and explore around the spring intake – see what I can find. This is very exciting.

Community, Education, Schools

Caring For Our Community: Keaukaha Elementary School

July 6, 2009 Leslie Lang

Patrick Kahawaiola‘a, President of the Keaukaha Community Association, is spearheading a petition drive to get Governor Linda Lingle to release $8 million that’s already been appropriated for badly needed renovations to Keaukaha Elementary School.

A year ago, when Dwight Takamine was campaigning for the Senate, Richard Ha took him to see Kumu Lehua Veincent, Keaukaha Elementary School’s principal, and Dwight also met the teachers there and toured the cafeteria. He became aware of serious problems with the school’s facilities and helped get money appropriated for a renovation.

Eight million dollars was appropriated by the Legislature last year in new construction funds for the school, but the money has not been made available.

“The newspaper article is saying that the DOE needs to come up with a request,” says Kahawaiola‘a, “and that the governor needs to hear from the DOE that it’s important.”

It’s the first they’ve heard of this, he says. “We had DOE people sitting in on our meeting, and we have kept the Board of Education member Watanabe in the loop and he didn’t say anything about this. If that’s the issue, it’s another target we need to go to.”

The renovation is regarding the Keaukaha Elementary School cafeteria, which was built in 1954, some of it with building materials given to the school by the military. According to the fire code, the cafeteria can accommodate 102 people.

“We’ve got two schools using the cafeteria,” he says. “Keaukaha has 315 students, and Ka ‘Umeke Ka‘eo, the Hawaiian immersion school [also housed on the school’s grounds] has close to 200.”

So with around 500 students using that inadequate facility, lunch has to be served in three shifts, and some students have to have their “lunch” as early as 10:30 a.m.

The elementary school’s cafeteria also serves as a community center, he explains. “The boundaries of the school, the gym and the park mark the center, the piko, of educational/recreational/health, and safety. It’s a safe place for our children if there are other places that are not. Any one of our kids could go down and be in what we consider a safe environment.”

And the Keaukaha Community Association meets in that cafeteria every third Wednesday evening. When special issues come up that impact the native Hawaiian community – such as ceded lands, gathering rights, noise abatement from the airport, sewer problems, recent Mauna Kea issues – the cafeteria overflows.

The plan is to renovate the cafeteria as a 6000-square-foot “cafetorium” that doubles as a community center and meets all the community’s needs.

“It’s not a frivolous request and I would ask for anybody’s support for this,” he says. “We worked really hard with the legislators to get this money appropriated, a grass roots kind of thing with the kids and the parents, and we have the support of the churches, too. And it was appropriated.”

The Keaukaha folks are not working on this alone –- there are people in the business and labor areas who are hard at work doing what they can to support their efforts. They “know people who know people,” and are right now asking people at the highest levels of the DOE for guidance.

Anyone who’d like to lend his or her support by signing a petition can call Patrick on his cell at 937-8217.

Sustainability

Sustainable Agriculture

July 3, 2009 Richard Ha

From the Los Angeles Times food section:

THE CALIFORNIA COOK
‘Organic’ label doesn’t guarantee quality or taste
Just because it’s organic doesn’t mean it’s the best. Let flavor dictate.

By RUSS PARSONS
July 1, 2009

…The real world isn’t black and white at all. Between pure organics and the reckless use of chemicals, there is a huge gray area, and this is where most farming is done.

Ignoring this means that not only are you being misinformed, but you’re also taking your eye off the real mission of supporting small farmers who grow wonderful food.

The sustainable agriculture movement recognizes this, claiming as one of its central tenets the much vaguer requirement of “environmental responsibility,” and plainly state that this doesn’t necessarily require growing strictly organically.

At Hamakua Springs, we try to grow our crops sustainably. This gives us the flexibility to do the common sense kinds of things we need to do for the long run.

At most places on the mainland, it is easier and cheaper to grow crops organically, because the winter cold kills off lots of the bad guy bugs every year. In Hawai‘i, organic farmers need to use more chemicals than their mainland counterparts. The intense insect and disease pressure in our subtropical Hawai‘i climate is probably why organic farming is such a small part of the total food produced here.

At Hamakua Springs, we use organic techniques whenever it makes sense, but having the flexibility to choose the best solution for a situation helps us to produce lots of food.

And as far as the image of organic farming being the domain of small family farms, that is, for the most part, no truer than with conventional farms. A study by UC Santa Cruz professor Julie Guthman, included in her splendid book “Agrarian Dreams,” found that the sizes and ownerships of working organic and conventional fruit and vegetable farms are not that different.

The real problem with most farming today is with a commodity marketing system that demands that every decision be made based on what will be cheapest, not what will result in the best flavor. That — not a simple choice between organic and conventional — is what makes even small farms behave like industrial giants and ship fruits and vegetables that may look great but have no taste.

At Hamakua Springs, we have made a conscious decision to grow what tastes best. Then we do what we need to do to get the crop to market. Could we grow tomatoes with a longer shelf life? Yes, if we wanted tomatoes with no flavor. Could we grow more disease-resistant tomatoes? Absolutely, if we did not care about taste. Could we grow tomatoes that are shinier and more attractive than what we now grow? Sure, and we would grow those if they tasted as good as what we grow.

Farming has evolved quite a bit in the last few years.

In large part, this is a credit to the organic farming movement, as many of the ideas and techniques it pioneered have now worked their way into the mainstream, reducing the use of chemicals even among farmers who aren’t completely organic.

Water

It’s Called “Hamakua Springs”

July 1, 2009 Richard Ha 1 Comment

Lately we’ve been thinking about cleaning out the sugarcane to see what that mysterious spring under the vegetation looks like. Is there a series of ponds under there? Could someone grow kalo there? What was it in the old days?

There’s water underneath this tangle of cane, running through a culvert under the road. It’s coming from a spring a short distance away.

A road runs in front of those trees In the foreground. That road bends around and joins up to the road that I am driving on. There is no evidence of running water anywhere; just at that one place. That is why we know there is a spring in the tall cane.

The electricity from our hydro project will run right in front of the spring. Could we grow fish, or prawns, or something else?

Could we work with a non-profit that might want to do subsistence farming methods?

Where do we even start looking?

Curiosity is getting the better of us.

Community, Eating Locally, Renewable Energy Sources, Sustainability

Ulupono Initiative

June 29, 2009 Richard Ha

Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay, and his wife Pam just announced the launch of their Ulupono Initiative. It’s:

a Hawai‘i-based business and social investment initiative rooted in the local wisdom that a healthy environment and a healthy economy go hand in hand. The Ulupono Initiative will invest in and help scale innovative Hawai‘i-based organizations to catalyze economic and social change in the areas of waste reduction, local food production and renewable energy. By growing a progressive, thriving economy based on sustainability, the Ulupono Initiative ultimately aims to improve the quality of life for Hawai‘i’s people.

This will make a major difference in Hawaii’s ability to survive into the future.

I see this as a way to support free enterprise projects that can move the ball downfield in the areas mentioned. I see that this initiative can also support non-profits where applicable. All in all, it’s a very good way to utilize the energy of the people.

From the Ulupono Initiative website, some examples of the types of investments the organization is making:

The Ulupono Initiative invests in organizations and companies working to improve Hawai’i’s economy by expanding the supply of renewable energy. For example:

Sopogy is a solar energy solutions provider dedicated to inventing, manufacturing and selling the worlds most innovative and affordable solar collectors. The Honolulu firm started as an Energy Laboratory incubator initiative. The Omidyars recognized creative leadership with an innovative product that was scalable to a global level. Sopogy demonstrated the qualities of an ideal Ulupono investment. It’s a local firm with a better business model that is ripe for expansion. With catalytic investment, Sopogy has expanded to supply a global marketplace with its trademarked concentrated solar power technology.

The Ulupono Initiative invests in organizations and companies working to expand Hawai’is supply of locally grown food. For example:

MA’O Organic Farms is a certified organic farm run by the Waianae Community Redevelopment Corporation (WCRC), a non-profit organization established by area residents, traditional practitioners, teachers, and business experts to address important needs of the Waianae community: youth empowerment, sustainable economic development, agriculture, health, and Hawaiian culture. Young people are engaged through a pathway of educational opportunities while they work to operate an organic farm that grows premium quality fruits and vegetables. With Omidyar family matching funds of the Legacy Lands Act and with support from Hawai’i Community Foundation, MA’O purchased land to triple its acreage. Because high growth creates new management challenges, strategic assistance has also been provided in formulating the plans to scale the farm to its new size, with the end goal of helping the program increase the number of students served and meet growing demand for its local, organic produce.

The Hawai’i Island School Gardens Network is managed by The Kohala Center on the Island of Hawai’i. By supporting dedicated staff and offering small matching grants, the program is expanding the number of school gardens and is sparking excitement within the community. Children are growing food locally, selling and marketing their product, and tracking production. The program hopes to inspire a new generation of Hawaii farmers while it increases the production and consumption of locally produced, nutritious food.

Hawai’i BioEnergy LLC is a limited liability company established by three of Hawai’is largest landowners (Kamehameha Schools, Grove Farm Company, and Maui Land & Pineapple Company), in partnership with global leaders in the venture capital community with an emphasis in sustainability (Khosla Ventures, Finistere Ventures, and ourselves). Hawai’i BioEnergy’s mission is to reduce Hawai’is energy costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and dependence on fossil fuels and improve local agriculture through research and development of local renewable bioenergy projects. Among Hawai’i BioEnergy’s initiatives are projects conducting research and development on various sites in Hawai’i to lead to the commercialization of producing biofuels from micro-algae in Hawai’i. Learn more about Hawai’i BioEnergy.

The Ulupono Initiative invests in organizations and companies using technology in innovative ways to engage the entire community in creating Hawai’is sustainable future. For example:

Kanu Hawai’i is an innovative social movement supported in part by a matching grant from the Omidyar family. It utilizes the power of web 2.0 tools to catalyze individual commitments into community action in harmony with island values. Kanu is pioneering new methods of engaging the citizens in the effort to build more compassionate, self-reliant, and sustainable communities. It is a model for civic engagement and social change with incredible potential, here and in other communities.

You can read more about the Ulupono Initiative in its press release.

Mauna Kea

What About The Rest?

June 26, 2009 Richard Ha

I went to O‘ahu last night for the last of the Thirty Meter Telescope Draft EIS hearings, which was held at Farrington High School’s cafeteria and where I said a few words.

What I keep coming back to again and again is what Kumu Lehua Veincent told me the first time I asked him what the TMT should offer the Big Island as an introductory, good faith gift. I asked him if it would be appropriate to ask for “full ride” scholarships for at least five native Hawaiians to attend the best colleges in the nation.

He asked me, in a very sincere way, “And what about the rest?”

I felt so stupid that I could feel my ears getting hot.

That is the essential question: “What about the rest?” This is about the keiki, the future generations—all of them.

Three years later, University of Hawai‘i President McClain has announced that if the TMT comes to Hawai‘i, in addition to its other negotiations there will be an annual, $1 million benefit package for education emphasizing K-12. It will be effective for the life of the project—50 years—and will begin as soon as all the permits are in place.

It will be set up to address Kumu Lehua’s question: “What about the rest?”

Alan Wong

Alan Wong at the White House

June 24, 2009 Leslie Lang

Our friend Chef Alan Wong is cooking for President Obama on Thursday night. It’s a White House lu‘au on the South Lawn for the President, his family and congressional delegates from all 50 states with their families.

Motivation

June 22, 2009 Richard Ha

What is it that motivates me to support the Thirty Meter Telescope, Geothermal energy and the E Malama ‘Aina sustainability festival?

Those three subjects, I firmly believe, give us some transition time as we deal with Peak Oil – a scenario in which global oil production has peaked and every barrel of crude oil drawn from the earth from that point forth is more difficult and more expensive to extract than the barrel before it. This will have enormous, detrimental effects on being able to provide people with cheap food.

I believe we have time to adjust, but, for the sake of our people, we just cannot afford to waste the opportunities available to us.

I am no doom-and-gloomer, but I do believe in being smart about it. For example, when oil was first discovered in Pennsylvania in the 1850s, it would have been foolish to invest in the old technology – a harpoon factory in Lahaina.

Hanalei Fergerstrom and I are both very concerned about “Peak Oil” and its implications. I am a farmer whose kuleana is feeding people. Hanalei belongs to the House of Lono. Lono is one of the four major Hawaiian gods; he ruled agriculture, harvests, weather, sports, and medicine.

Palikapu Dedman and Tom Anthony were distressed the other night because they thought that I was anti-Hawaiian, but nothing could be further from the truth. I am concerned about Hawaiians; I am concerned about all of us.

It is about giving ourselves “transition” time toward a better, more sustainable future. It certainly is not about selling more tomatoes, and I don’t get paid from anything having to do with the Thirty Meter Telescope.

Here is an interesting article about “Peak Oil” and transition. I think that it is a bit overstated, but the general ideas are valid:

…Fridley, like a few other thinkers, activists and pessimists, could talk all night about “peak oil.” This catch phrase describes a scenario, perhaps already unfurling, in which the easy days of oil-based society are over, a scenario in which global oil production has peaked and in which every barrel of crude oil drawn from the earth from that point forth is more difficult to extract than the barrel before it. According to peak oil theory, the time is approaching when the effort and cost of extraction will no longer be worth the oil itself, leaving us without the fuel to power our transportation, factories, farms, society and the very essence of our oil-dependent lives. Fridley believes the change will be very unpleasant for many people.

“If you are a typical American and have expectations of increasing income, cheap food, nondiscretionary spending, leisure time and vacations in Hawaii, then the change we expect soon could be what you would consider ‘doom,'” he says soberly, “because your life is going to fall apart….”

Read the whole article here.

Mauna Kea

Pahoa Speaks

June 19, 2009 Richard Ha

RLast night was the Thirty Meter Telescope Environmental Impact Statement meeting in Pahoa.

Respected labor and community leader Wallace Ishibashi spoke and said that, as a native Hawaiian, he was okay with the TMT. He said that he respected everyone’s point of view. It was a very heartfelt, eloquent speech. He made people feel comfortable, whether they were speaking for or against the TMT.

There was a healthy difference of opinion, but everyone was very respectful of each other. Many people expressed the idea that we need to work in cooperation with each other. It felt really good.

Photo by Damon Tucker

I spoke about the TMT’s annual $1 million community benefit package, which will be used for education. I said that the world has changed and it is no longer about us, but rather the keiki and next generations. “One day the boat not going come.” This contribution to education will help us prepare.

Palikapu Dedman, a member of the Kanaka Council, spoke last night as well. He is determined and articulate, and he always voices his opposition in a booming voice. He boomed: “If not in Hawai‘i, where can Hawaiians be Hawaiians?”

Palikapu owns 70 acres of farmland that he purchased and farms himself. He is self-made, and does not rely on government subsidies. He walks the talk.

At the Hilo meeting, outside of the Hilo High School cafeteria, I had a long, heated and respectful discussion with him. We agreed to disagree. I respect him a lot.

I also had a strong discussion with Tom Anthony outside of the Hilo High cafeteria. Tom is very smart, very articulate, and even more “in your face” than Palikapu. He, too, is a member of the Kanaka Council. We also agreed to disagree.

Kale Gumapac is the alaka‘i (leader) of the Kanaka Council. At the Pahoa meeting, he offered strong opposition to things that diminish Hawaiians’ ability to be Hawaiians.

The mostly Puna-centered Kanaka Council is a coalition of groups with the most passionate, loud and angry voices. Many people are afraid of them, but they are my friends and I like and respect them.

Dr. Henry Yang, Chancellor of UC Santa Barbara and President of the Thirty Meter Telescope corporation, and Dr. Jean Lou Chameau, President of Cal Tech, went to meet with them. After that meeting, where the members expressed their views candidly, Henry told me that it was one of their most valuable meetings.

At the time, some felt that I should not have exposed Henry and Jean Lou to the Kanaka Council and to risk. I knew that though it would be passionate, and maybe unconventional, it would not be risky.

In retrospect, it shows how serious the TMT folks are about trying to understand how people here truly feel.

***

Stunning Shift in Hawaii’s Astronomy is an interesting blog post about the TMT from the Hilo Living blog.

Mauna Kea

Waimea EIS Meeting

June 17, 2009 Richard Ha

Last night I drove back to Hilo from a TMT Environmental Impact Statement meeting that was held at the Waimea Elementary School cafeteria.

I listened to music on my iPhone—from Jimi Hendrix/Purple Haze to Barry White with Earl Klugh and Brudda Iz in between. It never sounded so good. I was in a great mood.

The meeting had gone really well. Penny Keli‘i Vredenberg welcomed everyone, and made everyone feel so comfortable. It felt like we were all in her backyard instead of in a cafeteria.

I talked about the background of how the $1 million community benefit education package came about. I explained that Henry Yang impressed me—he listened. He did not dismiss my advice just because I wore shorts and t-shirts. My advice was for them to go listen to the community.

Henry and Jean Lou flew into Hilo maybe 15 times, and I took them to meet community folks. By last month, they had seen Kumu Lehua and Patrick Kahawaiola four times. At the end, they were old friends.

I told how we advised them a year ago that education for the keiki is the most important thing they could do for the community. Henry committed to this idea.

For nearly a year now, we’ve been working on this on a handshake and it’s very gratifying to now see this in print. But we had no doubt that Henry would make it happen. I’ve said before that Henry is someone I can do business with on a handshake.

I left the meeting feeling really happy. There were people there who were very passionate about their positions. But they, and we, conducted ourselves in a very respectful way.

That’s what I was so happy about. Facing an uncertain future, we need to have a strong sense of community and we need to make more friends and stay closer to our families. And we are doing it right now. It’s all I need to smile.