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Environment

News stories regarding Molokai’s outdoor environment

Molokai’s Renewable Energy Future Looks Bright

Wednesday, November 15th, 2023

Molokai’s Renewable Energy Future Looks Bright

By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Reporter

Molokai has completed its roadmap to take the island to 100 percent renewable energy. It’s the result of a community-driven planning process that energy officials call the first of its kind. Led by the Molokai Clean Energy Hui, residents are now poised to take the next steps in bringing their plans to reality. 

“All of the renewable energy we have [currently], which is about 14 percent, comes from 500 or so rooftop systems on homes and businesses,” said Leilani Chow. She’s energy coordinator at Sust’ainable Molokai, which has spearheaded the Molokai Clean Energy Hui. “And [up until now] everything else has kind of been rejected by the community because these projects were designed and proposed by off island groups that were just severely misaligned with community values and lifestyle.”…

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Fire Sparks Concerns

Wednesday, November 15th, 2023

Fire Sparks Concerns

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor 

Last Sunday, Nov. 5, a fire ignited along the side of Maunaloa Hwy., just before Kaluakoi Rd. By 4:25 p.m., firefighters from stations in Kaunakakai and Ho’olehua had responded to the scene, successfully containing the blaze within an hour. While the fire only burned about an acre of land, residents are concerned that it could have been much worse. 

“We dodged a bullet,” said Norm Rizk, president of the West Molokai Association (WMA), which represents over 800 homeowners. 

Nov. 5 was a red flag day across Maui County, with low humidity and high winds driving up the risk of fire.…

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Eat Local Challenge

Wednesday, November 15th, 2023

Eat Local Challenge

Ho’omakua Farm News Release

Led and inspired by our friends over at @projectlocavore (projectlocavore.com/) and the Facebook Group @ eatlocalmaui we on the Facebook Group @eatlocalmolokai are joining in for the one-week-annual Eat Local Challenge and would love for you to join us from Nov. 12 to 18! This is a community-building initiative, designed to promote awareness of our local food system, the sharing of resources and recipes, getting to know your farmers and neighbors, and taking personal steps towards strengthening our local food future. Let’s begin to break our dependence on imported food by identifying and supporting our local farmers and home-grown value-added products, as we try to eat 100 percent Hawaii grown foods for seven days. …

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CCSLAR Plan Moves Forward

Wednesday, November 8th, 2023

CCSLAR Plan Moves Forward

By Maria Angst | Community Reporter

Throughout October, Sustʻainable Molokai conducted multiple workshops to gather community feedback on their Molokai Climate Change and Sea Level Rise Adaptation and Resiliency plan (CCSLAR). 

The workshops focused on reviewing the latest priority site maps, which now include coastal inundation zones, and selecting the mitigation strategies that the community believed were most suitable for the island and its residents.

The CCSLAR plan’s ultimate goal is to identify measures that will preserve natural and cultural resources from sea level rise while remaining cost-effective. The plan will span across decades. 

The primary objective of this plan is to work closely with the community to pinpoint priority sites where sea level rise, erosion, and flooding are most critical, and to propose community-supported adaptation strategies to mitigate these impacts. …

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Below Average Rainfall Predicted for Wet Season

Wednesday, October 25th, 2023

Below Average Rainfall Predicted for Wet Season

By Jack Kiyonaga | Editor 

Unfortunately, it sounds like the upcoming wet season will be unseasonably dry. According to Kevin Kodama, hydrologist for the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), below average rainfall is expected throughout the state. 

For Molokai specifically, Kodama is likewise predicting a drier than normal winter. 

“I’m fully expecting drought conditions on Molokai to worsen from what you’re seeing now,” explained Kodama. 

The reason for the expected worse-than-average rainfall is due to the El Nino weather pattern, which developed late last spring. 

El Nino is a warm weather anomaly caused by hotter ocean temperatures which results in less rainfall for certain areas.…

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Community Feedback Needed, Shape Molokai’s Future

Wednesday, October 25th, 2023

Sustʻainable Molokai News Release

The Molokai Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise Adaptation and Resiliency plan (CCSLAR) is reaching its final phase, and we need your input before it is submitted to the County of Maui. 

To help us make these vital decisions, we invite you to visit our community workshops and explore the latest priority site maps, which now include coastal inundation zones. Choose the mitigation strategies you feel are fit for our island! Our upcoming community workshops include Thursday Oct. 26, 2023 at Maunaloa Rec Center from 6 – 9 p.m., and Saturday Oct. 28 at Duke Maliu Regional Park from 9 a.m.…

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Sust’ainable Molokai Kicks Off Friday Nite Market

Wednesday, October 18th, 2023

Sust’ainable Molokai Kicks Off Friday Nite Market

By Maria Angst, Community Reporter 

Following the noteworthy success of the inaugural farmers market in March, Sust’ainable Molokai launched a new series on Friday, Oct. 13: the Friday Nite Market. This market, held in the evening, caters to weekday workers by letting them join after work without disrupting their weekend family time, unlike the traditional morning market.

An open invitation was extended to all local farmers and producers on Molokai, whether they were Sust’ainable Molokai Mobile Market producers or not. Multiple vendors were present with a consistent crowd of about thirty attendees coming in and out throughout the two hours, at 589 Maunaloa Highway. …

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Revitalizing Agroforestry

Wednesday, October 18th, 2023

Hawaii Edible Landscaping News Release 

The public is invited to attend “Revitalizing Hawaii with Agroforestry”, a free evening presentation, on Friday, Oct. 27, 5:30-7:00 p.m., at Lanikeha Community Center in Hoolehua. 

Dave Sansone, owner of Hawaii Edible Landscaping, LLC on Hawaii Island will be sharing how agroforestry practices can help cultivators meet their needs while protecting and revitalizing the health of the land and water.  

“Agroforestry is a set of sustainable agriculture practices with ancient roots that can increase production, beat the weeds naturally, and improve the soil,” Sansone explains. “It has successfully transformed abandoned farmlands in drought prone areas into lush forest farms with year round springs.” …

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The Small Scale Farm

Wednesday, October 18th, 2023

Community Contributed 

By Kyle Franks, CTAHR, DHHL Jr Extension Agent

There is momentum building toward small farms as more and more people see the need for locally produced foods and products. With the events of the past three years, supply line weaknesses have been highlighted and these weaknesses, coupled with being an island community, have helped show how we as individuals and as a community are all affected by even the smallest ripples within a centralized supply chain. 

Here in Hawaii, we have the blessing of a year-round growing season, and yet currently Hawaii’s population is hugely dependent on centralized supply chains for 85-90 percent of the population’s food-needs.…

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The Adze Quarries of Kaluako‘i

Wednesday, October 18th, 2023

Community Contributed 

By Marshall Weisler, Archaeologist

If there was ever a perfect name for a piece of land, then surely Kaluako‘i is it. The name means “the adze pit” and the 50,000 acres encompassing this leeward region of west Molokai contains more stone adze quarries than the rest of the Hawaiian Islands combined. The rolling hills and slopes fronted by the rocky coastlines are dominated by the nearly 1,400 foot high, 1.7 million years old Maunaloa volcano. 

Why is Kaluako‘i important? Well, imagine life without your mobile phone. Most people would be at a loss without this essential modern “tool.”  Hundreds of years ago, stone adzes were the most common tools in ancient times.…

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