Hawaiian Sustainability Town by Town

Local Food & Energy Systems Planning for Sustainability Town by Town HCPO Kauaì 2011

The Kauaian Institute Ken Stokes kauaian.net

sustainability townsustainability town--byby--towntown

• Highlight forces and trajectories

• Outline system synergies

• Apply to small island towns

• Anticipate planning scope and tools

Key Point: Community planners must extend kuleana to explicitly include food and energy security



Core In s ight sCore In s ight s FROM FROM SU STA INAB I L I TY TH INK INGSU STA INAB I L I TY TH INK ING

1. View sustainability as a place-based science.

2. Need solutions at scale, in time, for all.

3. Seek systems resolution for all challenges together.



thoughtthought -- l eader quote sl eader quote s “The major threats and opportunities of the sustainability transition

are not only multiple, cumulative, and interactive, but also place-‐based. In other words, it is in specific regions with distinctive social and ecological attributes

that the critical threats to sustainability emerge, and where a successful transition will need to be based.

A useful science for sustainability would need to balance

its conventional preference for universal truths with a deep commitment to engaging

the unique sustainability challenges of specific places.”

Our Common Journey: A Transition Toward Sustainability Board on Sustainable Development, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences, 1999

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“We most need pathways to a sustainable future that deliver solutions which are at scale, in time, for all.”

MIT President Susan Hockfield, 2008 Keynote, Alliance for Global Sustainability

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“Too often, the cause of our problems is our solutions. We cannot resolve any one of these threats

without finding resolutions for all of them together.”

Amory Lovins, Chairman & Chief Scientist, Rocky Mountain Institute

How could S&T better support a transition toward sustainability? How could community planning?



sustainability thinkingsustainability thinking about about

...PLACES...PLACES

...SYSTEMS...SYSTEMS

...FARMS...FARMS

...AG LANDS...AG LANDS



island ‘places’island ‘places’

Based on 2010 Census

Pearl City

Hilo

Kahului

Kihei

Wahiawa

Kailua-‐Kona

Lihuè

Hanapepe



scale of ‘places’ scale of ‘places’ ““Census designated plCensus designated plaaces” ces” 20102010



Island systems & strategic sustainability

80% ghg reduction asap

focus on four systems

squeeze out fossil fuels

redesign/retrofit all four simultaneously at town scale



sustainability mission: four systems TOGETHER

Homes and vehicles are plugged in

Structures integrated with

micro-grids

Food & energy farms

with soil-building

Grow, process & store near residences

Switch to renewables

Convert to electric

Squeeze out fossil fuels

Retrofit roofs



four Investmentsfour Investments in productive assetsin productive assets

• To help islands achieve "climate prosperity"

• Tackle largest parts of our ecological footprint * • Simultaneously bolster our community resilience

1. High-EROI renewable energy generation

2. Low-cost mobile/distributed energy storage

3. Grid-integrated vehicle/building conversion

4. Town-linked food production/distribution/storage

• $40,000 per household total investment with high IRR

• The first three investments are currently attractive to households/businesses • All four could also be financed by shifting equity out of pension/savings funds

[* energy, transport & food ]



Dominant model infinite competitive growth

MAXIMUM ENTROPY

bigger fish swallowing the smaller laying waste to everything in its path

like a hurricane

no closed cycle to hold resources within or to build up stable organized structures

Sustainable model life cycle of the organism

ZERO ENTROPY

self-similar fractal structure cycles turning within cycles

the secret of sustainability

dynamically closed cycle

enables stable organized structures to build up and in a balanced way

from “Dream Farm” by physicist Mae-Wan Ho




Z ER O EM ISS IO N FO O D & EN ER G Y Z ER O EM ISS IO N FO O D & EN ER G Y ( ZE FE )(ZE FE ) FA RM S FA RM S C YC LES W ITH IN C YC LESC YC LES W ITH IN C YC LES



ZEFE Farm Sy s t emZEFE Farm Sy s t em Feasible composit ion at 200Feasible composit ion at 200 -‐-‐ acre scaleacre scale




ZEFE FarZEFE Far mm s on s on Kaua` iKaua` i Acreage required with ‘bio-intensive’ yields

Based on 2010 Census counts and John Jeavons’ crop yield “Master Charts”

* At bio-intensive productivity = 10 people per acre; Kauai needs ~30 ZEFE farms of 200 acres each

(plus another 10 farms for growth by 2030; plus another 6 farms for distributed population) NOTE: Karl Kim’s IAL study estimates Kauai’s non-meat diet can be grown on 15,000 acres.



KauaKaua`̀i Foodshed Mappingi Foodshed Mapping

10,000 residents

2,250 residents 5,000

residents

(987 acres needed)

(207 acres needed)

(476 acres needed)



Need 650 ZEFE farms statewide



hawaiÌ town solutionshawaiÌ town solutions

at scaleat scale •• Small townsSmall towns ZEFE farmsZEFE farms •• Long tailLong tail building blocksbuilding blocks

Pos s i b l e w i t h ava i l ab l e l andPos s i b l e w i t h ava i l ab l e l and

In timeIn time •• Fossil Fossil fuel freefuel free ‘smart money’ ‘smart money’ nownow •• Climate adaptationClimate adaptation moving targetmoving target

Syne rg i s t i c w i t h ‘ g r een ’ t r a j e c to r ySyne rg i s t i c w i t h ‘ g r een ’ t r a j e c to r y

For allFor all •• CoCo--op investmentsop investments switch consumptionswitch consumption •• TownTown--byby--towntown coconsensus plansnsensus plans

P l au s i b l e w i t h ‘ enab l e ’ s t r a t egyP l au s i b l e w i t h ‘ enab l e ’ s t r a t egy



ENABLING THE TRANENABLING THE TRANSITIONSITION

WHAWHAT IFT IF FOOD AND ENERGY FOOD AND ENERGY ARE EMERGING INARE EMERGING IN--TOWN LAND USES?TOWN LAND USES?

WHAT IF HOUSEHOLDS ARE INVEWHAT IF HOUSEHOLDS ARE INVESSTINGTING

IN COOP FARMS WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE?IN COOP FARMS WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE?

WHAT IF EACH TOWN FORGES ITWHAT IF EACH TOWN FORGES ITSS OWN OWN FOOD AND ENERGY PLAN?FOOD AND ENERGY PLAN?

WHAT IF CONNECTING ZEFE PARCELSWHAT IF CONNECTING ZEFE PARCELS

IS A KEY CHALLENGE?IS A KEY CHALLENGE?

WHAT IF FOODWHAT IF FOOD--RELATED RELATED TRIPSTRIPS (NOW 15(NOW 15% OF TOTA% OF TOTAL)L) LARGELY DISAPPEAR?LARGELY DISAPPEAR?



WHAT

Extend planning kuleana An t i c i pa t eAn t i c i pa t e commun i t y commun i t y r e s i l i ence i n i t i a t i ve s r e s i l i ence i n i t i a t i ve s

(especially food & energy)

WHY Enable sustainability transition

D r i ve co l l abo r a t i ve i nves tmDr i ve co l l abo r a t i ve i nves tm ee n t sn t s (especially ‘green’ infrastructure)

HOW Tool-up for ‘long tail’

C r ea te pa l l e t f o rC rea te pa l l e t f o r sma l l t own r e t r o sma l l t own r e t r o ff i t si t s (especially ‘opt-in’ process)

Documents

Hawaiian Sustainability Town by Town