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2022 Piʻo Summit: Wai Sovereignty & Justice
Thursday, December 15, 2022
12:00-4:30pm
Imin International Conference Center & Kennedy Theatre, UH Mānoa
Wai Sovereignty & Justice was chosen as the theme of our inaugural summit to draw attention and action to the current state of our wai, along with the constant threats our water resources are currently facing. Wai Sovereignty & Justice brought together esteemed community leaders, advocates, and truth speakers who are advancing aloha ʻāina and water justice. The summit consisted of two day-time panels, a networking mixer event and an evening keynote discussion.
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Our first panel brought together aloha ʻāina leaders and practitioners to share about their organizations' relationships to wai, along with the significant role it has in feeding our communities. The panel explored questions such as: How does your organization care for wai? What role does wai have in strengthening connections to historical food sources? And how can UH and the academy support these efforts?
Panelists: Keliʻi Kotubetey (Paepae o Heʻeia), Hōkūao Pellegrino (Hui O Nā Wai ʻEhā), Tiare Lawrence (Ka Malu o Kahālāwai), Kanekoa Kukea-Shultz (Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi), Stacy M Sproat (Waipā Foundation) and Hanohano Naehu (Hui o Kuapā). Moderated by Dr. Kamana Beamer.
Panel 2 included community leaders who are at the forefront of the Shut Down Red Hill movement to discuss the significant and pressing issues our water sources and communities are currently facing as a result of the Navy’s fuel leak at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. The panel addressed questions such as: What enabled the Red Hill crisis to occur? Given the multiple agencies responsible for water in Hawaiʻi, what were the breakdowns that led us to where we are today? What are the current updates on Red Hill and how can communities ensure the safety of Oʻahu’s water?
Panelists: Ernie Lau (Board of Water Supply), Wayne Tanaka (Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi) and Camille Kalama (Kaʻohewai). Moderated by UH Mānoa Professor Kapua Sproat (Ka Huli Ao).
Like-minded water protectors and stewards had the chance to mix and mingle while enjoying food provided by Nui Kealoha.
Renowned philosopher, political activist, public intellectual and author Dr. Cornel West headlined a moderated keynote discussion following the summit. West spoke on imperialism and the occupation of Hawaiʻi, while placing the islands within the context of peoples’ movements for liberation and justice across the world.
This summit would not be possible without the kōkua of our valued partners. They are stalwart supporters of environmental justice and ʻōiwi agency, and we would like to express our deep mahalo to these organizations for their contributions:
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A centerpiece of the Pōʻai ke Aloha ʻĀina project is the Piʻo Summit, a gathering of individuals dedicated to sharing their work to cultivate circular economic thinking in their local communities, and around the world. Our goal is to bring leaders together from at home and abroad to celebrate and share innovative projects that support our communities.
The summit will be held bianually, with each event embodying one of the following themes:
- Highlighting Aloha ʻĀina Innovation at Home, to advance local policy issues and uplift the work of a community collaborator, sharing our (kākou) efforts with an international audience.
- Learning from Sustainability Leaders Abroad, to increase international collaborations and networks as related to manifesting aloha ʻāina. Let's learn from each other.
Our esteemed guests are leaders in imagining a sustainable future. Whether from far across the globe or from within our own island communities, they bring with them insights that show us a vision of the world, where the operation of our societies, rooted in the concept of aloha ʻāina, draws on the resources of our one and only home in a restorative and rejuvenative fashion, and allows us all to thrive.