Last year, Hawai`i passed the Green Fee. This year, the state legislature will deliberate on the Green Fee Transparency and Accountability Program. This column provides an analysis of the situation. Get caught up before the first hearing on HB 1949 happens tomorrow, Thursday February 12th.

Even amid a dire housing crisis, early community feedback through advisory committees, surveys and public meetings help shape the mix of housing units, street designs, and community amenities in the county’s master-planned subdivisions.

Several community members are looking to nature to help control the invasive Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle, which predominantly targets palm trees but will also eat other important local crops, like kalo, kō and mai‘a.

As farm costs rise, some local farmers are turning to a method of regenerative agriculture called Korean Natural Farming, which emphasizes building fertile soil and nurturing plants' natural cycles.

Kaua‘i is the first county in Hawai‘i to adopt a Wildland Urban Interface ordinance. Across the United States, many jurisdictions have implemented similar codes to better protect homes and communities from wildfires.

Community programs across Hawai‘i are strengthening the health and resilience of first responders and their families — helping them cope with the challenges of the job and find connection.

Working in the lo‘i, paddling a canoe out to sea, getting a lomilomi massage, participating in an ocean cleansing ceremony. These may sound like simple activities, but several community-based efforts are showing that they can play a useful role in supporting first responders' mental well-being.

Every first Tuesday for the last 6mos, laughter and singing could be heard in Anahola as Ipo Kahaunaele Ferreira taught ‘ukulele. The workshops were part of a YWCA Kaua‘i program providing culturally specific, trauma-informed services to those experiencing domestic violence and/or SA.

Ag co-ops are businesses controlled by food producer-members for collective benefit, rather than outside investors or the benefit of individuals. Co-ops have a long history of helping Hawai‘i’s food producers pool resources, share risk, preserve market access and magnify collective influence.

Nationally, construction is among industries with the highest suicide rates. In Hawai‘i, Dept. of Health and University of Hawai‘i will take a look at data to see local trends. Conversations about mental health have been happening, and many see an opportunity to build on more coordinated support.

The Hawai’i ‘Ulu Cooperative created in 2016, helps Hawai‘i Island ‘ulu farmers process and market harvests. The organization has nearly 200 members on Hawai‘i Island, Kaua’i, O’ahu and Maui. In the last year, it processed 230k lbs of ‘ulu, plus 370k lbs of kalo, ‘uala and pala’ai.

When a new pest or plant disease shows up in Hawai‘i, local farmers and ranchers often reach out to the University of Hawai‘i’s Cooperative Extension. With dozens of agents and specialists across the state, the program helps troubleshoot problems and shares practical research to help local ag.

The East Maui Water Authority and advisory board, ‘Aha Wai O Maui Hikina, were created to return oversight of water systems in Ke‘anae, Nāhiku, Huelo and Honomanū to the public. They recently hosted public events to hear community feedback for water resource planning.💧 Here’s what they had to say.

Hawai‘i's environment makes it ideal for tea cultivation. Today, Hawai‘i has a small but persisting true tea industry with a couple dozen growers, backyard farmers and hobbyists cultivating and producing small-batch, artisanal teas unique to the islands.

Curious how Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle became a serious invasive pest problem in Hawai‘i? From its first detection on O‘ahu and its slow spread to other islands, the story of this invasive beetle is a cautionary tale. Here's how it all started and where things stand now.

Want to help contain CRB? 📸Report: Go to 643pest.org or call 643-PEST with the date, location, and a photo. 🪵Inspect: Mulch piles, compost, stumps, and green waste are hotspots. 🌴Treat and manage: Netting, steaming, etc can break the CRB lifecycle. Details at crbhawaii.org More at our full article.

🪲 A destructive pest is threatening Kaua‘i’s trees and way of life. Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle infestations have been spotted around the island since it was first detected near Līhuʻe Airport in 2023. Now, farmers and residents say it’ll take everyone to stop it.

May is #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth. 🌱 Hawai‘i farmers face unique pressures: 51% report high stress, and many don’t seek help due to stigma. The @sow_ctahr Seeds of Wellbeing project trained peer mentors to change that. Despite funding loss, their work continues.

Hawai‘i was self-sufficient for centuries, with Native Hawaiians living off fishing and farming. Despite this agricultural history, Hawai‘i imports about 85-90% of food. On Kaua‘i efforts are underway, with farmers growing kalo, mamaki, tomatoes and other crops. overstoryhawaii.org/kauai-effort...

We are excited to join the Solutions Journalism Directory as the first newsroom in Hawai'i to be listed! Thank you to Solutions Journalism Network, a nonpartisan organization for hosting the Directory and for their commitment to transparency and editorial independence.

Barriers to land access are holding back small farms on Kaua‘i. But new efforts—from nonprofit ag parks to free-use land from major ag companies—are helping to change the landscape for local growers.

Kumu Ola Hou combines architecture and neuroscience to help people experiencing homelessness expand their cognitive abilities and get back on their feet before they move into more permanent housing. B+HARI, The City and County of Honolulu and IHS are working together on this housing solution.

📣 Our "Information Needs in Hawai'i" Report is now available! 200+ community voices call for journalism that focuses on solutions, respects Native Hawaiian perspectives, and covers neighbor islands thoroughly. We're building a newsroom that truly serves Hawai'i. Read the full report below.

Stories about Hawai‘i’s ‘āina is always important—but with federal cuts to environmental efforts, it’s crucial now. During our community listening project, we learned about many ‘āina initiatives. We want to look at the ways they’re accomplishing systemic change.

SB 332 would allow tenants, families, and community groups 45 days to match or beat the highest bid on foreclosed homes at auction. This "opportunity to purchase" policy is gaining traction as a way to prevent displacement and preserve affordable housing.

People of a place are at the heart of local community land trusts’ work to provide permanently affordable homes. This story was co-published with @nextcity.org

The growing network of community land trusts seek to provide permanently affordable homes for Hawai‘i’s people and redefine the narrative on housing in paradise to emphasize collective, rather than individual, wellbeing By @noellefujii.bsky.social of Overstory and co-published with @nextcity.org.

Our Editor, @noellefujii.bsky.social stays connected with her alma mater @uhmanoa.bsky.social as a guest lecturer and long time supporter of growing local journalists. “It’s a really cool time to be a journalist.” Read the article in UH News: www.hawaii.edu/news/2025/03...

The idea is to fund the counties to buy deed restrictions from willing homeowners and forever limit occupancy of those properties to local workers. It's a new approach in Hawai‘i but has been used in at least a dozen communities in Colorado, California, Idaho, Wyoming and Massachusetts.

Overstory practices ethical, independent journalism. We report for our readers. Overstory’s editor and reporters retain full authority over our journalism — we know that freedom of the press is integral to a functioning democracy. overstoryhawaii.org/policies/

Our goal is to present a fuller, richer picture of how we got to where we’re at today, what is keeping Hawai‘i from solving its housing challenges and what are the potential ways forward.

This new approach would help buffer Hawai‘i homes from speculation and encourage more locals to actively contribute to addressing the Islands’ housing challenges.

2/2 “…while also encouraging readers to deepen their understandings of this special place, its people, cultures and perspectives, and engage in meaningful civil discourse.” Noelle Fujii-Oride, Editor, Overstory @noellefujii.bsky.social

1/2 “Our journalism is a way for us as a newsroom and as journalists to show care for our local communities by thoughtfully reporting on efforts that drive systemic change for a more equitable, restorative Hawai‘i…” @noellefujii.bsky.social

We spent our early months engaging Hawai‘i community members. Many said they want a better understanding of how Hawai‘i got to where it’s at today and what’s being done to address our largest challenges. A common theme was that they want hope.

As tenants on Kaua‘i work to turn their apartment into a workforce housing cooperative, they can find an example in the efforts of O‘ahu tenants three decades ago. Renter’s perseverance for affordable prices led to two low-rent apartment complexes being converted into affordable co-ops in the 1990s.

🎉 LPC is thrilled to celebrate the launch of @overstoryhawaii.bsky.social , a new listening-first newsroom in Hawai‘i! Using our Civic Media Playbook as a guide, Overstory engaged directly with communities across the islands to shape its coverage priorities. 🪶 overstoryhawaii.org/heres-how-ov...

Early ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i newspapers provided an outlet for Kingdom of Hawai‘i citizens to exercise literacy and marked the beginnings of a collective repository of Indigenous thought, discussion and knowledge.

Overstory began with a statewide listening project to get to know the communities we'll be serving. Journalists are often told to distance themselves from the issues and people they cover. But we approach our work with the mindset that we are also part of the communities we serve.

A group of Kaua‘i renters are joining a growing number of Americans looking at co-ops to help combat skyrocketing housing prices. This story was co-published with Next City, a nonprofit newsroom reporting on solutions for equitable and just cities.

Why 'Overstory'? In Hawaiʻi's native forests, the overstory is the uppermost layer, where ʻōhiʻa and koa trees reach toward the sky. Our logo features the ʻapapane, a crimson-colored native honeycreeper widespread across the islands, whose relationship with the ʻōhiʻa embodies our mission. More:

Early ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i newspapers provided an outlet for Kingdom of Hawai‘i citizens to exercise literacy and marked the beginnings of a collective repository of Indigenous thought, discussion and knowledge.

Lack of trust is one of the most common challenges facing journalism. That’s even more so for a new local newsroom, so we spent our early months engaging 200+ community members in conversations and through an online survey about how we can serve Hawai‘i.

We serve Hawai‘i’s people and places by exploring the systems and solutions behind our most pressing issues. Explore at OverstoryHawaii.org