Thinking Like an Island: Navigating a Sustainable Future in Hawai‘i

Published by University of Hawaii Press 2015

Thinking Like an Island

Navigating a Sustainable Future in Hawai‘i

Edited by: Jennifer Chirico and Gregory S. Farley

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780824854164

Overview
Contents

About this book

Hawaii is a rare and special place, in which beauty and isolation combine to form a vision of paradise. That isolation, though, comes at a price: resources in modern-day Hawaii are strained and expensive, and current economic models dictate that the Hawaiian Islands are reliant upon imported food, fuels, and other materials. Yet the islands supported a historic Hawaiian population of a million people or more. This was possible because Hawaiians, prior to European contact, had learned the ecological limits of their islands and how to live sustainably within them.

Today, Hawaii is experiencing a surge of new strategies that make living in the islands more ecologically, economically, and socially resilient. A vibrant native agriculture movement helps feed Hawaiians with traditional foods, and employs local farmers using traditional methods; efforts at green homebuilding help provide healthy, comfortable housing that exists in better harmony with the environment; efforts to recycle wastewater help reduce stress on fragile freshwater resources; school gardens help feed families and reconnect them with local food and farming. At the same time, many of the people who have developed these strategies find that their processes reflect, and in some cases draw from, the lessons learned by Hawaiians over thousands of years.

This collection of case studies is a road map to help other isolated communities, island and mainland, navigate their own paths to sustainability, and establishes Hawaii as a model from which other communities can draw inspiration, practical advice, and hope for the future.

Author / Editor information

Chirico Jennifer :

Jennifer Chirico, PhD, MPH, is president of Susty Pacific LLC, a Hawai`i-based firm specializing in responsible business and sustainability consulting. Previously, she was executive director of the Sustainable Living Institute of Maui at the University of Hawai`i Maui College.Farley Gregory S. :

Gregory S. Farley is director of the Center for Leadership in Environmental Education (CLEEn) at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, Maryland. A marine zoologist and evolutionary biologist, he holds an MS in biological science from Florida State University and a BS in biological science from Duke University.

Reviews

Mitchell Thomashow, author of The Nine Elements of a Sustainable Campus, president emeritus, Unity College:
Blending outstanding scholarship with practical application, this book presents a portfolio of innovative, creative, and tangible projects that integrate cultural, ecological, and economic approaches. Most importantly, it uses Hawaiian indigenous knowledge and history as the basis for ecological sustainability, incorporating the best practices of the past and present with a vision for the future. Every Hawai`i resident and visitor who is interested in a sustainable future should read this book. More than just a blueprint for Hawai`i’s future, Thinking Like an Island challenges readers to examine the meaning and purpose of sustainable living.

Michael Kramer, coauthor of The Resilient Investor and managing partner, Natural Investments:
This book eloquently highlights examples of the quadruple bottom line of cultural, social, environmental, and economic value as the key components of a resilient and regenerative way of life. Hawai`i’s isolation can be transformed from a liability to a strength as we invest community, tangible, and financial assets in strategies that not only minimize harm to people and ecosystems but, through traditional and innovative practices, enhance our collective capacity to thrive in turbulent times.

Based on Native cultural practices, it offers strategies for Hawai‘i's food security, sustainable agriculture, water systems, energy production, green architecture, green tourism, and green education. The importance of this work rests on its applicability to all island and coastal communities around the world. A valuable volume for collections supporting sustainability studies, cultural studies, geography, environmental sociology, and environmental studies and policy.

The book investigates new strategies to make living in the islands ecologically more sustainable by respecting native Hawaiian culture and integrating it with modern concepts and new technologies.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Foreword Ramsay Remigius Mahealani Taum Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
INTRODUCTION Jennifer Chirico and Gregory S. Farley Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
ONE. Hawaiian Culture and Its Foundation in Sustainability Scott Fisher Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	7
TWO. Food Security in Hawai‘i George Kent Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	28
THREE. Searching for Sustainable Agriculture in Hawai‘i Penny Levin Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	46
FOUR. Lessons From The Taro Patch Penny Levin Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	79
FIVE. Ecological Design for Island Water Systems Lauren C. Roth Venu Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	125
SIX. Saving Island Water Strategies for Water Reuse Steve Parabicoli Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	143
SEVEN. Catching the (Energy) Wave of the Future Luis Vega and Reza Ghorbani Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	159
EIGHT. Green Building Integrating the Past with the Future Matthew Goyke and John Bendon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	174
NINE. Shades of Green in the Tourism Sector Sustainability Practices and Awareness in the State of Hawai‘i Linda Cox and John Cusick Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	198
TEN. Successful Sustainability Movements in Higher Education Shanah Trevenna Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	216
ELEVEN. It Takes a Village Reflections on Building an Island School Garden Susan Wyche and Kirk Surry Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	234
EPILOGUE Living Like an Island What the World Can Learn from Hawai‘i Jennifer Chirico and Gregory S. Farley Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	255
Contributors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	263
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	267

Language: English
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 288
Illustrations
- Other: 4 maps, 11 b&w illustrations

eBook

Published: April 30, 2015
ISBN: 9780824854164