Aloha ‘āina

Life in Hawaii may seem like a foreign country at times with the vast number of languages spoken in the islands. Foreign languages aside, such as Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Okinawan, Portuguese and Spanish, the two primary languages of Hawai'i are the native language referred to as ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi , and Hawaii Creole English, (HCE) known as pidgin.  ʻ Ōlelo Hawaiʻi is still practiced by many, and particular words or phrases are used by all. Streets and towns are named using the  ʻ Ōlelo Hawaiʻi Hawaiian language and spelling. The Hawaiian ʻ Ōlelo Hawaiʻi language consists of 12 letters, A, E, H, I, K, L, M, N, O, P, O and W. Five are vowels and seven are consonants. This accounts for why there are towns such as Ka'a'awa that may prompt a chuckle, or two, by people not familiar with the language and proper spelling, but once you learn about the language the more it makes perfect since.  The symbols between the As in Ka'a'awa are called an O...

The state of Hawaii is known for its beautiful tropical landscape. The steep mountains jet out of the sea going from sea level to 2000 feet in a very short distance. Only the larger islands (there are 136 islands in total) have enough flat land for towns and cities to be established. This land restrictive lifestyle poses a major problem when it comes to material waste, making recycling a must. When I moved back to the Midwest I was taken off guard by having to pay to recycle. Paying to recycling moves if from a necessary way of life to a luxury. Many of my friends do not recycle because of its rising cost to the resident. Ironically even landfills in St. Louis become full and new landfill facilities must be established. Not so ironic is how when a family begins to recycle they will find their recycle bin fills to the brim and their waste can needs are cut in half. It's easy to assume then that our landfill needs could also be cut in half if more households were e...