The Kohala Center, founded in 2000 in Waimea, works to develop strategies and services that help solve issues faced in rural Hawaiian communities.
According to the Kohala Center website, the center serves as an "independent research, education and land-stewardship non-profit organization for healthier ecosystems." The site defines the center's goal as being "to engage the island of Hawaii as an international model for energy self-reliance, food self-reliance and ecosystem health in a respectful manner."
This goal serves to create a model the organization envisions of Hawaii representing a state of "pono." Pono, the site states, is creating a land in which "people reach their full potential by giving their all to one another, the society and the 'aina (land) itself in return for a fulfilling and peaceful existence" for all who live.
"We turn ancestral knowledge and research into action to improve the conditions that lead to stronger relationships with our place, water, food and people," the website adds.
The three key areas of focus for the center are the result from university- and organization-partner studies that identified these issues of energy self-reliance, food self-reliance and ecosystem health as those most prominently facing residents of the islands.
"Basic and applied analysis, policy research, conservation and restoration projects, public outreach and education are all part of this work, which is carried out through partnerships at the local, state, national and international levels," the site states.
In addition to focusing on these key areas to help resolve the issues continuing to face Hawaiian residents, the Kohala Center has "committed to promoting K-12 education in order for island youth" to be eligible for the knowledge-based jobs that the center and its partners are developing.
To learn more about the center, or to donate to its further development, visit the Kohala Center website.