sos hawaii

“Imagine (There’s Less Grocery Stores)…”

justineespiritu — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 06:06:40 +0000

Imagine there’s less grocery stores

It’s easy if you try

No florescent lights around us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Buying from a farmer

Imagine no imported food

It isn’t hard to do

A lot less to outsource money for

Less corporations too

Imagine all the farmers

Feeding all of us

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I think it’s worth a try

I hope someday you understand

It matters what you buy

Imagine food security

Instead of import hegemony

No need for greed or oil

Diversified economy

Imagine all the people

Buying local food

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I think it’s worth a try

I hope someday you understand

It matters what you buy

The reality of Peak Oil motivated me to (re)write this song. The most recent article that has been passed around our class on the issue, The Imminent Crash Of The Oil Supply: What Is Going To Happen And How It Came To Pass That We Weren’t Forewarned, can be found at http://www.inteldaily.com/2010/04/oil-crash/. In class we discussed different possibilities and ways to get the message and information out to people and I thought performing this song to various audiences would be a fun and creative way to do that. Even though the situation concerning Peak Oil sounds pretty dire and apocolyptic I feel hopeful that the more self-sufficient Hawaii becomes, the more chaos and disaster can be mitigated, though not avoided. Hawaii imports 90% of its food when it has the potential to meet about 60-70% of its own food needs. The more local producers are supported, the more they can grow and that potential for self-sufficiency can grow as well. Local food production and demand decreases dependency on other countries, decreases dependency on oil, and increases agricultures contribution to Hawaii’s economy. I would like to see local agriculture be more greatly invested in and hope it will be prioritized in the near future above tourism in terms of Hawaii’s economy considering tourism leaves Hawaii completely dependent on the people and economies of other countries and completely depndent on oil, amoung other issues. To find Farmer’s Markets on Oahu organized by location, date, and time can be found on our page Why and How to “Go Local” So far, my friend Tri (who I am in debt to forever and appreciate so much!!) and I have performed at/on:

Ong King (watch here!)

KTUH April 17th

Tiki’s Bar and Grill April 21st

Olelo (Tri and I performed and he ‘interviewed’ me as part of a variety show that will play in the near future)

Tri’s condo in Waikiki (Will put on audio when I figure out how!)

The little garden that could…

aubreyyee — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:24:06 +0000

I am a big fan of the magazine Resurgence coming out of London. This last issue was all about food, titled “Seeds of Change: The Future of Food”. It’s exciting to me to see the critical mass building around this vital issue. Everywhere I look I see awareness raising and change beginning to happen. I went to an engagement party the other night and rather than bringing a traditional gift, a friend of mine brought a big basket filled with fruits, veggies and eggs all grown on his little 6,000 sq ft regular Kailua suburban backyard. To see the bright, beautiful colors and know that all of those delicious and nutritious foods were grown with love and that anyone is capable of doing the same in their own small backyard made me so happy.

This article from the Resurgence magazine is especially appropriate to our discussion - “The True Cost of Cheap Food” – the truth of the matter is globalization cheapens almost everything, but do you want your food to be the cheapest? What does that imply? It’s kind of like going to the discount doctor, makes you wonder if it’s best for your health… and even more than that, we are beginning to really see that food grown close to home can be just as affordable and so much better both in taste and nutritional value. Just look at the little garden in Kailua that could…

Support HB2421

Katie Ersbak — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 01:54:18 +0000

HB2421 establishes various initiatives, and appropriates funds to promote economic development for local food and energy businesses, ensures Hawaii is energy and food self-sufficient and sustainable to the maximum extent feasible, and helps Hawaii’s natural resources and humankind adapt and be resilient to the inevitable challenges brought on by climate change.

Look HERE to find out more about HB2421 or click the link above to read the bill in its entirety.

Aloha Kakou!

Katie Ersbak — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:22:27 +0000

SOS – a call to action

Seeds Of Sustainablity - Seeds Of Security - Seeds Of Sovereignty

Welcome to SOS Hawaii! This blog was created by 3 grad students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and is a working collaboration intended to give people access to information on eating local and achieving food security for our islands. Our goal is to increase awareness, educate the public, and spark collective action among communities and individuals to “go local” and begin to eat locally-grown, sourced, and produced goods.

Click on the tabs above for useful information on going local in Hawaii, including where to eat, what to buy, who to talk to, and how to get involved. Check back for new posts and uploads, including reading recommendations and links to some of our favorite websites!

If you would like more information about the blog, or simply want to say hello, please contact Justine, Katie, or Aubrey.

Justine:
espiritu.justine@gmail.com

Katie:
kersbak@hawaii.edu

Aubrey:
aubrey@pacific-home.com