Life of the Land

I was born and raised on the island of Oahu and yet I’ve never heard of Life of the Land. But I should have. The nonprofit organization was around since 1970 when a group of moms witnessed raw sewage being dumped in the ocean. Their desire to protect Hawaii’s keiki led to the first sewage treatment plant in Sand Island. 

Its accomplishments were so monumental that in a March 14, 1995 Star-Bulletin article entitled, “Key leaders left mark on the state during Hawaii’s growth years,” Life of the Land made it to the top ten during 1965-1975 even though it had only been around for 5 years.

In their early years, current Executive Director Henry Curtis says the organization was busy on a huge case against Hawaiian Electric Company or HECO. HECO proposed to build a high voltage transmission line on Wa’ahila ridge that would connect from Iolani to Palolo. This would cross park and conservation lands. It was a heated battle that endured from 1971-2002 and involved thousands of protesters as well as collaboration from Malama O Manoa, The Outdoor Circle, and Life of the Land. The proposal was finally rejected in 2002 by the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR).

In 1971, they sued the navy for using Kaho’olawe as a bombing range (you can read a picture book about Kaho’olawe here). They also started the first Environmental Research and Law Program (ERLP) at the University of Hawaii. As Curtis says, “We shook up the state from 71-75.”

Since then, the organization continues to fight to protect Hawaii. Curtis says they, “cover all aspects of energy and gas regulations from planning to forecasting to fuel contracts, rate structures, finances and mergers. Anything that goes through regulation.” They do this without federal funding and grants, and are entirely funded through donations.

Curtis says it’s more than a full-time job keeping Hawai’i safe from the threat of climate change. One of his greatest concern these days is protecting Hawaii from increasingly life-threatening natural disasters such as the Maui wildfires.

They continue to work on issues like the water catastrophe in Central Oahu which began in the 1940s when Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed to bury above ground military tanks. Curtis says in the 1990s to early 2000s 4 billion gallons were missing, which they were told could have been evaporated, sank, stolen or an accounting error. In November 2021, about 100,000 people were poisoned from these tanks which were sitting above the aquifer. Since then, the military has removed the tanks and is cleaning the area. Sierra Club Hawaii continues to update the situation on their website.

How You Can Help

These issues along with ongoing hits to our climate by the current administration can leave many helpless and full of despair, but Curtis who has been working for Life of the Land since the 90s offers up a bit of hope.

“The way you eat an elephant is one bite at a time. You don’t have to be an expert, but be passionate and use your expertise. We each can do what we’re best at in bite sized chunks.”

Using your passion and skills as bread crumbs can be motivators and is the way to make a difference.

While their efforts largely go unnoticed, Life of the Land has played and continues to play a significant role in protecting Hawaii’s land, water and people. For those who want to help support them, you can donate to their organization here.

Another way is to get involved in your community and neighborhood. One way is by volunteering and attending town meetings that affect climate issues in your neighborhood. You can also testify at committee meetings on bills during the legislative session. Curtis says, “Most people don’t so each voice matters.”

How to Testify 

1. Listen first. “What I did when I wanted to first understand the legislature is that I would sit in the back row in a committee I wasn’t interested in. I watched how they reacted to staff and testifiers react to issues I wasn’t attached to.” He laughs and says, “But the danger is you become more interested in things you weren’t interested in before.”
2. Focus on a few points. “You don’t want to overwhelm the committee. Simply say one or two lines.”
3. Be polite and friendly.
4. It’s okay if you’re nervous. In fact, that’s a good thing! “When I first testified I was really nervous. When you are no longer nervous, when you no longer have butterflies in your stomach, when you’re no longer anxious when you get up to testify, that’s when you should be retiring. Being nervous makes you passionate and far more believable.”
5. You can testify in the comforts of your own home. “The legislature figured out how to do video. Everything is by Zoom. Anyone can sign up to testify on Zoom about a bill.” There is also a way to testify purely by written statement. Just register for an account here, and search for the bill you are interested in.
6. Testifying matters. “There’s really not enough people that show up on issues. Yesterday there was a bill about providing lunches in school for kids…A whole bunch of students each testified by Zoom why it was important to maintain. It’s an example of just watching and becoming excited about an issue you didn’t know about.”