What is it about Kaua‘i?

Last week, I joined a group of Kaua‘i folks to attend a Honolulu conference on education innovation.

“Keiki to Career Kaua‘i” was among the initiatives highlighted at the conference.

It is one of five education innovations around the state; each has taken a slightly different approach.

All started at about the same time, yet our Kaua‘i’s collaboration has moved ahead a bit faster and is bolder and broader in its approach.

A couple of days later, I had the pleasure of facilitating a Get Fit Kaua‘i planning session that focused on expanding its collaboration efforts to improve physical activity and nutrition on the island.

There are similar programs in other counties, but again, Kaua‘i seems to be achieving more.

A few years ago Kaua‘i Island Utilities Cooperative set a bold goal to produce 50 percent of the island’s electric energy from renewable sources, including solar, hydropower and biomass.

Since then, new solar and biomass systems have come online to move the island toward that goal.

Agreements are already in place to get us to 18 percent and work is underway to continue this progress.

Kaua‘i is the leader in the state in replacing fossil fuels with renewables for electricity.

Is this all just a happy coincidence?  

What is it about Kaua‘i that enables us to move forward quicker with innovative approaches?

There are no simple answers to this question and of course we still struggle in many areas.

During my 10 years on Kaua‘i, I have been impressed with our willingness to work together and our belief that together we can achieve more.

That stems, at least in part, from being geographically small so that it is easier to coordinate our activities.  

It may also come from our experiences pulling together during a crisis, such as Hurricanes ‘Iniki or ‘Iwa.

But I think it is more than that.

I think it harkens back to days of watching out for each other in the plantation camps or even further back when communities within an ahupua‘a were essentially self-reliant and everyone had a valued role to play.  

There is an openness of heart here that allows us to trust and help each other.

We recognize that we need each other.  

It feels different than what I experienced living on Maui for nearly 20 years.

Having also observed change over the years, I see an increased willingness to try new things — or to bring back traditional ways of doing things that many had almost forgotten but can be readily applied today.

An example is the programming at Kaua‘i Community College that is ever-evolving to help us attain or regain our skills to be more self-reliant in energy, agriculture and building design.  

Kaua‘i’s Department of Education is piloting new models called smaller learning communities to create a more personal learning environment and institute project-based learning to increase the relevance of education for young people.  

We have seen the proliferation of farmer’s markets around the island, increasing access to healthy, nutritious food and we have one of the few seed banks in the state.

How do we build on these successes?  

What will it take to foster even more creativity and an innovative spirit all around the island?

It will start, I believe, with an open-mindedness and belief in our own individual abilities and the abilities and ideas of those around us, regardless of age.  

It will mean taking risks, doing our best and being willing to fail, knowing that we can learn from our mistakes and do even better next time.  

We can learn from those who have been successful and who have overcome challenges and we can celebrate their success.  

It will also take encouraging those around us when they want to try something new.  

It may mean being their advisor, if asked, or a champion of their efforts.

We all have valued roles to play in the excitement and challenges of our future.  We may be small but we are mighty.  

I am proud to be from Kaua‘i.