Health, Wellness & Security

For all to prosper, we must have equitable access & ability to satisfy our most basic needs of health & security. Understanding our intricate interdependencies deepens proportionately with enhanced physical, psychological & financial need-satisfaction within our ecological, socio-cultural and economic systems, enabling us to progressively act more efficaciously in the best interests of all.

Principles/Values

Think Global. Act Local.

To help us think globally, we’ve adopted the values and principles of the Earth Charter.“The Earth Charter is a declaration of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society for the 21st century.” To assist us with local action, we have looked to the indigenous wisdom of the ʻAha Moku system. “The ‘Aha Moku system recognizes the traditional geo-political division of each island into ahupua’a (akin to the present-day concept of watershed areas) and moku (a political district of two or more adjacent ahupua’a).”

Vision

To help create a healthy economy that ensures better quality of life for all in a just, equitable manner within the limits of supporting ecosystems.

To help improve our islands’ capacity for enduring self-reliance by balancing ecological, socio-cultural & economic needs through community education & innovation.

Mission

75% Native Hawaiian Board

Our Board of Directors come from families who have been fortunate to live in Hawai'i for several generations. With most of Native Hawaiian ancestry, we hold steadfast to our 21st Century Ahupuaʻa practices and principles, integrating indigenous epistemology with contemporary science and technology.

Kevin Vaccarello

Founding Director

Kevin’s a serial entrepreneur & systems consultant who focuses on leveraging web & mobile technologies to improve access to solutions that help improve personal & planetary health. He’s actively working on a scalable prototype of an integrated healthcare, food & educational system in Waimānalo.

Ramsay Taum

Board Chair / President

Kumu Ramsay is a highly sought after international keynote speaker, trainer & facilitator. He’s particularly effective integrating cultural values & principles into contemporary business practices. He leads Hoʻoponopono (holistic mediation) courses & is a lua grand master (Hawaiian martial art).

Dr. Ted Radovich

Board Member

Dr. Radovich is tenured professor at the University of Hawaii’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. His research program is focused on understanding how crop yield and quality can be optimized in agricultural systems that reduce reliance on conventional chemical inputs and increase use of ecological farming practices.

Remi Kawood

Board Member

Remi comes with a wealth of cultural knowledge & social media skills to efficiently & effectively share information that helps improve the health & wellness of indigenous & vulnerable community members, as well as all others who may find the content of beneficial interest.

Kapi'olei Smythe

Board Member

Kapi’olei is a neuropsychology graduate of Colgate University. Her minor in creative writing amazingly enables her to make even the heady stuff a joy to read. She’s also an excellent photographer, videographer, artist and dancer.

Michael Kramer

Advisor

With an extensive background in social services, education, environment, economics and planning, Michael has maintained a lifelong commitment…

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With an extensive background in social services, education, environment, economics and planning, Michael has maintained a lifelong commitment to personal and global sustainability. Michael is a partner in the Natural Investment firm, and has maintained the distinguished Accredited Investment Fiduciary® designation, which reflects the highest professional standard of investment management in the nation. He is known within the SRI community as a proponent of higher standards for the SRI industry, he maintains the firm’s NI Social Rating of sustainable and responsible mutual funds, and he coordinates the firm’s shareholder activism initiatives.

Michael is a member of the Advocacy and Public Policy Committee of the US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investing and serves on the steering committee of the American Sustainable Business Council, engaging corporate management and elected officials and federal agencies in adopting important practices, policies, laws, and regulations.

Manuel "Manny" Smith

Advisor

With ʻĀina as his motherʻs maiden name, Mannyʻs geneology has rooted him to the islands giving him the profound kuleana to care for our land…

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With ʻĀina as his motherʻs maiden name, Mannyʻs geneology has rooted him to the islands giving him the profound kuleana to care for our land. Growing up in Nanakuli in the 1940s taught Manny the true meaning of sustainability. He and his family built their own home, and together created natural sustainability systems (which we now call aquaponics, grey water systems, and organic farming). Without running water on their homestead property, he grew up respecting this valuable resource and learned how to nurture the symbiotic relationship between ʻāina (his direct genealogical ancestors), wai and kanaka. He was taught by his Hawaiian parents how to strategically organize a farm to ensure highest yield. Professionally, Manny worked 35-years as a master driller and crane operator for Ameron before retiring.

Currently, he lives in Kailua where he still practices a sustainable lifestyle using catchment systems, does composting, uses low flow showerheads, dual flush toilets, grows ulu, mango, avocado, kuawa, noni (drinks it every day), aloe, naupaka kahakai, and many more.

Jackie Kozak-Thiel

Advisor

Jackie was recently named the City Chief Sustainability Officer of Fort Collins, CO where she oversees their sustainability services, which includes…

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Jackie was recently named the City Chief Sustainability Officer of Fort Collins, CO where she oversees their sustainability services, which includes the departments of economic health, social sustainability and environmental services. Before moving to Colorado, she lived in Hawai’i for over a decade and served as Governor Neil Abercrombieʻs first State Sustainability Coordinator. She was an active advisor to Gov. Abercrombie during his membership of President Obamaʻs State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience.

Jackie has a masterʻs degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa, and a bachelorʻs degree in applied art and sciences from Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.

Kawika Kahiapo

Advisor

Kawika is a carpenter by trade, an ordained pastor of Ka ʻOhana o Ke Aloha, musician, songwriter, and a board member for the Kokua Hawaiʻi Foundation..

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Kawika is a carpenter by trade, an ordained pastor of Ka ʻOhana o Ke Aloha, musician, songwriter, and a board member for the Kokua Hawaiʻi Foundation and Friends of Heʻeia State Park. Kawika and his group Kaukahi was honored with three awards at the Nā Hoku Hanohano Awards, including Slack Key Artist of the year, Group of the Year and song of the year.

Kawika also received a Nā Hoku Hanohano award this year 2015, for Slack Key Album of the year. He is well-known in the islands for his masterful slack key styling, beautiful deep voice and giving heart.

Funders

Non-Profit Love

Through the multiple programs that Sustain Hawaiʻi has created and/or worked on over the past 10 years, we have gained support from many local and national funders. Here is a partial list of our funders (including past and present):

Overview

Previous Work

Our theory of change is simple – help people learn their way to a better world. Since its inception in 2003, Sustain Hawai‘i has and continues to focus upon creating ways to help people experience more sustainable living. Marrying contemporary and indigenous, place-based technologies and knowledge, Sustain Hawai‘i is prototyping and piloting strategies that expedite the transition to that life we want to lead.

Sustain Hawai‘i has 12 years of experience in providing services that support sustainable resource management practices.

Partnerships

Previous Collaborations

A unique, multi-disciplinary team accustomed to working on systems-based projects is needed to achieve our goals for our 21st century ahupua‘a vision. Thus, we implore upon many partners to help us execute our projects.

Collective success demands that each of the core sectors of society (government, business, education, non-profits and community) advance these issues through practical actions. We recognize that transforming our communities’ capacities requires a collaborative effort. It is also an evolutionary process that requires change within each of the core sectors and, perhaps more challengingly, coordinated change across those sectors.

This knowledge heavily shapes our approach. It’s why we first seek to educate about the need and possibility of island self-reliance. Then, we facilitate the identification of priorities, strategic actions and likely barriers to implementation. Finally, we support implementation of innovative solutions both within and across society’s sectors, emphasizing education and entrepreneurship that can accelerate the spread of effective practices.

We’re always looking to have good fun by exploring creative ways to help transform talk story into walk story.

Get in Touch

Walk Story for a Healthy Economy

info@sustainhawaii.org