By Melanie Kramer
Published September 1999
Hawaii. Land of magic. A place where dreams are built and lives bounce to the daily tune of Rainbow Radio. It is a land of beauty and harsh realities, rich in history and culture, and I don’t mean the glorification of Captain Cook (the first westerner to invade Hawaii), although he is part of Hawaii’s history. Hawaii is a place where nature has both unleashed fury and unfolded intricate and creative ecosystems.
But despite all of the culture, history, beautiful weather, travel propaganda, and of course, beaches, I flew thousands of miles for another purpose. I wanted to learn more about sustainable living, and Malu Aina, Center for Non-Violent Education and Action, seemed the place to do just that.
Malu Aina, “land of peace”, is run by Jim Albertini, whom many people on the Big Island identify as the man who jumped into Hilo bay to protest the presence of a nuclear warship; a man deeply committed to social justice. He lives simply, off the grid (but on small-scale solar power), drinking rainwater from catchment tanks, and farming organically. How does living simply relate to organic farming? Both actions are based on the idea that food and the land are for everyone. Issues such as food production, justice, and non-violence are intimately connected by a respect for all life and taking responsibility for one’s actions.
For me there is always a sense of honour in working on the land. It stems from an awareness that I am not only providing food for myself and others, I am assisting in a process larger than myself: propagation. By planting, weeding and harvesting crops such as bananas, beans, kale, oranges, papayas, sweet potatoes, taro and corn, I took part in that process.
While in Hawaii, I also attended meetings on different social justice issues such as opposition to the building of a new prison which would house many people who are not a danger to society (many of native Hawaiians), without much emphasis on rehabilitation. Similar to our own prison system, there is a disproportionate number of native Hawaiians in society.
However, my experience in Hawaii was much broader than any single issue. Not only did I learn about organic farming, solar power, composting toilets, community living, and non-violent activism, I also learned that commitment to social justice includes all of these aspects, and more. A policy of non-violence, where one accepts responsibility for one’s actions and tries to understand the consequences of each action, is integral to sustainable living. Sustainable living is not about the temporal life of one organism. It is about an interconnectedness that we each share with one another, with the living Earth, and with the systems that support the Earth. Organic farming is one way to express support for the Earth and to show respect for our place in it. Hawaii’s wonderful climate often makes it easy to farm organically. But it is still possible to take part in organic farming in Canada, and to relate that to the larger realm of sustainable living and social justice.
