Hawaiian Sustainability Town by Town

Local Food & Energy System s Planning for Sustainability Town by Town HCPO Kaua`i 2011

sustainability town - by - town

• 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

The Kauaian Institute Ken Stokes kauaian.net


Core Insights FROM
SUSTAINABILITY THINKING

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.



thought-leader quotes
“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.”

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

How
could
community
planning?
Our
Common
Journey:
A
Transition
Toward
Sustainability

Board
on
Sustainable
Development,
National
Research
Council,
National
Academy
of
Sciences,
1999

-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐

“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

-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐

“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



sustainability thinking
about

...PLACES

...SYSTEMS

...FARMS

...AG LANDS



island ‘places’

Pearl
City

Hilo

Kahului

Kihei

Wahiawa

Kailua-‐Kona

Lihu`e

Hanapepe
Based
on
2010
Census



scale of ‘places’
“ Census
designated
pl a ces”
2010



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
Switch to
renewables

Food &
Structures
energy farms
integrated with
with soil-
micro-grids
building

Squeeze out Retrofit
fossil fuels roofs

Grow, Homes and
process & vehicles are
store near plugged in
residences

Convert to
electric


four Investments
in 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 Sustainable model
infinite competitive growth life cycle of the organism

MAXIMUM ENTROPY ZERO ENTROPY

from “Dream Farm” by physicist Mae-Wan Ho

bigger fish swallowing the smaller self-similar fractal structure
laying waste to everything in its path cycles turning within cycles

like a hurricane the secret of sustainability

no closed cycle to hold resources within dynamically closed cycle
or to build up stable organized structures enables stable organized structures
to build up and in a balanced way



ZERO EMISSION FOOD & ENERGY (ZEFE) FARMS
CYCLES WITHIN CYCLES



ZEFE Farm System
Feasible
composition
at
200 -‐ acre
scale



ZEFE Farms on Kaua`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.



Kaua ` i Foodshed Mapping

(987
acres
needed)

10,000

residents

(207
acres
needed)

(476
acres
needed)

2,250

5,000

residents

residents



Need
650
ZEFE
farms
statewide



hawai`I town solutions
at scale
• Small towns ZEFE farms
• Long tail building blocks
Possible with available land

In time
• Fossil fuel free ‘smart money’ n o w
• Climate adaptation moving target
Synergistic with ‘green’ trajectory

For all
• Co - op investments switch consumption
• Town - by - town co nsensus plans
Plausible with ‘enable’ strategy



ENABLING THE TRAN SITION
WHA T IF FOOD AND ENERGY
ARE EMERGING IN - TOWN LAND USES?

WHAT IF HOUSEHOLDS ARE INVE S TING
IN COOP FARMS WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE?

WHAT IF EACH TOWN FORGES IT S OWN
FOOD AND ENERGY PLAN?

WHAT IF CONNECTING ZEFE PARCELS
IS A KEY CHALLENGE?

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



WHAT
Extend planning kuleana
Anticipate community resilience initiatives
(especially food & energy)

WHY
Enable sustainability transition
Drive collaborative investments
(especially ‘green’ infrastructure)

HOW
Tool-up for ‘long tail’
Create pallet for small town retrofits
(especially ‘opt-in’ process)


Hawaiian Sustainability Town by Town

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