ALL NEW SELECTION OF 2009 FRAMES IN STOCK
Complete set of glasses * Restrictions apply. Frame and Lense purchase required. See store for details.
1415 South King Street :: Honolulu, Hawaii 96814 808.955.3532
Photo: Kevin Whitton
CONTENTS
Photo: Tim Mann
34
Photo: Aubrey Yee
40
46 8
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
10
Editor’s Note Plastic confessional
14
On The Cover Art for life
16
The Word Fill ’er up, algae please Happy birthday Surfrider Foundation Love is the messenger Know your solar Rebate transition
22
Body & Mind Think before you drink
24
Green Scene Hawai‘i Conservation Convention Ziggy Marley live in concert
26
Do-It-Yourself Saving water in the bathroom
28
Green Economics Weddings with a new eco-friendly hue
32
Planet Earth Honolulu’s rooftop real estate
34
Fashion: Presidential Mu‘umu‘u Reusing family heirlooms for The First Family wardrobe
38
Home: Thinking-Man’s Remodel Renovating with reclaimed materials
40
Food: Liquid Engineering The paragon of organic farming
46
Outdoor: Botanical Reclamation A man’s journey home to Moloka‘i and simplicity
52
Transportation: Dollars for Demolition Cash For Clunkers gets scrapped
54
Marketplace Things we like
56
Advertiser’s Directory Support our advertisers
58
Coming Next Issue
Illustration: www.nicolettedavenport.com
EDITOR’S NOTE
Plastic Confessional For better or for worse, till death do us part
All right, let’s clear the air here. Just because I’m the editor of a sustainable living publication doesn’t mean I lead some perfect, fuel-efficient, energy-neutral and plastic-free life. I do what I can, when I can, and live comfortably within my means. But let’s be honest, it would be nearly impossible and unrealistic to say, lead a plastic-free existence, however appealing and reminiscent that might sound. Plastics are, for better or for worse, a ubiquitous constant of our global ecology. But my confession is two-fold and plastic is merely the thread. I attended my first beach cleanup (stop throwing rotten tomatoes at me) on World Oceans Day earlier this summer. Being a life-long surfer, the ocean has been my aquatic muse and I have developed a great admiration and respect for its beauty and countless resources. You’d think that with the health of the ocean directly affecting my penchant for daily physical and mental rejuvenation in the waves, I’d be at every beach cleanup possible, saving the coast one trash bag at a time. In my own defense, I practice other indirect means to accomplish this goal, but as I personally witnessed, there’s nothing like getting your hands dirty to acknowledge the breath of a problem and begin the conversation to find solutions. What really struck me was that the beach we canvassed to rid of debris is a cove that I pass by often, Cockroach Bay in Waima- nalo, also called Baby Makapu‘u. From the vantage point of my polluting, personal people mover zipping by on the highway, the sand always looks white and crystalline and the water shimmers light blue, clear and inviting, as it pushes up on the rocks. On the beach, on the front lines, it’s a different story though. Cockroach Bay, tucked into the north end of Kaupo- Beach Park and fringed by the highway and the Ocean Institute’s Pier on O‘ahu’s arid southeast side, was aptly named by the exorbitant amount of cockroaches that inhabited the area, their colonies supported by the litter 10
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
of beach goers. Now it seems the cockroaches have been replaced by plastic debris. I’m talking about little tiny bits of plastic; faded red, blue and green pieces that commingle, almost invisibly, with the sand. And even though plastic won’t crawl up your leg at night to get that piece of poke that inadvertently fell into your lap, polluting plastics are a much greater problem than just what’s visible on the shore. Plastics are not biodegradable and once introduced into the ocean, float around and break up into tiny bits over time. Marine organisms often ingest these tiny bits of plastic: from birds and fish to krill and marine mammals. Plastics cause irreparable harm by poisoning, choking and lodging in smaller creatures, essentially starving them to death. In turn, they become part of the food chain. These small bits of plastic were everywhere along the beach: strewn threw the organic debris at the high tide line, in the sandy crevices of the rocks and in the tide pools. There was no point in picking up one bit at a time. I was scooping up handfuls of sand, the colorful plastic pieces finding their way into my trash bag. The closer my focus on the sand, the more plastic I found and my elation for doing a good deed and cleaning up the beach was stifled by the reality that it would be almost impossible to remove every bit of plastic, every piece of trash. Luckily, I’m not alone and many others care the same way I do for the ocean and beaches. A community of conscious individuals worked all day in the sun to clean that beach as best they could. But there’s no happy ending here. Those little pieces of plastic are a stark and visible reminder of the decades of damage already done, and I’m not going to get into the giant garbage patch floating around in the Pacific. Should we give up? Never. Instead, let’s put a halt to our frivolous use of plastics where applicable, do our part as individuals to keep the beaches and oceans clean, and stay strong in our convictions to do our part—one trash bag at a time. —Kevin Whitton
Brett Schenk
Published by Little Tree Publications VOLUME 1 :: NUMBER 3
(Realtor, CRS, GRI)
Editor Kevin Whitton Contributing Writers Dr. Summer Baptist, Jack Kittinger, Ashley Lukens, Jeff Mull, Dr. Mark Shigeoka, Aubrey Yee Art Director Kyle Tanaka Graphic Designer/Web Assistant Nicolette Davenport Staff Photographers Willi Edwards, Michelle Whitton Contributing Photographers Isaac Frazer, Kyle Tanaka, Kevin Whitton, Aubrey Yee Sales and Marketing Kyle Tanaka, Kevin Whitton info@greenmagazinehawaii.com Sales :: Oahu Amanda Corby amanda@greenmagazinehawaii.com Daven Ikalani daven@greenmagazinehawaii.com Sales :: Maui Mark Ralph mark@greenmagazinehawaii.com greenmagazinehawaii.com GREEN P.O. Box 894061 Mililani, HI 96789 GREEN is distributed throughout the state of Hawai‘i at hardware and home stores, bookstores, grocery stores and retail stores. In addition, GREEN is also available at select expos and fairs throughout the year with no cover price. To subscribe to GREEN, please contact us at info@greenmagazinehawaii.com Other than letters to the editor, we do not accept unsolicited editorial submissions. GREEN, Little Tree Publications and its associates are not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged submissions or the return of unsolicited material. One-way correspondence can be sent to: P.O. Box 894061, Mililani, HI 96789 Email editorial inquiries to info@greenmagazineawaii.com
Woodstock Properties, Inc. 98-211 Pali Momi Street #430
•
Aiea, Hawaii 96701
mobile: (808) 222-3366 office: (808) 488-1588 fax: (888) 602-1957 email: brett@brettschenk.com www.brettschenk.com
All contents of this issue of GREEN are copyrighted by Little Tree Publications, 2009. All rights reserved.
GREEN is printed in the USA on recycled paper. Please recycle this magazine. Pass it on to a friend and extend the life of this publication.
Photo: Aubrey Yee
ON THE COVER
Art For Life Aubrey Yee, co-owner of the modern design center Pacific Home, decided shortly after college to get into importing furniture from Indonesia so she could have an excuse to travel extensively. Obviously she’s the type of person with a passion and a plan. The plan has been helping others create smart, colorful home environments to enhance their life experiences; the passion has been snapping photos of the elements and intricacies of nature she encounters along the way. From wide angle to macro, Yee captures abstract close-ups of insects, flowers and plants, as well as wildlife in its natural setting. Her trained eye is able to create a window to the little miracles that occur all around us that so often go unnoticed. “The light in Hawai‘i is clean and sharp. There’s a clarity in the air you don’t get anywhere else,” says Yee, who cheerily agrees that she is nearly consumed by her passion with photography. “There are so many tropical vibrant colors to take advantage of here with the plants and the ocean.” When she’s not behind the lens or on the sales floor, Aubrey makes use of her BA in English from UCLA by putting pen to paper and expressing herself through story. Aubrey’s photography can be seen at her home design store in Honolulu and throughout the pages of GREEN, as well as the alluring words she strikes that pull us into other worlds of vibrant colors, compassionate people and art for life. —Kevin Whitton
Fill ‘Er Up, Algae Please Filling up your gas tank with petroleum-based fuel may seem like an unavoidable fact of life. Regular, supreme or diesel, it really doesn’t matter, they’re all derived from the same ill fated and nearly exhausted source—oil. But although options may be slim for the time being, this doesn’t have to be the case. Nearly a decade ago, a young man named Josh Tickell set out in a diesel Winnebago, dubbed the Veggie Van, and embarked on a twoyear tour of the continental United States. The van was powered by biodiesel collected from fast food restaurants he encountered along the way. His Veggie Van Voyage attracted the attention of numerous media outlets and served to spread the message of biofuels as an alternative to petroleum-based fuels. Soon, his clarion call was picked up and spread across the heartland by Willie Nelson and Neil Young, as they championed the veggie-based alternative fuel to long-haul truckers in search of money saving propulsion across the open road. Momentum built as Tickell spoke out against foreign oil and the benefits of biodiesel. Gas stations across the U.S. were retrofitted with biodiesel pumps, entire nations in Europe were promoting the cheaper alternative and a cleaner world was at his fingertips. Then out of the 16
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
Photo: Courtesy Green Earth Media
THE WORD
blue, the biofuel industry and infrastructure imploded upon pressure from naysayers, harking that food crops were diverted from famished nations to produce fuel, starving millions of people in the process. What did Tickell do? He wrote two books, From The Fryer To The Fuel Tank and Biodiesel America: How to Free America From Oil And Make Money With Alternative Fuels, and recently released a lay-itall-out-there documentary about the root of America’s addiction to foreign oil and alternatives to petroleum-based fuels. Fuel is not just an eye-opening look into oil supremacy in America, but an emotional autobiography of a man charged with a mission to educate the world about biofuels. The film paints a bleak picture for America, and Louisiana in particular, one that would make most people throw up their arms and admit defeat under the power and greed of the wealthy oil hierarchy. But Tickell refuses to fall on his sword. Instead, he explores alternative ways to produce biofuels without the use of food-based crops. Hopefully for Tickell, there’s an algae farm coming to a wastewater treatment plant near you. —Kevin Whitton
THE WORD
g re a t
fo r o u r
k ei k i
better
fo r o u r
wo r l d
Eco-friendly products are the best choice for our children and help to preserve the earth for future generations.
Photo: Willi
Eco-Friendly Essentials for Keiki / www.littlesproutshawaii.com New Location: 600 Kailua Road, Suite 106, Kailua / 808-266-8877
Happy Birthday Surfrider Foundation The Surfrider Foundation is celebrating 25 years at the forefront of the environmental and political fight to save beaches and coastlines across the globe from development. They are planning a huge bash in Los Angeles, Calif. where long-time supporter Eddie Vedder will be awarded the prestigious Wave Maker Award. On the local front, the Koaniani Fund at the Hawaii Community Foundation has made a $30,000 grant to put in place the first-ever paid staffer in Hawai‘i. Triple Crown of Surfing Executive Director Randy Rarick also made a sizeable private donation. Stuart Coleman, the new Hawaii Islands Field Coordinator and recipient of the full-time position, went right to work to organize another first for local Surfrider chapters, the 2009 Hawaii Chapter Conference. Up until now, what have been grassroots, local organization and support from island to island will now assume a more coordinated effort to tackle pressing issues of coastal degradation and development. The Hawaii Chapter Conference will be held November 14 and 15 at Camp Erdman on Mokule-‘ia Beach on O‘ahu. The event is open to the public. For more information, contact your local Surfrider Foundation chapter. surfrider.org/oahu surfrider.org/maui surfriderkauai.ning.com
Photo: Kevin Whitton
THE WORD
18
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
Love is the Messenger “Music is a natural part of Earth,” prophesizes the widegrinning reggae icon Ziggy Marley. “Trees rustling in the wind is music, birds in the trees is music. We choose music to be a healing force, as we are all part of the universe.” Marley spread his message of love, peace and unity at the Waikiki Shell and Maui Prince Ballroom in August. Local environmentally-conscious organizations Tr3ees and Styrophobia helped make the O‘ahu event a sustainable affair, providing recycling stations and biodegradable wares for the crowd. The vibe was mellow, the scene was green and Ziggy channeled the Rastafari inspirations of his father, the reggae legend Bob Marley and the spirit of aloha to lift up the audience with jamming beats and meaningful songs of joy. “Love is the same thing as aloha. Love is a universal strength and power for everyone and we are all the same people.” Off the stage, Ziggy has focused a great deal of his time toward educating children, even writing children’s books. Upon his arrival in Honolulu, he was presented with a Hawaiian steel guitar, handmade by Hawai‘i high school students participating in the Invention Factory, which is geared toward getting kids interested in math and science. The gesture spoke to the language of music and love that ties all people together, one that Marley knows so well.
THE WORD
Know Your Solar:
Solar Hot Water Systems vs Photovoltaics
For the residential solar customer, there are two basic applications for utilizing the sun’s energy to power our lives. Solar hot water systems and photovoltaics (also referred to as PV) utilize similar light capturing technology, but serve very different and distinct purposes. When getting to know your solar, the first step is to understand the function of each and then decide how each solar application fits into and benefits your life.
Solar Hot Water Systems What is it? Solar hot water systems utilize the sun’s energy to heat water for use in the home.
What does it look like? There are two types of solar hot water systems preferred in Hawai‘i: active and passive. The active system has two to three solar panels on the roof, a hot water storage tank and a pump to move the water between the storage tank and solar collectors on the roof. It is the most common and widely used system. The passive system has a water tank located above the solar panels on the roof.
How does it work? The sun’s energy heats up the roof-mounted solar thermal collectors, which in turn heats water as it moves through small tubes attached to an absorber plate on the collectors.
How much does it cost? A basic three-panel system will run around $6,000. Factor in state and federal tax credits and instant rebates, and you’re looking in the ballpark of $1,500 to $2,000.
What are the energy savings? For the average family of four, using a solar hot water heating system instead of an electric water heater will knock about 40 percent off your monthly electric utility bill. 20
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
Photo: Kevin Whitton
The comforting grid of an array of solar panels used in a PV system.
Photovoltaics What is it? Photovoltaics is an electricity generating system that captures the sun’s energy and converts it to electricity to power your home.
What does it look like? The typical PV system has roof-mounted solar panels, an inverter and a distribution panel. To actually store the power a system generates, it must also have batteries, battery chargers and a computer to monitor and decide where the energy goes.
How does it work? An array, or group, of solar panels captures the sun’s energy and converts it to direct current (DC) electricity. An inverter converts the DC electricity into alternating current (AC) and then it’s ready for use in the home. Depending on your arrangement with the local utility, your home can either be completely off the grid or still tied in, feeding power to your home and back to the grid as well. There are two basic ways to tie in to the grid: net metering is standard for small, residential systems and a purchase power agreement is used more widely in commercial applications.
How much does it cost? A small, basic system, sans batteries, starts in the $12,000 range. Take advantage of state and federal tax credits and rebates and that price drops down to the $4,000 range. Larger systems with more panels and battery backups elevate the cost.
What are the energy savings? If you’re home has been privy to an energy-efficient makeover and you’re confident the energy draw is as low as it can go, then a basic PV system can completely power your home, leaving you with a meager monthly connection fee to the grid, less than $20. In addition, you’ve successfully eliminated the need for imported oil to make electricity to power your home.
THE WORD
Hawaii’s Eco-Friendly Baby Store
Photo: Kevin Whitton
•
Rebate Transition You know those instant rebates that make energy efficient products so attractive, like the $1,000 instant rebate on a solar hot water system? Well, the utilities have handed over the dolling out of incentives to an independent third party administrator called the Hawaii Energy Efficiency Program. Created through legislation, the program, operated by the Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), is up and running, processing rebate applications and brainstorming new ways to modify existing rebates. Rebate applications for all sorts of energy efficient products for business and residential, like Energy Star appliances, high efficiency water heater applications and business standards incentives, are available on the website. And just to make the transition smooth, the Hawaii Energy Efficiency Program will be accepting HECO, MECO and HELCO rebate application forms through the end of 2009 or until the rebates are changed. Also in the works are paperless, online applications, touted as being the quickest way to see that rebate right back into your bank account. Hawaii Energy Efficiency Program 3049 Ualena Street, Suite 600 Honolulu, Hawaii 96819 808.537.5577 hawaiienergy.com
Cloth Diapers • Baby Carriers • Classes and Workshops • Lactation Consulting
Manoa Marketplace Phone: (808)988-0010 www.babyawearness.com
BODY & MIND
Photo: Kevin Whitton
The debate whether bottled water is better than tap water is long standing, but is either the way to make sure you’re glass is half full rather than half empty?
Think Before You Drink Do you know what’s in your water?
22
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
Water is the medium in which all other nutrients are found. It is the most abundant substance on Earth and in the human body, making up at least 60 percent of our adult body. Its simple molecular structure of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom form a substance our Earth and all its inhabitants can’t live without. Water is our daily reminder of what is natural, healing and irreplaceable. The million or so inhabitants of Hawai‘i, who share circular borders with the Pacific Ocean, are the best to understand the magnitude and life giving properties of water. But is our drinking water being held to the highest standards for optimal health and healing? Remember back when drinking a glass of water was as simple as turning on the tap? We would turn on the faucet, fill our glass, drink and feel satisfied. Today we may perform the same habit, but the act is mired in apprehension and speculation. What is “in” the drinking water? Today, choices abound when it comes to tilting your head back and downing a glass of the clear stuff (not vodka). Take your pick of tap water or vitamin-infused water, bottled water or mineral water, Brita (activated carbon filtered) or reverse osmosis, alkaline or ionized water. In this day and age, when bottled water companies claim to offer a water alternative better than tap water, how are we to know if their claims of purity are valid? Is bottled water better than tap water or vise versa? Maybe we can do better than both. In Hawai‘i, tap water comes from groundwater or well water, from reservoirs filled with mountain streams, rainwater and rivers. The water
Photo: © 2009 Nathene Lynn Antonio
BODY & MIND
from these sources goes through local treatment plants to be chlorinated. Chlorination is used to disinfect the water of microbes that have potential to cause illness and disease. The chlorination process also forms by-products called trihalomethanes (THMs) when mixed with natural occurring material in the water. THMs have been shown to be carcinogenic in laboratory animals and are monitored by the EPA as well as our local Board of Water Supply to keep the chemicals under a regulated concentration to 100 parts per billion. However, other chemicals and contaminants may propose more of a concern as the woes of our modernized technology—toxic chemical waste, farming and agricultural waste (pesticides, herbicides and insecticides), heavy metals from old pipes, pharmaceuticals and hormones from drugs spill over into our water supply making a modernized mess. Water in a bottle only adds to the problem by introducing nonbiodegradable plastic to the waste stream. The FDA regulates bottled water and holds the same standards for municipal water, your everyday tap water. Depending on the company and where they get their water, bottled water could be glorified tap water at a higher price. Our aquatic salvation: home water filtering systems that, in the long run, save money and help preserve our environment. Couple that by using stainless steel reusable containers to carry your purified water to eliminate plastic bottles from the waste stream altogether. The most popular home water purification systems use activated carbon filters and reverse osmosis (RO). There are two types of activated carbon filters: granulated (think Brita) and solid carbon block.
The islands of Hawai‘i have some of the cleanest natural artesian well water on the planet. It takes about 20 years for a drop of rain to complete its filtering journey to the underground freshwater lens.
Both help to remove bacteria, parasites, most viruses, chlorine and heavy metals, while maintaining the basic minerals naturally found in water. Granulated carbon filters have air spaces between the carbon particles to trap bacteria and remove it from the water. However, over time these air spaces can serve as a hot bed for bacteria to multiply and spill over into the filtered drinking water—inadvertent sabotage. On the other hand, solid carbon block filters provide a denser carbon bed and capture very little oxygen within the filter, which reduces the chances of germs. Research also demonstrates that solid carbon block filters trap more chemicals, organic pollutants, radon, and asbestos than the looser granulated carbon and reverse osmosis filters, while naturally leaving trace minerals in the water that our bodies can use. Reverse osmosis filters tap water through microporous holes that are the size of a water molecule. These pores allow water to pass through while leaving behind larger inorganic and organic materials, even the basic minerals found in water. RO filters remove much smaller particles than carbon block filters and have two to three filtering mechanism. On the downside, they produce 2 to 30 gallons of wastewater per day, utilizing only 10 to 25 percent of the incoming potable water. To achieve quality water, the goal is to eliminate the chemical and microbial concerns of tap water and the waste stream pollution of plastic bottles. Possibly one day in the future we can return to the days of turning on the faucet, drinking a glass of water and feel satisfied, but for the time being, it’s best to filter before you quench. —Dr. Summer Baptist, ND G R E E N M A GA ZINEHAWA II.C O M
23
GREEN SCENE
3
1
2
4
6
1. Stainless Steel Water Bottle, get one! 2. Kari Kiser, National Parks Conservation Association 3. Hawai‘i Conservation Conference volunteers Jennifer Barrett and Casey Carmichael 4. Kim Selkoe, Jack Kittinger, Christina Aiu, Rob Toonen, Shari Jumalon, Ka‘iulani Pahi‘o, Jennifer Schultz, Hawai‘i Conservation Conference 5. Ben Vinhateiro, Hawai‘i Association of Conservation Districts 6. Chad Holcomb and Kari Clayton, Angel Flight 7. Jason Cutinella of Nella Media Group and Dana Beatty of the Sustainability Association of Hawai‘i
24
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
5
7
HOW-TO
Water Closet Saving water in the bathroom with ease
1
3
2
4
When you think of high water demand fixtures in the home, the dishwasher, clothes washer or hose in the yard probably comes to mind. But lurking there in the hallway is one of the biggest uses of water in any dwelling, the bathroom. With the sink, the toilet and the shower, it’s the combined frequency of using these fixtures multiple times throughout the day that sends ample water down the drain while escaping our notice. Let the water fall through the cracks no more. By employing simple water saving strategies in conjunction with restricting the amount of water barreling out the end of the faucet using low-flow faucets and aerators, the bathroom can be just as green as your brand new, front-loading Energy Star clothes washer. The Bathroom Sink 1. According to the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, faucets manufactured after 1984 must meet minimum watersaving flow rates. You can increase your bathroom sink’s water savings by installing a faucet aerator. Faucet aerators add air to the stream of water, reducing the amount of water used with each turn of the handle. Look for an aerator with a flow of 1.5 gallons per minute or less for maximum water savings. Simply screw the aerator into the end of the faucet, which should already be threaded. The Shower 2. Saving water in the shower is as easy as using a low-flow showerhead fixture, one that delivers about 2.5 gallons per minute. Wind the threaded pipe with Teflon tape to avoid any leaks. Screw on a low-flow or aerating showerhead. Tighten by hand. The Toilet 3. Remove the toilet tank lid and locate a sufficient area to place a water bottle where it won’t hinder the mechanics of the toilet. 4. Fill up a 1 liter bottle (or other similar sized vessel) with water.
5
6
5. Place it in the tank.
Saving water starts by changing your bathroom habits
26
Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Don’t waste water using your toilet as a trashcan. Avoid flushing tissue paper and other bathroom trash down the toilet. Take shorter showers. Every minute saves gallons. There are even shower heads available that allow you to quickly turn off the flow of water while you soap up.
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
6. Flush the toilet to make sure all moving parts are working properly. Replace the tank lid. The vessel that you’ve placed in the tank displaces its volume of water, so you actually use less water with every flush.
GREEN ECONOMICS
From White To Green
Weddings take on a new eco-friendly hue
It wasn’t that long ago that the idea of a “green” wedding was reserved for tree-hugging hippy types—a simple, shoeless affair. Today, however, couples across the social spectrum have sought out and developed innovative ways to reduce the environmental impact of their special day. Throwing a green wedding can be all that any bridezilla can imagine. Weddings are not just expensive, they’re resource intensive, especially when you are planning them on an island in the middle of the Pacific. From the food to the flowers to your auntie and your tutu, the most important elements of your wedding must often be flown in from across the world. The flights, the hotels and the rentals cars amount to a huge carbon footprint, and we haven’t even talked about the entertainment, gifts or décor. An energy-neutral wedding is best accomplished with a holistic approach, one that focuses on your nuptials while keeping the Earth’s best interest in mind as well. Such an approach involves figuring out what the various environmental impacts of your wedding elements are, and seeking out alternatives that use fewer resources and produce less waste. The first step in greening your wedding is assessing its carbon footprint and what you’ll need to offset. Evolution Sage is a locally owned and operated company that provides carbon off-sets by investing in local, clean renewable-energy providers, sustainable agriculture projects and native reforestation. They can set up a carbon calculator specifically for your event. Once you start to think about the ways in which to integrate eco-friendly alternatives into your wedding, the opportunities for going green are really endless: reuse dresses for yourself or your bridesmaids, buy vintage rings, send recycled paper invites or go totally paperless by sending an e-vite. For place cards use shells, stones, or sea-glass.4 28
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
Leaves from an autograph tree serve as place cards at this green wedding.
Photo: Aubrey Yee
GREEN ECONOMICS
G R E E N M A GA ZINEHAWA II.C O M
29
GREEN ECONOMICS
continued from page 28 These are not only green, they are much more beautiful than the regular paper place cards. Beyond reducing, reusing and recycling, remember to go local and organic whenever possible. This significantly lowers the carbon footprint of a wedding, insofar as the resources that go into your wedding are not flown in from thousands of miles away and the food is not soaked in petroleum based pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers. Hawai‘i is awash in delicious organically grown produce that is harvested year round. Simply alert your caterer of your preference and they can easily integrate local and organic foods into the menu. If you are down to do something a little quirky, pick a unique local spot that embodies your green desires like Downtown at the Hawaii State Art Museum. They have a gorgeous lanai that would be the perfect spot for a wedding or rehearsal dinner. “What makes Town or Downtown the clear choice for a green wedding is our commitment to local farmers and community,” says Ed Kenney, Chef and Owner of the eco-minded restaurants. “We exclusively use local pasture-raised beef and sustainably-caught island seafood. We will also customize a menu based on the freshest, in-season, local produce.” And what’s a wedding without flowers? Unfortunately, the colorful accoutrements are also a traditionally carbon-heavy element to every wedding. “Brides often don’t realize that the orchids in their bouquets are flown in the Thailand; the roses from the Netherlands. Make sure your florist knows you want locally grown flowers,” says Morgan Childs of Moana Events, who specializes in the planning of green weddings in Hawaii. “There are beautiful tropical flowers and leaves like monstera leaf, heliconia, bird of paradise and red ginger, that are always in season and have a huge impact in a room.” Morgan also suggests using potted orchids from local nurseries, a possible favor that your guests can bring home. She continues, “We regularly donate the flowers from our events to local hospitals or funeral homes and can arrange for Aloha Harvest to pick up your extra food after the event.” This curbs the unintended excess regularly associated with wedding receptions. If you’re a total eco-warrior, research zero-waste approaches to planning large events: you might have to do some trash sorting, but your guests will learn a lot in the process. Think simply and have your guests do the same. Holding a day wedding saves on electricity and with Hawai‘i’s amazing weather and tropical locales, there’s no reason to be indoors. In addition, think about having your ceremony and reception in the same place to avoid driving around town. In lieu of gifts, ask your guests to make donations to your favorite charities or to offset the footprint of their flights and hotel stay. Evolution Sage can actually link your personalized carbon calculator to a list of projects of your choosing, including personal home energy retrofits, so that offsetting the carbon footprint of your wedding is not just an additional cost to you or your guests, it’s actually an investment in your home and your community. If you’re a stickler for a traditional resort-style wedding, several locales are doing their best to accommodate eco-conscious newlyweds. Mauna Lani Resort on the Big Island was voted one of the world’s “Top-Eco Friendly Getaways” by Condé Nast and the Kahala Hotel, through its affiliation with Leading Hotels of the World, also has a program where they will offset the carbon footprint of their guests upon request. In the end, brides no longer have to sacrifice the quality or elegance of their wedding in an effort to go green. With a little thought, and a little effort, a green wedding is quite easy to organize and Hawai‘i is the perfect place to do it. If you are thinking about saying “I do,” it’s not that hard to say “I do” to the Earth, too. —Ashley Lukens
Forward thinking at the Seattle City Hall in Washington.
Rooftop Real Estate
Taking advantage of Hawai‘i’s garden in the sky
32
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
Photo: Linda S. Valaquez, Greenroofs.com
PLANET EARTH
We all remember the Ala Wai Canal sewage spill of 2006. It’s become quite the urban legend: 40 days of rain, insurmountable storm water runoff, raw sewage overflow, flesh eating bacteria, RIP fallen hero. Since then, the City and County of Honolulu has taken to overhauling Honolulu’s sewer systems. Still, every time the rainy season comes around, I gag in anticipation of a possible recurrence. It turns out there is a proven solution to our fecal faux pas, one that is great for the environment and pleasing to the eye. Enter German engineering, par excellence: The Green Roof. Also known as living roofs, green roofs use vegetation in place of traditional roof cover like shingles or tiles. Although they have technically been around since humans emerged from their caves and started building their own dwellings, it wasn’t until the late ’70s that German landscapers formally organized to research the technology and its potential applications, ultimately proposing living green roofs as a way to ameliorate the urban environment. Since then, the study and implementation of green roofs has revealed their wide-ranging utility and positive environmental impacts. Beyond their obvious aesthetic advantages, green roofs have been shown to increase the energy efficiency of the buildings beneath them, as the vegetation and soil act as insulation against the extreme heat of the traditional lifeless rooftop. They provide habitat for urban animals and insect species, increase green space, allow for urban food production and improve air quality.
Photo: Leyla Cabugos
PLANET EARTH
Experimental planting beds filled with local, well-draining substrate and native plants. Next stop, on a rooftop.
According to Leyla Cabugos, a local champion of green roofs and a graduate of UH Ma- noa’s Department of Botany, the benefits of green roofs in Hawai‘i are amplified particularly because of our long growing season, year-round sunshine, frequent rains and outdoor lifestyle. Beyond that, Cabugos notes, “If the proper medium is chosen, I would also emphasize the ability of green roofs to filter and reduce the amount of storm water off roofs.” This is where it’s pertinent to visit the murky depths of the Ala Wai Canal once again. Not only do green roofs keep low-rise buildings cooler and add a missing botanical contingent to urban areas, but also their greatest ecological function is in their storm water management capacity. Imagine between 15 to 90 percent of rainwater runoff being absorbed into ubiquitous green roofs, depending on rain intensity and green roof soil depths. Plants intercept and delay the runoff alleviating combined sewer overflows. Eventually the water will return to the surrounding atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration. Green roofs not only absorb storm water, they filter it as well, returning cleaner water to the existing watersheds and surrounding ecosystems. This means fewer brown water advisories for surfers and swimmers, a cleaner shoreline and a healthier marine environment. In 2006, the year of the Ala Wai sewage spill disaster, Hawai‘i’s legislature commissioned a study on the feasibility of green roofs in Hawai‘i. They found that in the areas of Waikı-kı-, Kaka‘ako and Downtown, there are over 10 million square feet of rooftop perfect for greening. Once the legislature was briefed on the value of green roofs, they conducted a survey of residents and found that 77 percent of the residents surveyed were in favor of seeing these rooftops greened. So what in the world is the hold up? “Industry needs to push for green roofs in the same way they have for PV and wind energy,” says Jacce Makulanec, former policy advisor to City Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz. Cruz worked with Councilmember Ann Kobayashi to produce a legislative package focused on the environment and energy that allowed a density bonus for structures that included green roofs. “The Committee never voted on the measure, despite support from the environmental and architectural communities. It expired a year later.”
Indeed, without government subsidization in the forms of grants, tax incentives, density bonus allowances or low interest loans (to name a few), it seems that the greening of Hawai‘i’s roofs might be yet another Earth-lover’s pipe dream. Green roofs are expensive and without the legislative mechanisms in place to offset the initial increased expense, developers and private property owners are unlikely to put up the money. The public funding of green roof projects also requires the State to spend money, something it doesn’t really have much of at the moment. According to Linda Cox, professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management at UH Ma- noa, who worked on the state commissioned study, the hold up boils down to a need for more research. “No technology is readily available for tropical green roof systems, so we are furiously writing grants to set up demo sites and collect data. Long term investment is needed and at this time that is tough.” Leyla Cabugos echoes Cox’s sentiments, noting the need for the development of green roofs composed of locally derived materials. This would not only reduce the cost, but also make the practice more sustainable. But all hope is not lost. Green roofs are popping up everywhere across Europe and the United States, where cities are offering a variety of models for the large scale adoption of the technology and demonstrating its cost effectiveness. In the U.S. alone, Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland and New York have used various policy mechanisms to successfully and significantly increase the square footage of green rooftops. In Hawai‘i, community interest in green roof technology can drive its development and expansion, despite the lack of governmental support. The 2006 feasibility study, for example, concluded that the lack of public awareness and understanding of the technology was one of the major barriers to change. Next time someone harkens back to those dirty days of 2006, share with them the utility of green roofs. They’ll not only green our skyline, they’ll make our oceans a brighter shade of blue. —Ashley Lukens G R E E N M A GA ZINEHAWA II.C O M
33
FASHION
34
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
FASHION
PRESIDENTIAL MU‘UMU‘U Vintage fabric infused with meaning takes on a new look for the Obamas Words by Jeff Mull Photos by Kevin Whitton
In the sleepy town of Kailua on O‘ahu’s windswept eastern shore, Deb Mascia, owner of the boutique Mu‘umu‘u Heaven, carefully goes through a stack of faded, distressed and worn mu‘umu‘u. Once separated and organized, the Hawaiian-style full-length dresses will have new life breathed into them as the dated fabric will be cut, sewn and stitched into a fresh piece of modern couture custom-fitted for President Obama and the First Family. For the Obamas, the fabric used to make their soon-to-be wardrobe additions carry with it decades of history and close-knit memories as it formerly belonged to the late Madelyn “Toot” Dunham, grandmother to President Obama and a renowned fan of the mu‘umu‘u. When Dunham passed away in her Honolulu home last November at the age of 86, she left behind a somber grandson, a saddened nation, and an apartment full of her belongings. In the days following her passing, Senator Obama would famously become President-Elect Obama while his half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, would take to the unfortunate business of gathering up the contents of their grandmother’s apartment. “I’ve known Maya for a few years now and we’ve become really close friends,” says Mascia. “When I heard that Toot had passed away, I called her up to say how sorry I was. I told her to make sure that she didn’t throw anything out and to bring whatever she had over to my store and I’d take care of the rest.” When Mascia was presented with the box of Dunham’s favorite mu‘umu‘u by Soetoro-Ng, she offered to make her and the rest of the family a few unique pieces to help hold on to Dunham’s memory. G R E E N M A GA ZINEHAWA II.C O M
35
FASHION
opening spread: Mu‘umu‘u Heaven’s colorful production room, where vintage mu‘umu‘u are integrated into an eclectic assortment of handmade dresses, skirts, blouses, shirts and bags through creative design fused with principles of sustainability. above: Deb Mascia stitches her passion for life and sustainability into all her projects.
36
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
FASHION
Redesigning a mu‘umu‘u into fashionable modern garment is a puzzle of pattern and color.
According to Mascia, this isn’t the first time that she has been approached to refashion a piece of clothing left behind from a loved one’s passing. “I had a woman who came to me a while back with her late-grandmother’s kimono who wanted me to make her a wedding dress out of it,” says Mascia. “When it was done and she tried it on, I didn’t even want to charge her for it! I was in tears. I love seeing that kind of connection between a family.” Although her operation originally began fashioning haute skirts out of discarded mu‘umu‘u two years ago, it has quickly morphed into a full-scale business for Mascia and her team of nine employees who now fabricate everything from skirts, dresses and tops to handbags and pillows. Her line for men has been somewhat more restricted, reserved for a few prized floral-print-embroidered polos and other custom pieces. When asked what form Dunham’s mu‘umu‘u would take when given to the Obamas, Mascia envisions Michelle, Sasha and Malia all receiving dresses with President Obama receiving a customized shirt. Whatever transformation the mu‘umu‘u will have undergone when they are personally delivered by Mascia to the White House later this year, one thing is abundantly clear: it will have been a labor of love for the seamstress. “I think that all of the pieces that I make are very special,” says the energetic fabric artist. “I’m really passionate about what I do in general. But when I’m creating something for someone that’s derived out of a loved one’s old clothes, there’s another aspect to the piece. There’s just so much history there…so many memories, so many smells. When Sasha and Malia get their dresses, their dad can tell them all of the stories about their great-grandmother. I’m really honored and happy to be a part of that. It gives me a bit of chicken skin.”
An elegant creation for the First Lady designed to show off her striking arms.
G R E E N M A GA ZINEHAWA II.C O M
37
HOME
THINKING-MAN’S REMODEL Renovating with reclaimed materials Words and Photos by Kevin Whitton
38
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
HOME
Rich Dela Cruz, co-owner of Simplicity Imports and expert builder and craftsman, has an eco-minded philosophy he’s developed from years of job site experience: for home owners looking to go green, don’t demolish and rebuild with brand new, green-toted materials, but instead, use existing materials to your advantage, refurbish and cut down on construction waste. In other words, Rich champions the second theme in the sustainability triangle—reuse. For the last three-and-a-half years, Dela Cruz has been upgrading his Monsarrat home, board by board, using building materials from home construction sites in and around the Kahala neighborhood. He’s retained his home’s original look and materials where possible and has reused all sorts of reclaimed building supplies to transform a weathered, aging home into a fresh, modern and sustainable retreat. When Dela Cruz bought the house in 2005, it was in need of a complete renovation. He was more than up to the task and, with a little patience, began the remodeling process as materials became available to him. The wood shingle roof was the first to be replaced with new shingles from a home being torn down in Kahala. He removed them by hand and what he didn’t use for his home, gave to a friend who was also in need of a new roof. Dela Cruz recons using the reclaimed shingles saved him about $15,000. The tongue and groove walls have
been replaced with reclaimed boards from job sites, the inside doors to the bedrooms and bathrooms have been replace with reclaimed and refurbished doors and both showers were remodeled using travertine scraps from another Kahala job site. There was so much travertine left over from the job, he was also able to tile the kitchen. The molding in the house was reclaimed from a Chaminade University job and his front door is a handmade mosaic of reclaimed teak and koa wood, a testament to his ingenuity, artistic ability and skill. Even the furniture throughout the house is mostly reclaimed and reupholstered. Dela Cruz retained a vintage look to the home by restoring the original windows and the wood floor that runs throughout the home. The yard is also graced with touches of reclaimed stepping stones, wooden tables and benches and a fence also built from reclaimed lumber. “You drive around and you see so much stuff thrown away on the street,” says Dela Cruz. “You go to others countries, they wouldn’t even think about throwing that stuff away.” His mission is creating a beautiful, livable space by reusing building materials with imagination and know-how. “You can’t get away from people buying stuff, but you can buy things that lasts a long time and look good fifty years from now, so you don’t have to keep throwing things away and replacing them.”
G R E E N M A GA ZINEHAWA II.C O M
39
FOOD
40
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
FOOD
LIQUID ENGINEERING Organic farming goes big by getting small Words by Kevin Whitton
Or-gan-ic adj. 1. produced or involving production without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, etc. 2. designating or of any chemical compund containing carbon
With no pesticides, water in place of soil and fish poop for fertilizer, aquaponics is redefining organic farming with a shortcut to organic certification and robust yields.
For some lucky residents of Hawai‘i, especially those on the Big Island where organic farms abound, finding locally grown organic produce is as easy as stopping by the farmers’ market or local grocery store to grab greens for dinner. Maui fairs a bit better, but for most across the state, we are relegated to a small, sorry excuse for an organic food section at the big-name grocery store. To add insult to injury, the organic produce is shipped in from the mainland. By the time it hits the shelf, we are supposed to pretend that if we choose organic, we actually want to eat soggy, wilted and far-from-fresh produce. Raise your recycled-material reusable shopping bag in defiance. We want beautiful, fresh and healthy produce and we want it organic. But we’re never going to get that from mainland suppliers. In this equation, local is always fresher. But even at farmers’ markets on O‘ahu, the population hub of the state, it’s hard to find certified organic produce. Why? It takes more than three years to get the red dirt anywhere in Hawai‘i certified to grow organic. In addition, many commercial farmers on the Gathering Place are stuck in the monocrop rut: acre after acre of corn, coffee or pineapple. A handful of Hawai‘i’s farmers (once again, mainly on the Big Island) have decided to grow organic produce a faster and easier way than traditional in-the-ground planting. They can get certified organic in months instead of years and grow fresher and healthier produce faster and with less energy and physical effort. They are aquaponic farmers. Never heard of aquaponics? That’s because the technology is relatively new, championed by researchers at the University of the Virgin Islands over the last decade and implemented vigorously in Australia. Aquaponics is simply the combination of two farming systems that have been in place for centuries: aquaculture, farming fish and other edible aquatic creatures, and hydroponics, growing plants without soil in water with added nutrients. The Virgin Islands model is a simple and sustainable gravity flow, closed-loop system. The water is continually circulating, day and night, between a fish tank at the top of the path, flowing downhill with the pull of gravity through hydroponic float beds growing fruits and vegetables, and into a reservoir where a pump sends the G R E E N M A GA ZINEHAWA II.C O M
41
FOOD
above: Susanne Friend and Big Island organic farmer Donnie Mitts survey a crop of lettuce and young leeks. It takes about one month from planting the seed to harvesting a head of lettuce. below: Friendly Aquaponics raises white tilapia (shown here), suitable for warmer locations, blue tilapia for colder areas and Malaysian tiger prawns, which together account for about 20 percent of the farm’s annual income. opposite: With hydroponics troughs measuring 4´ wide, planting and harvesting from side to center is easily accomplished at an arm’s reach—no bending necessary.
42
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
water back uphill to complete the cycle. “We have a completely natural system,” explains Susanne Friend, co-owner of Friendly Aquaponics on the Big Island. “It’s healthy and robust, all our required electric energy can be carved from alternative energy sources, the same water has been circulating for a year and a half, we don’t add water, and we’ve reduced our waste to zero by utilizing the fish poop and composting byproducts.” Susanne Friend and her husband Tim Mann had no formal farming experience when they broke ground for their aquaponic farm in July of 2007. Through education and research, the two have utilized and improved upon the Virgin Islands method of aquaponic farming and are now the leading commercial aquaponic farmer in Hawai‘i. At first, Tim and Susanne were growing an assortment of vegetables and selling to local markets when Susanne had an epiphany: retool their farm to grow an assortment of lettuce to supply their local Costco with an organic lettuce medley. She was fed up with buying Costco’s organic lettuce that wilted in a matter of days because it was grown by a mainland supplier and shipped to Hawai‘i compromising quality and freshness. After 13 months of negotiations, Friendly Aquaponics is now growing 600 pounds of lettuce a week for the national chain and looking to stock a greater variety of
FOOD
produce in Costco stores across the state. The amazing thing is that they produce all this on about a half acre of land. The in-ground equivalent of land necessary to grow that much lettuce a week would be about three acres. For so much produce, you’d think that a fairly complicated system is required. Not so, according to Tim and Susanne. There are six parts to their system: The first tank is home for tilapia and tiger prawns, which are also raised and sold for profit, an added bonus; The second is a solids settling tank, where large, heavy waste is separated, removed and used as fertilizer; The third tank captures finer waste particles with nursery netting and the waste is also used as fertilizer; The degas tank is next, where bubbler air stones remove harmful gases like hydrogen sulfide and methane gas; Next are the 4´-wide hydroponic troughs where the vegetables grow in little net cups nestled into a Styrofoam floating raft; Finally the water flows into a reservoir tank where it is pumped back uphill to the fish tank. Essentially, the waste products from the fish fertilize the plants, while the plants filter and remove nutrients from the water that can become toxic for the fish. The process of fertilizing and irrigating simultaneously is referred to as fertigation. In addition to the efficiency of the closed-loop system, where the only input is fish food, it can easily be certified as organic.
No chemicals are used like in traditional hydroponics and since fish are cold-blooded creatures, the fertilizer is considered organic because there is no possibility for harmful E. coli contamination as in fertilizers from warm-blooded animals. After that, just plant with organic seeds and certification is as easy as contacting one of the 27 organic certifying agencies, filling out some paperwork and paying the necessary fees. Friendly Aquaponics took it a step further by being proactive and acquiring their Food Safety Certification as a model to other would-be aquaponic farmers. If aquaponics sounds like a good idea, but the scope of commercial farming a bit daunting, there are small-scale commercial and home applications, which are also referred to as hobby systems in the world of aquaponics. From just a couple hundred to a couple thousand dollars, a family can have a complete system up and running in just two long weekends. One month later, there’s food on the table. “If you’re growing for yourself, you’re not getting wholesale dollar for it, you’re getting retail dollar,” says Mann. “It’s exactly the same as if you bought the produce in the store, but you’re avoiding that cost. Anyone growing food at home is farming the absolute highest price food there is. It’s retail dollar food and the commercial farmer never gets that.” Hobby systems take up very little space and can be G R E E N M A GA ZINEHAWA II.C O M
43
FOOD
Glenn Martinez of Olomana Farms utilizes an ebb and flow system through part of his aquaponic farm. Water from a 500-gallon fish tank at the top of the system continually flows to each pod through the PVC pipes reaching over the side of the bin. When the water reaches a certain level, just below the top of the cinders, a simple siphon rapidly flushes the water out and down to the reservoir tank. This continuous raising and flushing of the water delivers nutrients to the roots and oxygenates the pod with every flush.
44
as diverse as the produce growing in them. On O‘ahu, Glenn Martinez, owner of Olomana Farms, specializes in small backyard aquaponic systems. His systems are a bit different from those found at Friendly Aquaponics and are modeled after ebb and flow technology widely used in Australia. Martinez also uses cinder or crushed rock as a growing medium. In Martinez’s system, the water from the fish tank flows by gravity through elevated 4´ x 4´ pods filled with black cinders and vegetables. The water fills the pod at a constant rate and a simple siphon releases the water once it hits a certain level in the bin, hence the ebb and flow. It continues this process downhill until the water reaches the reservoir tank where one pump circulates it back to the top. The fertigation principles remain the same, the fish poop fertilizes the produce and the plants remove toxic gas from the water. Glenn also adds another organic element to his system, worms. He plants his seeds in vermicompost, an organic fertilizer. Martinez has taken the hobby system a step further and designed an ebb and flow system using HDPE food-
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
grade plastic barrels. He calls it the barrel garden. The barrels are cut in half and filled with cinders. Since the system is gravity fed, several barrel halves are situated on a rack with the fish in a barrel at the bottom and a pump that sends the water to the top barrel for its journey downhill. Both farms offer tours, consulting, materials and plans for their respective systems. With the success Susanne Friend has achieved supplying Costco, she is actively looking for people who are interested in largescale aquaponic farming. “All my three kids work the farm with us regularly, with the exception of moving the rafts. Even my four year old does it too,” Susanne Friend is excited about the camaraderie she’s found with her family through organic aquaponic farming. “We do 80 percent of the work sitting in the shade—no bending over. We harvest off sawhorses and plant in the shade. It’s a paradigm shift away from farming in the ground.” With Hawai‘i’s reliance on imported food, we need that paradigm shift to happen now more than ever.
OUTDOOR
BOTANICAL RECLAMATION Kalani Pruet follows his heart to his family land and embraces simple living Words and Photos by Aubrey Yee
Follow the one and only road that winds towards Moloka‘i’s far-east end. Ambling along, you pass lowlands with restored ancient fishponds, some simple and some fancier homes dotted along the shoreline, beautiful bays with barely a person in sight and expansive ocean vistas, Maui far in the distance. Slowly, you ascend to high open plains with cattle roaming behind rustic wood fences, endangered ne-negeese can be seen in the fields, prospering here because of an innovative breeding program. You may begin to feel like you are in Montana or Wyoming, but the wild blue ocean is always visible on the right, retreating far below at the base of steep, rocky cliff faces. Eventually the route dips down, winding sharp and swift towards a valley floor. As you round another turn, this one otherwise indistinct from the many before it, the road twists sharply left and before you beckons a pristine panoramic vista reminiscent of ages past. Deep cut mountain walls descend sharply to a lush, verdant valley; two distinct white waterfalls are nestled in the back. Follow the imagined flow of water from the back of the valley seaward to the ocean where a blue bay at the river mouth mimics the curve of the road, a black-ish sand beach and river boulders gracing its shore. This is Ha-lawa, a seemingly mythic place where the east road ends and time stands still. 46
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
Crescent-shaped Ha-lawa Bay meets the end of the road on Moloka‘i’s east end.
OUTDOOR
G R E E N M A GA ZINEHAWA II.C O M
47
OUTDOOR A simple mantra for a simple way of life.
Don’t stop yet. Keep following the road towards its inevitable end near the beach. Look for the quaint Jerusalema Hou church, green and white, plantation style, big enough for just a few congregants to gather, perched on the left, nestled in tropical jungle with spider webs threatening to take over. On your right, find a relic of an old stone building, likely a church, crumbled with age and overgrown with plant-life. At an unmarked dirt road you’ll turn left, following the bumpy trackless path to a grass parking lot marked only by an old rusty car filled with more cobwebs and cane spiders. Don’t worry. You’re not lost. In fact, you have just arrived. This magical setting is the home of Kalani Pruet and Art Montoya’s Kuleana Gardens, an amazingly beautiful flower farm and pristine example of modern day sustainable living, Hawaiian style. It’s not hard to imagine the ancient Hawaiians, voyagers from the Marquesas, arriving here in the seventh century, certain that they had found paradise on earth. This valley is believed to be the first area settled by Polynesian voyagers, and for centuries it supported its residents in a completely sustainable manner. Hawaiians thrived here for over a 1,000 years with the settled population believed to be close to 2,000 inhabitants, living harmoniously off the fresh mountain water, 48
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
valley fruits and ocean bounty, supplemented with what is believed to have been the most complex and extensive taro cultivation in ancient Hawai‘i. Kalani Pruet, owner and operator of the Kuleana Flower Farm in Ha-lawa, explains, “History acclaims Ha-lawa as some of the most fertile kalo (taro) farming land on Moloka‘i, producing at one time enough kalo to feed all the people on the island.” Ha-lawa is also home to many ancient heiau, which were the most important heiau on the island. Kahuna would come here to study and according to Pruet, “Ha-lawa as a whole was a very large village with various schools to teach students to become specialists in sustaining a healthy existence within their environment.” How perfect that Kalani’s Kuleana Gardens continue that noble tradition. Kalani Pruet did not grow up in Ha-lawa. In fact, in 1905 his great grandmother Edith Peahole Wilmington left the land when she was only 9 years old. Her mother and younger brother had just died of tuberculosis and her father placed her in an orphanage on Maui. She eventually boarded at Kamehameha Schools and was part of the graduating class of 1912. She never returned to Ha-lawa. For many years, no one in the family lived on or cultivated this piece of paradise.
OUTDOOR The falls at the back of lush Ha-lawa Valley offer a great day hike.
The curious pink bombax flower is something out of a Dr. Seuss book and found in only a few places in Hawai‘i.
Kalani Pruet submerged in his own tropical making, Kuleana Flower Farm.
G R E E N M A GA ZINEHAWA II.C O M
49
OUTDOOR Unique and rare tropical plants and insects call this garden home.
50
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
Kalani’s ancestor Kawainui became owner of their family land at the time of the Great Mahele and the Kuleana Act of 1850. A decree whereby the Hawaiian monarchy, driven to accept the western concept of commoner land ownership, parceled out lands to families who had lived and worked on them for lifetimes. This new ruling enabled the Pruets and many other Hawaiian families to own free and clear the land they had tended for generations under the rule of the ali’i. Until that point, the ancient ahupua‘a system had been in place throughout the islands of Hawai‘i. This little slice of fertile farmland in Ha-lawa Valley has long been the Pruet family’s kuleana. Nearly 90 years passed after Edith Wilmington’s move to the city. As Hawai‘i modernized and the family’s land in Ha-lawa was left untended, it succumbed to the invasive non-native plants that have taken over much of the native Hawaiian forests. The once famously productive kalo lo‘i went fallow with the old way of life forgotten for a time. It wasn’t until 1995, three generations later, that Kalani Pruet, an O‘ahu-born artist and surfer, decided to move back to his family’s kuleana land and begin anew. A UH Ma-noa graduate with a degree in art, Kalani had grown tired of the rat race on O‘ahu. Living from paycheck to paycheck trying to keep up and build a meaningful life, Kalani moved to Maui in hopes of finding a mellower lifestyle. When that proved to be unfulfilling, he set his sights on the family’s abandoned kuleana lands on Moloka‘i. Armed with only a tent, a surfboard and a dream, he spent the first year clearing invasive grasses and finding fruit to eat. Tall grasses like cane, California and Guinea grasses had taken over the native species near the river on his land and clearing these out with only basic tools was no small job. Living on very little money, Kalani found innovative ways to get by in the pristine natural setting of the valley. He occasionally sold fruit to the health food store in Kaunakakai and eventually started a small garden for subsistence. There was no grand plan, just an honest desire to return to a more natural way of living, mediated only by the seasons, the surf and the generous bounty of Ha-lawa Valley. Slowly he began to experiment with different kinds of plants on the freshly cleared flatlands employing some of the techniques he had observed from friends on Maui who practiced organic agriculture. Over time, different fruit trees and native flowers began to blossom. With the encouragement and support of his neighbor, Art Montoya, Kalani shaped the land over several years into a full-fledged burgeoning flower farm supporting hundreds of varieties of tropical flowers and fruit trees. Rare varieties of tropical flowers grow with ease in the valley’s rich soil, a botanist’s dream. It’s a hot Moloka‘i morning when I arrive at the flower farm. I’ve been to this valley before, but I have never visited Kalani and his land. I amble back in my truck to the parking area, not sure if I’m in the right place until Kalani comes out to greet me. I had left him a message the day before about our visit only to find out that email works much better on the far-east end of Moloka‘i where cell phone service is spotty. Email, on an iPhone, all the way out here, it seems surreal. Entering the gardens, I immediately know that I am in an extremely special place, a present day Eden. The land is saturated with mana that’s palpable and cultivated with the loving care of people who understand its value and history. Today the farm boasts several dwellings—two homes and a few raised yurts—creatively crafted from available materials. I take a tour around the property with Kalani, whom explains the common and scientific names of each plant and flower. His knowledge of the gardens is astounding and captivating. Wandering off on my own, Kalani’s calm voice in the distance, I become entranced by a jade plant. Rarely seen in Hawai‘i, this plant offers flowers of otherworldly
OUTDOOR
The simple shelters at Kuleana Gardens are purposefully unimposing on the natural landscape.
blue-greens. The explosion of unique color is mesmerizing and I spend nearly half an hour exploring all its angles and blossoms. There is a pond, part of the river itself, which wraps through the center of the property. Various trees line its shore with their trunks casually stretching into its depths, creating symmetrical reflections in the calm water. Elephant ear plants cluster near the pond, their massive leaves towering above and making a ceiling of verdant green light as you walk through. Kalo plants fringe the edge of the river, their bulbs just beneath the water in the muddy riverbed, thriving, as they have for over a thousand years. There are numerous varieties of rare and beautiful gingers, heliconias and a gorgeous pink bombax tree with blooms that look like they are straight out of the pages of a Dr. Seuss book. Fruits and vegetables round out the garden’s offerings: pineapple, papaya, bananas, pumpkin and squash. It seems that everywhere you look a new discovery awaits as you meander through the enchanting array of plants. I spend a while by the pond, alone, listening to the multitudes of birds and insects, so happy in this natural setting. As the afternoon passes on, I end up on Kalani’s porch, a sunlight-filled open area that doubles as his kitchen. He has made us fresh smoothies, a gorgeous blend of pineapple, mango, banana, noni and passion fruit. The icy natural sweetness is a perfect remedy to the
afternoon heat. We sit for a while, relaxed, talking story, entranced by the experience of this place. Inwardly, I marvel on the power of beginning. The power of following your inner calling even when it only offers you a vague blur of a potential future. Here is a man who left behind all of what most call progress to return to a way of life that affords time, closeness to nature, healthy food and happy afternoons. When I ask Kalani what about creating and running Kuleana Gardens brings him the most joy, he replies, “Flowers make people happy and it gives reverence to nature,” a simple and noble pursuit. When I asked Kalani to describe a typical day in his life on the land he answered, “Wake up, have some tea or coffee, check my email, turn on some sprinklers, weed a section of the garden, cut some bananas, make a smoothie for lunch, start harvesting some flowers while thinning old flower stalks, and as it gets closer to evening, harvest flowers faster, rinse them and stack them in buckets of water to be sold the next day.” Nestled in the cradle of this unique valley setting, it seems Kalani Pruet has found his own version of a modern day paradise. Returning to the land of his ancestors and honoring the gifts of this natural setting, he has created a life close to nature, filled with the joy of flowers and the nourishment of fruit. The flower farm offers each of us a chance to glimpse another way of living, a relevant vision of earthly success tied to intrinsic wealth and pure joy. G R E E N M A GA ZINEHAWA II.C O M
51
TRANSPORTATION
Dollars For Demolition Out Of Gas And Out Of Money
The Car Allowance Rebate System, better known as Cash For Clunkers, was just about to run out of gas when Congress topped off the tank with a healthy $2 billion infusion of federal funds to keep the program alive due to its popularity with car buying consumers. Just days later, 457,000 dealer transactions worth $1.9 billion put the brakes on the program and brought it to a grinding halt, reminiscent of the silica solution used to seize the engines of traded-in clunkers. Cash For Clunkers had economists happy, since the $3,500 to $4,500 rebate stimulated consumers to spend their hard-earned dollars in the terminallyill automobile industry. The rebate capitalized on the feel-good theory that trading in an out-dated gas-guzzler for a new fuel-efficient car is better for the environment. Some critics feel it was just another way to stall the implementation of electric vehicles into the public sphere while others say that producing a new vehicle takes more energy and resources than driving around that old beater. Hey, if your decades-old SUV didn’t sound so good, why not take advantage if you were planning on purchasing another vehicle anyway, otherwise, just go buy a bike. —Kevin Whitton cars.gov 52
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
TRANSPORTATION
G R E E N M A GA ZINEHAWA II.C O M
53
MARKETPLACE
Bum Genius One-Size Reusable Diaper With a bumGenius One Sized Reusable Diaper you never have to buy diapers again! Each diaper comes with a highly absorbent micro-fiber insert and a nylon lined pocket that whisks moisture away, leaving baby dry. Unlike a disposable diaper, bumGenius are good for baby, good for the environment, and good for your wallet! Retail $19.95
Bonafacio Dining Table This beautiful table is made entirely of reclaimed teak. Wood that was once an old home or railway track has found a fabulous new life. Priced at $2,150 Pacific Home 420 Ward Avenue Honolulu, Hawaii 96814 808.596.9338 pacific-home.com
Baby aWEARness 2752 Woodlawn Drive, Suite 5-209 Honolulu, Hawaii 96821 808.988.0010
Walk the nose, hang ten, back step into a drop knee turn and carve sharper than you could have thought possible, and the whole time it feels like you’re out in the water on your surfboard. $450.00 Bike Factory Honolulu 740 Ala Moana Boulevard Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 808.596.8844 bikefactoryhawaii.com
Hale‘iwa Farmers’ Market
Beach Bum by Organik
Spiritual Stones Hawaii
50 booths offering a wide variety of the freshest local produce, artisan foods, children’s activities & live music. Hale‘iwa Farmers’ Market encourages everyone to buy locally, bring your own shopping bag and help to green O‘ahu… one Sunday at a time.
Celebrate summer year round with this perfect beach companion handcrafted with recycled Kona coffee sacks and handles made from dock rope. The Beach Bum features a liner made from recycled fabric in different patterns and a stash pocket to make each bag one-ofa-kind. Retail price: $40
Every morning, select three stones for daily inspiration and apply these messages to your day’s experiences. See how these words of wisdom can lead to more clarity of thought! 32 river stones, each engraved with a different “word to live by”. $45 per set
Hale‘iwa Farmers’ Market North Shore, O‘ahu Sundays 9am-1pm 808.388.9696 haleiwafarmersmarket.com
54
Bamboo Hamboard 6´ 6˝ Longboard
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
theorganik.com
Spiritual Stones Hawaii 2111 South Beretania Street, Suite102 Honolulu,Hawaii 96826 808.228.7432 spiritualstoneshawaii.com
MARKETPLACE
DEFEND OAHU COALITION STAY ACTIVE. THE FIGHT TO SAVE TURTLE BAY IS NOT OVER. Defend Oahu Coalition is a group of like -minded individuals protecting communities on O‘ahu from the effects of large-scale development.
Eco-Friendly Goodies
Bug-B-Gone to the Rescue!
Located in the heart of Ma- noa in the Manoa Marketplace, the Red Ginger Cafe and gift shop features eco-friendly products for everyone to enjoy. Organic candies, handbags made of recycled materials and other made-in-Hawai‘i items are just a few things to name.
Whether you’re in a tropical jungle or at a backyard barbeque, keep your family bite free with Hawaiian Bath and Body’s natural bug repellent, Bug-B-Gone. From the instant you mist on this chemicalfree repellent, the unique essential oil blend will keep the bugs far away! Available at Whole Foods Kahala, Key of Life and North Shore Soap Factory.
Keep the Country COUNTRY! defendoahucoalition.org
Red Ginger Cafe 2752 Woodlawn Drive 2nd Floor Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 808.988.0588 redgingercafemanoa.com
Megagarden System
Teco Pottery
MiNei Designs Hawaii
Get the convenience of an Ebb & Flow System in a 22˝ x 22˝ x 10˝ size garden by Hydrofarm. Ebb & Flow Systems work by pumping nutrient solution up from a reservoir to a controlled water level tray. All plants are watered uniformly on a timed cycle.
Iconic ceramic vases designed by architects of the Prairie School at the turn of the last century, each piece is proudly produced in the U.S. and each high quality reproduction maintains the integrity of its original pottery design. Available in many colors and styles. Starting at $95 each
These one-of-a-kind pieces of art by Katye Killebrew are reconstructed from vintage charms and beads recycled from all over the world. Available exclusively at Mu’umu’u Heaven. Custom orders and designs by appointment.
Hawaiian Hydroponics 4224 Waialae Avenue Honolulu, Hawaii 96816 808.735.8665
SoMace 1115 Young Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96814 808.593.8780 somacedesign.com
North Shore Soap Factory 67-106 Kealohanui Street Waialua, Hawaii 96791 808.637.8400 hawaiianbathbody.com
MiNei Designs Hawaii 2140 Aha Niu Place Honolulu, Hawaii 96821 808.734.3499 mineijewelry.com
G R E E N M A GA ZINEHAWA II.C O M
55
ADVERTISER’S DIRECTORY
Activities Hawaii Polo Club hawaiipolo.com Hawaiian Electric Co. Events heco.com Waimea Valley 59-864 Kamehameha Hwy. Haleiwa, Hawaii 96712 808.638.7766 waimeavalley.net Apparel MiNei Hawaii 2140 Aha Niu Place Honolulu, Hawaii 96821 808.734.3499 mineijewelry.com Mu‘umu‘u Heaven 767 Kailua Road, #100 Kailua, Hawaii 96734 808.263.3366 muumuuheaven.com Organik Clothing P.O. Box 4710 Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96745 theorganik.com Paradise Eyewear 1415 South King Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96814 808.955.3532 Stylus Honolulu 2615 South King Street #301 Honolulu, Hawaii 96826 808.951.4500 stylushonolulu.com Food :: Beverages Coffee Talk 3601 Waialae Avenue Honolulu, Hawaii 96816 808.737.7444 Down To Earth 2525 South King Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96826 808.947.7678 201 Hamakua Drive Kailua, Hawaii 96734 808.262.3838
Support Our Advertisers
56
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM
98-129 Kaonohi Street Aiea, Hawaii 96701 808.488.1375 downtoearth.org
94-1388 Moaniani Street Waipahu, Hawaii 96797 808.678.1800 bikefactoryhawaii.com
Hawaiian Island Solar 111 Hekili Street Suite A462 Kailua, Hawaii 96734 808.489.2026
Hale‘iwa Farmers’ Market North Shore, O‘ahu haleiwafarmersmarket.com
Joy of Pilates Haleiwa, O‘ahu 808.744.2335 joyofpilateshawaii.com
Hawaii Skylights and Solar Fans P.O. Box 1169 Kapaau, Hawaii 96755 808.345.1779 hawaiiskylights.com
Jamba Juice jambajuicehawaii.com Red Ginger Cafe & Gift Shop 2752 Woodlawn Drive 2nd Floor Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 808.988.0588 redgingercafemanoa.com Garden :: Landscape Hawaiian Hydroponics 4224 Waialae Avenue Honolulu, Hawaii 96816 808.735.8665 Hui Ku Maoli Ola Hawaiian Plant Specialists 46-403 Haiku Road Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744 plantnativehawaii.com Koolau Farmers 1199 Dillingham Blvd # C109 Honolulu, Hawaii 96817 808.843.0436 45-580 Kamehameha Highway Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744 808.247.3911 1127 Kailua Road Kailua, Hawaii 96734 808.263.4414 Health :: Fitness Alice Inoue 2111 South Beretania St. #102 Honolulu, Hawaii 96826 808.598.2655 aliceinoue.com Bike Factory Honolulu 740 Ala Moana Boulevard Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 808.596.8844
When contacting our advertisers, please be sure to mention that you saw their ad in GREEN. Mahalo!
North Shore Soap Factory 67-106 Kealohanui Street Waialua, Hawaii 96791 808.637.8400 hawaiianbathbody.com Wellness Lifestyles 2111 South Beretania St. #102 Honolulu, Hawaii 96826 808.941.7676 wellnesslifestyleshawaii.com Home Furnishings Archipelago Hawai‘i Gentry Pacific Design Center 560 N. Nimitz Hwy, Ste 121-A Honolulu, Hawaii 96817 808.536.7739 Kai Ku Hale 66-145 Kamehameha Hwy. Haleiwa, Hawaii 96712 808.636.2244 kaikuhale.com Pacific Home 420 Ward Avenue Honolulu, Hawaii 96814 808.596.9338 pacific-home.com So’Mace 1115 Young Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96814 808.593.8780 somacedesign.com Home Improvements Ace Hardware 3384 Waialae Avenue Honolulu, Hawaii 96816 808.732.2891 Energy Unlimited 808.533.0356
Inter-Island Solar Supply 761 Ahua Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96819 808.523.0711 Oahu 808.329.7890 Kona 808.871.1030 Maui solarsupply.com Ray’s Solar Fans 808.258.7366 rayssolarfans.com Saving Oahu’s Solar 808.372.6691 savingoahussolar.com Sun Energy Solutions 1124 Fort Street Mall #204 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 808.587.8312 sunpowerhawaii.net The Green House 224 Pakohana Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 808.524.8427 thegreenhousehawaii.com Keiki Baby aWEARness 2752 Woodlawn Dr., 2nd Floor Honolulu, Hawaii 96821 808.988.0010 babyawearness.com Dolphin Diaper Service LLC. 2302 Coyne Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96826 808.261.4775 www.DolphinDiaperService.com Little Sprouts 600 Kailua Road, Suite 102 Kailua, Hawaii 96734 808.266.8877 littlesproutshawaii.com
Organizations Defend Oahu Coalition defendoahucoalition.org Hawai‘I Conservation Alliance 1151 Punchbowl St., Rm 224 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 808.586.0916 hawaiiconservation.org Real Estate Distinctive Homes Hawaii John Keoni Welch R-GRI P.O. Box 161047 Honolulu, Hawaii 96816 808.923.9099 dhhi.com Woodstock Properties, Inc. Brett Schenk 98-211 Pali Momi Street #430 Aiea, Hawaii 96701 808.488.1588 brettschenk.com Cadmus Properties Corp. 332 North School Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96817 808.531.6847
Maui Ace Hardware Lahaina Square 840 Wainee Street, Unit A Lahaina, Hawaii 96761 808.667.5883 1280 South Kihei Road Kihei, Hawaii 96753 808.879.7060 Pukalani Terrace Center 55 Pukalani Street Pukalani, Hawaii 96768 808.572.5566 Down to Earth 305 Dairy Road Kahului, Hawaii 96732 808.877.2661 downtoearth.org Hawaiian Moons Natural Foods 2411 South Kihei Road Kihei, Hawaii 96753 808.875.4356 hawaiianmoons.com Lahaina Design Center 75 Kupuohi Street, #103 Lahaina, Hawaii 96761
Services Mobotech 824 Bannister Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96819 808.841.0005
Mana Foods 49 Baldwin Avenue Paia, Hawaii 96779 808.579.8078 manafoodmaui.com
L & O Contractors 808.227.0321
Pacific Home Lahaina Design Center 75 kupuohi street, #103 Lahaina, Hawaii 96761 pacific-home.com
Pro Glass Tinting Specialist 808.221.1150 Salon Utopia 1130 Koko Head Avenue #1 Honolulu, Hawaii 96816 808.732.7124 State Farm Insurance 1221 Kapiolani Boulevard Honolulu, Hawaii 96814 808.593.9288
Rising Sun Solar 810 Kokomo Road, Suite 160 Haiku, Hawaii 96708 808.579.8287 risingsunsolar.com
Photo: Kevin Whitton
COMING NEXT ISSUE
So Fresh, So Clean There’s no better way to get the freshest produce and handmade goods than at your local farmers’ market. GREEN takes you on a tour of the standout markets across the islands, where buying local is better than gold. Also in our Winter Issue, “obtanium” artist Chris Reiner finds meaning in the minutia of stuff that composes our daily lives by reusing objects in curious ways; master the art of cloth diapering; explore a Kailua, O‘ahu home built entirely from reclaimed cedar and so much more.
58
GREENMAG AZINEHAWAI I . COM