2012 Keeping It Green Hawai‘i Awards
November 29, 2012
Recycle Hawai‘i and Earth-Friendly Schools Hawai‘i recognized the 2012 recipients of the Keeping It Green Hawai‘i awards as part of America Recycles Day. Keeping It Green Hawai‘i is a program that highlights projects and activities of organizations, businesses, schools and government agencies that promote recycling, resource awareness and sustainable practices in Hawai‘i. The program recognizes the positive “green projects” that are being implemented in our community and helps to motivate others to create projects that care for our environment and address local and global issues.
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Used with permission from Recycle Hawai‘i
Petroleum consumption casts shadow on energy sustainability
November 22, 2012
While Hawaii Island is a state leader in sustainable electricity production, it’s woefully lacking in another important component of self-sufficiency — transportation sustainability. That’s according to a draft report the Kohala Center prepared for Hawaii County. The Energy Sustainability Five-year Roadmap is available for public review and comment at hawaiienergyplan.com. The transportation sector accounts for 52 percent of the island’s energy use — and that doesn’t include the thousands of gallons of aviation fuel imported to the island to feed the all-important tourism sector.
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Used with permission from West Hawaii Today
Kekuewa Kikiloi’s Doctoral Defense
November 15, 2012
Through his Doctoral Defense, Kekuewa Kikiloi explains the reason why Native Hawaiians build temples in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Combining ethno-history (or oral traditions) with archaeology as an integrated method, he paves a new way for method and research for modern Hawaiʻi scholars. Last month, Kekuewa Kikiloi defended his doctoral research on this intriguing topic.
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Restoring Kohala
October 28, 2012
On Kohala Mountain’s leeward side is a 13-acre preserve aimed at restoring the native Hawaiian dry forest that once graced its slopes. At the Koaia Tree Sanctuary, native koaia, iliahi, mamane and other flora have taken root, providing a glimpse of the native forest that existed before the Hawaiian woods were harvested, pastures created and nonnative species, including cows and plants, introduced in the 1800s.
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Used with permission from West Hawaii Today
USDA grants to train, support next generation of farmers October 26, 2012
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced $18 million in federal funding to support new farmer training and education programs in 27 states. The Kohala Center received a $562,000 grant to create and deliver Kū I Ka Māna, a beginning farmer training initiative. The County of Hawaii is providing the necessary matching funds to secure the USDA grant.
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Used with permission from Hawaii 247
Farm diversity offers more choices at local markets
October 21, 2012
By Diana Duff
With pests cutting into profits on single-crop farms, many farmers are starting to diversify. By growing a variety of crops, farmers can harvest throughout the year and, if pests get one crop, they’ll have others to rely on. Diversifying may require new skills and tasks, but the results benefit farmers and consumers. Crop diversity gives farmers a chance to try new crops and get creative with value-added products. For customers who want to buy local, this diversity increases choices.
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Used with permission from West Hawaii Today
Seed basics for life
September 30, 2012
By Russell T. Nagata
Special to West Hawaii Today
It doesn’t matter if you “eat to live” or “live to eat,” plants make up one of the three or four essential parts of our existence. Over millennia of civilization, we have learned to nurture plants in order that we may have some control over our destiny. Seeds, whether for vegetables, ornamentals or fruits provide ways to restart our garden plantings season after season. And if “seeds” is loosely defined, we can include cuttings and other forms of vegetative planting material. Seeds form a chain from the past to the present and a link into the future providing a path and a sense of security as we venture forward. They are the starting point of many good things. Without seeds, the world we know would not exist.
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Used with permission from West Hawaii Today
Seven Big Island Farmer’s Markets Now Accepting EBT
Wednesday September 5, 2012
Locally grown food has just gotten more affordable and accessible on Hawai‘i Island with seven farmers markets now accepting EBT. EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) it is what SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called food stamps) recipients use to buy food.
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Used with permission from Big Island Weekly
Knowledge is power when fighting coffee berry borer
August 25, 2012
Knowledge will be key if Kona coffee farmers are to survive the pesky coffee berry borer, a scientist who has experience with the pest said Friday. Understanding the insect will be the best means for coffee farmers in Kona to continue producing a high quality product, said Luis Aristizabal, a specialist in tropical-agro ecology with the University of Florida’s Mid-Florida Research and Education Center. Aristizabal is a scientist from Colombia, a country that has learned to live with the coffee berry borer that arrived in the late 1980s.
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Used with permission from West Hawaii Today
Reversing extinction, one plant at a time
August 22, 2012
Just 30 individuals of a rare native bellflower once thought extinct were rediscovered on Parker Ranch lands in North Kohala in the summer of 2010. A year later, seeds that had been collected from those plants were germinating and growing at the Rare Plant Facility in Volcano. And just nine months after that, 169 keiki plants are now residing back in their home range on Kohala Mountain, effectively multiplying the wild population by about seven times.
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Used with permission from Big Island Weekly
Workshop aimed at coffee berry borer
August 21, 2012
A two-day workshop, “Integrated Pest Management of the Coffee Berry Borer,” will bring pest expert Luis Aristizabal to West Hawaii to share his expertise with local coffee producers. The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 24-25, at the Kona Hongwanji Mission in Kealakekua. Hawaii’s coffee farmers are facing a very large threat from a very tiny enemy: the coffee berry borer (CBB). A beetle native to central Africa, CBB is considered the coffee industry’s most harmful pest. Some Kona farms reported losses of over 25 percent last year and there are concerns for this year’s crop.
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Used with permission from the Hawaii Tribune Herald
Coffee berry borer workshop slated
August 20, 2012
Luis Aristizabal, a coffee berry borer expert from Colombia, is the featured speaker for a CBB integrated pest management workshop planned from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Kona Hongwanji Mission in Kealakekua. Attendees will learn about successful borer management techniques. They will also learn about the pest’s behaviors — when it swarms, when it moves into the trees — and the proper times to spray and trap the beetle, as well as effective harvest techniques. Two days of classroom and field lectures will cover effective control of the coffee berry borer.
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Used with permission from West Hawaii Today
Monk seal takes a snooze at Kahaluu
August 18, 2012
A female Hawaiian monk seal apparently decided to observe Friday’s state holiday and rest up at Kahaluu Beach Park. The seal, which experts on the scene said may be pregnant, spent most of Statehood Day napping on the shoreline to the north end of the park along Alii Drive. Park visitors were kept at a distance by ReefTeach and Marine Mammal Response Network personnel, but were able to shoot as many photos as their cameras could handle.
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Used with permission from Hawaii 247
A-maize-ing: Kohala Mountain Farm creates island’s first corn maze
August 17, 2012
Lend me your ears: There’s a corny new attraction opening this fall at the Kohala Mountain Farm. With flags, paint and grass killer in hand, Braden Bair began mapping out and creating passageways for a giant labyrinth Thursday in a roughly 3-acre cornfield at the picturesque farm, located makai of Kahua Ranch on Kohala Mountain Road between Hawi and Waimea.
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Used with permission from West Hawaii Today
Eat-Think-Grow events for families and teachers
Learn simple ways to encourage healthy eating habits and curb growing obesity rates
August 15, 2012
In hopes of reversing the trend of skyrocketing childhood and adult obesity rates, several Hawai‘i Island organizations are working together to provide free educational workshops and events for families and school garden teachers. Eat-Think-Grow—an initiative created by The Kohala Center in conjunction with its Hawai‘i Island School Garden Network (HISGN) program—will host nutrition education events for island families and community members during the 2012-2013 school year.
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Used with permission from Big Island Weekly
Maui scholar earns fellowship for Hawaiian cultural advancement
August 8, 2012
KAMUELA, Hawaii - Kula resident Katrina-Ann R. Kapa'anaokalaokeola Oliveira is one of three Native Hawaiian scholars who were recently awarded a Mellon-Hawai'i Fellowship to advance their academic careers. Oliveira, who holds doctorate and master degrees in geography and a bachelor's degree in Hawaiian language and Hawaiian studies, all from University of Hawaii at Manoa, received a $50,000 post-doctoral fellowship.
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Used with permission from The Maui News
Field research opportunities for science, math teachers
August 6, 2012
The Hawaii Island Meaningful Outdoor Experience for Students (HI-MOES) program encourages middle and high school science and mathematics teachers to apply for field research opportunities for the 2012-2013 school year. Administered by The Kohala Center and in association with the Kohala Watershed Partnership, HI-MOES empowers eligible teachers with critical resources to conduct place-based education — such as classroom mini-grants, transportation and logistical support — they or their schools are likely to need.
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Used with permission from Hawaii247
Native Hawaiian scholars awarded Mellon-Hawaii fellowships
August 1, 2012
Three Native Hawaiian scholars were recently awarded Mellon-Hawaii Fellowships to advance their academic careers. Marie Alohalani Brown, doctoral candidate in English at University of Hawaii at Manoa (UH Manoa), and Kaipo Perez III, doctoral candidate in zoology with a focus in marine ecology at UH Manoa, received doctoral fellowships. Katrina-Ann R. Kapaanaokalāokeola Oliveira, Ph.D., Geography (2006), UH Manoa, received a postdoctoral fellowship.
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Used with permission from Hawaii247
Learn why and how to save seed at Molokai workshop
July 23, 2012
KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—July 23, 2012—A workshop for farmers and gardeners on seed production and seed saving methods offered by Hawai‘i Public Seed Initiative will be held Friday, August 24, and Saturday, August 25, in Ho‘olehua on Moloka‘i. The workshop will be at Lanikeha Center and at the NRCS Plant Materials Center. Registration and scholarship application deadline is August 19.
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Used with permission from HawaiiNewsNow.com
Hilo Coffee Mill brings local grown to community
July 23, 2012
While Hilo Coffee Mill has been producing and roasting quality coffees for more than 11 years, great coffee has been grown on Hawaii Island for more than 180 years. In 1898 there were nearly 6000 acres producing coffee between Hilo Town and Volcano Village. Hilo Coffee Mill hopes to inspire more coffee farmers to produce quality Hawaiian coffee. Beyond the bean however, Hilo Coffee Mill supports local agriculture by hosting a farmers market, and can now get those fresh healthy products to more members within the community.
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Used with permission from Hawaii 247
Congresswoman Hirono Applauds Obama Administration’s Support of Hawaii Island Farmers
July 18, 2012
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced recently a commitment of over $560,000 for the Kohala Center’s Kū I Ka Māna New Farmer Training Initiative. “As a state that imports about 85 percent of our food, it’s clear we’ve got some work to do to make Hawaii more self-reliant. That’s why I have been working with local agriculture leaders to determine what it would take to build Hawaii’s food sustainability. One of the key priorities we all agreed on was the need to support our local farmers and ranchers whenever we can and develop the next generation of island producers.
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Search for the Heart of Kahalu‘u
July 4, 2012
By Marya Mann
It’s a courtship by the sea, except we’re sitting in a Bakken Foundation classroom north of Kailua-Kona, where ReefTeach trainers show color slides of brilliant and broken corals that flourish and die in Kahalu‘u Bay. They want us to fall in love with the tranquility, beauty and history of this marine mecca without harming it, as unaware people have done for decades. “They thought it was only colored rocks,” says The Kohala Center’s Cindi Punihaole of the coral reefs, which delight snorkelers at the popular West Hawai‘i beach park. “They just didn’t understand that corals are living.”
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Used with permission from Keola Magazine
Lindsey appointed to board of North Hawaii Community Hospital
June 20, 2012
KAMUELA, HI – North Hawaii Community Hospital (NHCH) announces the addition of Robert K. Lindsey to the hospital’s Board of Directors, effective immediately. Lindsey, a retired Kamehameha Schools Administrator, brings years of political, cultural, business and community experience and knowledge to NHCH’s board. Born in Hilo and raised in Kamuela, Hawai‘i, Robert “Bob” Lindsey has lived in Waimea all his life, only leaving to attend high school and college on O‘ahu.
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Used with permission from Hawaii 247
Cultivating Seed Savers in Hawaii
May 29, 2012
The role of education is pivotal to advancing the ethical development and stewardship of seed for future generations. Here at OSA we continue working to put the control of seed back into the hands of the public. Our educational outreach spans regional public workshops, production of educational materials available for free download from our website (visit our Publications page), our national biennial Organic Seed Growers Conference, working with farmers on Participatory Plant Breeding projects, and creating materials to cultivate new educators throughout the country. We’re excited to see our partners hard at work spreading seed saving knowledge throughout the country.
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Used with permission from The Organic Seed Alliance
School Garden Network wraps up first Spring School Garden Tour
May 3, 2012
For amateur gardeners and school garden teachers, it was a free opportunity to explore a different garden space and pick up a few tips. But according to Nancy Redfeather, project director, the Kohala Center’s School Garden Network organized the first Spring School Garden Tour to bring schools and their surrounding community together through their garden.
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Used with permission from North Hawaii News
Interview: Cortney of The Kohala Center
April 2012
One of the great joys of what we do is learning about sustainability efforts around the globe. So I was very excited when Karen, who had just given me a heavenly massage, told me about her daughter, Cortney Hoffman, who works at a place I’d never heard of, but which, after I did, knew I wanted to learn about. Cortney is in Human Resources at the Kohala Center an independent, not-for-profit, community-based center for research, conservation, and education in Hawaii. They have a range of programs that serve to create greater educational and employment opportunities by caring for—and celebrating—Hawai‘i Island’s natural and cultural landscape.
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Used with permission from Celebrate Green
Hawaii Seed Experts Gather for Maui Workshop
April 24, 2012
A workshop for farmers and gardeners on why and how to save seed will be held Saturday and Sunday, May 19 and 20, at Noho‘ana Farm in Waikapu and Kupa‘a Farm in Kula. An optional farm tour will also be held on Monday, May 21, at The Maui Farm in Makawao. The two-day workshop is designed to create a practical working knowledge of seed growing, botany and biology, plant selection, seed harvesting, cleaning, and saving.
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Used with permission from MauiNow.com
Marae hosts Hawaiian scholar's lu‘au
April 19, 2012
A Hamilton city marae is hosting a lu‘au or Hawaiian feast to celebrate the graduation of a Waikato University PhD student. The lu‘au at Kirikiriroa Marae is for Keao NeSmith, a native of Kauai, who is back in Hamilton to receive a doctorate for his work on the revitalisation of the Hawaiian language. Mr NeSmith teaches the Hawaiian language at the University of Hawai‘i and has taken time off to come back for his graduation. "It's the middle of our semester so I had to get substitutes to cover for me while I'm here graduating and partying."
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Used with permission from The Waikato Times
Marae graduation for top Hawaiian scholar
April 11, 2012
Hawaiian PhD student Keao NeSmith is graduating next week at the University of Waikato marae. He will be joined by nearly a dozen members of his family, coming to New Zealand to share in Keao’s success. Keao completed his doctorate in applied linguistics at the School of Maori and Pacific Development with his research focussing on how the Hawaiian language is being conveyed to a new generation of Hawaiian speakers.
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Used with permission from The University of Waikato
Schools show off gardens
March 21, 2012
School gardens around Hawaii Island are in full bloom, and students and teachers at several school gardens are opening their gates for tours and tastings in April. On these tours, the public can enjoy produce grown and prepared by the students, teachers, and volunteers, and see how food self-reliance is growing in our communities. The tours will be April 14, 21, and 28, and are hosted by The Kohala Center, a local nonprofit with an emphasis on education, environment, and empowerment. Lunch is offered on some of the tours.
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Used with permission from The Hawaii Tribune Herald
School Garden Tours Coming Up in April
March 21, 2012
School gardens around Hawai‘i Island are in full bloom, and students and teachers at several school gardens are opening their gates for tours and tastings in April. On these tours, the public can enjoy produce grown and prepared by the students, teachers, and volunteers, and see how food self-reliance is growing in our communities. The tours will be April 14, 21, and 28, and are hosted by The Kohala Center, a local non-profit with an emphasis on education, environment, and empowerment. Lunch is offered on some of the tours.
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Used with permission from Big Island News Center
Researchers, kupuna share environmental health of Kahaluu
March 13, 2012
A packed room with standing room only at the Keauhou Beach Resort was buzzing with inquisitive members from the Hawaii Island community. The free public talk presentation focused on the history, culture and environmental health of Kahaluu Bay and included speakers Kupuna Mitchell Fujisaka, Dr. Kuulei Rodgers, and Kaipo Perez. The meeting discussing the history of the area and current issues at the bay was sponsored by The National Science Foundation EPSCoR-Track 2, CCRT, HIMB, The Kohala Center, and Jane Musser Fund.
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Used with permission from Hawaii 247
Howard's Business Hit: Melanie Bondera
March 13, 2012
Melanie Bondera from the Kohala Center joins Howard to talk about Kona Coffee farmers!
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Used with permission from Hawaii News Now Sunrise
17 healthy eating, living projects get funding
March 11, 2012
Approximately $300,000 in federal stimulus funding has been awarded to 17 projects, striving to make positive changes in more than 15,000 Hawaii Island residents’ eating, physical activity and tobacco use habits, Hawaii Island Beacon Community announced Wednesday. The Hawaii Island Beacon is a consortium of healthcare and community leaders that was created to improve healthcare quality, efficiency and population health islandwide. The projects will receive $3,000 to $20,000, said Jessica Yamamoto, Beacon’s community engagement manager.
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Used with permission from West Hawaii Today
From the water to the web
February 28, 2012
A new website bursting with dynamic, interactive content has been launched to engage the public in conservation and restoration efforts at Kahaluu Bay. The Hawaii Institute for Marine Biology and the University of Hawaii at Manoa's Center for Conservation Research and Training have contributed significantly to The Kohala Center Portal, available at portals.intelesense.net/tkc.
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Used with permission from West Hawaii Today
Integrated Beetle Management video released
February 25, 2012
A new farmer-to-farmer video about Integrated Beetle Management is available online to help farmers manage the coffee berry borer beetle (CBB). The beetle has spread at an alarming rate through Kona, threatening the survival of Hawaii’s premier specialty crop. “With some Kona coffee farmers still discovering the beetle infestation and others reporting a total crop loss, information is needed to saturate the community immediately,” said Suzanne Shriner, Kona coffee farmer and member of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association.
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Used with permission from Hawaii 247
Free presentation: Dynamic and unique Kahalu‘u
February 23, 2012
KONA, Hawaii: The cultural and natural landscape of the Kahalu‘u ahupua‘a (mountain-to-sea system) will be explored by Mitchell Fujisaka, Dr. Ku‘ulei Rodgers, and Kaipo Perez in a free presentation from 5:30–7 p.m. Tuesday, February 28, at Keauhou Beach Resort, Ballroom III. Fujisaka, a kūpuna (elder) of Kahalu‘u, will share stories of his life in this ahupua‘a.
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Used with permission from Big Island Video News
2012 SmallBiz Success Awards
18 Hawaii small businesses are finalists for Hawaii Business magazine's SmallBiz Success Awards
Small Nonprofit Winner: The Kohala Center Education, environment, empowerment. The Kohala Center’s motto covers a lot, yet the Big Island nonprofit is delivering. Founded in 2001, the Kamuela-based organization has made wide-ranging progress: planting school gardens, propagating Hawaiian plants and supporting Hawaii’s families, farmers, ranchers and fishermen.
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Used with permission from Hawaii Business
Big Island wins big at 2012 SmallBiz Success Awards February 19, 2012
Hawaii Island was well represented at the recent 2012 Hawaii Business magazine SmallBiz Success Awards. The Big Isle was the sole neighbor island boasting award finalists. The Kohala Center was tapped for Best Small Non-Profit and the statewide Martin & MacArthur earned a Lifetime Achievement award.
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Used with permission from Hawaii 247
The Kohala Center receives small business success award February 13, 2012
The Kohala Center has been selected as the 2012 winner of the Small Business Success Award in the Nonprofit Category by Hawaii Business magazine. The Kohala Center was one of six winners and 12 finalists for the magazine’s SmallBiz Success awards announced last week. Other categories receiving awards were community service, family business, innovation, long-term achievement, and new business.
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Used with permission from Hawaii 247
Matt Hamabata wins Small Business Award
February 10, 2012
Kohala Center Director Matt Hamabata has been named this year’s winner of the 2012 Small Biz Success Award in the nonprofit category by Hawaii Business Magazine. The award was given to six winners and 12 finalists who were judged in 12 categories, including small business and nonprofit. Hamabata created the grass-root, nonprofit business Kohala Center in 2001. The Waimea nonprofit has developed from a simple business with a big idea, to a statewide recognized organization that has begun to make waves in the Hawaii community.
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Used with permission from North Hawaii News
Volunteers help Waiakea school garden on MLK Day
January 17, 2012
HILO, Hawaii: Monday was the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday… that means all federal, state and county offices were closed. Public and private schools were also closed on Hawaii Island, but that doesn’t mean they were empty. Here at Waiakea High School, physicians and staff members with Kaiser Permanente joined students, teachers, and members of the Hawaii Island School Garden Network, to refurbish the school’s garden.
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Used with permission from Big Island Video News
Kaiser commemorates Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 17, 2012
More than 500 Kaiser Permanente Hawaii physicians and staff members volunteered their time today working on community projects on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island in commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. The volunteer effort was led by the Hawaii Permanente Medical Group, which was formed in 1960 to provide care to all Kaiser Permanente members in Hawaii.
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Used with permission from Hawaii 247