Two University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo conferences are looking to reframe the guiding principles around sustainability.
“We all have different perspectives of what sustainability means. And I think that's part of the problem,” said Angela Faʻanunu, UH Hilo assistant professor and conference organizer.
“It's such a vague term, it's really hard to define and when you have terms that are difficult to define, then it's really difficult to create laws and policies to make change,” she said.
Faʻanunu looks to reframe the mainstream idea of sustainability and infuse other worldviews, particularly Indigenous and Pacific Islander ones. “I think a lot of Pacific people are living a sustainable life, but they don't see it in that way,” she said.
The "Sustainable Circular Economies: Putting the Pieces Together" conference will be held in Waikoloa with a focus on a multi-dimensional approach to a transition from a fossil fuel economy to a circular, renewable one.
Led by Peter Matlock, a lecturer at UH Hilo, the event will bring together leaders in the bio-industry. Panels will focus on sustainable agriculture, soil carbon retention and regulation issues.
Matlock hopes to give attendees a “pupu platter” of sustainable practices.
“They need to understand basically, what are the fundamental issues and how does that relate to, for example, a state-level policy that will help us move towards that kind of economy,” he said.
The second conference, "Malama Honua: Indigenous Perspectives on Sustainability," in Hilo will provide a space for Pacific Islander knowledge, and allow Indigenous peoples to create their own framework and goals.
Faʻanunu said current principles, like the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, gloss over Indigenous people who have been stewarding land for thousands of years.
She said they “don't really capture how we think and feel, and how we see the world."
She hopes by the end of the three days, the conversations will aid in creating goals that include Indigenous values.
"Sustainable Circular Economies: Putting the Pieces Together" will run from July 17 - 19 in Kona. "Malama Honua: Indigenous Perspectives on Sustainability" will run from July 19 - 21 in Hilo.
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