Aloha ʻĀina is Hawaiian for “love of the land”, and in this episode, I share the background on why I chose to clean up my neighborhood and the small tactics I employ to reduce my overall eco-footprint. I hope this episode inspires you to know that even small actions can have a large impact, and all it takes is a little bit of Aloha.
Background on my influences
- I moved to Maryland last year, but prior to this assignment, I lived in Alaska and Hawai’i (raised a local boy from 83-92). Needless to say, my family and I were spoiled and took advantage of being able to live within the wonders of nature
- Both of those locations have a healthy respect for the environment, living in harmony within the ecosystem and preserving the beauty is a community goal
- When you live on base, you take care of the environment.
- At work – While facility managers have assigned responsibilities, everyone has the responsibility to keep the base clean
- At home – When you see a piece of trash, pick it up and throw it away. Rank doesn’t matter, just keep the base clean
- Nature of my job doesn’t allow much time outside, so I constantly seek to balance my time indoors and outdoors
- I can tell when my body is in search of daylight, fresh air, the heights of a mountain, the tranquility of a forest, the chaos of an ocean, just the sensation of nature
- Everyone needs to unplug and enjoy the silence and beauty of nature
- Aloha ʻĀina is Hawaiian and means “love (aloha) of the land (aina)”. I have a healthy respect for the land and try to minimize my impact on it
- Take care of nature, and nature will take care of you (provide you the balance I previously mentioned)
- I also have a respect for Hawaiian folklore, myths, and legends. I don’t remember how or when I learned of them, but I know certain actions are not to be taken as to anger the gods
- Night Marchers
- Carrying Pork over the Pali Highway
- Turning your back to the ocean
- Whistling at night will call Obake (Japanese for ghosts)
My concerns about the environment
- In general, I want to increase awareness of being a responsible person within the community. Small actions can go a long way
- Reduction of my personal eco-footprint and take care of my local aina
What I’m doing about it
- #alohaaina walks
- Weekly, 2 mile “adopt a highway” clean up effort, minus the formal organization
- Post my progress (each week and a running total) on social media to inspire and show how simple it can be for someone to contribute to clean up
- Increased use of reusable food items to reduce overall disposable trash
- Weekly food prep within reusable food containers and utensils
- Personal water and coffee containers
- Reusable Keuring coffee pods
- Bring my own bags for grocery and food shopping (sometimes I’ll just carry the item and bring it home, no plastic bag needed)
- Recycle as much as possible, but I’m learning that sometimes those programs aren’t as clean as advertised
- Great video from Patagonia – Why Recycled? | Know how your clothes are made
- I’m always interested in smart ways to reduce my impact on the environment. If you have any suggestions or recommendations, please contact me!