The Empowerment of Community: Jim Channon Promotes Self-Confident Resiliency for the Future and Potential Disasters
By Cynthia Sweeney The drumbeat of our messages about sustainability has just gotten a little bit more intense. The recent cataclysmic events in Japan and New Zealand remind us of our own vulnerability, to the point where we’re not only…
Stephanie Bolton: Creative Art and Dance
“I was born eating and breathing paint—it’s in my blood!” says Stephanie Bolton, a third-generation artist who grew up on Hawai‘i Island. Both her maternal and paternal grandmothers were artists, her father is a sculptor and architect and her mother…
The Three Kapu of the Spiritual Warrior
The Hawaiian elder Hale Makua looked us over slowly in the fading light of our long day of discussion as the winds around the crater subsided into silence. The air felt soft, and our mood reflected this, creating a sense…
Lava Rock Realty
Peggy Yuan, owner and principal broker of Lava Rock Realty, says she always had a dream of opening her own real estate company since she got her broker’s license in 1995. She moved to Hawai‘i Island from Honolulu in 1998…
Surinam Cherry: What It Is and What to Do with It
By Devany Vickery-Davidson The Surinam cherry is sometimes called the Brazilian cherry, Pitanga or Cayenne cherry. The plant is native from Surinam, Guyana and French Guiana to southern Brazil. It was first described botanically from a plant growing in a…
Atebara Chips
Atebara Chips, founded in 1936 by Raymond Atebara, was the first company in Hawai‘i to make potato chips, and it continues in business today. After WWII rationing cut the supply of imported potatoes, the company turned to locally grown foods,…
dlb & associates, LLC
When your property lines are established, your neighbors’ boundaries are also established. And their neighbors, …and their neighbors…,” says Daniel L. Berg, owner of surveying firm dlb + associates, LLC. He emphasizes the importance of knowing the exact location of…
Edible Flowers by Adaptations
A flowery splash of color and flavor atop your salad, soup or dessert at a local restaurant may have originated at Adaptations, Inc. of South Kona. Owners Tane and Maureen Datta began growing edible flowers in 1989 to fill the…
Aia ka ‘Ike i ka Wāwae (Knowledge Is in the Feet)
I ka hānau ‘ia ke kamali’i Helu ‘ia nā manamanawāwae Hū! Eia ka pono i ka wāwae, he ola Aia ka ‘ike i ka wāwaeI ka ‘ulu ‘ana ke keiki Kū wale a a’o ka ‘ike I mua ‘ana…
Abundant Life Natural Foods
Abundant Life Natural Foods in downtown Hilo, founded by Leslie Malulani Shizue Miki in 1977, has been making healthy living affordable on Hawai‘i Island for 34 years. The retail store is an out-growth of Abundant Life Herb Company, which used…
Gentle Rhythms—Becoming Kapa.The Arts of Marie McDonald: Kapa, Lei, and the Art of Lifelong Learning
By Catherine Tarleton When Marie Adams McDonald was an art student at Texas Women’s University, she was required to take a course in Texas History. “But I was never required to take Hawaiian History,” she said, “Even though I went…
Rolling Into the Hearts of Hilo: Today’s Roller Derby Girls
By Devany Vickery-Davidson The Hilo Civic Auditorium has only sold out twice in the last 30 years. The first time was in November, 2010, and more recently in March of 2011. Both events were due to the huge outpouring of…
Brewing Up an Industry: No, Not Coffee—The World Is Taking Notice of Hawai‘i Island Teas
By Denise Laitinen Whether you’re a coffee enthusiast or a tea devotee, there’s a new brew at the breakfast table, and Hawai‘i Island could be the beneficial host for rooting this profitable agricultural product. Black, green, white, oolong, hot or…
A Tower of Strawberry Love: Hanging, Hydroponic Planting Yields a Profusion of Healthy Berries
By Devany Vickery-Davidson Hawai‘i Island draws many Alaskans to her shores. There must be something about the lure of the tropics and year-round growing season especially appealing to hopeful farmers from the northern reaches of the United States. One of…
In Pursuit of Ecotopia: A “Garden-Raising” Diary
By Marya Mann Most of my life I have gardened, a vocation for which I credit my grandmother Ina. In old photographs of her home in the West Texas Panhandle, vertical stands of lacy asparagus and succulent butternut squash on…
Gilmore Art Inspires Native Plant Renaissance: Jamie Gilmore’s Botanical Portraits Reflect Nature’s Brilliance
By Marya Mann At 3:15 on a sunny day in Ka‘ū, Jamie Gilmore sits at her table, meticulously painting every petal, flower and sand granule in her watercolor portrait of hinahina, a hardy yet vulnerable native plant indigenous to Hawaiian…
Gather Round the Yurt: Growing in Popularity, the Yurt’s Attractions Begin at the Center
By Noel Morata There’s a saying that once you’ve stayed in a round home, you can’t go back to a square and angular home. “Primarily, the appeal of yurts covers a large spectrum of the marketplace,” says Becky Kenery, the…
“A Gift, Not a Bill”—Hi‘ilani Ecohouse
Sustainable, carbon-neutral, 4,000-square-foot, two-family residence—created by stewards of the land as a model for others By Catherine Tarleton Walking beside building innovator Robert Mechielsen along the steep path leading to his current Hāmākua Coast project, we pass 90-year-old Hāmākua coffee…
Then & Now: Hāmākua Coast—Sugar, Landings, and Shipwrecks
By Pete Hendricks The Hāmākua Coast from Hilo to Waipi‘o Valley is a 50 mile stretch of rocky shoreline, deep valleys, and imposing cliffs. Such a windward coast seems an unlikely place to find what was once the dominant industry…
Bruddah Kuz’ Family Album—Maunakea Family Productions: Music, Family, and Youth Advocacy
By Hadley Catalano The story of Iopa Maunakea’s community dedication is woven like a melodic theme through his life’s work, beginning with his grandmother, Katherine Maunakea. His story is not complete without hers. As a community organizer in the district…
Puna Men Sing from the Heart
By Noel Morata When friends and newcomers first attend a performance by the Puna Men’s Chorus (PMC), they are mesmerized with the surprises in every show. Part cabaret, part theater, all these beautiful voices meld together in a superbly entertaining…
The Natural Kahu – Daniel “Kaniela” Akaka, Jr.
By Richard M. Esterle The year is 1991, and preparations are being made to craft the Mauloa, the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s replica of an ancient single‐hulled canoe, using ceremonial protocol throughout the process. A group is gathered inside a tent…
