Hawaiian values to be linked with vision of sustainability

KIHEI - "Malama 'Aina: Connecting Traditional Hawaiian Practices With a Vision for a Sustainable South Maui" will be the topic of a Thursday gathering of South Maui Sustainability at the Kihei Charter School from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Daniel Kanahele, a sustainability group member, will moderate the discussion among:

= Alex Bode, project director of Waikikena, a 150-acre farm and cultural center in Haiku that serves as a substance-abuse-prevention center.

= Lucienne de Naie, chairwoman of the Hawaii Chapter of the Sierra Club and author of a book on the history of Makena. She is involved with the General Plan Advisory Committee, Focus Maui Nui Advisory Committee and Sustainable Living Institute of Maui.

= Kalani Au, social studies, Hawaiian-language and hula teacher at Lokelani Intermediate School for the last eight years. He has degrees in education, Hawaiian studies and history from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

= Iokepa Meno, a reserve ranger at Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve. He earned a marine science education degree from UH-Manoa.

"Many people who live in South Maui, even some of those born and raised here, don't know the history and have yet to connect with the aina and the host culture," Kanahele said in a news release "For me, this meeting is all about connection. It's about connecting the present to the past and the past to the future. It's about establishing a relationship with the people and the land. People prosper if the land prospers."

The meeting is free and open to the public. Light pupu will be served. More information is available at Web site www.SouthMauiSustainability.org.