How do we live within a bio-cultural environment that connects us to our past, while leaving a legacy for our future? Our Lanaʻi forefathers understood that healthy land makes healthy people. Before western contact, more than 6,000 people lived—sustainably, growing and catching all they needed from the land and ocean—on Lanaʻi. Now, it’s our kuleana (responsibility) to continue their thoughtful stewardship, taking their teachings and putting them back into practice by building an informed community, culturally sensitive and compassionate leadership and a strong workforce for the future.
Our holistic vision brings Lanaʻi full circle in realizing that these were the correct ways to respect and care for our island home. Now, new investment, innovation and a long-term commitment are creating a viable future for new generations.
By turning Lanaʻi into a model for sustainable high-tech enterprise and supporting the locals in building small-scale eco-businesses, the island serves as a source of pride for our people—and a beacon of stewardship for others to emulate.
On Lanaʻi, Tutu Papa taught us, Maika‘i ka hana a ka lima, ‘ono no ka ‘ai ka waha.
When the hands do good work, the mouth has good food to eat.
The roots of Lanaʻi's agricultural heritage run deep. By working with local farmers and reintroducing organic farming methods, supported by drip irrigation and aquaponics, Lana'i aims to once again become a fully self-sustaining island.
When Axis deer were given as a gift to Hawaii’s King Kamehameha V from Hong Kong back in the 1860’s, no one foretold the devastating effects. Honoring the heritage of our people who hunt and fish for sustenance, we’re carefully restoring Lana’i’s delicate ecosystem with sensitivity.
When Axis deer were given as a gift to Hawaii’s King Kamehameha V from Hong Kong back in the 1860’s, no one foretold the devastating effects. Honoring the heritage of our people who hunt and fish for sustenance, we’re carefully restoring Lana’i’s delicate ecosystem with sensitivity.
By exploring the use of solar and hydroelectric power generation, we’re harnessing what nature provides to fulfill the energy needs of the island—today and for the future.
With no rivers, streams or lakes, Lanaʻi requires ingenuity in generating water—our most precious resource. By using a combination of rain catchment, recycling and efficiency initiatives, Lanaʻi is well on her way to providing a dependable water supply to the island that will benefit future generations. Through the Waiaopae Fishpond Restoration Project, we’re restoring a vital piece of our sustainable heritage built by Hawaiian hands.