Why You Should Care

"We are an island community gone mad, behaving like a limitless continent in a world that has already turned into a crowded strained island" - - Gavan Daws 1974

"Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell." - -Edward Abbey, A Voice Crying in the Wilderness, 1989

"The truth shall set you free, but first it's really gonna piss you off...." - - Unknown

Hawai'i is the most isolated land mass on earth. This isolation is at the root of one of the most the spectacular biological symphonies in global history.

Hawai'i has more endangered species per square mile than anywhere else on Earth.

Hawai'i has the highest rate of "endemism" in the world. A species is endemic when it exists no where else. 90% of our native Hawaiian plants and 99% of our native Hawai'ian land animals are endemic. They exist only in Hawai'i.

Historically, 75% of all U.S. extinctions are native Hawaiian plants and animals.

30% of the fish in our Hawaiian coral reefs exist no where else on earth.

Almost half of the species currently on the U.S. Endangered Species list are native Hawaiian.

Half of our native Hawaiian birds are extinct. Half of those left alive are endangered

When these species are gone, they are gone forever.

The Hawaiian archipeligo is over 70 million years old. Hawai'i became home for one new species every 50,000 years. This gave each new species plenty of time to evolve and turn into a multitude of other different species. This spectacular explosion of biodiversity is called adaptive radiation. The Hawaiian biosphere could well be the crown jewel of biological creation on planet Earth.

It's been said that when the first Polynesians arrived from the Marqueses to Hawai'i, each valley had it's own species of spider and each ridge had it's own species of snail, each descended from a few common ancestors

We are now introducing new species into Hawai'i at the rate of 20-30 per year. This is 2 million times faster than the natural rate. The impact of humans on Hawai'i nei is systematically destroying the biodiversity of these islands. We now have 500,000 feral cats on Maui alone. We have "killer" bees and leeches. I suspect we will soon have such things as malaria and cholera to contend with, and all because we are unwilling to make the hard choices that are necessary to protect our home.

We talk endlessly about our "rights". Our "right" to put up a building wherever we wish. Our "right" to have as many children as we want. Our "right" to import whatever plants we want for use in our gardens. These "rights" may well dictate the collapse of the Hawaiian (and global) biosphere. The unfortunate truth is this: The natural world doesn't care about our "rights". It will respond to what we do, regardless of our "rights".

This planet can do just fine without us. We, however cannot do very well without this planet.

We are all aware of the global population explosion. If we do not become responsible creatures and stop this uncontrolled reproduction and growth, then the planet will find it's own way to control our population for us. Population growth will be halted, whether it's disciplined or hellacious is our choice.

Either way, I submit to you that it is not the kuleana of Hawai'i nei to house the overflow of this planetary reproductive stampede. Perhaps we can create a model of sanity for the rest of the world.

Having a body requires a certain responsibility to maintaining health. Staying healthy may not always be pleasant or comfortable. We have to exercise, eat right, and not give in to cravings.

Having an island home requires a certain responsibility to maintaining its health. This land requires us to give back as much or more than we take from her. If we do not give back as much or more than we take, then we will die, plain and simple. And we will kill her in the process. No positive thinking or recycling programs or politically correct voting will change this fact.

Ina malama kakou i ka 'aina, na ka 'aina e malama ia kakou.
Aka, ina hana 'ino kakou i ka 'aina, e make kakou.
If we nurture the land, the land nurtures us.
If we abuse the land, we die.

I am a Haole. Yep, you know, Hä'ole: No breath, no spirit, can't dance. I can't say anything about what it means to be Hawaiian, as I have exactly zero Hawaiian blood in me. But I come to this land without apologies for who I am. We have all come from somewhere, and we do not have to be perfect or guiltless to make this island a better place. I believe that if I just give back more than I have taken from this 'aina, then I have paid the price of admission to Hawai'i nei.

Taking care of the health of our home may not always be pleasant or comfortable. As a matter of fact, it might turn out to be down right unpleasant. Yes, maybe we won't be able to stuff our bank accounts with cash from real estate transactions. Maybe we'll have to make tough choices. We might even have to (God forbid!) walk somewhere. (Is that legal?) Or not plant 500 square miles of sugar cane, destroying the fertility of the land with chemical fertilizers. Or not buy a new truck. Or not bring Fido or Fifi with us from the mainland. Or (horror of horrors!) actually change our behavior!

But perhaps, if we're lucky, and the gods find us worthy, we'll have something to hand down to our children. All the money and education and technology in the world will be meaningless to them if they inherit an island home that is sick and diseased from greed, ignorance, laziness, and neglect.

Is Hawai'i worth these sacrifices? For me it is.

I suggest that we take a good long look at the cities on the mainland Los Angeles, Newark, New York. Or even closer to home: Honolulu. Is this what we want for our children? Because if it is not what we want, we'd better change direction right now. This exactly where we're heading, and this is one problem that will not go away on its own.

The population on Maui right now is what the population was on Oahu 70 years ago.

The traditional Hawaiian concept of kuleana (responsibility/privilege) was binding for seven generations. This meant that when a family took responsibilty for the stewardship of an ahupua'a (segment of land), decisions were made with the understanding of how those decisions would affect this island for the next seven generations. We can't even look beyond our next pay check, never mind the generations ahead. Is this the kind of “progress” we aspire to?. Lake Tahoe has implemented a moratorium on building permits. Can we do this on Maui? Does the idea of a moratorium make us uncomfortable? Might we perhaps have to sacrifice some of our "rights"? Is quality of life for our children and grandchildren worth this sacrifice?

A friend of mine called a local sugar cane company to complain about the cane smoke that was making it difficult for her to breathe. The gentleman on the phone told her that the cane smoke was the lesser of all the evils. If there was no sugar cane, he said, well then the land would be sold to developers. Or if not that, then other crops would be put in which would have even more toxic pesticides than the sugar cane. So we can see that the sugar cane companies have our best interests at heart when they pour toxic smoke into our air.

Well, I would propose a fourth alternative to this sugar cane company:

No, you can't poison our air.
No, you can't put up more houses and fast food joints and strip malls.
No, you can't put in crops that require poisonous pestisides.

If we need to destroy 70 million years of evolution in order to keep our job, then maybe, just maybe, we should find another way to make a living. Even if it might be a bit uncomfortable.

The changes we are experiencing in Hawai'i are not inevitable. The changes we see around us are CHOICES that we are making. This “progress” is not inevitable. That's just a lie that we tell ourselves because it might be uncomfortable if we were to actually go out and do something. Because even though we feel powerless, at least we're comfortable.

Of course we're not powerless at all... we're just frightened. And every time we tell our selves this lie (that we are powerless), those who would destroy this land for personal gain become stronger and stronger.

Our politicians have been bought and paid for: Thinly disguised real estate speculators who betray their home, their nation, and their children. Don't believe me? Read Gavan Daws' "Land and Power in Hawai'i". It's all there, on public record.

We have "environmentalists" who protest as developers gang rape our island. They seem to want to stop development, but soon we see that they too are participating in the rape. It comes out that they are developers also, and if they can't stop the rape of our home, well then, at least they want to get their turn.

Every new shopping mall, each new golf course, subdivision, parking lot, and manicured front lawn directly contributes to the destruction of our Hawaiian biosphere. Our native forests and reefs are home to irreplacable plants, animals and fish.The creatures born of this `aina are rapidly and systematically being exterminated.

70% of the native forests of Tahiti have been destroyed because of an alien plant pest called Miconia. Gone forever. We now have Miconia on Maui.

Our ship is sinking. There are three things we can do: We can deny that she is sinking as we keep drilling holes in her hull. We can stand around and watch as others drill the holes. Or we can plug up the holes while there is still time. Do we really want to lay on our deathbeds looking back at our lives and realize that we turned one of the most beautiful places on earth into a shit hole? And that we did it for money? So we wouldn't be uncomfortable ? Do we want all of our blessed islands to look like Honolulu? This is exactly where we are headed.

Planetary and island biodiversity are not important just because we need pretty flowers, birds, and fish to look at. (Although we do) The diversity of species is responsible for the stability of the global ecosystem, for life as we know it.

We are in the midst of the largest avalanche of extinction the world has seen in 65 million years. This is the last chance we have. If we think the choices we make today won't affect us, our children, and our grandchildren,... well, perhaps we'd better think again...