About

rbow farm Here at One Island, we practice community listening to identify needs, creative collaboration to implement solutions, and fund development to support the ‘good work’.

 

As a result of this listening, we’ve designed and implemented a diversity of foresighted rural sustainability education and technical assistance projects that have launched the Green Think conversation in multiple rural communities.

 

We are inspired by sister programs around the U.S. and world and find a heart warming synergy happening where ever people begin to recognize and act upon the inter-connectedness of our values, choices and impacts. Each year we are hard at work putting into action innovative community-building projects aimed at fostering a more equitable, just, and environmentally conscious society.

 

The Earth IS our only home, after all.

 

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With our eye on the big ‘global’ picture, as our name evokes, we are implementing local solutions to pressing challenges. We join tens of millions of people who recognize the wisdom of thinking at a multi-generation scale. We honor previous generations’ accomplishments across many cultures and understand we all stand at a cross roads now, today. Our choices DO matter. With a social and environmental responsibility mission, we foster programs that solve challenges today AND that will have positive impacts on future generations. It is all connected.

 

We’ve been focused on the ‘good work’ for over eleven years. One Island is a program of Heritage Ranch, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit founded in 2004 in California as a rural education and economic development organization and that launched with a Hawaii-California collaborative education program. One Island was established in 2008 as a community service program and flagship sustainability educational demonstration facility in South Kona on the Island of Hawaii and is now working in three states.

 

As the work has progressed, the organization’s mission zeroed-in with a focus on social change initiatives that encourage adoption of sustainable living values, behaviors, practices and tools that foster a wiser use of natural and human resources. As a small non-governmental organization, we’ve built a practice of community engagement, generous redistribution of grant funding and resources, and highly value stakeholder support to help our small group of devoted individuals to accomplish big things in the communities we serve.

 

 

 

Our by line in Hawaii has been : “We are all in the same canoe – so grab a paddle and be part of the Sustainability solution”

 

See the list of over 250 classes, workshops and events we’ve offered and consider offering these in your own community (click to view)

 

Cornerstone Project’s we’ve accomplished since 2004:

  • Acquisition of a long term land use agreement for an organic farm as a project site, in Hawaii, 2004-2016
  • Full Circle Network – Rural Distance Learning project serving 3 schools in California and Hawaii 2004-2007, USDA RUS support
  • Rural Innovation Center project in Hawaii, branded as the One Island Sustainable Living Center, HUD RHED support
  • AmeriCorps NCCC grant for 10 crew team to help prepare to open One Island, National Corporation for Community Service support
  • West Hawaii Sustainable Energy project serving 185 households, farms, non-profits and small businesses 2008-2013, USDA RUS support
  • Hosted Awakening the Dreamer Symposium, 2009 as the Grand Opening event
  • Host community Health and Wellness, YES! Youth Camp, Summer Solstice, Ethnobotany, Solar Energy, Art exhibits and Music events 2010-current
  • Same Canoe Community Gardens project providing support to local community gardens and gardeners focused on increasing local food production and protecting pollinator and forest habitat, 2011-2013, USDA Peoples Garden support
  • Honaunau Now! – Farmers Market Promotion Grant that hosted know-your-farmer events, tours, farmers’ market, youth ag camp, and inter farm cooperative efforts, 2011-2013 USDA AMS
  • One Island Sustainability Innovation Challenge, island wide contest to recognize and reward inventors and designers, 2012, with support from local restaurants, hotels and merchants
  • No Fruit Left Behind food gleaning project, 2011-2012, State of Hawaii Labor Dept support
  • Water is the Source of Life programming in North Kohala, 2014
  • The Green School program was formed in 2014 and continues to deliver education programs to all ages
  • The Turtle Island Alliance is working to provide rural development and capacity building services in Hawaii, California and Washington to small farms and farmers’ markets, schools, art centers and community organizations, formed in 2014
  • Same Canoe Local Food Challenge, serving North and West Hawaii, 2015-current, USDA NIFA

 

Total project funding to date is over $2.8 million serving Hawaii, California and Washington rural communities.

 

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On the Horizon – Upcoming Projects for One Island

 

Rural Development

 

Heritage Ranch and One Island are undertaking a capacity building initiative to begin developing Green Village housing and light commercial / agricultural use properties in two rural communities in Hawaii and Washington. Working with a coalition of federal, state, non-profit and local partners, our goal is to undertake sustainable development of 40 acres of land that will provide farm worker housing, demonstration sustainable agriculture, food-focused retail, education and cultural events, and provide land trust home ownership options. These facilities will carry forth the work of sustainability education and provide a fun mix of inspiring art, culture, ag, youth, adult and integrated community wellness learning experiences. Fundraising goal for the two projects is $15 million and will be achieved through a combination of federal, state and private investments.

 

Food System Empowerment

 

The Turtle Island Alliance has been initiated with partner stakeholders in Hawaii, California and Washington. One wing of the project is connecting teaching farms to new education, land use planning and land tenure, and sustainable agriculture methods and resources.

A second wing is connecting Farmers’ Markets in coastal areas of the three states to help increase community and economic support for the markets and the small farms they serve.

 

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