Self-described pragmatists, who favor looking forward instead of back, tend to be skeptical of those ever-vocal members of our community who set out to save the crumbling, peeling, faded remnants of what once vibrantly surrounded us. Be it in the name of a rusted carriage… [»Read]
Aging in 22-ounce bottles at the Kona Brewing Company is a very green beer. And come the day after St. Patrick’s Day, it’ll still be that way. The Hawaii Organic Farmer’s Association has certified Oceanic Organic Saison, a Belgian-style wheat ale, as the state’s… [»Read]
Water runs through Charlie Reppun’s world. It flows through the acres of taro loi that he and his brother Paul work in Waiahole Valley on Oahu’s windward side; it moves water wheels that provide electricity for their off-the grid operation; it somehow even seems… [»Read]
In 2007, Cisco DeVries, then an aide to Berkeley, Calif. Mayor Tom Bates, wanted to put his money where his mouth was. DeVries was deeply involved in energy and environmental issues but had not yet invested in renewable energy at home. “I was working on a lot of these… [»Read]
Even if very few island residents have heard of it, government and industry insiders have known for decades that non-profit watchdog organization Life of the Land is among the very most persistent and effective advocates for a better environmental and energy policy. As the… [»Read]
Terrance Ware took his post as Honolulu’s manager of transit-oriented development in September. Ware brings decades of experience in the field–a field that’s getting a lot of attention both locally and nationally these days–from his time in cities all over the country…. [»Read]
Tension was high at the Waianae Neighborhood Community Center as Waianae Neighborhood Board Chair Jo Jordan opened the Feb. 2 meeting by leading a restive crowd in Hawaii Ponoi. When the song reached its traditional conclusion and most of the room started… [»Read]
Hawaii has a long history as a destination for traveling sex workers: in the 1930s and ’40s madams would send orders for mainland women to work Hotel Street’s brothels, which flourished until 1944 when the defacto legal system of prostitution ended. Of course, criminalizing… [»Read]
The Chinatown art renaissance continues. The neighborhood’s social and cultural transformation has long been underway–at least five years by our count–but local artists say this weekend’s unveiling of artist lofts on Hotel Street represents a significant step toward… [»Read]
After more than a year of debate over the civil unions measure, House Bill 444, state representatives last Friday approved–via anonymous voice vote–a motion by House Speaker Calvin Say to indefinitely postpone action on the bill. The decision was in stark contrast to the… [»Read]
With Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann in Washington, D.C. for a round of talks with federal transportation officials about Honolulu’s proposed $5.3 billion, 20-mile elevated-rail project, Gov. Linda Lingle hosted a public forum for a panel of architects to again detail their… [»Read]
When Malama Makua, represented by Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, filed suit against the U.S. Army in 1998, it was a David and Goliath-type facedown, though the group’s president Sparky Rodrigues says its preferred metaphor is “a mosquito biting a rogue elephant as… [»Read]
Do you walk three miles to and from work everyday? Would you expect a 7-year-old to? That dark scenario is nearing reality as lawmakers struggle to balance the state budget. Transportation to and from school, yet another vital aspect of our youth’s education, is on the… [»Read]
A recent study has thrown new light on the previously underestimated extent of pre-contact Hawaiian agriculture, particularly in dry lee areas of the Big Island. The groundbreaking work combined several scientific disciplines and new technologies to expand the picture of… [»Read]
Maxine Burkett, an associate professor at the University of Hawaii’s Richardson School of Law, is currently attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Burkett also serves as the inaugural director of the Center for Island Climate Adaptation… [»Read]
