CONTENTS
Sections 22 Community: A Lifetime of Conservation John Kelly’s legacy is honored at the annual Surfrider Environmental Awards 24 Science: Creating Carbon Big Island manufacturing company finds a use for macadamia nut shells 26 Art: Hidden Beauty Discover the vibrant colors, rhythmic forms and subtle hidden treasures of Hawai‘i’s iconic foliage 46 Design: Historic Restoration Hale Ho‘okipa Inn Bed and Breakfast breathes life into a vibrant history
32 Profile: Wayfinder
Master Navigator Chad Baybayan’s commitment to education and cultural preservation spans from the middle of the Pacific to the top of Mauna Kea
40 Conservation: Excess Baggage
Jennifer Metz committed to living trash free for an entire year. It’s not the sexiest social experiment, but someone has to be the guinea pig.
Sustainable Living 14 Home Outdoor Shower 15 Almanac Master Gardener Hotline 16 Books Easy Reading 17 The Know Climate Change Policy 18 Style Second Life Style 19 Technology Car Stations 20 Film When The Mountain Calls 21 Outside Whale Watching
Departments 06 Editor’s Note 10 Contributors 11 Letters 12 Your Thoughts 54 Marketplace 56 Advertiser Directory 57 Distribution 58 Coming Next Issue
48 Food: Kaua‘i Fungi
Garden Isle mushroom farmer sets the gold standard for locally grown oyster and shitake mushrooms
COVER PHOTO: Big Island Carbon
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Illustration: Abi Braceros
EDITOR’S NOTE
You Are What You Consume Have you ever heard of photojournalist Peter Menzel, co-author of the book Hungry Planet: What the World Eats? If you’re not familiar with the man behind the lens, perhaps you have seen his images. Time magazine published a series of his shots from the book project, families from around the world with a week’s worth of the food and beverage they consume sprawled out in front of them. The breadth of his work found in the book documents 30 families from 24 countries and are as telling of regional diet, custom and culture as they are of consumerism and waste. Families from Great Britain, Kuwait, Japan and the United States proudly display a colorful hodgepodge of boxes and plastic packages that house their processed food. The Californian family even displays a couple russet potatoes and three meager florets of broccoli, the paltry vegetables virtually lost in a sea of brightly colored boxed products. A Mexican family shows off a wide variety of produce, juxtaposed by a table filled with two-liter bottles of Coke. I have to give props to the German family, which included a healthy showing of beer and wine on their weekly table. On the other end of the spectrum, the Egyptian family prominently displays a wealth of vegetables and herbs, which leave little room on the table for just a few packaged goods. The families from Ecuador and Bhutan both have an arrangement of only fruits, vegetables, herbs and starches with no packaging to be seen, save for the burlap sacks full of tubers and rice. One can make a direct correlation between what these families consume and the amount of waste they generate on a weekly basis based on their diet and how their food is packaged. Using these families as an average in their respective communities, extrapolate their amount of weekly garbage throughout their community and you can get a good idea of the amount of trash generated in Newport Beach, California versus Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. And hopefully, as you realize
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how much packaging you’re bringing home in addition to the Cheerios, you get a little upset, because it doesn’t have to be this way. But it’s one thing to just get mad and another to do something about it. And that’s where I have to tip the hat to Honolulu’s own Jennifer Metz. Ms. Metz, a woman of strong conviction, took on the role of social scientist last year, living a year-long experiment to exist trash free for 2011, all the while documenting her progress on her wellwritten blog, trashfreeyear.com. She summed up her experience in our feature story this issue, Excess Baggage (page 40). To overcome the social norms of Styrofoam to-go containers and cereal packaged in a plastic bag wrapped in a cardboard box, her experiment took a great deal of effort and out-of-the-box thinking to find products with little to no packaging and goods that could be recycled, reused or composted upon their initial retirement. She was up against a food distribution system that doesn’t know how to handle someone asking for their fresh deli meats and cheeses to be placed in a customer’s reusable container, as easy as it may seem. At the end of her year, Jen had created a mere three-quarters pound of trash that fit into a one-gallon Ziploc bag. The rest of her waste was recycled, composted or repurposed—amazing and highly commendable. We all owe Jen a hearty thank you and a collective debt of gratitude. Why? Because she documented her trials and tribulations so you can actually live trash free. She took away the guess work so you don’t have to go through your own year-long experiment. You can jump right in and get to work scaling down your waste. With her strategies and tips, tried and true, the groundwork has been laid. Let me guess. You’re thinking, good for me, I’m half way there. I buy my granola, rice and flour from the bulk bin. I say, good for you. Now just remember to bring your own reusable container along instead of using the plastic bag they provide. OK, now you’re on the right track. —Kevin Whitton
Published by Little Tree Publications VOLUME 4 :: NUMBER 1 :: JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 Editor Kevin Whitton Lifestyle Editor Aubrey Yee Contributing Writers Adam Ayers, Dr. Summer Baptist, Priscilla Pérez Billig, Catherine Mariko Black, Stuart Coleman, Jade Eckardt, Margaret Haapoja, Jennifer Metz, Nicole Milne, Laura Poirier, Samson Reiny, Sarah Ruppenthal, Rosalyn Young, Tara Zirker Art Director Kyle Tanaka Contributing Photographers Willi Edwards, Beau Flemister, Isaac Frazer, Ian Gillespie, Margaret Haapoja, Nicole Milne, Kyle Tanaka, Kevin Whitton, Michelle Whitton, Aubrey Yee Contributing Illustrators Orthreb Arios, Abi Braceros, Nicolette Davenport Sales Representative Lola Cohen lcohen@lolacohen.com General Inquries info@greenmagazinehawaii.com GREEN P.O. Box 894061 Mililani, Hawai‘i 96789 To receive a free subscription to the GREEN eZine, the complete online version of GREEN, please contact us at info@greenmagazinehawaii.com. Annual hard copy subscriptions are also available at $24 for four issues. 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, Hawai‘i 96789 Email editorial inquiries to info@greenmagazineawaii.com GREEN is trademarked and tradename registered in the state of Hawai‘i. All contents of this issue of GREEN are copyrighted by Little Tree Publications, 2012. 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.
CONTRIBUTORS
Jennifer Metz Born and raised on the windward side of O‘ahu, Jen received degrees in English and environmental studies from the University of Oregon. While volunteering for a local nature center in Eugene, Jen realized her love of teaching about the environment. She spent the next 10 years bouncing around the country working at residential science camps in the Lower 48, as an interpretive naturalist in Alaska during her summers, and traveling the globe at any free moment in between. Her final big adventure before moving back home was as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines where she lived and worked in a fishing village for three years. Today, Jen calls Kailua home. She is the protected resources outreach and education specialist for the local NOAA Fisheries Service office and is also working towards her master’s in environmental education and interpretation.
Catherine Mariko Black Catherine Mariko Black was born in Kenya, but raised in Kailua. After graduating from Brown University with a B.A. in religious studies, she returned to the Islands as a journalist and community activist, exploring the connections between ecology and culture, social movements and local identity. A lover of travel, communication and community building, she currently splits her time between Hawai‘i and Buenos Aires, where she runs a neighborhood newspaper and cultural magazine in the city’s Historic District. She can be found on Saturday mornings giving tai chi classes in the local park and loves hand-pounded poi, especially if it’s from Waia- hole Valley.
Margaret A. Haapoja Margaret A. Haapoja is a former high school English teacher whose freelance writing career began after she took the Minnesota Master Gardener course 27 years ago. She’s written for dozens of national and regional magazines specializing in nature, gardening and travel. She and her husband live in the home they built in northern Minnesota, where they tend vegetable and flower gardens as well as a small tree farm and wildlife habitat planting. An avid traveler, Margaret has relaxed with Laysan albatross on Midway Atoll, tramped through remote wildlife reserves on Kaua‘i, traipsed along Minnesota’s newest birding trail and marveled at monk seals on Ni‘ihau. She and her husband have escaped Minnesota’s cold winters to soak up the sun on Kaua‘i for the past 20 years.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What’s your sustainable New Year’s resolution for 2012?
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Sheana Beckley
Neil Rajdev
A lot more recycling and to change over a lot of my household products to be more green, from my cleansers to my animals.
We already watch what we trash and recycle, but we are going to be better focused on eating healthier.
Try and recycle more and ride the bus.
Mark Cnudde
Clint Chilcowt
Susan McIntire
I installed a wind turbine back in Michigan about three years ago, but never finished it. I’m from Michigan, but I live here now and I’m going to try to get back to finish it.
I don’t have any plans to change my behavior for 2012. I try to be as green as possible already.
I turned over a huge leaf in 2011 and became vegan, so I will continue that. Once I educated myself there was no turning back.
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Shelby Borders and Kelsea Bruening
SMART ADVERTISING MADE SIMPLE. Advertise your business with GREEN: Hawai‘i’s Sustainable Living Magazine and tap into an emerging market of eco-conscious consumers that proudly support local Hawai‘i businesses offering local sustainable products and services. For more information about advertising opportunities with GREEN, email us at: info@greenmagazinehawaii.com. Please include the word “advertising” in the subject line with your email inquiry.
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Photo: Aubrey Yee
LIFESTYLE HOME
Outdoor Shower Leave the sand at the door
Living in Hawai‘i we are blessed with year-round mild weather and ample opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. So why not add another way to enjoy the beauty of nature by creating an outdoor bath or shower space in your home? These spaces can be as simple as a showerhead mounted to a wall and connected to a hose with a few plants and rocks, to something as complex as a fully functioning and enclosed outdoor bathroom. Either way, you’ll love the feeling of rinsing off under the sun and clouds or taking a peaceful bath under the stars with a glass of wine. This outdoor bathroom is an elegant, yet inexpensive solution to the tiny master bedroom half-bathroom found in the typical and per14
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vasive 1950s generation homes built on O‘ahu. To create the outdoor bathroom space, the homeowners used recycled timber, a recycled door and built a small deck with simple corrugated roofing for drying off after a shower. They installed a claw foot tub that was found and refurbished, pulled the plumbing from the adjacent half-bath to get hot water and filled the space with clippings and plantings from their yard, including found objects like shells, glass balls and orchids that had originally graced the inside of the home. Whether you need to rinse the sand from your feet after the beach or cleanup after work, an outdoor shower is as functional as it is freeing. —Aubrey Yee
LIFESTYLE BOOKS
Easy Reading
Fun, entertaining and educational keiki books Reviews by Kevin Whitton
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In The Garden
This smart and colorful book by Innovative Kids is part of their Green Start series of titles. In The Garden highlights a child’s awareness to their natural world by making a connection between growing food and eating it, and how healthy food helps them grow up strong and healthy, as well. There are even organic gardening tips and recipes for parents.
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Pulelehua and Mamaki
This story of harmony and relationship takes place in the lush Hawaiian rainforest, beneath a canopy of ‘o-hi‘a trees. Beautifully written by Janice Crowl with detailed illustrations by Harinani Orme, Pulelehua’s journey from caterpillar to Kamehameha butterfly is a call to preserve Hawai‘i’s natural wonders.
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Written by Karen Farmer and illustrated by Gary Currant, this rhyming tale is all about bringing a reusable shopping bag to the grocery store and the difference this simple choice can make for a healthier planet. The board book also comes with a small reusable bag just like the one in the story, kid size.
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My Bag and Me!
Endangered Animals of Hawai‘i Coloring Book
The only thing kids love more than story time is coloring. Bust out the jumbo pack of crayons for this informative coloring book by local artist Patrick Ching. Each original artwork is accompanied by an informative overview of the animal. Bess Press also offers three other coloring books by Patrick Ching and a Hawaiian Wildlife Coloring and Activity Book by Tammy Yee.
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Where Do Recyclable Materials Go?
Follow Bubbles the dog as she chases the recycling truck to the Materials Recovering Facility. Author Sabbithry Persad explains the process of recycling and how it helps to save natural resources as Tiana and her family follows Bubbles to the recycling center.
LIFESTYLE STYLE
Second Life Style
Since fashion is cyclical, you’ll always be in fashion
Looking for some fresh fashion that is unique and easier on the wallet? Try out a boutique offering consignment, upcycled and previously owned apparel. A step beyond the typical thrift store, these boutiques cull through donations, only selecting the cream of the crop to resell. Everything is organized in a stylish atmosphere to make for an enjoyable shopping experience. And if you bring in some of your own clothes to trade in, you can even get cash or a credit to fund your shopping habit. Recycling your old clothes can actually be a lot of fun and surprisingly fruitful. —Aubrey Yee
Opened in 2006, this little boutique on Kapahulu is filled with pieces carefully selected by owner Susan Reaver’s practiced eye. She’s been in the fashion world since 1971 and owned four stores in Canada before moving to Hawai‘i and opening The Clothes Chick. Bring in your clothes and if they pass muster, you’ll get store credit to spend on some chic “new” things. 415B Kapahulu Avenue, 739-2442 open Sunday – Saturday 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, theclotheschick.com
Photos: Kevin Whitton
The Clothes Chick
Glam Rok Resale Boutique Another Kapahulu resale boutique, Glam Rok sports great finds in a small space with clothes are carefully selected and in great condition. And at Glam Rok you can bring in your clothes and accessories for either cash or credit. The racks feature brand names like 7 For All Mankind jeans, Diesel, Ed Hardy and Bebe. If you really want a deal check out the $5 bin. 449 Kapahulu Avenue, Suite 104, 732-6278, open Monday – Saturday 10:30 am to 6:00 pm, glamrokhawaii.com
Tara’s Secret Closet Beautifully decorated and filled with great finds, Tara’s Secret Closet doesn’t even feel like a consignment boutique. Named for the young woman who owns it, Tara used to work for Susan Reaver of The Clothes Chick before she bought the store and made it her own. Here you’ll find brand names like Betsy Johnson, Banana Republic, Arden B and others. Try to time your shopping spree with one of their fabulous 50% off sales—that’s storewide! 2013 South King Street, 942-2442, open Monday to Saturday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
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Photo: www.whenthemountaincalls.com
LIFESTYLE FILM
When The Mountain Calls A journey of self and environmental consciousness A person’s journey for inner-peace through spirituality is often a lifelong venture, fraught with obstacles that question one’s determination and faith. The same is true for Emmy Award-winning Maui filmmaker Tom Vendetti, who directed and co-produced When The Mountain Calls: Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan. With Vendetti’s first inner-call to the Himalayas in 1983 to find meaning and happiness, his journey begins with foreboding warnings and coincidental meetings with strong souls that guide him forward, a theme that echoes throughout the film. While initially being drawn to the region to climb Mt. Everest, on each successive trip over three decades he is drawn away from the lofty peaks to explore the vibrant surrounding cultures. Part social commentary, part spiritual quest, the documentary transitions from Tom’s search for happiness to his reflection of the en20
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vironmental and social changes that have befallen the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. From rapidly receding glaciers to poor crop yields due to the lack of water that had sustained high-elevation farming communities for generations, the drastic changes to the ecologically vulnerable region demonstrates that the effects of climate change are here, now, and potentially disastrous. Coupled with the stamp of Western progress stifling these simple cultures, the people remain resilient through faith, lending hope to Vendetti that we may all find our mountain and begin the journey when called. —Kevin Whitton whenthemountaincalls.com
COMMUNITY
Photo: Willi Edwards
Save Our Surf, founded by John Kelly in 1961, had 35 major environmental victories. He would be proud of the Surfrider Foundation’s continuing effort toward beach conservation; Sharks Cove, part of the Pu- pu- kea-Waimea Marine Life Conservation District.
A Lifetime of Conservation John Kelly’s legacy is honored at the annual Surfrider Environmental Awards
Whether you’re a surfer, environmentalist or a fan of Hawai‘i’s oceans and beaches, you need to know about John Kelly. In fact, Hawai‘i’s coastlines might have looked much different today if it weren’t for the efforts of the legendary waterman and community activist. Kelly pioneered Save Our Surf, a grassroots, ocean-based environmental group that was responsible for saving 140 surf areas on O‘ahu as well as stopping dozens of destructive developments in the islands. To keep his message of conservation alive, every year the Surfrider Foundation’s O‘ahu Chapter honors Kelly’s legacy with the John Kelly Environmental Achievement Awards to recognize those who follow in his footsteps. John M. Kelly Jr. was born in San Francisco and arrived on O‘ahu with his parents in 1923, at age four. Kelly’s mother and father, Katherine Harland and John Melville Kelly, planned to stay in Hawai‘i for only a year, but fell in love with island life and decided to settle permanently. His parents were gifted artists who instilled in their only child an appreciation for Hawai‘i’s natural beauty and spirit of sharing. The family built a home at Black Point where Kelly spent countless hours in the ocean becoming a skilled surfer and diver. In 1934, he crafted the first big-wave surfboard with his friend Wally Froiseth by trimming the tail of the board into a V shape. They coined the design the “hot curl” and were some of the first modern-day surf pioneers to
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charge the waves at Ma- kaha on their new shape. Kelly graduated from Roosevelt High School and joined the Navy Reserve, wanting to stay close to the ocean. He witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and later earned a Navy and Marine Corps Medal of Honor for his freediving work while stationed aboard a ship off the coast of Kaho‘olawe. Kelly retrieved unexploded torpedoes at the bottom of the ocean with nothing more than a rope and a pair of goggles. Following his service, the talented Kelly attended the Julliard School of Music in New York. He graduated and moved back to O‘ahu with his wife Marion, where they raised their two daughters. In 1961, Kelly started Save Our Surf with longtime friend George Downing when the Army Corps of Engineers unveiled plans for a jetty in Na- na- kuli that would destroy a surf site. The plan was one of many coastal interventions popping up on the shorelines of O‘ahu that threatened reefs, surfing and fishing areas, and other ocean resources. Kelly organized dozens of surfers to protest the plan, spreading the word with posters and leaflets and lobbying for realignment of the jetty. They won and the plans were modified. Grassroots support for the organization grew steadily and by the mid 1960s Save Our Surf’s weekly meetings were packed. Kelly was a natural leader and charismatic spokesman, mobilizing people with his
COMMUNITY
three pronged strategy: respect the intelligence of the people, get the facts to them and help the people develop an action program. Educate, organize and confront was his modus operandi. The united group organized beach cleanups, rallies, protests and presentations. In 1971, over 3,000 Save Our Surf activists and supporters demonstrated at the State Capitol against coastal development. Some of the group’s major successes included defeating plans for a freeway to be built along the reef from Kahala to Hawai‘i Kai, halting a beach widening project in Waikı-kı- , saving 14 fishing families from being evicted from historic Mokauea Island, and lobbying for the creation of Sand Island Beach Park where shippers’ had plans for an industrial facility. Save Our Surf had 35 major victories and dozens of minor ones. Kelly fought overdevelopment in Hawai‘i until his later years and continued to swim and bodysurf at his beloved home break at Black Point. After battling Alzheimer’s disease and cancer, Kelly passed away peacefully at home on October 2007 at the age of 88. In an effort to preserve the artifacts of Kelly’s dedication to conservation, the University of Hawai‘i provided a grant to the Hawaiian Collection of Hamilton Library to digitize the archive of posters, fliers and articles. The fascinating collection is currently available to view online. The Surfrider Foundation’s O‘ahu Chapter and numerous other environmental groups have carried on John Kelly’s commitment to environmental activism in the modern era, achieving victories he would surely be proud of. Some of the recent milestones have been the preservation of Pu- pu- kea-Paumalu- , Kaka‘ako Park, Waimea Valley and more recently, the Turtle Bay victory. Currently, Surfrider is fighting the Kyo-Ya development in Waikı- kı- and various development projects on the North Shore. In 2003, the Surfrider Foundation created the annual Environmental Awards event to honor those individuals who display environmental leadership in the wake of Kelly. Awards are given in the categories of Lifetime Achievement, Environmentally Friendly Hawaii-based Company, and Professional Surfer. John Kelly received the first Lifetime Achievement award at the inaugural event, and his spirit continues to inspire those who are fighting to protect Hawai‘i’s coastal environment. — Rosalyn Young
Photo: Matt Eagle
John Kelly was a charismatic spokesman, natural leader and avid surfer and diver.
The Surfrider Foundation’s O‘ahu Chapter hosted its Ninth Annual John Kelly Environmental Achievement Awards in December 2011. Congratulations to the recipients. Cora Sanchez - Lifetime Achievement Award for her efforts in helping to create the Pu- pu- kea-Waimea Marine Life Conservation District.
Kyle Thiermann - Professional Surfer Award for creating a fivepart video series, Surfing for Change, to encourage individuals to change their life habits to help save the environment.
Photo: Matt Eagle
The Kona Brewing Company - Environmentally Friendly HawaiiBased Company Award for their role in promoting sustainable practices at all their facilities and advocating for coastal preservation.
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Photos: Big Island Carbon
SCIENCE
Big Island Carbon is turning macadamia nut shells, a waste product of the mac nut industry, into granular activated carbon and running their operation on renewable energy.
Creating Carbon
Big Island manufacturing company finds a use for macadamia nut shells
We all know the saying, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The symbiotic relationship of this mantra also holds true on a much larger scale. Big Island Carbon (BIC), a Hawai‘i Island startup that’s turning discarded macadamia nut shells from local farms into high-grade granular activated carbon, is a prime example. And with the Big Island macadamia nut industry producing approximately 25,000 tons of shells each year that up until now, ended up in landfills at the cost of the farmer, there are literally mountains of shells ready to be repurposed. In high demand worldwide, activated carbon is used in an array of products including improving cell phone and wind turbines performance, aiding in air and water purification, acting as catalyst support in phar-
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maceuticals, and even helping clean up some aspects of nuclear accidents. Traditionally made from coal and wood, activated carbon can be manufactured from any carbonaceous source, but macadamia nut shells naturally produce an exceptionally pure and hard carbon product. Big Island Carbon CEO Rick Vidgen spent 11 years as president of MacFarms of Hawaii before BIC broke ground in Kawaihae in 2009. Fusing his extensive knowledge of the mac nut industry with a degree in industrial chemistry, Vidgen has found a new use for agricultural waste and is also extracting biofuel in the process, which is used to power the plant. While promoting local sustainability, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acknowledged BIC as a green company, issuing a clean air permit to allow
SCIENCE
Macadamia nut farmers produce about 25,000 tons of shells a year, which until now, have ended up in the landfill at the cost of the farmer.
installation of the company’s power plant. Big Island Carbon’s technical process produces a gas energy stream that will generate internal power with recovered energy. “The EPA’s issuance of our Clean Air Permit means two important things,” explains Vidgen. “First, it means we can operate our plant the way it was designed to operate—clean and green. And secondly, it supports the fact that we are fully capturing and reusing much of what would otherwise be burned in a flare stack by producing most of our power from the manufacturing process itself. This clean, green technology allows us to be environmentally prudent, lower our energy costs and importantly, contribute to our bottom line.” Currently, 20,000 tons of shells that Big Island Carbon purchased from local farmers await processing at the plant. That’s enough to produce 1,500 tons of the final product granular activated carbon. Until now, farmers have paid $5 a ton to have their shells hauled to landfills, but with this load alone, BIC has saved the farmers about $100,000. After years of laboratory and pilot plant research and testing, BIC has been manufacturing testing since February 2011 and all is going well. According to BIC, two major processes transform the shells into
carbon. First, gas pyrolysis occurs in a char reactor, converting the shells into charcoal by heating in the absence of air. Used effectively for thousands of years to produce charcoal from wood, BIC’s process is unique in that it occurs in a closed system operating in the absence of oxygen. Char then passes to an activation kiln while the combustible gases from the char reactor are used internally to fuel a boiler used for steam generation or condensed into distillate oil for use as a biofuel for plant operation. It’s here where the char is subjected to further heat and super-heated steam to complete the activation process. Sharing an island home with an almost endless supply of macadamia nuts, Vidgen and company are hopeful for the future. “As an agriculturally-based industry Big Island Carbon is unrelated to tourism. The project provides positive cash flow to the macadamia industry making it exactly the type of industry that the island needs,” says Vidgen. “Furthermore, jobs at Big Island Carbon are high-tech and high-paying. We hope other entrepreneurs will recognize there is opportunity in Hawai‘i beyond tourism and that our innovation will breed innovation.” —Jade Eckardt
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ART
Hidden Beauty Discover the vibrant colors, rhythmic forms and subtle hidden treasures of Hawai‘i’s iconic foliage Images by Aubrey Yee
With Hawai‘i’s sub-tropical climate and ample rainfall, greenery abounds across the state. And as we all know that life is a richer experience if we can stop to smell the roses, the reality is that we don’t often have time. Take a deep breath and relax because now is your opportunity to take a small moment and enjoy a unique perspective of several common plants that we share these islands with.
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ART
Delicate and colorful orchids accent and beaututify our indoor and outdoor spaces.
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ART
Palm frond (top) and kalo leaf (bottom). The glow of pollen attracts insects and ensures the species survival (opposite page).
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ART
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The rigid leaves of this succulent resembles the colors of the ocean found in our nearshore waters. The tip of the leaf at center glows red like a cloudless sunset over the horizon.
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ART
Laua‘e fern, monstera and bromeliad (clockwise), colorful highlights to compliment daily life.
To view more captivating photographs by Aubrey Yee, visit her website at slantoflightimages.com
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PROFILE
Wayfinders Master Navigator Chad Baybayan’s commitment to education and cultural preservation spans from the middle of the Pacific to the top of Mauna Kea by Catharine Mariko Black
One evening, on his first long-distance voyage across the Pacific, Chad Ka- lepa Baybayan found himself looking up at the stars from the deck of the Ho- ku-le‘a. Tracing the contours of the Hawaiian constellations in their slow journey across the night sky toward the horizon, he was struck by an epiphany that moved him to the core. He was seeing the very same stars that his ancestors had seen hundreds of years ago—the same view of the night sky observed from the deck of the canoe, the silence of the ocean deafening. At that moment, Chad realized the power of a tangible connection with the past, one that he was actively recovering through voyaging. Master Navigator Chad Baybayan is one of contemporary Hawai‘i’s cultural and community leaders, or, in his own words, a wayfinder. “We like to use the term wayfinding instead of voyaging because it implies more than just knowing how to read points on a compass,” explains the 55-year old part-Hawaiian, part Filipino on a recent educational trip to South America. With a quiet seriousness that can break suddenly into a broad, joke-cracking grin, his informal and low-key local style belies an astonishing breadth of knowledge culled from years of dedication to this art. Baybayan lives with his family on Hawai‘i Island, where he is the associate director at the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center and works on connecting the higher educational system to Hawaiian culture, history and values. But much of his time is spent traveling
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PROFILE
Photo: Linny Morris / www.linnymorris.com
Aboard the Ho- ku- le‘a voyaging canoe, Chad Baybayan made a tangible connection with his ancestors and forged his role as an educator and steward of Hawaiian history, culture and values.
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Photo: Linny Morris / www.linnymorris.com
PROFILE
Master Navigator Chad Baybayan is committed to sharing his understanding of human and natural resources with communities all over the world.
to share the voyaging movement’s story throughout the world (most recently he traveled to Argentina and South Africa). For Baybayan, this not only means teaching others about Hawaiian culture, but also spreading a global message of stewardship and community-building as understood and practiced by oceanic wayfinders. For Baybayan, wayfinding is much more than getting from one place to another; it can also be understood as a way of organizing the world. This broad definition encompasses ways of leading, of articulating a vision and a set of values and a model for taking care of the earth. The concept of the canoe as an island reveals the wisdom of a traditional culture that understood the need to live within the boundaries of finite resources. In 1975, Baybayan became an active member of the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) at the age of 19, sailing as the Ho- ku-le‘a’s youngest crewmember on his first long-distance voyage to Tahiti in 1980 and later
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serving as crewmember and captain on many voyages throughout the Pacific. He witnessed the movement’s growth from a risky experiment into one of today’s most successful and internationally recognized symbols of the Hawaiian cultural renaissance and lived through all of its major milestones: the PVS’s tragic loss in 1978 of big wave surfer Eddie Aikau, who he remembers fondly as the first person to welcome him in the group when he was “just a quiet young kua ‘a- ina country boy from Maui” who had seen the Ho- ku-le‘a sail past his house one day and felt an irresistible calling to be a part of the project; Nainoa Thompson’s quest to reincorporate the late Micronesian Master Navigator Mau Piailug back into the PVS’s efforts, essentially rescuing the traditional art of deep-sea voyaging from the brink of oblivion; and the historic trips to faraway destinations like Aotearoa (New Zealand), Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and Japan.
PROFILE
In 2007, over 30 years after the birth of the PVS, Baybayan and four other Hawaiian men were initiated by Mau Piailug into the order of Pwo, a 2,000-year-old society of deep-sea navigators on the island of Satawal. It was the first time that non-Satawalese islanders were brought into this elite hierarchy of Master Navigators of the Pacific. But as Baybayan describes it, the privilege of being named Master Navigator is really an ingenious way of publicly reaffirming one’s responsibility to care for the human and natural resources that the community depends on. “Being initiated into the rank of Pwo is about being a humble servant, a steward to community and a resource to those who pursue the knowledge of committing to a noble cause.” He explains that it was historically the navigators of Pacific islands—who spent a good deal of time at sea—that had a comprehensive understanding of how human and natural resources, and their proper care, sustained the population at large. “If I’m given the opportunity to transmit some of this understanding, I try not to waste it. That’s the responsibility that was given to us, I need to honor it.” Today, Baybayan spends less time on the canoe and more in the classroom, teaching audiences both in Hawai‘i and elsewhere about the relevance of deep-sea voyaging as a learning tool and model for environmental stewardship. After many years of voyaging, he realized that in order for the movement and the Hawaiian people in general to continue growing, education is key. So he went back to school, obtaining a master’s in education from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo and learning to speak Hawaiian fluently. As part of a generation of Hawaiian path breakers who chose to diverge from what was socially and politically acceptable at the time, Baybayan watched the growth of the cultural renaissance and its impact on local society. While he had to struggle to recover his ancestors’ language, he can now converse with young children who are learning Hawaiian as naturally as he learned English. Today, with education at the heart of his personal and professional mission, Baybayan is one of the community’s leaders who seeks to bridge otherwise antagonistic native and mainstream visions of how to manage Hawai‘i’s natural and cultural resources. He participated in the growing ‘Aha Punana Leo Hawaiian language programs as well as becoming the Master Navigator-in-Residence and later associate director of the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center, run by the University of Hawai’i at Hilo.
Controversial Astronomy
Originally called the Mauna Kea Astronomy Education Center, the idea for ‘Imiloa originated in the mid-1990s when a group of educators, scientists and community leaders decided to develop an educational facility that would showcase the connections between the traditions of Hawaiian culture and the astronomical research conducted at the summit of Mauna Kea. This intersection between scientific and cultural knowledge sources had taken place for decades in the PVS, and although Baybayan believes that there are layers of wisdom unique to the accumulated experience of traditional navigators, he adds that the PVS always made use of modern technology and science to achieve its work. Mauna Kea is now at the center of a heated debate over the 30-meter telescope (TMT) project being planned for the mountain’s summit. A project of the TMT Observatory Corporation, the telescope
Photo: Linny Morris / www.linnymorris.com
A Model for Stewardship
would be one of the largest and most advanced in the world, with a $1.3 billion budget with research partners and investors from Japan and India, as well as the United States. Critics of the project, which include Hawaiian and environmental groups, contend that Mauna Kea’s summit is both sacred and ecologically sensitive land. After the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) approved the project in February 2011, contested case public hearings took place in August and September. At the time of publication, both parties had yet to submit all the necessary materials. After receiving the hearing office’s final recommendation, BLNR will then review and vote whether or not to allow the construction of the telescope. Baybayan is an important figure in the hearings, given his stature in the Hawaiian cultural and educational community, but unlike many in the native Hawaiian community, he supports the project. He cites among his reasons the fact that the TMT will be built at a lower elevation, rather than at the summit of the mountain, and that if it is built at least two, if not more, of the other 13 telescopes currently in use will be dismantled. He believes that concentrating the research activity rather than spreading it out will be better for the mountain’s ecology and cultural use in the long term. The project also serves as a model for negotiating “community benefits packages” in exchange for major development projects, which in the case of the TMT has been set at $1 million annually in funding for locally chosen and managed educational programs on the island of Hawai‘i. “In the past, these kinds of benefits weren’t included in development projects and if this one goes through it will set the bar for future proposals,” says Baybayan. Economic benefits (which, in this case, include between 120 and 140 jobs) have always been used as arguments for tourism and development in Hawai‘i, although they have also been viewed as contradicting cultural and community welfare. But Baybayan, who
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The Ho- ku- le‘a’s first journey was fraught with violent disagreements between Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians that almost led to the mission’s demise. Chad has extrapolated lessons learned from that journey to find compromise between cultural integrity and economic stability in today’s society.
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Photo: Linny Morris / www.linnymorris.com
PROFILE
PROFILE
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PROFILE
Photo: Richard Wainscoat / www.ainakai.com
From the summit of Mauna Kea to the vastness of the open ocean, Baybayan is able to bridge the historical gap from what his ancestors saw in the night sky to how he must navigate through life today.
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Photo: Richard Wainscoat / www.ainakai.com
PROFILE
Unlike many of his peers in the native Hawaiian community, Baybayan supports the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope, which if built, will concentrate research activity by dismantling at least two of the 13 telescopes on the summit and set a precedent for community benefits packages.
worked in hotels when he was younger, believes that the differences between community and economic wellbeing needn’t be so severely opposed. “I don’t see my support of the telescope as contradicting cultural values, but I do think that there has to be compromise in the process and it’s hard to argue away the economic benefit to the community,” explains Baybayan. “Preserving cultural integrity and maintaining economic stability in the Islands is a delicate balance, but I think today’s reality forces us to recognize the harshness of the current economic climate and we need to make wise choices that build upon the industry at hand.” Baybayan points out that on the Ho- ku-le‘a’s first journey, the differences between Hawaiians and nonHawaiians produced such violent disagreements that their most precious resource of all—Mau Piailug—was so disgusted by their behavior that he abandoned the project in Tahiti, returned to Satawal, and told the Hawaiians to never bother him again. This was a defin-
ing moment in the voyaging movement and the cultural renaissance itself, when petty differences could have killed a broader dream to rediscover the wisdom of traditional Pacific seafaring people. Thanks to the humility and perseverance of those who insisted that the values behind voyaging—the values of wayfinders—transcend race or political ideology, the name Ho- ku-le‘a is now synonymous with the wisdom and achievements of Hawai‘i’s island culture. Over three decades later, when Baybayan and four others were invited by Piailug to form part of the brotherhood of Master Navigators, it seemed a learning process had been completed. “Performing that very simple and powerful ceremony reinforces my belief that as voyagers our horizons are limitless, that the power to renew our lives through self-discovery lies in our oceanic tradition to risk and explore.”
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CONSERVATION
Excess Baggage Jennifer Metz committed to living trash free for an entire year. It’s not the sexiest social experiment, but someone has to be the guinea pig. by Jennifer Metz
I’m not sure where the proclivity came from, but I am a little obsessed with trash. Why do we have so much of it? Why are we the only animal species on the entire planet that creates trash? Why do restaurants by default put trash in our drinks (plastic straws)? I am that friend that excavates the trash at parties to separate out the recycling, gives ChicoBags and To-Go Ware for birthday and Christmas gifts, and wraps presents in reusable items like cloth napkins and woven hala baskets. When I first started dating my boyfriend, a close girlfriend of mine warned him, “One thing you need to know about Jen, she is really into recycling. I mean really into recycling.” In August of 2010 I was beside myself when I found out that the City and County of Honolulu was making plans to send our garbage across the Pacific Ocean because we apparently had no other place to put it. I looked around in the news for great signs of protest, but saw none. Why wasn’t the public raising vocal objections to this idea? Where were there “Ma- lama the ‘a- ina” and “Three is a Magic Number” sign holders in front of the capitol, demanding that we improve our management of waste? Then, I wondered if perhaps I was the crazy one thinking we as individuals could actually do something. So I decided to see what it would be like to significantly reduce my own trash impact. In the process of deciding an acceptable level of trash I would generate (should my weekly accumulated trash be able to fit in a bucket, a shoe box, a small
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Photo: Jennifer Metz
CONSERVATION
One year, three-quarter pounds of trash窶馬ot bad.
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Jennifer made homemade composting bins from trashcans and composted kitchen scraps, paper products and yard waste to create hearty topsoil for her garden.
trash can?), I thought, why not try and produce no trash at all. Hence, my Trash-Free Year lifestyle experiment, and blog to keep me honest, was born. In order to see if it was in fact possible to live a year without creating trash, I needed first to define a few terms and set some parameters or rules. First off, what is trash? I define trash to be any item that cannot be composted, recycled or reused here in Hawai‘i that would normally end up in my trashcan at home, at work or while I am out and about. Although it does go in my trashcan, I did not include my dog’s poop in the definition of trash. Since I was planning on collecting and saving any trash I did acquire over the course of the year, dog poop became an exception to my experiment for obvious reasons. I define recyclable as any item that can be accepted for recycling here on O‘ahu, and a compostable item as any item that will break down into soil if I put it in a compost pile or worm bin. I set three basic parameters for myself. 1) The experiment will be from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011. 2) Since this is an experiment to challenge my everyday choices of 2011, which are primarily consumer
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Photo: Jennifer Metz
CONSERVATION
choices, any choices I have made before January 1, 2011 do not apply. For example, I still had boxes of rice milk that I purchased in December 2010 when I began the experiment in 2011. Rather than donating them to avoid the net non-recyclable containers that the milk comes in, I will continue to finish them and do my best to reuse them if possible. 3) Trash items that are given to me when I do not have a choice in the matter do not count. This would include things like gift-wrapping, disposable plates and disposable cutlery. I will do my best to recycle, reuse or compost the items, however refusing them will not be allowed as the point of this experience is to challenge my own personal choices (not make others feel like they need to accommodate me and my crazy idea). After 12 months of forcing myself to keep my trashcan empty, I learned that trash-free living boils down to being mindful about consumer choices and adopting new habits. Some of my resulting trash-free lifestyle changes were pretty easy; however, there were definitely challenges and a few surprises along the way.
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Trash-free Easy Giving up paper towels and napkins was probably the easiest change to make. Although my boyfriend, who lives with me, was not completely on board with my experiment, he did give up these disposable paper products with me. In their place we used a collection of dishtowels and cloth napkins that were thrown in the wash once a week. Dealing with the paper napkins at restaurants or paper towels in public restrooms required a bit more forethought. I carried around a cloth napkin in my pocket or my purse. If I was wearing a skirt with no pockets, I wore my cloth napkin like a little sash. It is perhaps not the most fashionable look (not yet, that is), but it works! If I forgot my trusty napkin and was forced to use a disposable one, I brought the used paper product home and threw it in my compost bin. Another trash category that was easy to avoid was disposable eating ware. Prior to starting my experiment I already had a set of bamboo eating utensils dangling from my purse. With my new trash-free goal, I made sure to carry my fork, knife, spoon and chopstick set everywhere. I also have a bowl that collapses and fits in my purse. These tools came in very handy for eating food from vendors at fairs and food trucks, where my request for a meal or beverage to be put in my own container was rarely turned down. Thanks to the bulk food bins at my neighborhood grocery store, I was able to escape a lot of food packaging trash. I learned early on that you can find cereal, oats, couscous, quinoa, powdered vegetable broth, peanut butter and local honey in bulk. About halfway through the year I discovered that they also sell bulk loose leaf tea as well as dish and laundry detergent. To maximize my trash-free purchases, I brought my own bags and containers to fill up and wrote the item codes on a scrap piece of paper to read off at checkout rather than using the stickers or twist ties.
Living trash-free wasn’t always easy. Chocolate, for example, which I love, is practically impossible to find sans packaging. Samples from a chocolate festival and good friends who occasionally “gifted” me chocolate were the only ways I could eat this delicious treat and still be trash-free. Bread, meat and cheese, staples of an omnivore’s diet, are also not commonly found without some sort of plastic, non-compostable packaging. I discovered that there are very few bakeries around that sell loaves of healthy bread available for purchase without any kind of packaging. Grocery stores with bakeries in my neighborhood all put their bread in paper bags that have clear plastic windows. Even at one of the only old fashioned bakeries in town, if you don’t get there at the right time or order your bread ahead of time, the freshly baked loaves are stuffed into clear plastic bags and closed with plastic twist-ties. Of course, I could have baked my own bread, but that would mean buying yeast, which also comes in non-recyclable, non-biodegradable packaging. Other than a bagel here and there, I basically gave up bread.
Photos: Jennifer Metz
Trash-free Not So Easy
For Jennifer, living trash free to keep waste out of the landfill came down to smart consumer choices and the strict avoidance of prepackaged foods.
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Photo: Jennifer Metz
CONSERVATION
If Jennifer couldn’t recycle or compost an item, she always tried to reuse or repurpose the potential waste, like these dog food bags.
I had better success with meat and cheese, but at a cost. With a little convincing, staff at my local grocery store deli came around to putting freshly sliced deli meat and cheese into my own containers. The deli crew at Whole Foods Kahala, the only place I know of other than Chinatown that sells chicken and beef not pre-wrapped in plastic and Styrofoam, also allowed me to put chuck roast steak and chicken breasts into my own containers. I walked away from these situations trash-free, but with less money in my pocket than if I had purchased pre-packaged meats and cheese. By far, the most difficult thing to get around without creating trash was medicine. I got sick twice during my trash-free year. The first time, honey got me through a lot of the experience. I made ginger-honey cough drops and drank lemon-honey tea. My boyfriend, however, gifted me some of his Ricola lozenges and Nyquil when my homemade concoctions just weren’t cutting it. The second time I was sick for over a month. After three weeks of miserable sneezing and coughing, feeling better took precedence over my experiment in trash reduction. Why must most over-the-counter medicine, prescribed antibiotics, and not to mention birth control pills, all come in plastic blister packs that can’t be recycled? This is certainly an area where I and other consumers should speak out in favor of more ecofriendly packaging.
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Trash-free Surprises My first trash-free challenge was one of the most surprising—dental floss. Most dental floss, I discovered, is made out of Teflon. There are biodegradable options made out of silk, but they still come in plastic dispensers. I ended up choosing a floss product called EcoDent that is not biodegradable, but comes in a container that I will be able to put in my compost container. As for the floss itself, I am saving it (after cleaning it, of course) to perhaps make into twine or for homemade Christmas tree garland. The prevalent usage of straws at restaurants really surprised me. If I was chatting with a friend and preoccupied with conversation when the server asked what I would like to drink, it was almost certain that my drink order would come with a straw. When I would remember to include with my order, “…and I don’t want a straw,” most servers smiled politely and obliged my request. There was even one waitress who approved of my decision with a cheerful, “Good for you!” Straws are not served with beer or wine, so why the paradigm that we need a straw to drink soda, juice or even water? The most surprising thing I learned as a result of my trash-free year is how much of our everyday trash can be thrown into a compost pile or bin and be
CONSERVATION
made into rich soil with very little effort. Not only did I throw my vegetable and fruit scraps and dried leaves into my homemade trashcan compost bin, but I also included things like tea bags, coffee grounds, toilet paper rolls, tissue paper, Quiznos and Subway sandwich wrappers, paper napkins, paperboard boxes, egg cartons, paper wrappers from soup cans and toothpaste boxes. To speed up the decomposition process, I either tore up or shredded the paper products using a paper shredder. Whenever our fruit and vegetable scrap container was full, I would dump it in the bin and add a layer of dry ingredients. Once a week I would roll the bin to mix it up. When the trashcan became too heavy to lift, I used a pitchfork to stir up the decomposing mass. With this very minimal effort, after six months, everything magically turned into soil. I didn’t even need to use a worm composting system because worms found their way into my bins on their own. Imagine how much trash we could reduce if instead of throwing everything in the trash, biodegradable items were tossed in a compost bin and turned into soil. Perhaps we would never have to think of sending our trash away again. At the end of my yearlong experiment all of my trash fit into a 1-gallon Ziploc bag and weighed three-quarters pound. Between two homemade compost bins, I also gained enough soil to fill a 32-gallon trashcan, which I will use this year to try my hand at growing my own vegetables. Living mindful of my trash impact, I also learned how to eat healthier, non-packaged meals, and make my own non-toxic cleaning supplies out of baking soda and vinegar. Although my goal this past year was to generate absolutely no trash at all, I have to say I did pretty well considering that the 2010 statistics from the Environmental Protection Agency state that the average person in our country generates over four pounds of trash per day. Some may claim that I was able to reduce my trash so significantly because I am economically able to make the choice to spend more on fresh fruits and vegetables rather than buy cheaper packaged meals, and have the time to visit a special store to buy food and cleaning supplies in bulk. I would not disagree with these statements; however, I learned through first-hand experience that a lot of trash is generated everyday due to habits of convenience, many of which have been pushed on us by consumer marketing and businesses. Our grandparents never used paper towels and paper plates and survived just fine, yet according to the plethora of television commercials promoting disposable paper products, we apparently can’t live without them. There was a time when the neighborhood coffee shop used to serve coffee in a ceramic mug. Visit any Starbucks any you’ll be hard pressed to find any customer that chooses to sit and drink their coffee using a ceramic mug. And single-use plastic bags have only been around since the 1980s. Prior to that, people were using paper bags, and before that, reusable bags made out of cloth—go figure. In Hawai‘i, the trash we generate everyday ultimately ends up in a landfill, even if some of it is burned in a waste-to-energy plant first. But landfills in Hawai‘i are unsustainable solutions for solid waste because someday we will run out of land to fill. The only truly sustainable solution is reducing our trash, and that change starts with each one of us, by being mindful of the waste we create and having the courage and foresight to adopt the lifestyle choices and new habits to live as smart, accountable consumers.
While O‘ahu does have a trash to energy program, waste still makes it way to the landfill. The more waste you can recycle, repurpose or compost, the less that enters the waste stream to begin with.
Jen’s Top 6 Ways to Reduce Your Waste 1. Use a reusable coffee mug. I started a “mug share” program in my office to help others pick up the habit, too. 2. Use reusable bags. I keep a ChicoBag that stuffs into its own little pocket clipped to my purse for those trips to the store when I only need to grab a few things. 3. Find the nearest grocery store where you can buy food in bulk. You will be surprised how many things you can purchase without packaging and how much money you can save at the same time. 4. Replace your paper towels with cloth napkins and dishcloths. Throw them in the wash each week and save a lot of money on unnecessary paper products. 5. Bring your own containers to a restaurant for your leftovers. Bring the same containers to the grocery store for items you can find in the deli like sandwich meat, cheese and prepared food. 6. Start a compost pile or bin and turn your food and nonrecyclable paper products into soil to use in a garden or simply return to the Earth. If you live in an apartment building, don’t turn your nose up to this idea. Instead, create a community compost bin for everyone to use.
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Photos: Cherie Attix
DESIGN
Historic Restoration
Hale Ho‘okipa Inn Bed and Breakfast breathes life into a vibrant history
Restoring historic homes has been a passion for Cherie Attix for most of her life. In 1996, when she purchased the Makawao property and residence of Frank and Theresa Gomes, 19th century Portuguese immigrants that found the fertile soil of upcountry Maui much to their liking, Cherie knew that the evolution of the hilltop home into the Hale Ho‘okipa Inn Bed and Breakfast would be rooted in the legacy of the Gomes family. Built in 1924, the five-bedroom craftsman style home pays homage to a bygone era with high ceilings, wooden floors and two separate wings. The home is tastefully appointed in plantation era furnishings and eclectic collectibles and most of the interior has been restored reflecting the warmth and character of the 1920s. Cherie has put a modern day spin on her B&B, which is recognized in the State and National Historic Registers, by not only refurbishing the old home and maintaining the mature landscaping, but also by incorporating sustainable practices into her business model. Recycling is a ubiquitous practice on the property, for the guests and Cherie. She line dries the linens when-
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ever possible (weather permitting) and has also installed energy efficient lighting to lessen the property’s energy footprint. Chickens and ducks provide eggs for breakfast and help process the food rubbish. Cherie is most proud of her organic fruit orchard and grows bananas, papayas, passion fruit, avocado, oranges, lemons, lime, cherimoya and small but tasty upcountry peaches. In addition to the structural preservation of the home, the Portuguese forno (bread oven), water tower, cistern and vineyard were also restored to secure the property’s ties to the past. A strong supporter of local organizations and businesses, Cherie even offers a discounted stay for guests who participate in the Volunteer on Vacation program. Whether you stay in the Rose Room, the Jasmine Room, the Hibiscus Room or in the Kona Wing, the transformation of this family home to historic B&B perpetuates the culture of community and living harmoniously with the land. —Kevin Whitton maui-bed-and-breakfast.com
DESIGN
The five-bedroom craftsman style home, with two separate wings, is set with plantation era furnishings and an eclectic interior reflecting the warmth and character of the 1920s.
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FOOD
Kaua‘i Fungi
Garden Isle mushroom farmer sets the gold standard for locally grown oyster and shitake mushrooms by Margaret A. Haapoja
Driving down a red dirt road just mauka of the Kilauea National Wildlife Refuge on the Garden Isle, mushroom purveyor Philly White watches carefully for a narrow opening in the verdant overgrowth on the side of the road. He makes his turn and pulls into a driveway shaded by monkeypod and kamani trees. Sporting a white tank top, a fishhook necklace and a tattoo that snakes down his left arm, Philly saunters over to a shipping container that serves as his office, laboratory and storage space. Two shade houses stand side by side across the lawn. Inside the shade houses, clear plastic bags of straw are stacked neatly on shelves and clusters of organic pink oyster, blue oyster and shitake mushrooms cling to the bags like delicate, fluted flowers. Philly’s company, Kauai Fungi, is one of a mere handful of mushroom producers in Hawai‘i and the only one on Kaua‘i. And while many other businesses have been retracting, Kauai Fungi bloomed in 2011, producing about 400 to 500 pounds of mushrooms a month. “Oyster mushrooms have become everyone’s favorite, so we’re really focusing on them,” Philly says. “All the restaurants love them—Roy’s, Barracuda and Hukilau.” In fact, Matt Dela Cruz, executive chef at Roy’s Poipu Bar & Grill, is one of Philly’s oldest and most loyal customers.
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FOOD
Photo: Philly White
Philly White shows off his in-demand pink oyster mushrooms.
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FOOD
Photo: Philly White
A mushroom is actually the fruiting body of a fungus.
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FOOD
Photo: Margaret Haapoja Photo: Margaret Haapoja
“His mushrooms are great,” says Dela Cruz. “They’re very versatile, mild, not too woodsy. I use them with every type of protein that I have. They’re all over my menu.” One of Dela Cruz’s favorite recent preparations, a prosciutto-wrapped beef tenderloin with a foi gras Madeira sauce, is topped with a combination of Philly’s blue oyster mushrooms and golden beets mixed with a Hawaiian wine vinaigrette. Originally from Oregon, Philly began hunting wild mushroom as a child with his uncle in the 1970s and has been fascinated by fungi ever since. In his twenties, Philly became serious about mycology, the study of fungi, and enrolled in classes with Paul Stamets, founder of Fungi Perfecti in Olympia, Washington and mycology instructor for over for 30 years. Philly brought his knowledge of mushrooms to Kaua‘i in 2007 and immediately started farming. After two years of solo fungi farming, amateur mycologist Michael Brodin joined Philly as the cultivation manager in August 2011, bringing the firm’s workforce to two full-time and two part-time employees. Originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico, Michael is now running the day-today operations. “Everyone makes jokes about magic mushrooms, but I tell everyone all mushrooms are magic,” says a whimsical Brodin. “Every time I go in the shade house and see all these beautiful forms, the colors, the shapes, the way they express themselves in each individual mushroom, to me it’s like music. People always say they’re like flowers; I say they are the flowers of fungi.” Philly has taken his talents into the lab where he initiates the mushroom growing process by inoculating sterilized rye grain with the mushroom mycelium, the vegetative part of the fungus. Philly orders mushroom mycelium just as a gardener would order seeds. “You can buy certain strains that are compatible with your climate,” he says. “We do warm weather strains here. Even in the oyster mushroom family, there are strains that can grow near freezing.” Michael continues the process by packing organic oat straw into barrels and dropping them into 160 degree water for an hour and ten minutes to pasteurize the straw. Once the straw drains and cools, he mixes in the inoculated rye berries by kneading and massaging them into the straw. The mycelium will use the straw as a food source and begin breaking it down. Michael then packs the straw into two-gallon, clear plastic bags. After sealing the bags tight, he makes 30 holes in each bag. “We do our best to keep the holes sterile,” Michael says. “The process is really handcrafted from the planting up to the picking—everything is just Philly and I.” Perforations in the bag signal the mycelium to fruit. The mushrooms, the fruiting body of the fungus, begin to grow on the outside of the plastic bag. Once the bags are packed and placed in the shade house, it takes one week to two months until harvest, depending on the mushroom strain. Pink oysters are ready to pick a week after planting, but shitake mushrooms take at least two months from the time of initial inoculation, and must be specially grown on organic bricks made from locally sourced ironwood chips and hardwood sawdust. Philly takes pride in his business’s emphasis on sustainability and his commitment to organic farming and recycling. At the north shore operation, all the equipment is powered with used vegetable oil collected from local restaurants. The plastic bags have a lifespan of about two months, but Philly says it won’t be
Philly prepares the growing medium for inoculation (top) before it is packed in packed in plastic bags and left to grow (bottom). Pink oyster mushrooms are ready to pick one week after planting.
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Photo: Philly White
Kauai Fungi is truly a family affair. The operation produces 400 to 500 pounds of mushrooms a month.
Photo: Philly White
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Photo: Philly White
FOOD
Kauai Fungi’s mushrooms are sought after by top chefs on the island and available to the public at Famers’ markets.
long before compostable “biobags” will be affordable. There are no chemicals used in the growing process, at any point. In fact, all the mushrooms need once they’re planted is water. “The first flush of mushrooms are the biggest and the healthiest,” explains Philly. “When it gets to the point where it’s not worth keeping them, then the bags are composted.” Farmers pick up the used bags of wheat straw and use the material for mulch. “We do custom soil mixes and we give this product back to farmers who use it to inject beneficial fungi into their soil,” continues Philly. “All this material is free. It’s not wasted. It’s going right back into building topsoil for the island.” In 2011, Kaua‘i County recognized Kauai Fungi’s efforts to create jobs in the community by giving them an agricultural grant that allowed them to build their second 100-foot shade house. “It was pretty exciting to have them believe in what we’re doing,” says Philly. “Our heart and soul is in farming, growing food for the community.” Philly offers field trips to area elementary
students and he invites high school students to work for him after school hours to learn about mushrooms. Once the mushrooms are harvested, getting them to market quickly is essential and tasked to Cultivate, a local produce distribution service that markets and delivers between 80 and 100 pounds of Kauai Fungi mushrooms twice a week to restaurants around the island. In addition to supplying restaurants, Kauai Fungi’s specialties are available to the community at the Kapa‘a, Waipa- and Hanalei farmers’ markets. Philly is optimistic about Kauai Fungi’s future as he sees his company continuing to expand. The company is now shipping mushrooms to Maui, where the demand is great, and eventually Philly plans to expand to O‘ahu. “As our company grows, we will continue to focus on the Slow Food movement with our commitment to organic farming, permaculture and sustainability,” he says.
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MARKETPLACE
Grow Your Own
Soap Free Cleaning
Ohana Greenhouse is the largest specialty garden supplier in the state. We carry lighting, propagation, growing mediums, organic nutrients, fertilizers, pest control, hydroponics, scientific instruments, water filtration, climate control, and educational materials. Stop by any of our six locations to serve you on Maui, Big Island, and O‘ahu.
Green Clean 808 introduces Soap Free Procyon cleaning products. Procyon cleaning products are environmentally safe, leave no residue and are safe to use around both keiki and pets. Procyon cleaning products provide an affordable green alternative to cleaning your home or business. Available at Young’s Distribution in the Harbor Center in Aiea.
Ohana Greenhouse & Garden Supply 2001 Democrat Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96819 808.841.GROW (4769) ohanagreenhouse.com
Green Clean 808 98-025 Hekaha Street, Bldg. 2, Ste. #5 Aiea, Hawaii 96701 808.484.9822
Hui Ku Maoli Ola 46-403 Haiku Road Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744 808.235.6165 plantnativehawaii.com
POP Worm Bin
Pacific Home Diamond Head Sofa Collection
Segway of Hawai‘i
Recycle with earthworms! Worms convert household garbage to a nutrientrich organic soil amendment quickly, safely, with no odor. Waikiki Worm Company now offers a mini version of its commercial Pipeline worm system – the 5´ x 3´ POP (Piece O’ Pipeline) worm bin is ideal for processing food, paper, and pet waste at home. Waikiki Worm Company 1917 South King Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96826 808.945.WORM (9676) waikikiworm.com
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This Pacific Home label sofa defines relaxation. Comprised of 100% recycled polyester upholstery, recycled steel or aluminum components, Sustainable Forest Initiative certified framing and slipcovered for easy cleaning, this casually sophisticated square arm collection lets you enjoy life in style. Pacific Home 420 Ward Avenue Honolulu, Hawaii 96814 808.596.9338 pacific-home.com
Hui Ku Maoli Ola, LLC Native Plant Nursery and Landscaping Company Create a beautiful and highly specialized landscape that can save water, malama the ‘aina and replicate what your land looked like a thousand years ago with hundreds of species to choose from. Visit our nursery today!
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No gas No insurance or registration No safety check No traffic Free parking Sidewalk and bicycle lane legal
For life or for work, call Hawai‘i’s only authorized Segway dealer. Segway of Hawai‘i 808.941.3151 segwayofhawaii.com
MARKETPLACE
Rain Hog Water Catchment
Peace Cafe Granola
RainWater HOGs make it easy to fit volumes of rainwater storage in the tightest spaces. These slim, modular tanks are designed to hold 50 gallons and are built for reuse after their 20 year design life. RainWater Hogs are made with safe, FDA-approved, potable non-offgassing plastic.
Peace Cafe Granola is your healthy mix of hearty all-natural ingredients handcrafted and baked in our kitchen. Sprinkle over your morning oatmeal or acai, as a topping to your favorite yogurt and ice cream, or enjoy straight from the bag. Simply perfect.
Green Builder’s Depot 550 Paiea Street Suite 126 Honolulu, Hawaii 96819 808.839.9700 greenbuildersdepotintl.com
Peace Cafe 2239 South King St. Honolulu, Hawaii 96826 808.951.7555 peacecafehawaii.com
Solar Energy Project Developer There’s never been a better time to make the switch to solar electricity! RevoluSun is bringing cleaner, smarter solar to communities, one rooftop at a time. So why not start with yours? Call today to schedule an appointment and make the switch! Iolani A. Lewis Certified Green Professional-NAHB 1600 Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 1700 Honolulu, Hawaii 96814 808.285.2210 iolani@revolusun.com
Affordable Solar Energy
Grow It Better
Nourish Naturally
Not only is solar energy abundantly available in Hawai‘i, but the cost to have your own system has never been lower. With attractive financing options, going solar makes more financial sense than ever. Eliminate some or all of your electricity bill with a Bonterra PV system! Call me today to schedule an appointment.
We are a locally owned garden store, dedicated to satisfying all of your gardening needs. No need to drive into town, we’ve got what you need in the country. We carry organics, hydroponics, aquaponics, vermiculture, lighting, education and more. Now offering aquaponic classes. Open Monday thru Friday 11 am – 5:30 pm.
Hawaiian Bath & Body all-natural skincare is handcrafted using our original formulations with botanicals and extracts for gentle cleansing and moisturizing; no harsh chemicals, detergents or petroleum ingredients. The result is excellent for your skin and safe for our Planet. Get Clean, Go Green! Use coupon code GM for Free Shipping.
Chad Haraguchi Bonterra 808.599.0306 haraguchi49@gmail.com
North Shore Organic Gardening 67-272 Goodale Avenue, Suite 105 Waialua, Hawaii 96791 808.780.2381 nsog.us
North Shore Soap Factory 67-106 Kealohanui Street Waialua, Hawaii 96791 808.637.8400 hawaiianbathbody.com
GREENM AGAZ INE HAWAII.COM
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ADVERTISER DIRECTORY
Oahu Ala Moana Farmers' Market 808.388.9696 haleiwafarmersmarket.com/ala-moana Aloha Air Cargo 808.836.4191 alohaaircargo.com AquaPono 808.342.7443 aquapono.com Bess Press 808.734.7159 besspress.com Bishop Museum Press 808.847.3511 bishopmuseum.org Bonterra Solar - Chad Haraguchi 808.599.0306
Native Books 808.596.8885 nativebookshawaii.com
Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance 808.586.0916 hawaiiconservation.org
North Shore Organic Gardening 808.637.2069 nsog.org
Hawaii Kai Farmers' Market 808.388.9696 haleiwafarmersmarket.com/hawaii-kai
North Shore Soap Factory 808.637.8400 hawaiianbathbody.com
Hawaii Skylights and Solar Fans 808.847.6527 hawaiiskylights.com
NYR Organic - Kim Houston 808.537.3933 us.nyrorganic.com/shop/usa
Hawaiian Electric Co. 808.548.7311 heco.com
Ohana Greenhouse & Garden Supply 808.841.4769 ohanagreenhouse.com
Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods 808.595.8847 hawaiianlegacyhardwoods.com
Organik Clothing theorganik.com
Book Ends 808.261.1996
Honolulu Board of Water Supply 808.748.5000 hbws.org
Conservation Council for Hawaii 808.593.0255 conservehi.org
Honolulu Furniture Company 808.597.9193 honolulufurniturecompany.com
Cool Roof Hawaii 808.282.0477 coolroofhawaii.com
House Of Pure Aloha 808.373.5111 houseofpurealoha.com
Defend Oahu Coalition defendoahucoalition.org
Hui Ku Maoli Ola Hawaiian Plant Specialists 808.235.6165 plantnativehawaii.com
Details International 808.521.7424 details-international.com Doi & D’Angelo Artworks 808.247.4413 doidangeloartworks.com Down To Earth 808.947.7678 downtoearth.org
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Hale‘iwa Farmers’ Market 808.388.9696 haleiwafarmersmarket.com
Jamba Juice jambajuicehawaii.com Kai Ku Hale 808.636.2244 kaikuhale.com King Windward Nissan 888.385.3203 kingwindwardnissan.com
Drift Boutique 808.284.1177 driftboutique.com
Kokua Hawaii Foundation kokuahawaiifoundation.org
Futura Stone of Hawaii 808.841.7433 futurastonehawaii.com
MiNei Hawaii 808.734.3499 mineijewelry.com
Green Builder’s Depot 808.839.9700 greenbuildersdepotintl.com
Mokulua Woodworking, LTD. 808.263.9663 mokuluawoodworking.com
Green Clean 808 808.484.9822 greenclean808.com
Muumuu Heaven 808.263.3366 muumuuheaven.com
Support Our Advertisers
When contacting our advertisers, please be sure to mention that you saw their ad in GREEN. Mahalo!
GRE E N M A G A Z I N E H AWAII.C O M
Pacific Home 808.596.9338 pacific-home.com Pacific Panel Cleaners, LLC 808.772.4705 pacificpanelcleaners.com
Surfrider Foundation surfrider.org Sustainable Marketplace of the Pacific 808.441.3455 sustainablemarketplacepacific.com The Bike Shop 808.591.9162 bikeshophawaii.com The Green House 808.524.8427 thegreenhousehawaii.com Waikiki Worm Company 808.945.9676 waikikiworm.com Whole Foods Market 808.783.0820 wholefoodsmarket.com
Maui Bamboo Living Homes 877.857.0057 bambooliving.com
Paradise Eyewear 808.955.3532
Down to Earth 808.877.2661 downtoearth.org
Peace Cafe 808.951.7555 peacecafehawaii.com
Hawaiian Moons Natural Foods 808.875.4356 hawaiianmoons.com
RevoluSun 808.748.8888 revolusun.com
Mana Foods 808.579.8078 manafoodsmaui.com
RevoluSun - Iolani Lewis 808.285.2210
Ohana Greenhouse & Garden Supply 808.575.9999 ohanagreenhouse.com
Segway of Hawaii 808.941.3151 segwayofhawaii.com Servco Home & Appliance Showroom 808.564.2493 servcoappliance.com Simplicity Imports 808.306.2382 simplicityimports.com Summer Baptist, ND, L.Ac. 808.351.2977 drsummerbaptist.com Sunetric 808.262.6600 sunetric.com
Rising Sun Solar 808.579.8287 risingsunsolar.com State Farm Insurance Agent Carey Tanaka 808.877.4450
COMING NEXT ISSUE
Photo: Kyle Tanaka
This is how it all starts. Screens, a press, the right materials and a lot of creativity.
Walking Billboard The Art of the T-shirt
What we wear says a lot about who we are. After all, if you sport a T-shirt with a brand name or logo on it, you’re basically vouching for the company—I like this art, I agree with this message, I am this brand, this is my style. With the versatility and relatively low price of the T-shirt, many new companies are creating their brand with original art printed in small quantities on organic cotton and upcycled T-shirts. In the April/May/ June 2012 issue, GREEN takes a look at the different types of wearable art—upcycled, repurposed, reused, recycled, organic—the companies creating a new
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conscious style and the message they use to get their point across. Look for the April/May/June issue at local retailers starting in April 2012 at Jamba Juice locations across the state or check greenmagazinehawaii.com for a distributor near you. Email info@greenmagazinehawaii. com and request your free subscription to the eZine, the complete online version of GREEN, delivered directly to your inbox. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @grnmagazine to stay up to date on all the latest green news, events and ideas.