December 3, 2020 (Hawai‘i Public Radio)—This pandemic has turned lots of people’s attention down to earth. Newfound gardeners have emerged and there has been a run on seeds, soil and all things related to growing food at home. Today we talk about seeds; taking stock of the state of seeds and learning about groups in our community who are producing seed to sell and grow.
November 11, 2020 (Big Island Video News)—The Full Calabash Fund, a statewide effort launched by the Kohala Center on Tuesday, aims to support vulnerable Hawaiʻi families and food producers that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Kohala Center says the program “will strategically direct funding to experienced organizations with strong relationships and local networks to ensure that locally produced food is distributed effectively to resource-constrained individuals and families.”
November 2, 2020 (The Garden Island)—The Trump administration recently announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $966,540 in three projects in the state, including the county Office of Economic Development’s Kaua‘i Rise Initiative. … The Kohala Center will receive most of the federal funds, $832,540, to provide technical assistance to a total of 176 socially-disadvantaged producers who are members of five rural cooperatives, six rural groups operating across the state and a group of 50 socially-disadvantaged businesses operating in rural areas statewide.
October 11, 2020 (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)—When COVID-19 shut down the state, industry groups and leaders sought strength in numbers as they desperately looked for ways to ride out the pandemic.
The need to pool resources became even more acute as spring slipped into summer, and as we now enter fall. Clearly, the pandemic is not going to be a short-term bump in the road.
October 11, 2020 (Honolulu Civil Beat)—I’ve been thinking a lot about food lately, and I’m pretty sure that you have been too. The pandemic has shown us how quickly everything can change and reminded us of the risks of having all of our eggs in one basket.
I’ve been watching prices rise at my local supermarket. I’ve been witnessing climate changes and disruptions in global supply chains. I’ve been thinking about the fact that 90% of Hawaii’s food comes from outside of the islands and wondering how much longer that system will survive.
August 3, 2020 (Honolulu Magazine)—There is Love Lies Bleeding and there is Love in a Mist. There is Rainbow x Seminole Squash and Lady Finger Okra. There is Karinata Kale, thought to have been domesticated 6,000 years ago. There is ashwagandha, used for more than 3,000 years in India as a medicinal plant and today touted as a stress reliever. There is love and sustenance and medicine to be cultivated from the Hawai‘i Seed Growers Network’s marketplace of “local seeds for local needs.”
July 11, 2020 (West Hawaii Today)–The National Marine Fisheries Service has determined reef-building cauliflower coral around Hawaii does not warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act.
“In conclusion, P.meandrina’s demographic factors are indicative of a robust and resilient species that is better suited for responding to ongoing and projected threats than most other reef-building coral species,” the National Marine Fisheries Service stated in its 12-month finding published Monday in the federal register.
June 25, 2020 (Big Island Video News)—Kamehameha Schools and the Ulupono Initiative have awarded $50,000 to the winners of the MahiX open innovation challenge.
June 8, 2020 (EPA.gov)–Educators at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) drew on an EPA educational tool to create a new version of a particle meter to help teachers in Hawai‘i teach students about air quality and engineering. The MIT sensor design encourages hands-on learning at a time when more U.S. schools are embracing “makerspaces,” areas where students can explore and create using materials from art supplies to electronics.
May 23, 2020 (Weat Hawaii Today)—Oxybenzone levels have dropped dramatically at Kahaluu Bay, The Kohala Center reported this week.
Between April 2018 and November [2019], oxybenzone levels dropped 93% or more at water sampling sites in the bay amid the center’s ongoing “Reef-Friendly Sun Protection” campaign to educate bay visitors about ways to protect the Kahaluu’s delicate ecosystem, including wearing protective clothing and using mineral-based sunscreens.