O'AHU TARO FESTIVAL!
Tuesday March 24th 10 am – 4 pm

Mālama Hāloanakalaukapalili
Don't Miss This Family Roots Celebration!

Nānā ka maka, hana ka lima.
As the eyes see, let the hands work.

COME GET INVOLVED!
~Learn more about taro, enjoy food & festivities, and meet taro farmers from all over Hawai'i nei!
~Taro Education Booths, Music, Art, Games, Food, Cultural Demonstrations!

~Special Historic Event
Kani ka uwalo, Mele 'ai pōhaku!
11:oo
am-Noon: Taro lovers from all Hawai'i will unite to ku'i
kalo- traditional taro pounding and poi making. Join in Historic,
Record Setting, Largest Unified Gathering of Ku'i Kalo! Don't miss this
special event to honor Hāloa, and celebrate Hawai'i's living taro
traditions!
~ Bring your papa & pōhaku
ku'i'ai, we'll provide the cooked Hawaiian taro to ku'i! - please bring
an 'umeke for water and hali'i too. (11-noon)

Festival Location: Hawai i State Capitol Rotunda, Downtown Honolulu

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Hosted by Nā Kahu o Hāloa and the Hawaiian Caucus

~To get involved contact www.KAHEA.org ~ kahea_alliance@hawaii.rr.com ~ 524-8220

Illustrations kindly donated by www.SolomonEnosGallery.com Support Maoli Art!

GOOD CHEER! Buy a locally-grown Christmas tree -AND- support KAHEA: The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance!

O'ahu's ONLY Christmas-tree farm, Helemano Farms in Wahiawa, has generously offered the local 'aina advocacy organization, KAHEA: The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance, an opportunity to fundraise by selling pono, locally grown Christmas trees during this holiday season... a 6-ft tree for only $40!

KAHEA is an islands-wide alliance of environmental advocates, Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners, scientists, activists and thousands of individuals. Together, the KAHEA alliance is committed to securing the strongest possible protections for Hawaii's most ecologically important, endangered, and culturally sacred resources.

Why should you buy a locally grown tree from KAHEA? A few perfect reasons:
- Did you know that each year 100,000 trees are shipped to Hawai'i in some 500 container loads!?! These imported trees can introduce invasive species to our islands.
- By buying local, there is no fossil fuel used for shipping. Since they are grown locally they will not introduce invasive pests. Plus, you will be supporting a sustainable local farm business.
- Your 'ohana gets to enjoy the tradition of picking out your own tree, choosing from 10,000 mature trees at the farm.
- Helemano Farms is careful to cut the trees so that the remaining stump will regrow into another tree.

ONLY $40 for a BEAUTIFUL, LOCAL 6-ft. tall CHRISTMAS TREE!
Spread the word to all your family, friends & office, and help KAHEA fundraise this holiday season!
KAHEA will get $7 for each tree they sell! And Earth Friends Wildlife Fund will match every dollar raised!
Mahalo piha to the Helemano 'ohana for sharing the holiday cheer with KAHEA!

ORDERS & QUESTIONS- Call or email KAHEA:
toll free 1-888-528-6288
kahea-alliance@hawaii.rr.com

HOW TO ORDER:
Credit Card- orders accepted by phone, call KAHEA toll free at 1-888-528-6288
Check- made out to "KAHEA", with "Christmas Tree" in the memo section.
    Address:
    KAHEA/Christmas Tree
    1149 Bethel St, #415
    Honolulu, HI 96813
In-person- at KAHEA's Chinatown offices on Bethel St.- just call ahead to be sure someone's in!

- For all orders KAHEA will give you a ticket that you redeem at the farm whenever you are ready to pick out your tree.
- Helemano Farms will be open for tree selection starting Nov. 26. You can order your tree from KAHEA now!
- Wreaths may be available too, call/email KAHEA if interested.
- Please note: KAHEA is only selling tree orders, you get to pick out your own tree at Helemano Farms in Wahiawa. KAHEA cannot deliver the trees or sell them direct.

For more info, check www.HelemanoFarms.com  &  www.KAHEA.org  &  blog.kahea.org

The work that KAHEA accomplishes is possible only through the support of individuals like you! KAHEA is committed to fundraising 'taroroots'-style. And in the spirit of keeping it real, KAHEA does not solicit or accept any corporate or Federal money. This makes your support all the more important!
 
If not interested in a tree, you can still support KAHEA by making a contribution online at www.KAHEA.org
or by mail to 1149 Bethel St, #415, Honolulu, HI 96813.  Every dollar you give is matched by the Earth Friends Wildlife Fund.  MAHALO PIHA!    

http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/articles/2008/10/09/local/local08.txt

Council bans GMO taro, coffee
by Jim Quirk
West Hawaii Today
jquirk@westhawaiitoday.com
Thursday, October 9, 2008 10:59 AM HST
HILO -- The genetic modification of taro and coffee on the Big Island is now a banned practice.

The Hawaii County Council voted 9-0 Wednesday in favor of a bill from North Kona Councilman Angel Pilago on its second reading to ban genetically modified taro and coffee.

It was a circus-like atmosphere Wednesday in Hilo's Ben Franklin building, where the meeting was held. Children played in the hallways outside of the council chambers waiting for their chance to speak along with their parents. A man standing in the hallway corner sang as he strummed the strings of a guitar.

The council, meanwhile, listened to a different tune, one delivered by the seemingly endless convoy of residents who took turns at the microphone to give their two cents on the proposed ban.

About 70 residents testified in Hilo, while about 30 testified via teleconference from the council offices in Waimea and Kona. There have been no major complaints about banning genetically modified taro, but with coffee it's a different story.

On one side of the debate are those who believe genetic modification of coffee could eventually spell disaster for the island's coffee industry. Off-island buyers would not be interested in Kona coffee that has been purposely or accidentally genetically modified, the proponents believe.

Then there are residents who believe, among other things, without genetic modification of coffee, there will be no scientific answers when disease strikes and destroys Big Island coffee.

A vast majority of residents who spoke Wednesday said they were in favor of the ban.

Dr. Hector Valenzuela, a vegetable crops extension specialist with the University of Hawaii at Manoa, said he -- unlike all of his peers at the college -- supports the bill.

He said the scientific community should be concentrating on aspects of agricultural research, such as teaching farmers how to sustain crops without having to rely on chemicals, rather than genetic modification.

Bill proponent Chuck Moss, a Kona coffee farmer, said one potentiality of genetically modified coffee is that experiments in creating coffee trees without caffeine could spread to other trees. If that happened, it would be hard to market Kona coffee, he said.

"How can you tell the difference from a regular tree from a decaf tree, or a regular bean from a decaf bean?" Moss asked.

Hamakua Councilman Dominic Yagong furnished results of a poll he conducted recently that shows 82 percent of 89 Big Island coffee farmers support the bill.

He said during a separate interview that his office identified isle coffee farmers using the phone book, Internet and personal knowledge.

During a previous meeting, representatives of the Hawaii Coffee Council indicated a majority of island coffee farmers are against the bill, Yagong said, which is why he wanted to conduct a poll to find out for sure.

Hilo Councilman Stacy Higa, who voted against the bill on its first reading, said Yagong's survey changed his mind.

Mayor Harry Kim, who is still not back to work full time because of his recent heart attack, made an appearance early in the meeting and expressed concerns that the bill wouldn't allow genetic testing of coffee in the lab setting.

He requested the council consider developing a system where research at places like the University of Hawaii at Hilo would be able to continue.

Kim could attempt to veto the bill, but it seems unlikely it would succeed because of the unanimous council vote Wednesday.

It's Time!
Love local Hawaiian food & agriculture? Here's your opportunity to voice your support for a historic, groundbreaking new law that would ban GMO (genetically modified) Taro and Coffee on Hawai'i Island!

Click Here, it's easy to submit testimony of support, no matter where you live!

MUST Submit Testimony by TUESDAY October 7th

This Oct. 8th will be the final Hawai'i County Council vote on Bill 361
Public hearing in HILO- Ben Franklin Building, 2nd Floor. County Council Office

So Much Support So Far!
- Introduced by Council Member Angel Pilago, Bill 361 would ban the growing of genetically modified Taro and Coffee on the Big Island.
- This bill has received overwhelming public & political support, and has already successfully passed through two Council votes to make it to this FINAL VOTE.
- If the bill passes this last vote it will go on for final approval by Mayor Harry Kim of Hawaii County.
- At this critical moment this effort needs massive support more than ever- the local farmers and consumers need help standing up against the strong-arming by huge multinational corporations.

Art kindly donated by Solomon Enos, Hawaiian Artist/Farmer.
Support Native Art- www.HawaiianArtPlaza.com!

Kalo & Kona Coffee are perfect as they are!
If allowed, GMO taro could threaten taro's important status as the world's only hypoallergenic carbohydrate source!
Taro farming in Hawaii is an unique local tradition. There are now innovative and successful agricultural efforts underway to improve the local taro industry and perpetuate valuable Hawaiian taro varieties.
Long-term experiments have proven that the best way to comprehensively protect taro from disease blights is to grow many different varieties, improve soil quality and provide adequate water. There is no need or demand for GMO interference and industry control of local taro farming.
Genetic modification of this indigenous plant is also extremely disrespectful to the sacred genealogy of taro to Hawaiians, who view taro as an ancestral family member, Haloa.

If allowed, GMO coffee would erode the demand, drop prices, and destroy the local economy for pure Kona coffee. It would also make organic coffee growing virtually impossible.
Lessons learned: The local papaya industry was economically devastated by the introduction of GMO-papaya. Rejection of Hawaiian grown GMO-papaya by Japan dropped the value of the local papaya industry by over 50%. Sadly, about 40% of papaya farmers were forced out of business. Meanwhile, the value of the organic & conventional (non-GMO) papaya industry has increased.

What is a GMO?
GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) are plant mutants created by inserting genes from one species into another unrelated species, using virus & bacteria to transfer the genes. For example, forcing wheat genes into taro, or bacteria genes into corn. These man-made organisms can be patented and owned. Organic food growers have rejected GMO, and GMO food cannot be certified organic. This experimental technique is crude and imprecise, unsafe, unnatural and rejected by the governments of most nations and the majority of the world's population.

Click here to find out more about the GMO problems, read the Bill 361, and easily submit testimony.

If you are on the Big Island, please read:
Please attend this crucial hearing. While multi-national corporations seeking GMO patents and profits have deep pockets and resources, local communities depend on committed citizens to defend our rights to a clean environment and safe food.  It is the dedication of those who care deeply about the future of food, culture and agriculture in Hawaii that makes the difference!
Let us learn from the economic & environmental destruction already caused by the GMO industry in the Philippines, Mexico, India, South America and farming communities all across America! Let's make sure it doesn't happen in Hawaii! We can and must show that Hawaii Island wants sustainable, pono, non-GMO agricultural job opportunities and will stand-up to protect our local agricultural economy & environment!

Wednesday October 8th
HILO- Ben Franklin Building, 2nd Floor. County Council Office.

We Know Better, So Let's Tell 'Em!
Bill 361 is a very important step to maintaining local control over our island food resources, consumer safety, environmental protections and economic opportunity. We have a real chance to create meaningful reform, to protect taro, and our heritage coffee for all future generations that are to come. Pests and disease in agriculture can be solved by ecological and sustainable means; we need to move in that direction.  It is time for everyone to speak for community food self-reliance, and GMO coffee and taro does not move us in that direction.  We need the Council to send a strong and unanimous message on this bill to the Mayor: Hawai'i Island wants protection and preservation for our unique heritage crops, that sustain our life, our families, and our communities.

Mahalo nui for your support at this unique time in history.
Please send this message on to all in your ohana and communities, that would want to know of this unique and powerful opportunity.

Malama Haloa!
Us Guys at KAHEA
The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance

www.kahea.org
blog.kahea.org
toll free phone/fax 1-888-528-6288

The East Maui taro farmers have expressed their deep gratitude to you folks, for caring enough to speak up in support of water rights for the farmers and native stream ecosystems. Read on to find out what happened...

Art kindly donated by Solomon Enos, Hawaiian artist/farmer.
Support Native Art- www. HawaiianArtPlaza. com!

Your voice helped make a historic decision last week.  By taking the time to submit testimony to the Water Commission, you helped East Maui taro farmers, and taro farmers across the Hawaiian Islands, take a major step towards restoring desperately needed water to their streams.
- Partial stream flow was restored to 8 of the streams in East Maui. While not yet a comprehensive solution, it is an important beginning.
-This water will begin to help rehabilitate unique and endangered Hawaiian ecosystems and watershed resources that can benefit the entire community, not just one corporation. 

Over 400 people submitted written testimony to the Water Commission and several hundred showed up to testify.  Together, you successfully pushed the Water Commission to begin to uphold the water protections outlined in the Hawaii State Constitution and Water Code.  Finally!

For over five years, the Water Commission (CWRM) and the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) have delayed enforcing the water rights of taro farmers and protecting the natural ecosystem & watershed, despite court rulings upholding those protections against corporate water diverters like East Maui Irrigation Company (EMI).  EMI and its parent company, Alexander & Baldwin, have dominated politics and profitted from selling stolen public water since the days of big sugar plantations. You have helped to finally tip the balance in favor of the public, the environment, and the rule of law by demonstrating the overwhelming support for restoring the natural flows of Hawaii's vital freshwater streams over the profit interests of corporations.

Life is where the water is.
As the Hawaiian kupuna and natural resource experts had foretold- just one month after restoring stream flow to Waikane stream, in Wailuanui East Maui, native marine life has already re-inhabited the stream, estuary (muliwai) and bay. The local community can finally return to their traditional practices such as farming, fishing, and enjoying the cool water recreationally. It had been 30 years since the Waikane native ecosystem existed in its natural healthy state. It is hoped that coming generations will not have to experience the environmental devastation that the community has suffered without water.

Thank you very much for being a part of this historic restoration of justice and life to the communities and ecosystems of East Maui.  Much more must still be done to fully enforce the water rights of taro farmers, so stay tuned for more updates.  For now, click here to read the mahalo & detailed update from the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, the attorneys for the taro farmers hui, Na Moku Aupuni O Koolau Hui.

Aloha Aina,
Us Guys at KAHEA
The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance

www. kahea. org
blog. kahea. org
toll free phone/fax 1-888-528-6288

The Draft Monument Management Plan (DMMP) for Papahänaumokuäkea Marine National Monument is open to public review and comment- NOW through June 8th... These are some primary reactions, thoughts, concerns and suggested changes for the DMMP:

Summary of overarching concerns with the
Draft Management Plan (DMMP), Draft Environmental Assessment (DEA), and Draft Midway Visitors Service Plan

June 2008

1. Uphold Underlying Protections in the NWHI (Executive Orders 30178 and State Refuge)
The current DMMP and DEA do not reflect the substantial public comment already provided over the last eight years by the RAC and the coalition of local and national non-governmental organizations (NGO's), known as the "NWHI hui." Despite the fact that the documents clearly state that NWHI waters must be governed in accordance with existing conservation requirements of the strict NWHI Executive Orders (EO) and State Refuge Regulations, the content of the documents associated with this draft plan do not reflect existing conservation requirements. Substantial revisions of these documents are needed to bring them into compliance with existing conservation requirements and to ensure that the most protective of the overlapping jurisdictions are implemented and enforced.

 

2. Re-Instate the Public's Vision, Mission, and Goals for the NWHI
The "constitution" underlying NWHI management efforts is found in the Vision, Mission, Goals and Objective statements, drafts of which were developed over years of public meetings and approved by the citizen-based Reserve Advisory Council (RAC). These Mission, Vision, Goals and Objectives statements which, by Presidential Proclamation, were to form the basis of Monument management have been weakened in closed-door meetings of the Monument Management Board without any public input. We recommend the re-instatement of the RAC's original Goals and Objectives, which were developed in transparent, public, and accountable process. (Refer to copy of RAC Goals and Objectives approved on January 22, 2004). "Weakened" changes include:
-Removal of resource protection as the "primary purpose" of management (required by EO); the elimination of maintaining the "natural character" of the NWHI as part of the mission (required by EO and State refuge);
-Removal of language pertaining to the "public trust" nature of the NWHI;
-Removal of the term "precautionary principle", and replacement of the detailed, explicit precautionary principle statement approved by RAC which requires "biological, cultural and historic resource protection and integrity" to be favored "when there is a lack of information regarding the potential impacts of any activity";
-Elimination of the core principle requirement that officials "authorize only uses consistent with the primary purpose of resource protection";
-Elimination of the "necessary for effective management" goal for research permitting which stated: "Identify, assess, prioritize and authorize ecological, historic, cultural and socio-economic research and monitoring necessary for effective management of the region;"
-Elimination of requirement that permits shall be authorized "only if such uses do not threaten the natural character or biological integrity of any ecosystem of the region."
-Elimination of the core RAC philosophy of "Bring the place to the people, not the people to the place" from the management Goals and Objectives.

3. Enforce Monument Regulations To Minimize & Mitigate Harm of U.S. Naval Exercises
Monument Regulations state that the military must minimize and mitigate the harm arising from their activities in the NWHI. Yet the U.S. Navy is proposing to conduct war exercises in the fragile NWHI ecosystem. Their proposal includes ballistic missile tests over the Monument, chemical dumping in the Monument, experiments with hypersonic weapons and vehicles near the Monument, use of high-intensity active sonar, permission to "take" (harm, kill) marine resources, and massive dumping of marine debris of all kinds. Nothing in the Monument rules prevents or pre-empts the Monument Co-Trustees from taking proactive steps to seek to prevent harm, yet the Co-Trustees have mistakenly stated that military activities affecting the Monument are beyond their jurisdiction. In addition, past military activities have left behind litter and toxic contamination that have still not been cleaned up, there is no budget in the DMMP to clean up this pollution, nor has the military shown any intention of restoring the natural environment. We strongly recommend that federal funding be prioritized to reflect the dangerous nature of this legacy military pollution.

4. Keep the People in the Process – Continue the Citizen-Based Advisory Council
The DMMP fails to establish a meaningful form of citizen-based oversight. The DMMP must include a public Monument Advisory Council ("MAC"), which operates under sunshine laws, and includes Native Hawaiians, representatives of the conservation community, independent scientists not affiliated with the Trustees and independent educators as voting members of the council. Additionally, the placement of at least two members of the MAC on the Monument Management Board, by amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding, would ensure public oversight and participation in management decisions.

5. Empower Native Hawaiian Decision-Making
Integrating Native Hawaiian cultural knowledge of Native traditions and ecosystem management into the larger management scheme is imperative. Without meaningful participation of cultural practitioners in management and adequate funding, resources, and commitment to empowering Native Hawaiian decision making, the ideas contained within the DMMP are simply empty promises. Eleven times more funding is proposed for scientific research than for activities related to cultural perpetuation. The Native Hawaiian Cultural Resources Working Group must be empowered to review and modify any management decisions.

6. Re-Instate Prohibition Against Bioprospecting of Indigenous Resources
The original language in the NOAA Draft Sanctuary Management Plan pertaining to a ban on bioprospecting should be retained in the current draft: "As a result, research related applications, such as those associated with bioprospecting will not be authorized within the sanctuary." A new strategy should be added to the DMMP regarding protection of indigenous resources from bioprospecting. Bioprospecting includes the taking of biological materials native to an area and using them for commercial purposes, taking materials without the prior and informed consent of indigenous people, and the patenting of biological materials native to an area. The State of Hawaii took action to protect Native Hawaiian cultural and biological resources by adding a condition on all research permits that prohibits bioprospecting. This condition should be applied to all permitted activities conducted anywhere in the Monument.

7. Cumulative Risk and Impact Assessment for ALL Activities in the Monument
A fundamental question which is not addressed in the DMMP is "what is the value of the information versus the cost of obtaining the information?" In the case of the NWHI, the risk of proposed research to the integrity of the ecosystem is of even greater importance than the potential value of the proposed research. The DMMP proposes a massive funding effort for research and yet fails to assess whether current and proposed research is directly relevant to management decision-making. Given the full no-take management regime established under the Monument Executive Order requirements, it is clear that conservation must be the primary management goal for 84 million acres of federal waters. Moreover, strict US Fish and Wildlife rules and State Refuge Regulations mandate a "do no harm" precautionary approach to all permitting decisions. Costly and irrelevant research can drain funds away from other more important purposes and any research activities that introduce an alien species or adversely impact threatened or endangered species or their habitats may inflict incalculable damages.

Instead of objectively assessing the risks and impacts of past and on-going human activities in the Monument, the DMMP and DEA declare all currently allowed activities and procedures to be the baseline for analysis. This means there has been no independent review of the permitting process, current research activities, military exercises and tourism activities. The DEA should evaluate all current activities and procedures in the Monument for cumulative harm & risks to public trust resources. Co-managers should establish a numerical carrying capacity for activities in the Monument based on the precautionary principle.
 
 
8. Primary Purpose of the Monument Is Conservation, Not Experimentation
The DMMP recognizes the continued existence of the Executive Orders establishing the NWHI Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve which requires conservation as the primary management principle in the 84 million acres of NWHI waters and the State NWHI Refuge with its "do no harm" standard. Unfortunately, the DMMP does not reflect conservation of natural and cultural resources as the primary principle and deems the place a "natural laboratory." This term portrays the Monument as an exclusive haven for scientific activities instead of an undisturbed conservation area held as a public trust, to be treated in accordance with the precautionary principle. The "natural laboratory" language should be removed and the DMMP rewritten to reflect conservation as the primary principle.

In the DMMP, protective measures including threat reduction, species and habitat protection and cultural perpetuation are clearly eclipsed by the drive for scientific research apparently unrelated to direct management needs. Research for the sake of research comprises nearly 18% of the total budget. Management of alien species and other vital activities make up a fraction of the proposed costs. The most substantially funded categories of Action Plans listed under Priority Management Needs should be those fulfilling the primary purpose of management: Conserving Wildlife and Habitats, Reducing Threats to Monument Resources, and Conserving Cultural and Historic Resources. The budget needs substantial revision to ensure that the majority of funding is for direct conservation and enforcement activities.
 

9. Revise Permitting Process to Ensure Management Needs are Met
The DMMP should assign strict priorities to guide the granting of permits, rather than allow the permitting process to be driven by the ability of applicants to obtain funding for their proposed activities. Prevention and minimization is best achieved by restricting permitted activities to those absolutely necessary for protecting endangered and threatened species and their habitats. The DMMP and Co-Managers must objectively determine the conservation research & activity needs of the Monument and permit only specific research & activities that are in support of these conservation priorities.
Oversight of permitting should include periodic public reviews by Monument Advisory Council or other body with similar structure and authorities, mandatory review by an outside body of experts, and opportunities for public comments on any permit application before the MMB.

A fundamental oversight in the DMMP's proposed application of extractive Marine Conservation Science and controversial sustenance fishing by researchers towards "management" of the Monument is that the Monument is to be a no-take area (the only exception being minimal subsistence fishing & gathering by Native Hawaiians). The Co-Managers have already set the ecosystem based extraction levels to zero for lobster and precious corals, and bottomfishing is capped and being phased out. Under the NWHI Proclamation, the major management issue now is to set limits on human activities, particularly extractive research.

If research is being proposed with a justification that it is necessary for conservation-based management decisions, then the question which must be answered for such research to be permitted is, "What management action will be taken based on the results of research being proposed?" Permission should only be granted to research truly necessary for protection and recovery of threatened and endangered species and their habitats, and restoration of those habitats as needed. Lower, or zero, priority should be assigned to research having only tangential or general relevance to critical management decisions in the Monument, and the permitting review process should be revised to clearly distinguish between these two categories of research proposals. The "Marine Conservation Science Action Plan", as written allows an invasive precedent for research, and should be removed while applying only appropriate sections to the Action Plans on Conserving Wildlife and Habitats or Reducing Threats. These sections should consist of a clear accounting of the research necessary to carry out such conservation or threat reduction; including a monitoring component for all human activities, research included, in the Monument.

10. Limit the Total Number of Tourists Allowed in the Monument
The Monument is a cultural and biological refuge, not a resource to be exploited for the economic gain of the visitor industry. Papahänaumokuäkea is considered wao akua (a sacred place). Wao akua were left wild and were seldom accessed by people because of their critical role in the process of life and death or creation and afterlife. The Draft Midway Visitors Service Plan prioritizes the construction of infrastructure for tourists over the remediation of contaminated sites. Great concern exists about the breadth and scope of greater numbers of visitors to the Monument from ecotourism and cruise ships. The impacts include, and are not limited to: disparate environmental and cumulative effects on the Monument, unequal access to the economically privileged, and potential for transgressions against, and dilution of, Native Hawaiian Culture.

______________________________________________

 

GET INVOLVED IN PROTECTING THIS PUBLIC TRUST! sign petition & submit personal comments about the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument Draft Monument Management Plan at www.kahea.org

 

 

Jan. 14-17: Join mahi'ai (farmers) from all over Hawai'i Nei as we step out of the mauka mud and onto the Capitol concrete to support a law that will PROTECT KALO from Genetic Modification & Patenting!

Na Kahu O Haloa -an open group in support of Kalo & Hawaii's traditional farmers-
needs your help to make 2008 the year of the Haloa Law!
The traditional farmers of Hawai'i need your support to protect kalo (known in english as taro)- the traditional food of Hawai'i - from genetic modification and patenting. Hawaiians have successfully bred and farmed many varieties of kalo for thousands of years WITHOUT genetic modification OR patents.Species diversity and access to clean water is what is needed for free-to-grow, sustainable agriculture that can feed our islands. Genetically modified kalo can cross-pollinate with native kalo varieties with unknown longterm effects to the species, native ecosystems, human health, and ourlocal farms and agriculture businesses. These impacts may be irreversibly permanent!

Hawai'i's kalo farmers are calling upon the State government to ENACT A LAW during this legislative session that would put an end to genetic modification and patenting of kalo. Kalo farmers need big support from all family, friends & food lovers to clearly demonstrate this pono purpose at the State Capitol.

SUPPORT Bills SB958 (Senate) & HB704 (House)! These bills call for a 10 year moratorium on all testing, propagating, cultivating, growing and raising genetically engineered taro. Passage of these bills will ensure the safety and perpetuation of our native kalo, the first important step towards a BAN on GMO threats to native kalo! This pono cause needs your support!

Please take action today!
- Get active! A week of events is planned for Jan. 14-17th, the opening of the 2008 Legislative Session!
Pound poi, meet brilliant kupuna, pono science educators, island food-growers, and beautiful people with muddy toes!!
A detailed schedule of Save Haloa events are provided below.
-You can VOLUNTEER and/or DONATE to support SAVE HALOA Events, Jan. 14-17 by contacting: malamahaloa@gmail.com (please list your phone number, available times & any special skills)
- Forward this email, please spread this good news! Bring your friends and family! Carpool!

People from EVERYWHERE (not just Hawaii!) can both:
-Stand up! SIGN THE HAWAII-SEED PETITION www.hawaiiseed.org
-Be heard! Submit your testimony to the legislators VISIT KAHEA'S ON-LINE TESTIMONY TABLE at www.kahea.org, or visit the "Testimony Table" at Jan 15th-17th Save Haloa events at 'Iolani Palace & the State Capitol.

~ SAVE HALOA! FOUR-DAY, ALL 'OHANA EVENT! ~

NA KAHU O HALOA
~The Mission is to Save Haloa the Kalo from Genetic Modification & Patenting~
~The Method is Pono & Peaceful!~

ALL EVENTS FOR THE PUBLIC!
JANUARY 14th- MONDAY - The Warriors Speak
(WHERE: Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at UH-Manoa)
- 7:00pm- Winona LaDuke, Louie Hena, Paula Garcia, and Andrea Hanks to speak about their experiences and struggles in perpetuating food soverignty, restoring food systems, and protecting indigenous cultures and food from genetic engineering. Click here to download the flyer. Visit www.HawaiiSEED.org for more info).

JANUARY 15th- TUESDAY - Gather all 'Ohana
(WHERE: 'Iolani Palace)
- 11:00am- 'Iolani Palace- Pule, set-up Kalo Camp
Kalo plants arrive, T-shirt & sign making-Bring blank BLACK t-shirt to be printed!
- 1:00pm- Press Conference (tentative)
- 5:00pm- 'Onipa'a Na Hui Kalo OPEN meeting -IMPORTANT- briefing on goals and the next days events.
- 6:30pm- Potluck Dinner, bring a dish!
- 7:00pm- Guest Speakers (Winona LaDuke, local farmers, community organizers)
Viewing of films: "Islands at Risk" & "The Future of Food"
Continue preparation for next day, t-shirt & sign making.
and of course... Ho'o kani pila, wala'au, lomilomi!
- Overnight camping at 'Iolani Palace

JANUARY 16th- WEDNESDAY - Show Solid Support
(WHERE: 'Iolani Palace & State Capitol)
- 7:30am- Gather at 'Iolani Palace (if this is too early for you come camp over the night before!)
Pule, light breakfast, briefing, keiki from schools arrive.
- 9:00am- Procession from 'Iolani Palace to State Capitol, rally at Capitol
- 10:00am- Legislative Session Starts
- 10:30am- 'Iolani Palace- Opening of HALOA Session:
Na Kahu o Haloa returns to 'Iolani Palace to talk story and gather the 'ohana: Information available about GMO issues, other Hawaiian issues, testimony table, info on where to visit reps and senators, public education about GMO, street stompers pass out fliers and gather testimony and petition signatures in downtown Honolulu.
Kalo Activities- ku'i 'ai kalo (traditional poi pounding)!
- 12noon- State Capitol- Visit Legislators' Offices...
VISIT YOUR REPS/SENATORS and let them know you are from their district and you don't want GMO! Anti-GMO information will be handed out to public in lines to legislator offices.
- 6:00pm- 'Iolani Palace- Pule, Dinner... wala'au, ho'o kani pila!
- Overnight camping at 'Iolani Palace

JANUARY 17th- THURSDAY - Present Pono Purpose
(WHERE: 'Iolani Palace & State Capitol)
- 8:00am- Pule, Breakfast
- 9:00-11:00am- 'Iolani Palace - Pule, briefing, keiki from schools arrive to prepare for presentation of Kalo
- 12noon- State Capitol Rotunda - Procession from 'Iolani Palace to State Capitol. Formal Presentation of Kalo to Legislators, protocol by keiki & kupuna of Na Kahu o Haloa
- 1:30pm- State Capitol, Rm. 309 - Kalo farmers & supporters will brief legislators on their stance against genetic modification & patenting of kalo and explain the importance of hearing & passing bills SB958 & HB704 to protect kalo. Led by Chris Kobayashi, a farmer from Kaua'i.
- 4:00pm- State Capitol, Rm. 229 - "Public Advocacy 101" A Training in the Legislative Process for Citizens, by Senator Gary Hooser (D-Kauai). How we can make a difference!

THE EVENT DOES NOT END HERE...
We will need to monitor these bills and be there to support when needed throughout the legislative session, until we know our bills have been HEARD and PASSED!

Mahalo again to all who have contributed to this effort!!

What you should know about Genetic Modification of Kalo:

Danger! Genetically modified kalo can cross-pollinate with native kalo varieties and the unknown and potentially dangerous effects to the species, our environment and our local agriculture business and economy can be irreversibly permanent! There is no complete research to understand what long term threats to human health may come from eating genetically modified kalo. Genetic modification is an imprecise and short-sighted attempt at a solution to stresses that Hawaiian kalo agriculture faces when clean abundant water is no longer made available to farms. Hawaiians have been successfully breeding and farming many varieties of kalo for thousands of years- time & experience have proven that species diversity & access to clean water is what is needed for a sustainable agriculture industry that can feed our islands.

Genetic modification of kalo is culturally disrespectful. Genetically modifying and patenting kalo is culturally inappropriate because kalo is both a fundamental and also sacred food source to Hawaiians, who understand that their shared ancestry began with Haloa the Kalo. Haloa the Kalo was the first kalo plant born from the ancient gods and became food for his younger brother, Haloa the Human- child of the same gods and the first human ancestor of Hawaiians. Haloa the Human was given the kuleana (responsibility) to take care of his older brother, Haloa the Kalo, who would in turn provide food for all humans. It must be understood: Kalo is not only a staple food source for people in Hawai'i, Kalo is also a member of our family, Kalo is our Kupuna!

Who "owns" the right to grow kalo? Patents associated with GM kalo create false ownership rights of what is now a free-to-grow traditional food source. The right to freely grow kalo should never be a commodity. Corporately owned food technology is increasing and people of developed countries are becoming LESS healthy. Food science shows over and over that traditional diets are best. World over, our food sources and diets are being patented, processed, and removed from the people. It's time to say, "Stop!"

Bad science, unclear future. Genetic modification (GM, or GMO-Genetically Modified Organism) means altering species through the transfer of genes, regulatory sequences, or nucleic acid by the use of gene vectors or laboratory manipulations, also called "recombinant DNA technology." Genetic modification is still considered a crude & inaccurate science and it is too early to know the long term and permanent effects of such experimentation on the environment and human health. Despite heavy pressure from the USA, Genetically Modified food is widely rejected in Japan & Europe, where many areas have made GMOs illegal as they have come to understand the environmental & economic threats that GMOs pose to traditional foods & agricultural sustainability, as well as human health. Our university and our government must stop the research and development of GMO food that is rejected by other scientifically advanced nations!

We must make it clear that we want appropriate agricultural research & pono policy that sustains healthy islands, culture, as well as productive participation in the international agricultural community. We need our government to review and pass bills SB958 & HB704!

NO Genetic Modification of Kalo!
NO Patents on Kalo!
YES, Enact Haloa Law to Protect Kalo, forever!

Please learn more, check the "Haloa Law" page: www.KAHEA.org

SEE YOU THERE!

Welina!

Mahalo to everyone who made our fundraiser a success! We would especially like to thank Jon Osorio, Ikaika Hussey, Kupa`aina, Makana, Manu Boyd, Peter Britos and all the other artists/musicians for contributing their time and talents to this very special event. (We will be adding more photos as they become available!)

E malama pono,

The Board and Staff of KAHEA

BOOK SIGNING & DISCUSSION WITH AUTHOR DAVID HELVARG
June 15, 2006 6:00-8:00 pm
The Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at UH-Manoa

Our oceans are in crisis! Come learn what each of us can do to help turn the tide for the protection and restoration of our living seas.

Despite a cascading series of disasters facing our ocean planet, including industrial overfishing for the global seafood market, urban and agricultural runoff pollution, coastal sprawl and fossil-fuel fired climate disruption, David argues that it's not too late to make a difference and to give something back to the ocean that gives us life.

To find out more, download the event flyer or contact KAHEA at 808-524-8220.