Environmental Entrepreneurs
Last fall, Kailua residents who walk the crescent-shaped trail around Kawainui Marsh might have noticed the changes. Small islands of paper bark and octopus trees interspersed through the cattails and bulrushes were disappearing, and green space along the marsh’s eastern edge was opening up. Some might have seen the cause: two young figures pushing their way through the 8-foot high saw grass and mud, wielding chain saws and heading for the clumps of trees.
“We cut down 770 trees over four days for the state,” recalls John Leong as Matt Ramsey nods next to him. The two 23-year-olds are partners in Pono Pacific, an environmental contracting company they founded a year ago
Meeting them is inspirational. They’re young, incredibly good-natured, and, if that were not enough, are possessed of a staggering commitment to something people rarely give Hawai`i’s younger generation credit for: staying home and helping Hawai`i out.
“One of our goals in forming this company is so we can either retain or bring environmental talent back to the islands,” John explains. “We want to provide an opportunity for people who want to be in Hawai`i but don’t feel they can use their skills anywhere. We’re only two right now, but in the long run what we’re looking at is a full-time staff.”
In an environmental climate dominated by non-profit and grassroots groups, Pono Pacific is the rare exception to the rule that making money is somehow “anti-environment.” Their creative entrepreneurship coupled with a deep commitment to raising awareness about Hawai`i’s natural resources is unusual – and one can’t help but hope it’s contagious. Few things would benefit Hawai`i so much as dispelling the common perception of an inherent conflict between economic and ecological health. Pono Pacific is a testament to the potential of fusing the two.
After meeting in the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) Program, John and Matt forged a friendship through their growing interest in conservation issues. Both were at college on the East Coast, but spent their summers in close contact, interning at various divisions of the DLNR and cultivating valuable relationships with people such as wildlife manager Dave Smith, who would later help them formulate a business plan that reflected the needs of government agencies and non-profit organizations.
What they came up with was a company that could be hired for a variety of services–from pest control to planting native species and trail maintenance — that agencies and non-profits often lack the resources to do themselves. “Managers don’t always have the funds to hire full-time employeesÉ but a lot of the time they can get funding for specific projects,” says Matt. “We recognized that conservation is a never-ending field in that there are never enough people to do all that needs to be done.”
In this respect, Pono Pacific has identified one of the unfortunate inconsistencies in Hawai`i’s conservation efforts: they frequently lack the resources to sustain well-designed environmental projects. In addition, few companies have taken the initiative in developing what could easily be an industry in itself. Hawai`i’s potential as a center for developing conservation and restoration services is only beginning to be explored, and not surprisingly, fresh young minds like John and Matt are leading the pack.
“We really try to think out of the box,” says John. For instance, noticing that some golf courses on the mainland were doing native plant restoration projects, Pono Pacific sent out proposals to local golf courses for the same thing. Ko`olina Resort responded, and Pono Pacific collaborated with a friend pursuing a master’s degree in horticulture from the University of Hawai`i to redesign its golf course using native plants. Through Ko`olina’s community outreach program, students and residents from the area volunteered to help.
Other projects Pono Pacific has worked on include predator control at Ohiapilo on Molokai`s South shore, where they worked under contract to the national non-profit Ducks Unlimited. There they set mongoose traps to protect endangered a`eo (Hawaiian stilt) eggs.
They worked with the DLNR on the Mokulua islets off Lanikai, a sanctuary for the wedgetail shearwater. Because the birds spread non-native plants like milkweed, the area was weeded and then replanted with natives, including `ilima and pohinahina.
With the state’s Na Ala Hele program strapped for manpower, Pono Pacific also maintained the heavily trafficked Maunawili trail this past summer, inviting volunteer groups along “because another reason why we started this is to educate,’ says John.
Their big achievement in this respect is a contract to coordinate this year’s YCC program for the DLNR. “We changed the program a little this year,” notes John, “because the big thing for us is partnerships. It used to be organized only within DLNR, but we wanted to open it up and show that there are a variety of different perspectives on conservation. So we involved Kilauea Point, National Tropical Botanical Gardens, Koke`e Natural History Museum, and U.H. Sea Grant as well as other agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture.” Rather than staying in one site for the entire summer program, they set up internship sites on Kaua`i, Kaho`olawe and O`ahu in order “to give the students the depth we’re looking for.”
The two also approached Powder Edge, an outdoor equipment store, for sponsorship and support. Backpacks and water bottles were quickly donated for the entire YCC program, and fuel bottles were given to John and Matt for other projects.
“Convincing people that what we’re doing is real, and really has a benefit is a challenge, and right now we’re only testing out the waters and seeing what’s available,” says John. “We’re still kind of like fresh lava, in a sense; we haven’t taken shape yet. We recognize that we only have a limited amount of knowledge, but there’s a lot of other talent that can make up for what we lack.”
“I feel very fortunate in having been exposed to this work,” Matt reflects, “because unless you’re out there you donÿt really get to see what a difference it makes. The majority of my friends don’t have a clue about Hawai`i’s environment, and I don’t think the environmental ethic is where it should be yet, but it’s definitely improving.”
For more information:
Pono Pacific
3344 Kahawalu Drive
Honolulu HI 96817
[url=http://www.ponopacific.com]http://www.ponopacific.com[/url]
— Catherine Black
Volume 12, Number 4 October 2001
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