Shall we take the fork in the road that leads us to Hawaiian self-fulfillment?

Dieter Paulmann and the seven vaka showed how it is possible to utilize ancient knowledge to transform fossil fuel transportation on the ocean to one that is fossil fuel-free. They took ancient methods and joined them with modern technolog, strengthening up the masts and using GPS, solar panels and auxiliary electric motors. Thus equipped, these crafts can maneuver better in port. And there’s lots more. Hopefully this will help our Pacific brothers and sisters cope with rising oil prices.

Now Dieter wants to headquarter his operation Okeanos here in Hawai‘i.

Volkswagon is envisioning a vehicle that is zero emission if it aligned with a zero emission electricity source. In Hawai‘i, we have geothermal, wind and solar. It’s a one-seater for now, but it’s the thought process, the moving toward a desired future, that’s important.

VW TO UNVEIL SINGLE-SEAT ELECTRIC CAR

By John Reed and Chris Bryant in Wolfsburg The Financial Times.

Volkswagen is poised to unveil a single-seat, ultra-frugal, zero-emission electric car. The German carmaker also plans to offer a “full-service package” for customers of its electric cars by selling them power from renewable sources, Jürgen Leohold, head of research, told the Financial Times.

VW’s one-seat concept or experimental car will showcase the carmaker’s ambition to build vehicles that generate no carbon dioxide, even on a “well-to-wheel” calculation that takes into account the carbon dioxide generatedby power plants. Read the rest here

And our visit to Iceland showed us how a people can free them selves from fossil fuel electricity generation, and make themselves food secure in the process.

All these ideas converge on Hawai‘i.

We take cultural concerns very seriously; having a pono approach to this whole business is critical to us. At its most basic level, going geothermal has to be about taking care of both our Hawai‘i environment – which we can do – and our people. Using geothermal means that our people will be able to not only pay their electric and other bills, but also start getting ahead. Respect for the land and for the people: Those are cultural moves right there.

We must force change here, so we can embrace these visionary ideas and collaborate with these people. The result can be the elevation of the standard of living for future generations.

Maybe we can even incorporate Bhutan’s measurement of standard of living – they measure Gross National Happiness there.

Get thousand reasons why no can. We’re looking for the one reason why CAN!