The women who run the North Shore ranch are the third generation to carry on its rich 45-year history of sustainable operations. Today, Gunstock Ranch is an award-winning destination for thousands of visitors each year.
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The Hawaiian islands have a growing community of Certified B Corps that are using business to bring about positive societal and environmental impacts. Below are the stories of three B Corps committed to positive economic development that puts nature and people first.
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The Kahala Hotel & Resort guests are now planting trees in their sleep.
Through a unique partnership with the nonprofit Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative (HLRI), The Kahala is helping to establish Oahu's first-ever Legacy Forest with the planting of 200,000 native Milo trees.
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As he moves slowly along a narrow ribbon of road not often traveled by tourists, Douglas Nakata shared an exhilarating caution with his passengers.
“Be ready for the downward motion,” he warned. “It’s the steepest road in the state of Hawaii.”
With that, he downshifts his 4x4 for the 900-foot drop from the top of the ridge down into the lush, untamed landscape of Waipio Valley.
“The road is pretty impressive,” he understated.
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Partnering with Legacy Land Steward Monty Richards, HLRI furthers its forestry goals.
About an hour north of Kailua-Kona, on the western slope of Hawai'i Island's oldest volcano, Mount Kohala, cattle, sheep and horses graze along verdant rolling hills. Above them rise ancient cinder cones. In these rough, steep patches of largely untouched terrain, the island's newest native forest is taking shape.
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The first O‘ahu Legacy Forest was announced by the nonprofit Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative (HLRI), located at Gunstock Ranch in Lā‘ie-Mālaekahana. The initial project will span more than 500 acres of land slated for permanent reforestation. The forest will support over 600,000 newly planted Legacy Trees and be home to numerous rare and endangered species.
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An Oahu ranch operated on land owned by an affiliate of the Mormon Church has partnered with its landlord and a nonprofit to re-establish a native forest on most of the 750-acre property in Laie and Malaekahana.
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Hawaii is an ecologically unique place in the USA and its forests are home to 10,000 unique species. Yet deforestation also means it’s home to 25% of the country’s endangered species, leading the WWF to dub it ‘the endangered species capital of the world.’ Now one project is aiming to restore the landscape and ecological balance.
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The long-term goal of the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative is to plant 1.3 million trees
“Forests aren’t like other commodities. You cannot accelerate the time it takes to grow a tree,” says Jeffrey Dunster, executive director of the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative. “The Chinese understood this. A Chinese proverb says: ‘The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.’”
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It was a horrible year where everything fell apart. Foremost among them was the loss of my grandmother, with whom I was close.
While my grandma would have approved of the big turnout for her wake, it seemed more like a fun social gathering with attendees laughing and sharing stories. It clashed with the somberness enshrouding me. The funeral ritual, the well-meaning assurances that she led a long and wonderful life and being surrounded by her loved ones didn’t give me much comfort.
A month later, I still was numb about the ordeal. But I was set to visit Hawaii Island with Hawaiian Legacy Tours. The eco-pioneering company offers tree-planting tours that can serve as tributes. I went looking for an authentic local experience, but left with much more.
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Many of us remember stories of Winnie the Pooh and the Hundred Acre Wood. The nonprofit Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative is bringing these iconic places to life through LegacyForestGifts.com.
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When the nonprofit Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative (HLRI) started planning its new O‘ahu nursery and visitor center, a group of military veterans stepped in to help turn the dream into reality.
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