Honua Sustainability Partners
We named our company Honua in honor of Mother Earth. She is 100% the heart and soul of our company and we feel a deep kuleana (social responsibility) to care for her. Sustainability is one of our guiding values and we commit to this responsibility by supporting local farmers who keep our native plants thriving, using ingredients that are safe for our bodies and the environment, and partnering with non-profits and organizations that educate on the importance of sustainable practices and keeping our oceans clean.
With the celebration of Earth Day just a week away (but let’s be real, shouldn’t everyday be Earth Day?) we wanted to share three incredible organizations that we support and partner with that help educate our children, family and customers to malama Honua - to care for our one and only magical Mother Earth.
Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii:
Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii is a grassroots non-profit with a mission to inspire communities to care for their coastline. The organization was formed in 2010 by eight friends with the vision to keep our precious island beaches clean. They soon realized that while beach cleanups were helpful, it didn’t solve the root problem. They dove deeper into the issues of why there was so much trash on the beach and where it was all coming from. Now, they utilize their cleanups to inspire better consumer behaviors and continue coastal stewardship through education, outreach events, social media, and cleanups. Since 2011, the non-profit has recycled over 200,000 lbs of ocean plastic and their good work has expanded across the state. Huge corporate companies like Adidas, Corona, and Method have utilized their recycled ocean plastic to create products and inspire more conscious buying etiquette.
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A percentage of our proceeds from our MALU protecting day cream is donated to Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii. That’s a win-win purchase!
- Support the cause! Their next beach clean up is on April 21st on Oahu at Waimanalo Beach. Get involved and learn more about the clean up here.
Nestled between Hilo town and Volcano National Park, the Lyons Estate is a modern off-the-grid property dedicated to sustainable living practices and educating the public on Native Hawaiian forests. What makes this estate extra special is the surrounding 20 acres of thriving Oahi trees, which play an important role in the health of our Hawaiian eco-system. The culturally and ecologically delicate tree is currently threatened by Rapid Ohia Death (ROD), and the Lyon’s estate is working with the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DNLR) and other agencies to not only protect and preserve the trees on the property but to use the healthy trees to educate others and aid in the restoration effort.
- The Lyons Estate hosted our “Reforestation in Action” event where participants replanted 'õhi'a Lehua trees and learned how to help keep our forests, oceans, and farms thriving. We will soon share a video on the event!
Ho'okua'Āina is a non-profit organization that uses Hawaiian traditions to cultivate kalo (taro) in Hawaii and uses their efforts to improve the lives of today's youth and build a healthy community. Dean and Michelle Wilhelm set out to create a gathering place for the community to connect with and care for the 'āina, perpetuate Hawaiian culture, and to be a place that would ultimately bring healing to people, namely at-risk youth.
Today, Ho'okua'Āina uses the lo'i as an outdoor learning environment for 'āina-based education and a valuable asset to the Windward community as well as a productive farm enterprise.
Honua's precious 'Āina mask uses kalo from Ho'okua'Āina farms and we love supporting their contribution to the local Hawaiian community.
The Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative:
Since the arrival of man in the Hawaiian Islands, over half of the native forests have been lost. The Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative was formed with the goal to reverse this discouraging trend and return the forests to the native landscape. Their vision is to develop and implement innovative forest restoration models that will allow these forests to be self-supporting both now and into the future. So how does it work? And where could you contribute? Planting a legacy tree!
Since its inception in 2014, the HLRI has worked with non-profits, mission-driven businesses and individual Legacy Tree sponsors to plant more than 400,000 endemic trees that cover nearly 1200 acres in the state’s first Hawaiian Legacy Forest. The simple act of planting a legacy tree helps protect our native flora and fauna, enhance the relationship of cultural practices to the natural resources of the endemic Hawaiian forest, and restore and improve the forests on the islands.
- Plant a tree today and learn more about endemic Hawaiian species of plants and trees.
Talk Story captured by Leslie Carvitto
Photo courtesy of Ho'okua'Āina