Developing and Designing the 'Umeke 'Ai Center: An Indigenous Sust'ain,ability and Resiliency Hub

Abstract

Hawai'i, due to its position as an actively colonized island state in an era of worsening climate change, is faced with myriad challenges. Climate adaptation and resilience are critical to combat these issues and increase equity for Native Hawaiians. Molokai, in particular, is an exemplar of Hawaiian frontline communities. Many community members struggle with food and energy insecurity, and the island lacks adequate resources to prepare for the climate crisis and emergencies like wildfires and hurricanes. Sust'ainable Molokai (SM), a local and Indigenous-run nonprofit organization, is seeking to change this through the development of the 'Umeke 'Ai (food bowl) Center, a resilience and food hub that will serve the whole of Molokai. The 'Umeke 'Ai Center will be multifunctional: disaster shelter, food bank, sustainable building model and supplier, an off-grid renewable energy system, a community and 'ohana gathering space, a sustainable farm, and a business incubator. The overarching objective of this project is to establish precedent studies, site assessments, feasibility studies, and a conceptual green building design to inform the construction of this multifaceted hub. We performed simultaneous research methods toward these objectives, including but not limited to: site visits on Molokai, literature reviews focused on Indigenous resilience and food frameworks, NREL energy modeling and greywater model comparisons, GIS mapping of proposed sites, and general data collection on best practices and precedents. We used pre-existing Maui County data and information collected by SM to support our analysis. Our final deliverables consist of a 45-page precedent study report; an ESRI GIS Web App and accompanying site assessment spreadsheet; energy, cost, and integrated water conservation analysis spreadsheets; a for-profit research spreadsheet; and an educational Gala case study. These deliverables are summarized in this report. Our deliverables provide a data-driven research foundation for future work on the 'Umeke 'Ai project, and we endeavor to follow the lead of activists and community members already pursuing these objectives in Hawai'i. Our results show that the 'Umeke 'Ai Center can address Molokai's infrastructure needs while promoting access to locally grown food, clean energy, and water, all rooted in Native Hawaiian environmental stewardship frameworks.