An Aloha ʻĀina Economy—Give, Take, Regenerate

Abstract

We were sitting at a stunningly beautiful round table, made out of what looked to be a six-inch thick slab of koa. The wood grain was so spectacular that I inched my dinner plate over a bit so I could admire the pattern. Usually held at the second or third home of a one-percenter, such gatherings have never been entirely comfortable for me. I start feeling uneasy when security for the gated community grants me entrance. The food is usually good, and the con versations can be engaging enough to keep my interest. The problem is that I just can't get past this lingering disquiet-one difficult to describe, but what I will call a feeling of inequity. That night there was so much to look at. Stunning ocean views. A picturesque sunset. An infinity pool. And a front door that probably cost as much as the down payment on my house. Yet this was supposed to be a chance to gather insight and perspective from a person with national networks and powerful government con tacts who might assist us in reaching our last fundraising goal for a project. When I mentioned "ecological peace and social justice," and said that "we want to advance aloha ʻāina as a way of being for the world," 1 the expression on the face of our hoped-for comrade abruptly changed. So as not to incriminate anyone involved, let me just say that our proposal was not embraced-although we eventually did find the needed support. But inching toward transparency, I will report that I was suddenly defending myself against allegations that I was trying to take society back into a past where we lived in "grass huts" and survived "off of only the fish we caught. " Perhaps the most important lesson for me was how angrily some intelligent and decent Americans react to the idea that aloha ʻāina could shape our future. At that moment, I did not know that I would spend much of the next decade explain ing how aloha ʻāina could inform how we can envision and how we will operate our future economy. I had not even heard the term "circular economy" then, though the next few years of my professional career would take me on a voyage to where I can now clearly "see the island. " 2 But a colleague from the University of Augsburg, Germany saw it after my first presentation there. "This aloha ʻāina can help to save our world," he said. 3