Hawaii Sustainable Community Alliance (HSCA) Overview
If you would like to get involved, we would welcome your help!
Please see our Channel on Youtube to watch the highlights of our public meeting May 2011. There are four sections of 8 to 10 minutes each. We also posted a talk the Graham Ellis gave at the Sustainability Forum in Hilo, about his own story building a sustainable, safe, owner built, affordable and yet illegal dwelling.
Vision, Goals and Methods
Our vision is to create a healthy, ecological, peaceful and economically stable world.
We work toward that world on a local level by taking action to promote, support and advocate for land based sustainable community living in Hawaii.
We facilitate networking, communication, information sharing and education among those interested in our vision and goals.
Our methodology is to work closely and cooperatively with each other and with local, state and federal government to resolve issues, and to advocate for new and/or amended laws and codes.
Making Hawaii Sustainable
We specifically support and encourage the State of Hawaii’s goal of self-reliance and sustainability. This lifestyle of working together, pooling resources and thereby consuming less is essential to the success of our state becoming more self-reliant on all levels.
The Trend Toward Cooperative Community
In Hawaii and around the world, the phenomenon of people coming together to live on their own land in intentional community is growing. Through our direct experience, we have found this way of living to be conducive to creating and maintaining healthy family units and strong social systems, as well as environmentally sound, sustainable living conditions.
A Solution to Global Challenges Now
We see this way of living as being vital to solving life-threatening conditions facing the globe right now. We are faced with resource degradation, the breakdown of Earth’s ecological systems, the possibility of climate changes, and social issues such as crime, health and economic crises. Recent scientific and media reports regarding current economic, environmental and social conditions in Hawaii and worldwide show an immediate need to take clear and decisive action on these issues. We believe that time is of the essence, and that this lifestyle is one part of the solution.
Increasing Support for Intentional Communities
We have found existing issues that keep sustainable community from being as successful and effective as it could and should be. Even though the practice of living in communal and tribal situations goes far back into the history of human civilization, in modern times the success of communal living has been challenged by the mandated use of modern technologies, current laws, individual attitudes, beliefs and social paradigms.
We realize that solving these issues and building sustainable communities takes careful consideration and a well thought-out process. Our intention is to act expediently, transparently and effectively in cooperation with all.
Current Focus of the Alliance
Right now our focus is on zoning laws, building and infrastructure issues, ease of preparing special use permits, and on building a statewide network of our members.
Future Intentions
We will be a resource for needs that face a community of people living together and caring for their land using natural methods. We will help address different issues that emerge when we consider how to build our homes and storage spaces, design our water and sewage systems, generate energy, and produce food.
We Invite Your Participation!
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