The Hawaiian phrase I mua! is often used as a rallying cry to inspire people to “move forward” or “go for it.” In this issue of The Leaflet, we celebrate efforts to move island communities forward by covering our recent study of local public transit issues and solutions, scholarship programs that help island youth realize their potential, a community galvanized to stop the encroachment of the invasive coqui frog, the annual convening of Hawai‘i’s school learning garden educators, and the launch of our new website and program logos.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Transit study examines the high costs of getting around
Hawai‘i School Garden Symposium awakens the senses
Banding together to combat an invasive menace
Island youth expand their futures through university programs
Telling our story: The Kohala Center launches new website and program logos
Transit study examines the high costs of getting around
- A Hele-On bus awaits passengers at the Mo‘oheau Terminal in downtown Hilo
Conversations about energy sustainability on Hawai‘i Island often focus on generating renewable forms of energy such as geothermal, hydropower, wind, and solar. Yet with ground transportation accounting for more than half of the island’s fossil fuel needs, little attention has been paid to reducing this demand. A new report prepared for The Kohala Center by researchers from University of Michigan School of Natural Resources suggests that Hawai‘i Island could reduce fossil fuel use by applying some practical, short-term solutions within its transit system.
The report, Expanding Transportation Opportunities on Hawai‘i Island, offers short- and long-term recommendations for reducing fossil fuel use, including ways to step up access to Hele-On public transit services and lower household travel costs through rideshare programs.
The report takes up a key issue addressed in the County of Hawai’i Energy Sustainability Plan: Five Year Roadmap (2012), which identified fossil fuel use as a critical challenge to achieving energy sustainability. Though Hawai‘i Island has integrated more renewable energy onto its electrical grid than anywhere else in the United States and does more carpooling, its reliance on fossil fuel remains high with more than half the energy demand of the island attributed to transportation. Further, the high cost of energy disproportionately impacts low-income households and is an equity issue that could become more acute over time.
“In recent years our public discussion of energy sustainability has focused on electricity generation. We wanted to examine ways to reduce import dependence in the transportation sector and bring that topic to the fore,” said Dr. Elizabeth Cole, chief operating officer at The Kohala Center.
In the past five years, Hawai‘i County Mass Transit Agency (MTA) has increased ridership significantly through its Hele-On bus service and shared taxi program—from less than 800,000 riders in 2006 to approximately 1.15 million in 2011 (Hawai‘i County Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, 2011). Yet the County still faces a number of challenges in increasing access to high-quality, convenient, and cost-effective transit options. Public transit riders in Hawai‘i County, who earn about half of all other commuters on the island, have commutes that are twice as long as the average commute (68 minutes vs. 30 minutes).
- The Expanding Transportation Opportunities on Hawai‘i Island report offers practical solutions to improve access and reduce fossil fuel demands
“Our project goal was to improve the bus system on Hawai’i Island, whether that was from an economic, environmental, or social perspective, or a combination of them,” said research team member Trevor McManamon. “We’ve found that there are likely some opportunities that make sense in all three of those areas, and some do not require significant upfront investment.”
The report’s immediate short-term recommendations for Hawai‘i County’s Mass Transit Agency include: 1) the implementation of Google Transit, a low-cost technology option that could help passengers identify ideal routes, schedules, and connections; 2) website enhancements that would make it easier for potential riders to navigate; and 3) the development of clearer route schedules and maps that can be viewed on a website without downloading a file. Longer-term recommendations include ways that the agency can gather data to optimize route planning and increase ridership.
“The study puts Hawai‘i County in a better place to understand where the rubber meets the road,” said William Rolston, Hawai‘i County Energy Coordinator.
The research team sought input from several public agencies and residents and studied the public transit system in Maui County due to its similarity to Hawai‘i County’s rural setting. Maui currently uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to develop clear route maps and schedules for transit riders, and uses Google Transit to publish information about their services. The Maui system’s budget is more than double that of Hele-On, as is its ridership.
The report also examined rideshare and vanpool options to lower vehicle miles traveled and reduce the cost of commutes by increasing the number of riders per vehicle.
The report, Expanding Transportation Opportunities on Hawai‘i Island, is available online at http://bit.ly/1k0Firv or by calling The Kohala Center at 808-887-6411.
Hawai‘i School Garden Symposium awakens the senses
- Dr. Carla Hannaford delivers the keynote address at the Seventh Annual School Learning Garden Symposium
A meaningful education is widely seen as the key to determining the course and success of a child’s life. Most curricula taught in schools are designed to engage students’ minds and expand their intellectual knowledge. But what about learning opportunities that engage students physically and emotionally? The theme of this year’s Hawai‘i School Learning Garden Symposium, “Awakening the Senses for Deeper Learning,” emphasized the power of school garden programs to engage students’ heads, hands, and hearts.
Held at the Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy campus in Waimea and presented by the Hawai‘i Island School Garden Network (HISGN), the seventh annual Symposium offered more than 100 attendees a full day of educational workshops, presentations, and speakers focused on integrating essential curricula into school learning garden settings and engaging the full spectrum of children’s senses. Dr. Koh Ming Wei, sustainability coordinator at Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy, opened the Symposium with an exercise challenging attendees to define additional senses beyond the customary “five senses” of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. With answers such as “intuition,” “culture,” “connectedness,” “equilibrium,” and “ohohia (enthusiasm),” participants were primed to understand the range of feelings and emotions that can be engaged in school learning garden settings.
Keynote speaker and Kealakekua resident Dr. Carla Hannaford, an internationally renowned and award-winning author, biologist, and educator, presented the importance of engaging more than just students’ minds but their hands and hearts as well. “Hands are a person’s greatest tools, with more connections to the brain than any other organ,” Hannaford said. “When children participate in making a garden, they connect not only with their environment in a much more meaningful way, but actually increase their ability to learn, remember, and engage all cognitive areas.”
Hannaford also emphasized the societal and ecological impacts that school learning gardens can have. “School gardens that are made and tended by children, from preschool through high school, profoundly effect their view of the world around them and facilitate life-long learning, and a respect for the Earth, themselves, and others.”
A panel of Hawai‘i health and education leaders, including Jennifer Ryan and Paul Strauss from the Hawai‘i State Department of Health, Vivienne Aronowitz from Kaiser Permanente, and Tricia Lizama from the Division of Social Work at the University of Guam, addressed the connections between student wellness and deeper learning. School learning gardens can play a role in both, providing students with physical activity and movement, sensory stimulation, nutritional education, and opportunities to apply classroom curriculum in more engaging, interactive settings.
- Bradley Mason of Sacred Hearts Academy in Lahaina, Maui, presents his research project on technology in the school garden to Symposium attendees
Many of the breakout sessions were led by members of the second cohort of Kū ‘Āina Pā, a yearlong school garden teacher training course also facilitated by HISGN. The Kū ‘Āina Pā participants presented their individual professional development research and reflection projects, covering subjects such as technology in school gardens, place-based education, and establishing school wellness committees.
“Many attendees seemed really excited and inspired by the idea of establishing wellness committees at their schools,” said Nancy Redfeather, director of the Hawai‘i Island School Garden Network. “Konawaena High School in Kealakekua established a school wellness committee this past school year comprised of school administrators, students, teachers, public health specialists, and nonprofit representatives from the local community. It’s a great way to bring stakeholders together to develop multidisciplinary approaches to improving the health of our keiki (children).”
- Slow Food Hawai‘i volunteers donated a bountiful lunch comprised of dishes made primarily with fresh, local ingredients
The Symposium also included a sumptuous buffet lunch prepared by volunteers from Slow Food Hawai‘i, harnessing lots of healthy local ingredients and creativity. The day ended with a graduation ceremony for the thirty participants in the second cohort of Kū ‘Āina Pā.
“The consistent support of Kū ‘Āina Pā energized us to perpetuate more viable methods of sharing garden-inspired learning,” said Ting Ortiz, the school garden teacher at Kaūmana Elementary School in Hilo and a member of the program’s second cohort. “The bonding within our group was very nourishing and helped us grow together in the harvesting of empowered knowledge. Connecting and nurturing a dedicated and diverse community to thrive and grow together goes a long way toward fostering a sustainable gardening mindset.”
The annual Symposium primarily attracts school learning garden educators from across the islands, with some teachers traveling from the continental United States as well. The event provides garden teachers, classroom teachers, administrators, and health and education officials with the opportunity to network, build bridges with one another, share successes, and get inspired. Participants not only unite around a common goal of improving children’s academic performance through better health and experiential education, but around principles of sustainability as well. As one attendee commented in her evaluation form, “The Symposium focused on teaching the basic life skills of sustainability! Imagine that!”
Banding together to combat an invasive menace
- A coqui frog emerges at night. The tiny, invasive frogs deprive native birds and bats of insects and can emit a high-pitched chirp of 90 to 100 decibels
Kathy Rawle was both disappointed and discouraged when she first heard the telltale “co-quee” chirp of the invasive coqui frog in her Waimea neighborhood one evening in June 2011. After hearing (quite literally) how the frog species had completely infested the east side of Hawai‘i Island, she thought there was no chance preventing it from taking over Waimea with its noisy and irritating nighttime call. When sharing her frustration with friend Melora Purell over lunch one day, she found a beacon of hope.
According to Rawle, “Melora told me it wasn’t hopeless at all. In fact, if we could take action right away, it could be quite the opposite.” Purell, the coordinator of Kohala Watershed Partnership, described the success community-based organizations in Volcano and North Kohala have had keeping the invasive frog at bay, despite the lack of funding from the state towards coqui-control efforts. Using her connections in the conservation world, Purell gathered information about the coqui frog, its origins (Puerto Rico), its habits (nocturnally noisy), and ways to catch and eliminate frogs (with patience and persistence).
Rawle organized a neighborhood meeting with neighbor Joyce O’Connor, and invited Ray McGuire, a Big Island Invasive Species Committee employee and coqui expert, to speak to the 20-plus Waimea residents who attended. That evening, they went searching for frogs, and caught their first coqui in a ginger patch. According to Rawle, “It was exhilarating! Removing just one frog makes a big difference… we helped prevent an infestation from taking hold.”
Coqui-Free Waimea (CFW) was officially established by Rawle, Purell, O’Connor, and Waimea Community Association president Sherm Warner in August 2011. The organization set up a hotline (808-313-1094) for Waimea residents to call to report frogs and receive guidance on how to eliminate them. Today, the hotline remains as active as ever.
The organization is completely funded by donations from Waimea community members. While residents have been generous with their financial support, CFW continues to seek donations to help support its frog-control efforts. CFW is primarily run by an advisory committee that helps make decisions about the direction of the organization and seeks input from the local community. Both Rawle and Purell remain key leaders within the committee.
- Waimea residents convene for a briefing prior to a neighborhood frog hunt (Photo © Jonathan Rawle)
In May 2013, the organization hired community volunteer coordinator Tara Seely, who answers hotline calls, leads volunteer opportunities, and sends out email updates. A spraying technician, Jared Considine, joined the team in September 2013. Considine provides hands-on assistance with frog catching and citric acid-spraying efforts, the latter a method of eliminating frogs on a larger scale. Both employees are part time but make an effort to maximize the impact of the handful of hours they spend each week working for CFW. There also is a core group of dedicated volunteers that helps catch frogs and spray citric acid on volunteer nights.
Additionally, there are volunteers, led by O’Connor, who run CFW outreach booths at Waimea farmers markets and occasionally at KTA. According to O’Connor, “We’ve seen a shift in people’s attitudes over the years when they visit the outreach booths. They used to either be in denial that coqui frogs could survive the cold weather of Waimea, or think controlling frogs was a hopeless cause.” Now, she observes more support than ever. “People have realized the frogs are a very real threat to Waimea. We now hear stories all the time from people who have been going out on their own at night to catch frogs in their neighborhoods.”
CFW is currently focused on increasing its visibility within the community and fostering connections between Waimea residents who want to take action against coqui frogs. According to Seely, “Our work takes place at night, in the dark. People can’t really see how much we accomplish. We are going to get the message about volunteer opportunities out to more people this year. Not only do we want people to volunteer, but we want them to realize there are others out there constantly working on this problem.” Additionally, more neighbors will be notified when a frog is reported on their street. “We often get multiple reports of the same frog. I think people want to work with their neighbors, but they don’t know which ones to talk to. We can help with that; we can connect those people,” Seely said. These efforts all build up to CFW’s ultimate mission—to empower the community by sharing the skills and knowledge of frog removal and offering supplies and assistance when needed.
- Armed with flashlights, containers, and citric spray, Coqui-Free Waimea volunteers hunt the tiny frogs at night to keep the population at bay (Photo © Jonathan Rawle)
Leaving the comfort of one’s home in the evening to hunt for coqui frogs may seem daunting, yet Waimea residents should consider that coqui control can be more fulfilling than initially anticipated—even a bonding experience. According to Rawle, “The situation has been very positive for my neighborhood. I’ve gotten to know neighbors I rarely used to talk to. When it becomes a social activity, it’s actually fun to go out and look for frogs. It becomes enjoyable.”
Coqui-Free Waimea is not only helping Waimea preserve its peaceful, quiet nights, but it’s also turning the threat of an invasive species into an opportunity to build an even tighter-knit community.
For more information, visit coquifreewaimea.org. Waimea residents who hear coqui frogs on their streets are encouraged to call the CFW hotline at 808-313-1094.
Island youth expand their futures through university programs
- 2014 Parker School graduate Lysha Matsunobu will begin her freshman year at Stanford University this fall
Many students who grow up and attend schools in Hawai‘i miss out on opportunities to travel and experience educational programs outside the state, primarily due to costs. Each year, The Kohala Center offers scholarships to Hawai‘i Island youth to attend leadership and academic programs at prestigious institutions in the continental United States. Often these experiences help students realize their potential and inspire them to pursue opportunities they never thought possible.
The programs, held at institutions such as Cornell University and Brown University, expose Hawai‘i Island students to leadership and academic development opportunities that catalyze greater achievement and new career aspirations.
Lysha Matsunobu, a 2014 graduate of Parker School in Waimea, exemplifies the pivotal power of a summer program. Through a Kohala Center scholarship, she participated in the Academic Connections program at University of California, San Diego, in 2011.
“My summer at UC San Diego is invaluable to me as I remember it as my starting point in exploring academics beyond my high school,” said Matsunobu. “I returned to self-study AP Environmental Science in my sophomore year confident with the knowledge I had gained from the course at UCSD.”
Matsunobu is one of 141 U.S. Presidential Scholars selected nationally based on their outstanding academic achievement, artistic excellence, leadership, citizenship, and contribution to school and community. She begins her undergraduate study at Stanford University this fall.
“By offering scholarships to Hawai‘i Island high school students to participate in these leadership programs at some of the world’s finest universities, we are inspiring island youth to push for excellence in their academic and future professional careers,” said Dr. Matthews Hamabata, President and CEO of The Kohala Center. “These opportunities help our youth expand their worldviews and envision future opportunities they might not otherwise be encouraged to pursue.” Himself born and raised in rural Hanapēpē, Kaua‘i, Hamabata went on to earn his undergraduate degree at Cornell, his doctorate at Harvard, and first taught at Yale University.
- KaMele Sanchez
This summer, two more students will receive scholarships from The Kohala Center to participate in programs at East Coast universities: KaMele Sanchez, a rising senior at Honoka‘a High & Intermediate School, and Kaila Alcoran-Gaston, a recent graduate of Ke Ana La‘ahana Public Charter School.
“This program gives me the opportunity to expand my knowledge and enhance my skills, so that I can come back home and share and help better my community,” said Sanchez, who will attend Cornell University’s CURIE Academy Program in Ithaca, New York. The CURIE Academy is a one-week residential engineering program for high school girls who excel in math and science.
- Kaila Alcoran-Gaston
Alcoran-Gaston will attend the Brown Environmental Leadership Lab (BELL) program in Bristol, Rhode Island, which focuses on sustainable development through several academic disciplines, including biology, engineering, environmental science, and policy.
“I’m excited to learn about human demands on the environment and what can and cannot be compromised in terms of long-term detrimental effects on our ocean and coastline ecosystem. There are critical decisions to make at the community, county and state levels,” said Alcoran-Gaston. “I hope to learn how to contribute more knowledgeably to my own coastal community.”
To learn more about The Kohala Center’s academic and scholarship programs, go to https://kohalacenter.org/programs/academic.
Telling our story: The Kohala Center launches new website and program logos
- Homepage of The Kohala Center’s new website at kohalacenter.org
For nearly 15 years, The Kohala Center has turned research and traditional knowledge into action, so that communities on Hawai‘i Island, across the state, and around the world can thrive—ecologically, economically, culturally, and socially. What started as a small, community-based project, driven by the soaring aspirations of island residents and leaders, grew into a robust organization offering many programs in the fields of energy self-reliance, food self-reliance, and ecosystem health. By launching a new website and giving our programs unique yet integrated identities, we are making it easier for more people to connect with not only what we do, but why we do it.
As The Kohala Center expanded over time and created new programs, investing in communications became a priority for the organization. “The Kohala Center has an incredibly unique history and track record of working toward a healthier Hawai‘i by building programs that celebrate and enhance Hawai‘i’s natural and cultural landscape—‘āina-based programs for community well-being,” said communications specialist Liam Kernell. “It’s a remarkable story of what an inspired community can do,” he continues. “But we haven’t always succeeded in communicating that our individual programs, customized to meet the needs of various communities, were part of a larger whole, part of a bigger, comprehensive effort to foster community well-being. An effort that requires holistic approaches and systemic change.”
- The new logos for Kahalu‘u Bay Education Center and Kū I Ka Māna Beginning Farmer-Rancher Development Program. The Kohala Center’s creative team designed logos for six of The Center’s programs, using the organization’s iconic spiral to unify them.
After joining the organization in late 2012, one of Kernell’s first challenges was to evaluate The Center’s and each program’s messaging and marketing materials. With the help of Jessica Young, a Honoka‘a-based freelance graphic designer voted Best Graphic Artist by North Hawai‘i News five years in a row, the organization’s design standards were refreshed to convey a bolder, warmer, and professional image. Programs were also unified by connecting them to the same standards while creating unique color palettes for each. This spring, Kernell and Young collaborated with directors to create unique logos for each program, all united by a central design element: the spiral that has been the focal point of The Center’s logo since 2007.
“The spiral was created to represent many things: a Hawaiian tree snail, a seashell, a hapu‘u fern, as well as a breaking wave,” Kernell said. “It implies a living, growing, and dynamic entity with a focus on clarity, motion, and action—a fitting element for our ‘āina-based programs from mauka to makai (mountain to sea). Not only did we harness the spiral as an anchor between The Center and its programs, it also served as a muse throughout the logo development process.”
The new logos made their debut with the launch of the new kohalacenter.org in early May. Kernell and Young worked with Kenta Nemoto, an independent web designer and developer based in Āhualoa, to scope the overhaul of a site that was six years old and contained thousands of pages, documents, and images. “The ‘old’ site was practically held together with duct tape,” Nemoto jokes. “As new pages and sections were added to it, whole new sets of programming code were created, which made maintaining the site tedious. One of the core requirements we identified immediately was to create a centralized code base, making the new site—whether just a single page or every single page—easy to update with just a couple of clicks.” The team settled on the open-source WordPress content management system to serve as the “heart” of the site, which will allow for easy integration of new features and customization in the future. The development of the new site was made possible by a Hawai‘i Community Foundation FLEX grant.
“I’ve really enjoyed working with The Kohala Center because it supports efforts that align with my values, with leadership coming right from the communities in which we live and work,” Young said. “It’s fulfilling to contribute to positive and sustainable goals that are having a lasting impact on our islands. By applying aesthetics to help communicate valuable information, my work is furthering active, meaningful solutions.” Nemoto agreed, adding “It feels great to be able to use my skills towards positive change.”
- (left to right) Liam Kernell, Jessica Young, and Kenta Nemoto. All residents of Honoka‘a, the team collaborates to deliver The Kohala Center’s printed and online communications.
Along with a cleaner interface, a simpler navigation structure, compatibility with mobile browsers, and improved integration with social media channels such as Facebook, the new website also features updated content to help site visitors understand the roots of The Center and its programs. 3Point Consulting, a communications, research, and planning firm on O‘ahu, facilitated an evaluation of The Center’s messaging and development of a comprehensive communications strategy. “3Point helped us realize that communicating why we do what we do is important,” Kernell said. “Communicating what we do and how we do it is only part of the picture. Why was The Kohala Center created in 2000? Why did we launch each of our programs? Doing so will help our supporters connect to the research and knowledge that inspires our work, and understand why it’s important to take action.”
Moving in to the second half of 2014, The Kohala Center will incorporate additional features into the website, as well as develop several online and mobile applications to support participatory action research projects for three of its agricultural programs. Tune in to future issues of The Leaflet as these projects launch later in the year.