One Island

SAME CANOE Sustainable Living News

December 2011 Newsletter, v3,  Honaunau, Hawaii
Featuring : 2011 Look Back, 2012 Upcoming Events, Grant Project News and more
One Island News
UPCOMING
Food and Agriculture
Solar Energy
Health and Wellness
Art & Culture
Natural Resources
Quick Links
Local Programs
 

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QUICK CALENDAR

Dec. 22nd - Winter Solstice Drum Circle 

Dec. 27th - Mark Twain storytelling, hot chocolate firecircle and potluck.

Dec. 31st - Dog Park Day

Jan. 14th - Medicine at Your Feet healing plants workshop

Jan. 28th - Dog Park Day

 Feb. 4th - Mauka to Makai field expedition

Feb. 12th - Butterfly Extravaganza ! and Green Walk

UPCOMING Events
 
  
Support Local Farms
Market 1
 
Every Sunday at the South Kona Green Market at the Honaunau NOW!
coop farmers booth.
Locally grown produce and locally made chocolate, jams and bread. Yum!
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Winter Solstice
Drum Circle
 sunset
December 22nd
 
Our second drumming circle is a special Solstice celebration of the dark and returning light. December 22nd by reservation.

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Medicine at Our Feet
Workshop
DBL

 

 January 14th
 
Join David Bruce Leonard for a special medicinal plant talk and walk at One Island's Center.
By reservation,
9am-2pm
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Same Canoe
Local Food Workshops
Fruit Market 
January-June 2012 

Non-profits, farmers, gardeners, schools,  and community members are invited to participate in a series of 20 food and agriculture workshops, January-June 2012, to help our community learn to grown more local food. See the calendar at One Island.

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 Mauka to Makai Bird

 

Mauka to Makai Expedition

 

Saturday, Feb. 4th

 

Join us for a mountain-to-sea exploration of the historic Kealakekua Watershed. The hike and talk will be led by Dr. Richard Bennett and will introduce us to many of the natural resources - and conservation - issues impacting this region.

 Malama Aina 
potluck 5 
Potlucks and Film Nights

Two Tuesdays a month, One Island opens its doors for fun, local, community nights. Once a month we host a 'Potluck with a Purpose' that features
a Living Green topic and once a month the potluck is followed by a Film Night showing a sustainability-theme film and discussion.

Usually 2nd and 4th Tuesdays but check the web site.

 

December 27th is a fun MARK TWAIN fireside storytelling with

hot chocolate and a heart warming local food potluck featuring Twain's stories from his time in Hawaii. 5-8pm 

 

A Day on the Farm !
sutsuns
Volunteer Days

Wednesdays are now the Volunteer Day at One Island. Sign-up for a 'Day on the Farm' and come see, taste, touch and experience sustainable living in action. Email [email protected] to make a reservation.

All ages and abilities welcome. Minimum visit, 3 hours, 9am-2pm.

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Dog Park Day

joy

Bring your favorite friend for a fun romp on the farm. Next Doggie Play Day is Saturday, December 31st, 9am-noon. Bring a picnic and stay for lunch!

Email [email protected] to RSVP and for directions.

 

A Watershed Year at One Island

 

2011 was certainly a very busy year at One Island and saw us expand to offer programs in all of our core themes while reaching out to serve more of our West Hawaii region. We'd like to share some highlights with you - and news for 2012.

 

One Island programs and events focus on six core sustainable living themes:

  

Food and Agriculture
Renewable Energy and Green Building
Health and Wellness
Arts and Culture
Conservation of Natural Resources 
Family and Community
 
potluck

 

Thank-you to every one of our participants.
 
Together, we are raising a sustainability 'barn'
that is a new community center for rural Hawaii.
 
For 2012 we invite you to participate in the new enriching hands-on programs we will be offering and welcome your suggestions for topics YOU would like to learn more about.
 
                         Green is a Verb - Do it! 
  
2011 Program Highlights & 2012 News
 
Walking the Talk

 

Food and Agriculture
Building bamboo trellising

 

One Island operates educational farm and garden programs situated on an ag park in Honaunau on the west coast of the Big Island. We have 10 acres of organic growing space and a 4500 square foot greenhouse. Our challenge is to create farm and garden demonstrations that inspire our community to adopt sustainable practices while at the same time working hard to master these ourselves. Our ag park is a living learning laboratory where something interesting is always going on for all ages. Starting in 2012, we will be open Wednesdays for visitors to our volunteer 'Day on the Farm' program, by reservation, and for special events.

 

2011 Highlights   
  
Planting Corn
Volunteer Day
In 2011 we hosted monthly Sustainable Saturdays and our intrepid volunteers assisted in creating a medicine plant wheel, bringing our Pollinator Meadow back to life, creating a 3 Sisters corn, bean and squash patch, built a native gourd trellis, and established edible landscaping features.
  
We also began hosting an informal farmers coop called Honaunau Now! to help local farmers showcase and sell their products at the South Kona Green Market each Sunday and now provide farm labor trades to help small local farms.

 

taka
Hawaii Tea Tasting


We greatly enjoyed hosting farm-to-plate culinary events like Chocolate Chocolate! and The Art of Tea - all innovative ways to connect farmers and buyers in productive new ways. A special thanks to Madre Chocolate for an excellent presentation on cacao at our November Chocolate Chocolate! and to Mauna Kea Tea for an in-depth tea tasting in October.



 

New Local Food Grants for 2012

 

For 2012, we have received two new grant awards that will help us develop and expand our services to a wider community.

 

Reclaiming our Local Food System
 
market 3A new USDA grant from the Farmer's Market Promotion Program is coming to One Island and will help to expand our 'Reclaiming our Local Food System' project. Goals for the project are to:

 

1. Invite more farmers to participate in our sales and marketing program, including participation in existing farmer's markets. 
2. Conduct a farmer/chef /
grocer local food survey and strategic planning project that connects farmers with demand for local foods.
3. Launch a new gleaning project to bring more fruits and vegetables to local tables, including developing a donation program to increase fresh foods for the local food bank and low income families.
4. Host seasonal food festival celebrations and monthly potlucks.

 

Same Canoe Community Garden Project
same canoe
USDA People's Garden Announcement
 
Great News for 2012 is that One Island will be co-hosting the Same Canoe Community Garden Project that was awarded to Heritage Ranch, Inc. 

 

This new project will empower our West Hawaii community to learn about ways to develop sustainable local food gardens that create healthy food sources for our most in-need and health challenged community members. 

 

Increasing school, non-profit and neighborhood gardens = more local food!        

 

The National Institute for Food and Agriculture's goal for this nation-wide program is to help get more people growing more local food
and to help improve Americans' health and wellbeing through access to fresher foods. On November 15th, the USDA's State Director and Assistant Director hosted a Press Conference at Konawaena High School to announce a new People's Garden project awarded to Heritage Ranch that will include 12 non-profit partner mini-grants and 120 neighborhood micro-grants. The training and grants will help establish or revive food gardens, wildlife habitat and reforestation projects.
 
Renewable Energy and Green Building
solar panels
 

As home to the innovative West Hawaii Sustainable Energy Project, One Island is working to increase Hawaii's energy independence. WHSEP is serving 160 grant applicants representing over 2,300 people. We are delivering solar electric, solar hot water, solar refrigeration, energy efficiency training and solar water pumping equipment and installation to residences, farms, small businesses and non-profits.

 

 

 

Over $1,175,000 is flowing into West Hawaii through our West Hawaii Sustainable Energy Project to lower energy costs and build a greener economy.
  
solfest 32011 also saw One Island host two community renewable energy and green building events - our first SOLFEST was held as a family-friendly Summer Solstice Solar Energy celebration, and our third annual SOLAR TOUR program expanded to add Green Living features including bamboo building on October 1st, in conjunction with the American Solar Energy Society nationwide solar tours. 
 
 Walk the Talk - Go Solar!

 Health and Wellness

 
Green Living is about a lot more than material products to buy or the importance of recycling - it is also about adopting practices that improve our health and wellbeing. One Island has been the home of a series of interesting programs that illuminate the connection between the body-mind-spirit wellness model and our relationship to the natural world.

 

wellnessPresenters included Kat Harrison (ethonobotany), Thais Mazur (healing art totem sculpture), Hallie Igelhard (qi gong), Julie Greig (lomi lomi), Bree DuPertuis (aroma-therapy), Kathlene Stroman (body-mind-spirit mediations), Dana Tomasino (HeartMath), Lama Tantrapa with Nadia (qi gong), Elizabeth Theriault (drum circle), Barbara Coffman (HeartMath), with group facilitators provided by Saybrook Institute and Joyful Heart.

 

For 2012, we have formed a Wellness Council and will be providing resources and activities for practitioners and clients at our nature farm in Honaunau. If you are interested in wellness or are a practitioner, please join the mailing list above.
Arts and Culture
 
solfest
Music, art, dance,
poetry, film and
storytelling!
 
In 2011, the One Island center hosted musical performances, visual arts, wood carving, hand-made instruments, gourd art, jewelry, face painting for children and adults, dance circles, solar leaf printmaking, and totem making workshops that were fun for all ages. Mark Twain in Hawaii storytelling wraps up the year on December 27th at a fireside circle over spicey hot chocolate.
 
More fun coming up in 2012!
 
Visiting artists and musicians are invited to send proposals for Artist in Residency positions. Send to [email protected] .  We also seek a guest videographer for a community stories project.
 

Natural Resources 

 
taroThe foundation of green living is honoring an earth-based view point that values and protects the earth's natural resources. We walk our talk by operating an organic facility,  compost and recycle, use renewable energy, build green, and we offer demonstration gardens and exhibits that enrich and expand community appreciation for wildlife, forests, farm and garden resources.

 

Mauka to Makai is a new natural history program launched by One Island and revolves around quarterly hikes to hard-to-see locations that reveal the inter-connections of our watersheds on the Big Island. Our first expedition was to the Ka'u Forest Reserve, specifically to the Nature Conservancy preserve. Under John Replogle's guidance, we hiked through a tree fern and ohia forest up amongst the cinder cones that march down Mauna Loa's eastern rift. We then traveled down to the sea to learn about successful local preservation efforts at the Whitington Park estuary.

 

Next Expedition   For 2012, we will be hosting the next Mauka to Makai, led by Richard Bennett, on February 4th and it will focus on the Kealakekua watershed with location stops at upper elevation down to sea level. Future expeditions are planned for visiting upper elevation reforestation projects, fish pond marine preservation projects, and will focus on  conserving the flora and fauna of Hawaii.
 
Family and Community 
 
People. We are each an important part of the sustainability picture. The values we hold, the decisions we make, the actions we take - all combine to create a force for change that can lead us to more sustainable practices at home and work - and a more sustainable community at large. Recognizing that families are an extended circle of relationship, developing effective communication skills, dispute resolution techniques, and strengthening practices are a powerful way to extend our internal values out into physical form in the world around us.
 
Families, schools, and non-profit partners are all welcome for on-site and hands-on learning activities at One Island. In 2011 we enjoyed a full work and learning day as hosts for the West Hawaii Explorations Academy and began a garden project with Konawaena High School. Tours groups for all ages are welcome.
solfest 4
Renewable energy talk with Guy Toyama

Each event we hold at One Island offers a  special time to ask questions, share knowledge, discuss challenges, find commonalities, and to consider viewpoints that expand and enrich. Our work is to facilitate learning by proactively bringing people with questions about sustainability together to learn from leaders with answers. From bio-char to solar energy, from drum making to diabetes health options, we are fostering a community of teachers and learners.
      
   Community Learning Circles are our Foundation

 

The Sustainable Living Center itself was intentionally built as a 'community commons' - a gathering place where individuals and groups can gather to enrich their understanding of sustainability practices and to gather the tools and resources to put those practices into action.

 

While change begins with each individual, the impact our choices have do influence the range and quality of experiences available to our family ... and to our community. Together, we are building an island community based on smart green values and on understanding and tolerance between different interest groups.
 
bamboo rising
Working Together!

Barn 

Raising

WISH LIST
2012

 

 

One Island is focused on expanding its South Kona Ag Park facility and Programs.  To help us better serve more local families, farms, small businesses and non-profits, we are seeking support for the following assistance: 
 
Gleaners  to help our community capture abundant foods that would otherwise go to waste, a Volunteer Coordinator to help school students and local families be of service, a Videographer to help us capture and share talk story from our participant's perspective, a commercial kitchen facility to help local growers and  producers make better use of their produce, a mobile kitchen that can travel to reach remote farm locations to help struggling farmers to create value-added products for market, more funding  to help serve the 300 solar grant participants on our waiting list and hundreds more in our service areas, GIS Mapping assistance to document the accomplishments and findings of our projects, and a driveway installer to improve access to the farm-based facility. 
 
Help us raise this Sustainability 'Barn' in 2012!