WiRE is a networking association for women who are helping to create a sustainable Hawai`i powered by clean energy. WiRE is an inclusive group, comprising women who are active in the various sectors of renewable energy as well as those who may support the cause through activities or work in related fields.

The luncheon is $14 for members and $18 for non-members, and includes a three-course lunch provided by the Maui Culinary Academy. You can become a member at www.hawaiiwire.org/membership. RSVP for the event by February 7 at www.hawaiiwire.org. Space is limited.

For more information, visit www.hawaiiwire.org, or contact:

Jennifer Chirico, Sustainable Living Institute of Maui, jchirico@hawaii.edu

Thursday, January 26, 2012
5:30–7:30 p.m.
Class Act Restaurant, Pa’ina Building, Maui College

The Sustainable Living Institute of Maui (SLIM) and EdVenture (formerly VITEC) at UH Maui College present their next Sustainable Business Pau Hana, “Green Business and Investing Locally”.

The emerging green economy reflects profound shifts in how Americans are shopping, banking, and investing. As consumers consider the environmental, social, and governance issues of the companies making the products and services they purchase, the movement to “go green” has mainstreamed in recent years. Discover exciting opportunities to use money as a tool for social justice, community development, corporate reform, and ecological sustainability. Learn how to grow the green economy through education, standards, advocacy, and investment in a free provocative presentation with Michael Kramer and James Frazier of Hawaii’s own Natural Investments LLC at 5:30pm on January 26, 2012 at Maui College. Whether you want to create a Hawaii-recognized Sustainable Business Corporation, invest in our local green economy, make capitalism more compassionate and ecologically wise, or help alleviate poverty and build community capacity, many strategies are available today to align your values with your business operations, purchases, and investments. You’ll be amazed to hear what’s happening here in Hawaii to grow our green economy, and how these efforts connect to national and global regenerative and responsible practices and initiatives.

Michael Kramer is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary, Managing Partner, and Director of Social Research at Natural Investments LLC. Michael has lived on Hawai`i Island since 1999, where he founded the Kuleana Green Business Program of the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce in 2005 as well as the Kona Earth Festival. He currently serves on the board of the Sustainability Association of Hawai`i and the Hawai`i Alliance for a Local Economy, and is a 20-year permaculture teacher and teacher trainer.
James Frazier is a local, green, and sustainable investing specialist with Natural Investments LLC, based in Maui and Port Townsend, WA. He is a co-founder of the Local Investing Opportunities Network (LION) of East Jefferson County, WA, and a finance graduate of the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania. Outside the financial world, his passion for sustainable living has spurred him to explore permaculture, eco-building, natural medicine, yoga, renewable power systems, and more.

RSVP to sliminfo@hawaii.edu. For more information, visit the SLIM website.

7:30 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
January 9, 2012
Pukalani Community Center’s Poolroom.

Matthew Lynch will introduce PERMABLITZ- a grassroots movement restoring Hawaii’s food security, one backyard at a time – to Maui residents.

Matt is a local boy who has spent the last two years wandering the planet in search of people, places, and projects making a positive contribution to our world. His work in Sustainability, Regenerative Agriculture, and Regenerative Enterprise has taken him (so far) to Australia, New Zealand, Mongolia, Germany, and now to Maui.

Permablitz was recently featured on Hawaii News Now, and Matt recently shared the stage at TEDxHonolulu with some of Hawaii’s leading innovators.

Come and learn more about how the simple act of helping each other grow our own food can help build resilience, enrich lives, and move us beyond sustainability towards building communities which restore and enhance the world around us.

The event will be held at the Pukalani Community Center’s Poolroom (across from Foodland, connected to the swimming pool complex). It is free and open to the public. Questions, call Melanie at 573-9260

Read full Maui News article..

See Huffington Post article.

See details about the The Low Impact Woodland Home

“A solar panel and a compressor now becomes your refinery and without huge battery packs to dispose of, we now have a low-cost to free powered bike with minimum impact on the environment.”

Read SmartPlanet article..

Read full NewsObserver.com article..

‘And we want to do it by 2018,’ says Mary Clear, 56, a grandmother of ten and co-founder of Incredible Edible, as the scheme is called.

Everyone plants vegetables everywhere in town – like on the police station grounds and by the train station. Surplus vegetables grown at the high school go on sale, with all proceeds going directly back to the school.

Read full Wake Up World article..