Our Vision
We define our future in three ways:
Nature in the Center - re-establish our interconnectedness with all living things and become a beneficial ally for our Mother Earth.
Circular Economy - also known as cradle to cradle, all our activities strive to be regenerative and closing the loop from material to waste in energy and resources.
Children’s Laughter - a place filled with joyful laughter is the ultimate goal of Akahiao.
Explore the world with a sense of wonder.
Discover the hidden pathways, the unwritten histories, your own personal story, and a world of new possibilities.
Innovate with creative excellence to build models of a better world.
Integrate life, learning, communities and a sense of place into a purposeful existence.
Vision: Model For Our Future
Mission: Explore, Discover, Innovate, Integrate
Mission: Explore, Discover, Innovate, Integrate
Core Values:
An audaciousness to make a change and speak up when something isn’t right.
COURAGE to follow the north star
At Akahiao, our intent is to build a community of ecologically aware leaders who have the will and the skills to create the future they want to see. They will be the first who will stand up for our planet Earth when faced with dire ecological situations. Rather than seeing the future as a giant tumbling boulder while we stand helplessly at the bottom of the hill, our participants will—just as the navigators pull the islands out of the ocean—realize the ideal future into existence.
The appreciation for our unique expressions and an openness to a world of possibilities.
CREATIVITY and the power of imagination
Our human form is ideal for observing our planet earth - from the individual cells that make a leaf to the burning ball of energy billions of light years away. And our most precious gift is our imagination that takes us beyond what we can observe and create a world that we want to live in. With an understanding that our current ways are destructive, we simply need to use our creative skills to innovate and adapt to a new way of being in this world and create the paradigm that benefits all life on earth.
The recognition of our interconnectedness and embracing with compassion and gratitude.
CONNECTED through aloha and mahalo
Our everyday lives can be so separated from nature and from one another that we forget our connections and have this image of ourselves as just one person. We are never that, we are a product of millions of people being born and dying, we are the amalgamation of billions of cells that were once a tree, a star, a speck of dirt, a feather on a owl. The natural systems at work has provided us with all the sustenance that we need: water, air, food, light, and energy. Our activities at Akahiao will emphasize the connectivity of all life and incorporate practices to instill empathy and gratitude toward the natural world.
“Without the soaring birds, the great forests, the sounds and coloration of the clouds by day and the stars at night, we become impoverished in all that makes us human”
- Thomas Berry
The human form is ideal for the observation and comprehension of this planet Earth. We can almost see each individual cell that compose a human body and can actually see into molecular structures with tools we build with our own hands. We are also able to see, with our naked eyes, the twinkling lights billions of light years away and build instruments that allow us to see and comprehend these massive orbs of energy far beyond our physical reach. The curvature of the Earth is so slight to our perception that the Earth was flat only to be “discovered” after so many life times of its true shape. The Earth is still a huge playground, with horizons that seem so far away but just within our own reach. In over two hundred thousand years of existence, there are the depths of oceans that we have yet to see.
We are born with five senses so that we can see, hear, taste, feel and smell the unquantifiable expressions of this world. We are endowed with a sense of wonder and awe to consciously experience the magnificence of this planet. Our sense of responsibility can perpetuate a mutual care for humans and other life forms while our conscience and moral struggles give meaning to existence. We are children of this Earth, evolved in such a way that we can experience the world in all its glory and even contribute to its beauty. We are a manifestation of life that emerged that has the ability to consciously understand and appreciate the world around us. Our ability to evolve; socially, intellectually and philosophically, have guided us beyond survival mechanisms to a place of a new, emerging coexistence with life on Earth.
The world today is facing major ecological issues that are created by human activity. We have arrived at a place and time where we must change the way we treat our planet, otherwise the earth will no longer be a home to us. The root of these issues comes from our disconnection with nature, and our indifference to something we no longer know much about. The disconnect has been intentional; driven by industry favoring consumer ignorance and diminished responsibility for monetary profit. Our youth will soon have to face the consequences of previous generations, and it is our intention to help guide and encourage them to stand up for our planet and change our human story to one of compassion and stewardship of Mother Earth.
