Ha Ha Ha!

Sustainable Agriculture

From the Los Angeles Times food section:

THE CALIFORNIA COOK
'Organic' label doesn't guarantee quality or taste
Just because it's organic doesn't mean it's the best. Let flavor dictate.
By RUSS PARSONS
July 1, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It's Called "Hamakua Springs"

Richard Ha writes:

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

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

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

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

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

Where do we even start looking?

Curiosity is getting the better of us.

Ulupono Initiative

Richard Ha writes:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What About The Rest?

Richard Ha writes:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alan Wong at the White House

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

Read more about it here.

Last year when Chef Alan made his annual visit to Hamakua Springs Country Farms, he and his chefs and restaurant staff cooked a huge feast for all the Hamakua farmers who grow and produce what he uses in his restaurants, as they do every year. And last year for the first time, there was an imu.

Chef Alan did some interesting things with that imu! For instance, I remember him wrapping long Wailea Ag Group hearts of palm in foil, with taro, and cooking it in the underground oven. All the food was just delicious.

This year, fish farmer Roy Tanaka told Chef Alan how good tilapia can be, and Chef Alan prepared it at our most recent cookout. Now he's fixing it at the White House. 

What other interesting and delicious foods will he prepare for the Obamas on Friday? Will their imu look much different than ours? Where are they going to get the right kind of rocks? Will there be a guy in jeans and a white t-shirt keeping flies away with a branch? I cannot wait to hear.

- Posted by Leslie Lang

Motivation

Richard Ha writes:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read the whole article here.

 

Pahoa Speaks

Richard Ha writes:

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

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

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

Photo by Damon Tucker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

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

Waimea EIS Meeting

Richard Ha writes:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Support for the TMT

Richard Ha writes:

It was a coalition of folks from all sectors of the population that came to wave signs the other day.

It's about the keiki. Kumiko S. Usuda, Outreach Scientist (Astronomer) at the Subaru Telescope, and her children.

June Ha and Dina

It's not about us. It's about future generations. This is Suzy Dill and her future generation.

Pete Lindsey and the boys

Waiakea High School Robotics club

UH Hilo Astronomy/Physics Professor Marianne Takamiya and family

left, Barbara Hastings, Outgoing President of the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce; center, Incoming President Mary Begier

It is not about us anymore. Now it is about the keiki and future generations. It was very gratifying to see high school students, young kids, a hapai mom – the next generations.

The Labor Union and business folks were there, too. Jobs are about families and the here and now.

The Big Island Labor Alliance played an important role. The labor folks tell me that there are by far more Hawaiian workers on the bench now than all the people who testified on both sides of the issue at the Comprehensive Management Plan hearing recently. They wonder why their voices are not heard.

There were educators there, too, who think about the value of new learning.

It was uplifting to hear all the people blowing their horns in support. It was louder this time than last. All kinds of different sounds, especially raucous were the big rigs and their air horns!

Several days ago, University of Hawai‘i President David McClain issued this statement:

After discussions with academic and community leaders on the Big Island, and review with the Board of Regents, I can say that should TMT come to Mauna Kea, the Hawaiian community and community-at-large will benefit through an annual $1 million community benefit package, which will provide funding for locally chosen and managed educational programs on Hawai‘i Island. This will begin once all permits for the project have been received.



The compensation to the University of Hawai‘i, which is expected to begin at “first light,” will be split equitably between a higher education package to be used for selected initiatives of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo and Hawai‘i Community College on Hawai‘i Island, and observing time for University of Hawai‘i scientists.



David McClain

President

University of Hawai‘i

We cannot just assume the TMT is coming here, because Chile is trying very hard to attract the TMT.
Please show up to voice your concerns or show your support at one of the EIS hearings, which are coming up and scheduled all around the island. You can look at the draft EIS at the TMT website.

The first round of meetings, referred to as Public Scoping Meetings, were conducted between October 6 and 16, 2008.  Now, these Draft EIS meetings will be held during the 45-day Draft EIS comment period as follows:

• Tuesday, June 16        Waimea / Kamuela        Waimea Elementary School Cafeteria      5-8pm  

• Wednesday, June 17      Hilo    Hilo High School Cafeteria      4-8pm  

• Thursday, June 18       Pāhoa / Puna    Pāhoa High School Cafeteria     5-8pm  

• Monday, June 22 Ka‘ū    Ka’u High/Pāhala Elementary School Cafeteria    5-8pm  

• Tuesday , June 23       Hāwī / Kohala   Kohala Cultural Center  5-8pm  

• Wednesday, June 24      Kona    Kealakehe Elementary School Cafeteria   5-8pm  

• Thursday, June 25       Honolulu        Farrington High School Cafeteria        5-8pm

  These public meetings will consist of the following general components:

• First hour – Open House, a question and answer period with project representatives around poster displays
• Presentations by project representatives for half an hour
• Facilitated public discussion period thereafter

Money For Education

Richard Ha writes:

This afternoon, University of Hawai‘i President David McClain issued this statement:

After discussions with academic and community leaders on the Big Island, and review with the Board of Regents, I can say that should TMT come to Mauna Kea, the Hawaiian community and community-at-large will benefit through an annual $1 million community benefit package, which will provide funding for locally chosen and managed educational programs on Hawai‘i Island. This will begin once all permits for the project have been received.

The compensation to the University of Hawai‘i, which is expected to begin at “first light,” will be split equitably between a higher education package to be used for selected initiatives of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo and Hawai‘i Community College on Hawai‘i Island, and observing time for University of Hawai‘i scientists.

David McClain
President
University of Hawai‘i

What catches my attention is the part about an annual amount of $1 million for locally chosen and managed educational programs on Hawai‘i Island.

I know how important early education is. My Pop was the greatest influence on me. I learned the most important things, which lasted through my entire life, when I was 10 years old.

If we teach our keiki the values they need to make a society that is successful and thriving “when the boat no come,” we will have done our jobs. This $1 million that will be dedicated to keiki education annually is key to the survival of future generations. It is no longer about us – it is about the future generations.

We must learn and perpetuate what it was that allowed Hawaiians to survive for hundreds of years out in the middle of the ocean without boats coming in every day with goods from someplace else.

In the future, our values will need to revolve around aloha. We will need to assume responsibility—kuleana. We need to make more friends and stay closer to our families.

We live in the modern world, so how do we use what we have and meld it with the values that worked? We need to have a balance of science and culture in order for all of us to do what we do to help our greater society.

My Pop told me: “There are a thousand reasons why ‘No can.’ I only looking for one reason why ‘Can.’”

***

Yesterday was King Kamehameha Day. I think of King Kamehameha as a doer, not a talker. He took what was available to him and used it to the best advantage.  

Since we are going to do a sign waving in support of the Thirty Meter Telescope today, in front of the King Kamehameha statue, I thought that I would go take pictures.

Over the last couple of weeks many of us did radio spots in support of the Thirty Meter Telescope. Running throughout the spots is the word “pono.” Those ads started running today.

Download HCU_Keawe_Wallace
Download HCU_Richard_Dale
Download HCU_Rockne_Penny
Download HCU_William_Penny

We will have more soon.

***

I went on three live radio programs yesterday morning. First with Kat and Keala at KWXX, then a few minutes with DC at Da Beat, and then on with Ken Hupp at KPUA.

I talked about how I volunteered to be on the TMT committee of the Hawaii Island Economic Development Board when I first heard that the TMT was considering coming to Hawai‘i. I felt strongly that if it was to be done, it needed to be done right. I talked about going to Keaukaha Elementary School to see its principal Lehua Veincent and asking where they go on excursions.

He told me the bus was too expensive so they walked around the community. I was shocked. How was it possible that in the shadows of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of telescopes on Mauna Kea, Keaukaha Elementary School did not have enough money to go on excursions?

My friends Duane Kanuha, Leslie, Macario and I said, “This no can,” and we decided to do something about it. We went out in the community and told the story. We said that for $600 people could adopt a class at Keaukaha Elementary School, so they could rent a bus and pay entry fees to ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center or another destination.

The idea is to inspire the kids. My Pop inspired me when I was in the fourth grade and his effect lasted a lifetime. I think the same can result from ‘Imiloa.

The Moores, a large funder of the TMT, found out about the Adopt-A-Class project and liked it. They adopted all the students of the Big Island.

I told the audience about the $1 million dollar fund that will be used for the education of our keiki. We are relying on the people we appoint to administer the fund.  We want to appoint people to the Board based on their passion for taking care of the community for the long run.