PCF— Big Island retreat, part 3

Day 2 started with a long trip up to North Kohala to hear from Dave Fuertes and others about the Inter-generational Community Project sponsored by Partners in Development. There they seek to make Kohala a model for sustainability for the state by teaching kids four things:
— origin (kupuna)
— beliefs/values (preserve, protect, sustain)
— purpose (food energy resilience)
— destiny (schools, churches, natural farming, no drugs)

In the middle of the community they (i.e community volunteers) built a teen center and with the help of PID grants they assist in getting kids back onto the land, working on science projects, service projects, and writing basic business plans.

In the bigger plans they are planning on building the 700 acre Agricultural Resource Center of Ho'ea (ARCH) that will provide food processing centers: poi factory, certified kitchen, fertilizer production, meat processing, and educational facility. ARCH will be built on donated land from a German developer who bought it for the sole purpose of keeping it from being developed. They will use renewable energy (existing hydro as well as soon to be developed wind and solar sources) and are committed to being totally organic. The lifeblood of this entire project is the Kohala Ditch which pumps 6 million gallons/day and will be crucial to the project's success.

We also heard from Andrea Dean, a transplanted New Yorker who is full of ideas, energy, and passion for the idea of sustainable food. She is working closely with Kanu Hawaii and the Eat Local Challenge as they seek to grow farmers to supply the local food and also to inform the public to generate demand.

Our day ended at the Natural Energy Lab of Hawaii (NELHA) where we heard a presentation by Guy Toyama, the executive director. NELHA was created in 1973 after the oil embargo of that year highlighted how tenuous our connection to that lifeline actually was. Gov. John Burns brought in Dr. John P. Craven to start developing this facility that has several goals:
— energy security
— food security
— health care

There are currently 35 tenants at NELHA that fully sustain all operations based on assive pumps bring in warm surface water and cold deep water to enable the wide variety of operations. They bring in 27,000 gallons/minute through a pipeline that cost $25 million. Some of the operation include:
— aquatic and marine technology
— wide temperature range of water allows them to grow a wide variety of food products such as Kona Coast Abalone, American lobster, breedstock shrimp, clams, and Kona Kampachi.

— microalgae
— nutriceuticals
— pharaceuticals
— bio-fuels

— deep ocean water
— bottled water
— salt
— bath and mineral salts

— heat transfer applications
— deep sea water air conditions (coming soon to downtown Honolulu)
— 80% cut in electricity consumption

— energy-related applictions
OTEC— Ocean Thermal energy Conversion

— bio-energy plant
— methane + CO2 = feed algae farm

We then toured Sopagy's test field, visited Kona Kampachi's operation, and spent time with the most content individual i think i have ever encountered. I don't remember his name (it was a long day) but he was genuinely stoked to test out new techniques to grow various kinds of fish eggs he either gathered himself or received from other people's gathering operations. His lab looked like the professor's from Gilligan's Island. He walked around in a tank top and slippers and a permanent smile on his face. One got the impression there was nowhere he would rather be and doing nothing else. I envy that guy.

All in all an amazing trip with a great group of people.

PCF— Big Island retreat, part 2

We then traveled to the Pacific Aquaculture & Coastal Resources Center to hear from Dr. Kevin Hughes about their initiatives. Their mission is to engender sustainable aquaculture, marine science, conservation biology, collaborative research, outreach and training. Hilo is an ideal location for this type of venture because it has all marine environments represented and a wide diversity of communities.
Most of their money comes from "soft" which Dr. Hopkins encourages because then they don't become complacent due to a guaranteed revenue stream and have to respond to a "customer" (i.e. those providing their grants).
Our next stop was at the Hawaiian charter school Ke Kula Mauli Ola Hawai'i 'O Nawahiokalani'opu'u. We were greeted with a traditional oli from the upper school students, presented with lei, and then given a tour of the facilities. One of the highlights was seeing the preschoolers and hearing them speak and sing their songs in Hawaiian. It was a really impressive display.
The day culminated with a lunch panel session at the "Imiloa Astronomy Center where we heard about the Mauna Kea Management plan. The cultural significance of this area had been neglected in the past so group of community leaders and representatives got together to create a master plan. Native Hawaiians see Maunakea (the preferred spelling by the UH-Hilo Language department) as the piko of Wakea, the creator of the Hawaiian people. It is a connection to history for them and must be respected and preserved accordingly. There is future development planned with the Thirty Meter Telescope but it is being pursued with heightened cultural and environmental sensitivity.
That evening we were hosted at a dinner reception back at 'Imiloa to honor PCF alumni from the Big Island, and community leaders. We were joined by our main benefactor Mufi Hannemann who was very gracious just a few days after his election defeat in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. He showed a lot of class and fed off Billy Kenoi's positive energy and humor to enliven the evening.

PCF— Big Island retreat, part 1

We started off two days on the Big Island with a Mayoral Breakfast at the Hawai'i Innovation Center located in downtown Hilo. The mayor was running a little late so we heard from three PCF alums who live in Hilo: Ka'iu Kimura, Kaloa Robertson, and Toby Fujitani.
When the mayor arrived he couldn't have been less like a mayor— we heard slippers slapping down the hall as jogged to the door and then he burst into the room in board shorts and a T-Shirt. He then proceeded to blow us away with his energetic, funny, thought-provoking insights of what leadership is all about. Some of the highlights:
He started out by lamenting how many people love to make outlines of ideas (such as people at conferences: "Great conference!" but where are the ideas?) but to get anything down it's about leadership.
His father told him once that to be effective you need to think, feel, and then speak. Then everything you say is from your heart and you know that ni matter what you've been honest. "Do it with aloha." ("Only be shame if you steal.")
His personal history was incredibly compelling: 1.8 GPA in high school, on a path to prison until his friend introduced him to a professor at UH-Hilo who thrust an application into his hand and said "I understand you belong here." He went on the graduate with Honors from UMass—Amherst and then went on to law school at UH— Manoa. he sought to use his considerable speaking talents to bring the gift of advocacy to people who didn't have a voice— worked for Legal Aid, Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund.
To Billy Kenoi, leadership is:
— take blame and give credit
— look at all the information then make a decision (the difficult decisions)
— avoid the paralysis of analysis
— be accountable, responsible
— surround yourself with excellence
He then broke it down to the 3 E's:
— education
— experience
— expertise

and the 3 C's:
— committed
— compassionate
— courageous

Move people, build people, inspire people; never break people, especially in public,

• research + preparation = success ("it is inexcusable to be unprepared or ill-informed when you are expected to be at your best.

• strategic analysis
talk story with as many people as possible— ask different people how to look at something; if you have more information than the other side you have the advantage

• execute
you gotta perform!

when you're positive and you "aloha" everybody then everything will work out (and it's free!)

PCF— Military Day