Aloha from Hawaii

What a blessing to spend my family vacation in Hawaii this year. Whenever I prepare for a trip, if there is a James Mitchner book about our destination, I like to read it as a way to acquaint myself with where we're going. I realize that his books are historical fiction with dated concepts, but I still find them as a fun and engaging way to become familiar with an area. So I read “Hawaii”. What a tale!

Two things stood out to me:

1. First, that literally everything came to these volcanic islands from somewhere else: the people, the plants, the animals.
2. And second, the deeper, richer meaning of the the term “Aloha” (/əˈloʊhɑː/ ə-LOH-hah, Hawaiian: [əˈlohə]). While this term is commonly used as a greeting, its broader meaning is “love, affection, peace, compassion, and mercy.” And for Native Hawaiians, aloha has deeper cultural and spiritual significance; it defines a force that holds together existence. Native Hawaiian culture holds a reverence for life and belief in the interconnectedness of the natural world.

As my family and I embarked on our very first hike to a beautiful waterfall in the rainforest, what struck me was that we were surrounded by non-native and “invasive species” that were choking out the native trees that had been growing there for centuries. Sigh. And despite the island’s attempts to keep out any more non-natives, it has been and continues to be a struggle to keep out these invaders and preserve the native ecosystems. 

I expected an island state to have a deep commitment to sustainability. So I was a bit disappointed when we first visited legendary Waikiki Beach and found almost no attempt to sort recycling at trash collection sites. When I was in Barcelona, Spain late last year, I learned that they do an incredible job of sorting trash, so I figured a place like Hawaii would have at least a similar approach to trash reduction. 

On a more positive note, I did learn about the “Reef Friendly” sunscreen required on all the islands (and in my mind should be required everywhere since all water is connected). Hawaii banned the sale of sunscreens with certain common ingredients that harm corals. Did you know we have coral and reefs, such as whip corals and oyster reefs, in the Chesapeake? So this is a practice we could all easily adopt to protect all kinds of reef habitat!

Another interesting discovery was the low-impact features in the Hilo house we stayed in near Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, such as no air conditioning, but it was not needed with the mild Hawaiian climate. The water heater was solar powered and all of the runoff from the roof was captured in a huge cistern, treated, and then used in the house since there was no well, public water, or sewer. Of course, in a rainforest, there is no need to worry about drought, especially during the rainy season. 

The last hike of our trip took us across a lava field, where hot lava once scorched everything in its path. You might think nothing could survive in this vast lava desert, but miraculously, life finds a way, with plants growing in cracks and crevices — a beautiful reminder of nature's resilience and renewal that we can also find within ourselves.

As summer draws to a close and the Jewish month of Elul (the 6th month in the Jewish calendar) begins, I start preparing for the approaching High Holidays, or the Days of Awe, approaching this fall. Thus begins a time for reflection and introspection. We begin to think of “t’shuvah” or repentance for the wrongs we have done to both people and our beloved planet.

For this reflective period, my co-worker Mollie has suggested this lovely book, Earth Etudes for Elul by Katy Z. Allen. The book's description says:

“Elul is the time for us to begin to make atonement for the things we wish we had or hadn’t done, and to renew ourselves, to do all we can to get ourselves to change. To help you on this journey, you will find in this volume a series of reflections for the month of Elul, divrei Earth—teachings that connect Earth and Torah.  Use this text to help you expand your own reflections about t’shuvah…” 

We as a people can always strive to learn from each other, recognize our interdependence, and do better.

Aloha to all.