The Thirty Percent Project

My family, the Daniels family, is from Maui. It is hard to put the words together to express all the feelings, to find a place for all the thoughts.The beginning phrase of an oli (chant) by revered Edith K. Kanāka'ole is: E hō mai ka ʻike mai luna mai e -- grant us wisdom from above. In Hawai'i, this chant is offered at the start of an event or small gathering to focus the energies on the kuleana (responsibility) being undertaken.Lāhainā has burned, its recent incarnation gone. Lāhainā was once an area of spring-fed wetland ponds with extensive groves of large canopy 'ūlu (breadfruit) trees. Lāhainā was once the historical seat of the Kingdom of Hawai'i and the home of my ancestors.As we mourn the loss of lives, property, and recent history, let us also seek wisdom from above on the way forward, in best support of a grieving community. E hō mai ka ʻike mai luna mai e -- grant us wisdom from above.Ways to support Maui in this time: Hawaiʻi People's Fund: https://hawaiipeoplesfund.networkforgood.com/projects/200566-maui-aloha-the-people-s-response-fundHawaiʻi Workers Center: https://www.hawaiiworkerscenter.org/donate/ (Make in the notes section: “Lāhainā Fires” for the donation.”)Ka Lāhui - Lāhainā Relief Fund: paypal.me/wedchi ʻĀina Momona: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/kokuamauiCouncil of Native Hawaiian Advancement, Alaka'ina and Kakoʻo Haleākalā: https://www.memberplanet.com/campaign/cnhamembers/kakoomauiHawaiʻi Community Foundation Maui Strong Disaster Relief: https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/maui-strongAloha United Way: https://ignite.stratuslive.com/auw/get-involved/donate/mauireliefMaui Food Bank: https://mauifoodbank.orgMaui Humane Society: https://www.mauihumanesociety.org/donate-olx/?formID=mainButtonMaui Mutual Aid: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=Y7J26SYUJFQU8&fbclid=IwAR1DOrh7OKiSxLsOmCLso8Z6nP8MMbj0XZ5Dna30S74RR82TtZB7dphr2p4Maui Red Cross (Indicate Local Red Cross): https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation.html/Punanaleo o Lahaina: https://tr.ee/PJ8dBSI72U

Kuleana is “a uniquely Hawaiian value and practice which is loosely translated to mean ‘responsibility.' The word kuleana refers to a reciprocal relationship between the person who is responsible, and the thing which they are responsible for.”  (from Hawaiian Word of the Day, Hawaii News Now). In this episode, we talk about kuleana and politics with Anne Frederick, Executive Director of the nonprofit HAPA, and with Thomas Heaton, reporter for the Hawai'i news publication, Civil Beat. Anne Frederick's organization, HAPA (Hawai'i Alliance for Progressive Action), engages deeply in state legislative politics. It was founded in 2014 around the issues of food justice and pesticide use. HAPA also founded the Kuleana Academy, a political training and accelerator program focusing on building  capacity in community leaders on issue-based, political, or electoral campaigns. The first part of this episode is an interview with Anne in the middle of a busy legislative session, which found her team organizing community and stakeholder engagement on a suite of bills, which we'll discuss.  You'll hear about their particular focus on land use and tax incentives to level the playing field. I invited Thomas Heaton, a reporter at the news publication Civil Beat, to join us in the second half of this episode.  Civil Beat is a non-profit online investigative journalism publication. Thomas is a New Zealand native who came to Hawai'i by way of his interest in the food system, developed during his global reporting experience. An explanatory note on one of the topics:  we discussed the unexpected demise of a bill to provide state matching funds to a program we speak of as “Da Bux '' which is Hawai'i's way of describing its Double Up Bucks program. In some states, the program is called Market Match.  Each state has their own version of the program, which is based on the federal Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP; also known as Market Match, Double Up Bucks, Veggie Voucher). GusNIP is a federal program, which provides people who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (SNAP, or food stamps)  up to $10 in vouchers at participating farmers' markets, when they use their benefits to purchase  fruits and vegetables.For More Info: The HAPA website Anne Frederick and her teamAnne's 2023 Legislative Session Debrief (includes info on the Da Bux program, discussed in the episode)Civil Beat coverage of a report by HAPA on pesticide use on Hawai'i farmsMore about Thomas HeatonThe Hawai'i Grown section of Civil Beat, with many of Thomas Heaton's storiesCredits: Created, produced, and hosted by Paula DanielsSound engineer: Rob PeraTheme music: Caryssa ShinozawaLogo: Reiko Quitevis and Sue Woodard

The Hawai'i Food Hub Hui serves as backbone for about 14 food hubs in Hawai'i,  supporting about 1300 farmers, and moving around $14 million in local food from farm to fork. Which means, they are serving about 20% of Hawaii's farmers, and moving about 20% of their agriculture economy.  Our guest Dr. Saleh Azizi runs the food hub hui as an initiative of the Hawaii Good Food Alliance, which in turn is run by our guest Harmonee Williams, who is Executive Director of The Hawai'i Good Food Alliance, a group of "community leaders who share in the production, aggregation and distribution of food to re-build thriving community food systems."Food hub support has been an initiative of the US Dept of Agriculture since 2009. There are about  250 food hubs throughout the United States.  They are considered critical infrastructure for regional supply chain resilience, and were particularly important during the early months of the COVID pandemic, when highly globalized supply chains proved to be as attenuated and fragile as a spider web - in other words, they can hold up well enough until there's disruption.  The shorter supply chains, which we discuss in this episode, are more able to absorb shocks to the system, able to pivot and can be more nimble in matching supply and demand.  We talk about the definition of food hubs, their  business models, their economic development role, and how they fit into the vision for Hawai'i's food system. For more info: The Hawai'i Good Food Alliance website The USDA Local Food Hub Directory for food hubs throughout the US A Food Hub Resource Library from the Wallace Center at Winrock International Findings of the National Food Hub Survey by the Center for Regional Food Systems at Michigan State University Regional Food Hub Resource Guide (USDA, 2012) And for more information on South Korea's school food distribution system, mentioned in the podcast:Gaddis, J.E., Jeon, J. "Sustainability transitions in agri-food systems: insights from South Korea's universal free, eco-friendly school lunch program." Agric Hum Values 37, 1055–1071 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-020-10137-2Credits: Sound Production: Keola Iseri of the University of Hawai'i, West OahuSound editor:  Rob PeraLogo design:  Sue Woodard, and Waipahu High School student Reiko QuitevisSound creation and theme music: Waipahu High Schools students  Caryssa Shinozawa, Landon Guzman, Syd Sausal

Josh Stanbro developed and led the Office of Climate, Sustainability and Resilience for the City and County of Honolulu as its first Chief Resilience Officer. Josh is now in Washington DC and is Deputy Director of the Policy Lab with Elemental Excelerator, a global nonprofit accelerator for climate tech which was founded in Hawai'i.  His path from California to Hawai'i of itself tells a valuable story of 21st Century Hawai'i. And because Hawai'i was once and hopes to again be a place of sustainable agriculture, his previous work at the Trust for Public Land and the Hawai'i Community Foundation, leading up to the Mayor's office,  tells a story of the transformation efforts underway, and the expanding reach of the Hawai'ian Renaissance.   From Josh we learn about the landmark case on Hawai'ian property law that inspired him to go to law school; about the sustainable agriculture projects he worked on while at the Trust for Public Land and the Hawai'i Community Foundation. We talk about the dozen good reasons to buy local; about inclusive, community driven governance; and how politics is like surfing. Overall we get some info on Hawai'ian activist history, a fair amount of historical and modern land use info, and a lot of good wisdom about leadership in governing.  And finally, we learn what three wishes he would have, to help Hawai'i achieve its Aloha Plus challenge goal of getting to 30% locally grown food by 2030.For more info: Elemental ExceleratorThe Resilience Office of the City and County of HonoluluThe Hawai'i Community Foundation The Trust for Public Land, Hawai'i Credits: Sound editing: Keola Iseri of the University of Hawai'i, West Oahu and Rob PeraLogo design: Sue Woodard, and Waipahu High School student Reiko Quitevis Theme music: Waipahu High Schools students  Caryssa Shinozawa, Landon Guzman, Syd Sausal 

Manao Chocolate is one of the top few largest craft bean to bar chocolate makers in the US today.  It was founded in 2010 by Dylan Butterbaugh, who was born and raised in Hawai‘i, as a way to build a local business from an environmentally sustainable tree crop and support supply chain transparency. Tamara Butterbaugh, who owns Manoa Chocolate along with Dylan, is also a chocolate sommelier. And while she's been building out an export market for chocolate, she is also building out the local supply chain for ‘ulu, or breadfruit. ‘Ulu is what is called a canoe crop: the crops that the original Hawai‘ians brought with them to the islands nearly 2,000 years ago. The crop plays an important role in Hawai‘ian traditional culture and was a valued staple crop until around the time of statehood in 1959, when American processed foods began to dominate the scene.  Bringing it back now closes a circle on a wheel that was broken by the twentieth century agricultural industrialization of Hawai‘i. In addition, ‘ulu is one of the only staple food crops to grow on trees; it helps mitigate climate change, and ensures a long term abundance and prosperity in the local food supply chain. The beautiful ‘ulu tree helps to sequester carbon, it doesn't need soil tilling or weed control, and it is heat and drought tolerant. One tree can live for 50 to 100 years or more and produce hundreds of pounds of fruit per year.  Tamara lives in Waimānalo where she maintains a 1-acre diversified farm with loʻi kalo (taro), maiʻa (banana), ʻulu (breadfruit), niu (coconut), and kokoleka (cacao)For more info: Hawaii Ulu Cooperative – Farmer-owned, ʻāina grown. There's lots to learn on this website about ‘ulu; and you can shop online there.‘Ulu Education Toolkit Guide - STEMS² (hawaii.edu) If you want to grow your own ‘ulu, here is a University of Hawai‘i education toolkitView by season – Manoa Chocolate Hawaii A TV series from the owners of Mānoa Chocolate, Craft Chocolate TV provides educational info for  fellow chocolate makers, chocolate lovers, and the general public on the art and process of bean-to-bar chocolate makingBean-to-Bar Hawaiian Chocolate Factory, Handmade in Kailua – Manoa Chocolate Hawaii You will love browsing this website for its rich info on the places and people that produce this glorious chocolate. And you can shop online for chocolate bars to be shipped to wherever you are.Hawaiichocolate.org - Cacao, Chocolate, Chocolatier. Website home to the Hawai‘i Chocolate and Cacao Association.Credits: Created, produced, and hosted by Paula DanielsSound engineer: Keola Iseri and Rob Pera Project support: Sue WoodardTheme music: Caryssa ShinozawaLogo: Reiko Quitevis, Sue WoodardThanks to our sponsor, the Hawai‘i Institute for Sustainable Community Food Systems at the University of Hawai‘i - West O'ahuThanks also to the students at Waipahu High School for sound creation (Caryssa Shinozawa, Landon Guzman, Syd Sausal) and graphic design (Ashley Alfaro, Erika Pagtulingan, Reiko Quitevis); and their teachers, Noelle- lili Edejer and Sky Bruno.

Jonathan co-authored a book on water use on Maui called “Water and Power in West Maui”, and was on the board of the Hawai‘i State Land Use Commission for 11 years. As we talk in depth about land use in Hawai‘i over the centuries, we delve into some specifics about what changes are needed now to restore local food production to a meaningful percent, from conservation easements to land trusts to mindsets, and more.  We pegged our discussion of the history of land and power in Hawai‘i, to the  generational markers of my family -- the Daniels family of Maui.  Mentioned:Jonathan's book, Water and Power in West MauiIn addition: Jonathan Scheuer's bioThe Civil Beat Editorial Board Interview: LUC Chair Jonathan Likeke Scheuer (June, 2022)Public Trust Presentation at Hawai‘i State Land Use Commission (May 14, 2022)Hawai‘i Public Radio Interview regarding Scheuer's book on water rights in Maui (2021)What Does Sustainable Yield Sustain? What (and Who) is Left Out?  (2021)Credits: Created, produced, and hosted by Paula DanielsSound engineer: Keola IseriProject support: Sue WoodardTheme music: Caryssa ShinozawaOther music: "Monomer" by Leroy Wild, “Sugar Cane Train”, “Makapu‘u Pali”, “Kolekole”, “Waolani Dusk 3”, “Waimea Hale”, “Waolani Dusk Original” by Pacific SoundsLogo: Reiko Quitevis, Sue WoodardThanks to our sponsor, the Hawai‘i Institute for Sustainable Community Food Systems at the University of Hawai‘i - West O'ahuThanks also to the students at Waipahu High School for sound creation (Caryssa Shinozawa, Landon Guzman, Syd Sausal) and graphic design (Ashley Alfaro, Erika Pagtulingan, Reiko Quitevis); and their teachers, Noelle- lili Edejer and Sky Bruno.

Mahina Paishon-Duarte is co-founder and chief executive officer of Waiwai Collective, a regenerative urban oasis, a kīpuka, for creatively growing community, culture, and commerce. As a social entrepreneur who has also led several educational and cultural organizations, her vision and mission are one and the same––to catalyze positive, lasting change for Hawaiʻi in one generation. Most notably, Mahina is the founding executive director of Paepae o Heʻeia, the first modern Hawai‘ian fishpond that created ground-breaking ʻāina-based education programming for students from preschool through post-doctoral levels. She gained public sector experience as a policy program manager with NOAAs Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, as well as head of school for both Hālau Kū Māna and Kanu o ka ʻĀina public charter schools. Today, Mahina is a part of the ʻĀina Aloha Economic Futures movement to address long-standing socio-economic inequities that the COVID-19 pandemic underscored; and to bring to life a resilient economy through our core value of ʻāina aloha—a deep and abiding love for Hawaiʻi's communities and natural environments.In our conversation, we discuss: radical aloha;  what it means to have ‘āina based thinking; her recent appointment by the Governor of Hawai‘i to the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, and their strategic plan for regenerative tourism; and, the need for a governance structure, such as a food policy council, to help achieve Hawai‘i's goal of increasing local food production. Mahina graciously accepted my request to begin our conversation with a pule (aspirational chant). For more info on Mahina: Transformational Change with Mahina Paishon Duarte (Seminar, July 2022)Indigenous Centered Economies: Leading the Way (TED Talk, November 2021)An Open Letter To The Millionaires And Billionaires Of Hawaii (Civil Beat, July 2020)Mahina's suggested reading: From a Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawai‘i (Revised Edition)by Haunani-Kay Trask (1999, University of Hawai'i Press)Kaiāulu: Gathering TidesBy Mehana Blaich Vaughan (2018, Oregon State University Press) Credits: Created, produced, and hosted by Paula DanielsSound engineer: Keola IseriProject support: Sue WoodardTheme music: Caryssa ShinozawaOther music: "Monomer" by Leroy Wild, “Waialua By Night” by Pacific SoundsLogo: Reiko Quitevis, Sue WoodardThanks to our sponsor, the Hawai'i Institute for Sustainable Community Food Systems at the University of Hawai'i - West O'ahuThanks also to the students at Waipahu High School for sound creation (Caryssa Shinozawa, Landon Guzman, Syd Sausal) and graphic design (Ashley Alfaro, Erika Pagtulingan, Reiko Quitevis); and their teachers, Noelle- lili Edejer and Sky Bruno. 

Dr. Noa Lincoln is Associate Professor in Indigenous Crops and Cropping Systems at University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and the Principal Investigator of the Indigenous Cropping Systems Laboratory. He is also a farmer and works with his wife on an ‘ulu (breadfruit) farm on Hawai‘i Island, as part of the Hawai‘i ‘Ulu Cooperative which they founded. We have a wide ranging and deep dive discussion about: the distinction between European and Hawai‘ian cosmology in relationship to earth; the impacts of foreign investment in Hawai‘i;  the true value of community based agriculture; the benefit of cooperative and collaborative farming enterprises; and the need to reconfigure the social, finance, land use and hard  infrastructure from the legacy of large scale, export based plantation agriculture to more localized infrastructure; and, we brainstorm some policy interventions as we touch on global economic issues and biocomplexity. In other words, we get right to the nub of the matter. And it starts with the remarkable story of why his current position at the University of Hawai‘i was created. For more info:Dr. Noa Lincoln's bioIndigenous Cropping Systems Laboratory Dr. Noa Lincoln's laboratory website, including publications and other sources)A social network analysis of individuals and organizations engaged in local food production and food access in Hawai'i Hawai'i ‘Ulu CooperativeAn ‘ulu (breadfruit) cooperative on Hawai'i island, founded and managed by Dr. Noa Lincoln's wife, Dana ShapiroCredits: Created, produced, and hosted by Paula DanielsSound engineer: Keola IseriProject support: Sue WoodardTheme music: Caryssa ShinozawaMusic: "Monomer" by Leroy Wild, “Makapu‘u Pali”, “Waialua By Night”, “Kolekole”, “Kaaawa Ranch” by Pacific SoundsLogo: Reiko Quitevis, Sue WoodardThanks to our sponsor, the Hawai‘i Institute for Sustainable Community Food Systems at the University of Hawai‘i - West O‘ahuThanks also to the students at Waipahu High School for sound creation (Caryssa Shinozawa, Landon Guzman, Syd Sausal) and graphic design (Ashley Alfaro, Erika Pagtulingan, Reiko Quitevis); and their teachers, Noelle- lili Edejer and Sky Bruno.

In this inaugural episode, we have the benefit of an illuminating conversation with Kamuela Enos, the director of the newly formed Office of Indigenous Innovation at the University of Hawaiʻi. Before that, Kamuela was director of social enterprise at MAʻO Organic Farms. Born and raised in Waiʻanae, he comes from a family of cultural practitioners and farmers committed to sustainable agriculture. A vocal advocate for innovative educational approaches that serve all learners, Enos has turned his lived experiences into a successful post-secondary academic career. He has an undergraduate degree in Hawaiian Studies and a master's degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.With Kamuela, we delve deeply into the refreshed perspective he brings on the layering or infusion of valuable ancestral practices into modern society. We discuss the importance of being rooted in a respectful relationship with the earth; and, his experience working with Maʻo Organic Farms and its mission to bring health and economic empowerment to the local community, through a re-connection to community based and sustainable farming practicesWe begin with a chant well known in Hawaiʻi called E Ho Mai. This oli, or chant, is often used at the beginning of an event or special gathering to help focus energies and properly receive wisdom.For more info: The University of Hawaiʻi Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity“$1M for UH center to advance Indigenous innovation to improve NHPI health”  by University of Hawaii NewsMaʻo Organic FarmsPBS Hawaiʻi Interview on Long Story Short with Leslie Wilcox (April 2018)Credits: Created, produced, and hosted by Paula DanielsSound engineer: Keola IseriProject support: Sue WoodardTheme music: Caryssa ShinozawaOther Music: "Monomer" by Leroy Wild, “Kamaniki”, “Sugar Cane Train”, “Makapuʻu Pali” by Pacific SoundsLogo: Reiko Quitevis and Sue WoodardThanks to our sponsor, the Hawai'ʻ Institute for Sustainable Community Food Systems at the University of Hawaiʻi - West OʻahuThanks also to the students at Waipahu High School for sound creation (Caryssa Shinozawa, Landon Guzman, Syd Sausal) and graphic design (Ashley Alfaro, Erika Pagtulingan, Reiko Quitevis); and their teachers, Noelle- lili Edejer and Sky Bruno. 

Why I'm doing this podcast and what I hope listeners will get from it – as told in a tables-turned-on-me interview by my niece, Noelani.For more info, and some of my published work: The website of the Center for Good Food Purchasing, which I co-founded;  the Center is a spin off from the LA Food Policy Council, which I founded and incubated during my time as Senior Advisor on Food Policy to Mayor Villaraigosa of Los Angeles. A book I co-edited: True Cost Accounting for Food: Balancing the Scale. (2021, Routledge).  Edited By Barbara Gemmill-Herren, Lauren E. Baker, Paula A. Daniels.This book explains how True Cost Accounting is an effective tool we can use to address the pervasive imbalance in our food system.Selected articles and book chapters:"How Cities Can Build Food System Resilience" (December 2022) In TheCityFix, I write about the leadership role that cities  play in creating a healthier, more sustainable and more resilient food system. “True Cost of School Meals: School Meals Case Study” (November 2021). I co-authored this case study with the Rockefeller Foundation, applying a true cost accounting methodology to US school meals programs, and forecasting the net positive impacts if there were a shift to local suppliers, among other shifts, for 30% of food purchasing in these programs. “Investing in a Good Food Future” (May 2020, Medium;  reprinted in the e-book compilation, Resilience Matters: Reimagining the Future in a Tumultuous Year. [2021, Island Press, edited by Mazur, L.]) we provide recommendations on public policy investments for a “Good Food” system — one that is rooted in community resilience, equity, sustainability, and health“What Hurricanes Warn Us About the Future of Food” (September 2018, Medium; reprinted in the book “Resilience Matters: Strengthening Communities in an Era of Upheaval”  [2019, Island Press, edited by Mazur, L.]). My thoughts about some key priorities for Hawai'i in developing a more localized food system, and why it's necessary.  “Designing a Renewable Food System” (January 2017, Stanford Social Innovation Review).  My essay comparing the renewable energy trajectory to a pathway for food system reform. “Domestic Farmed Fish Production: an overview of governance and oversight in the US aquaculture industry,” (2015, Routledge). A book chapter in the book Political Ecologies of Meat, edited by Emel, J. and Neo, H.