We can make things better

Thank you all for your kind messages of?support regarding the?Lahaina?wildfire. We're sorry if we haven't been able to reply to each of you individually but are so thankful for all who have reached out and asked how you can help.

Margaret and I are okay but our home in Lahaina burned to the ground like so many others.?It is for the families of those killed, the many burn victims, and all who have lost homes and jobs that our hearts break for and who need our help, not us. We are grateful to all the first responders and Maui hospital staff?who are?working tirelessly to ease the pain.

It has been a very emotional time for us and many others who have connections to Maui, and especially Lahaina. As you know, the Lahaina fires destroyed the town and much of Puamana, our neighborhood in Lahaina. For those of you who have enjoyed visiting Puamana, the historic clubhouse was destroyed as were most of the homes and old growth trees. Our hearts are heavy thinking of the old palms,?mango, and plumeria trees that are no more. We're feeling a bit overwhelmed right now because too many of our family and friends in Lahaina have seen their lives turned completely upside down. Thankfully they're all safe but everything they had is now gone, their homes and their jobs.

Most live in typical Hawaiian multi-generational households like our good friend Reymond and his family who have had five generations living together. When he called us the day after the fire to let us know that the?whole family was safe after a narrow escape, you could hear the sadness and fatigue in his voice. The same was true for our friends Ekolu, Puanani and their family. Their historic, multi-generational home in Lahaina has been destroyed. When Ekolu texted to let us know they were all safe, he simply said that his heart is broken and they're?trying to pick up the pieces. The impact of the?fire is just so deep and far-reaching it's?hard to fathom.?

If you would like to help, we suggest that general donations for Maui's recovery be directed toward:

The Hawaii Community Foundation

The Maui United Way or

The American Redcross

They are all doing important work that will benefit all on Maui who are affected.?

If you would like your donation to be more targeted, we'd suggest several GoFundMe efforts for friends of ours. No amount is too small, and we know all will be appreciated.?

One GoFundMe is for our "Maui family," the Tadeo’s. Reymond's Grandma had the most beautiful garden that she tended to like a baby. The house and garden that?has been part of the family for generations is gone.?So are all their vehicles, tools, and their jobs. Reymond worked at the Lahaina harbor which no longer?exists. Most of the others in his family work in the tourism industry which has been decimated.

We first met Reymond and his family many years ago after he had graciously stopped to help my wife Margaux when she was having car troubles on the way to the airport. His response and help were a beautiful demonstration of Aloha. Since that time, we've been fortunate to get close to many more of his family, his daughters and their significant others and their children. All of them have been impacted and they are thankful for any assistance you can provide. The Tadeo's?GoFundMe page can be found here .

Another worthy GoFundMe is to help many of the staff who work for Kipuka Olowalu (KO). Ekolu, Ua, Makayla, and Lizzy have all lost their homes and everything they had. Along with Tej and Karin, they are the heart and soul of KO and their lives turned upside down.

As an organization, Kipuka Olowalu has been leading the restoration and reforestation of the Olowalu valley on west Maui educating thousands of visitors and local?volunteers like myself in traditional Hawaiian planting, land management and cultural practices.

KO is where I volunteer and work when I'm on the island. Through their efforts they are demonstrating a more sustainable and superior?approach to land management compared to current "modern" methods that waste water and rely on reef-harming practices. In a little over 4 years, thousands of visitors and local volunteers have cleared invasive species and replanted a native and endemic lowland food forest without the use of chemicals, restoring the soil biome, and enabling the return of a healthy native ecosystem. It's truly beautiful and amazing to witness, especially since the land was once horribly abused by the chemical farming practices of sugar cane production. Those practices depleted the land to such a degree that nothing would grow but 8' tall drought-intolerant invasive grasses. The chemicals used for cane cultivation also damaged the reefs and aquatic life from runoff. However, in four short years, the Olowalu valley is no longer a wasteland but a beautiful forest where birds, bees, and other pollinators have returned. Chemicals no longer flow from Olowalu stream to the reef. We can make things better.

Thankfully, the Olowalu valley and the lowland food forest survived the fire. It's a fantastic example and testament to how quickly humans can restore and regenerate the land and water even if it seemed impossible after destruction. When we work with nature and unite together to take care of the land and water as the Hawaiian ancestors taught, we can make things even better than what they were.?So have hope, we can restore things even in the face of what seem like overwhelming odds. KO proves it can be done.

Please support the staff who have lost everything so they can continue to do their important work while trying to rebuild their lives. Their GoFundMe page can be found here .

Kipuka Olowalu is also where we learned the?beautiful concept behind the Hawaiian word "Malama" and the depth of meaning behind the word "Aloha." Malama means, "to care for?properly,"?where 'properly' is the operative word.?It’s?one thing 'to care' for something or someone but it's next level to care for someone or something?properly.?Learning to care for properly requires an understanding based on another's needs, not our own, and applies that knowledge to nurture the other with the care it deserves. It's a type of awareness and respect that recognizes and honors the 'mana' or life force of all inanimate and animate things.?"Aloha"?is more than just a greeting, it means mutual regard and affection, extending warmth in caring with no obligation in return. It is selfless. Aloha?is the essence of relationships in which each person is important to every other person for our collective existence.?Aloha?means to hear what is not said, to see what cannot be seen and to know the unknowable.?The mindset of Aloha and the practice of Malama elevate taking care of each other and our planet to something sustainable and incredibly beautiful.?We've experienced that firsthand in the embrace of the Tadeo family and witnessed the hope and inspirational restoration achieved at Kipuka Olowalu.?

This fire's devastation is a symptom of our collective mistakes, and we all play a role in making it better. Fires will happen, but they do not need to be as destructive as this. I wonder how much more resilient Lahaina and the West Maui mountains' slope might have been if the land had been restored and regenerated instead of being populated?by drought-susceptible invasive grasses and landscaped with non-native species? What if Maui and the rest of the world moved beyond inefficient landscaping, agricultural, and building practices that contribute to our collective vulnerability? What if we didn't just think of our homes and land in isolation but as part of a bigger and more important ecosystem? We will only have ourselves to blame if we continue harmful 'status quo' practices expecting a different outcome the next time a hurricane, fire, or natural disaster occurs. Maybe this tragedy can be an opportunity for all of us, no matter where you may live, to rethink how we can take better care of our land, water, and each other. You may not be under the threat of wildfire where you live, but the effects of climate change span all geographies, politics, ethnic, racial, and religious identities. The Lahaina fire destroyed everything it touched equally.??

We humans can do better. We can adapt and become more resilient to events like these, but it requires that we start with small changes in our own mindsets and behaviors, Margaux and mine included. We can rebuild cost-effectively and efficiently to improve ecosystems and reduce our energy impact. We can plant better and use water more wisely when we understand and nurture the environment where we live, even in a city. We can stop on the beach to pick up that piece of plastic and dispose of it properly instead of walking by and allowing it to be washed into the river, lake, or ocean. We can use more sustainable materials, use energy more efficiently and continue to innovate and move away from sources we know to be harmful to humans and our planet. We can reduce harmful and wasteful building and landscaping practices by trying new methods designed for efficiency and enhancing the environment rather than depleting it. Unfortunately, these methods have yet to be widely adopted around the world, especially on the islands, but now is the time for change.

Our hope is that each of you reading this takes the time to reflect on a place you love dearly and ask yourself, how can I do something small to take care of it properly and make it a little better? Our collective actions do add up and they all count. Just imagine if only 10% of us started to pick up more plastic, consume less, plant more drought tolerant plants and trees that support the pollinators and creatures that sustain all of us. Those actions will have a material benefit for all living things, including us humans.?

Thank you again for all your kind words and support. Any size donation you can provide to the victims of this terrible disaster is very welcome and appreciated. Now for the hard work to help the people and heal the land and ocean. Please keep the island and all its peoples in your hearts.?

We hope you all may experience Aloha and Malama wherever you may journey or live.?

Mahalo,

Erik and Margaret (Margaux) Giesa