A beautiful sacred waterfall and pool in Oahu | Credit: Hawaii Tourism Authority / Heather Goodman.
Please Be Kuleana at One Rb World 2024!
Kuleana is a Native Hawaiian value of personal responsibility and sacred duty, along with a commitment to be held accountable for one’s actions. Hawaiians encourage visitors to carry the value of kuleana (responsible travel) while enjoying the islands, to help protect themselves, the beautiful, fragile environment, and the people who call these islands home.
Here are our 10 top tips for practicing kuleana when joining One Rb World 2024.
1. Use Reef-Safe Sun Protection
Summer is eternal in Hawaii, so be sure to bring a broad-spectrum sunscreen, and a good mosquito spray. When you’re shopping for sunscreen, check that your products do not contain oxybenzone or octinoxate, both of which are banned in Hawaii
Why? Because they are harmful to fragile coral reefs and other marine life. When we swim or bathe, the products protecting our skin wash off into the water, ultimately flowing out to sea.
Scientists are increasingly documenting how various chemicals in these products can affect marine life. From causing fatal coral bleaching to damaging DNA, fertility, reproduction, and health of many marine species, from sea urchins to fish and dolphins.
Travel and Leisure produced this guide to its top choice reef-safe sunscreens, many of which are available on Amazon international. Alternatively, you could buy sunscreen on arrival in Hawaii, to be sure it complies with local laws.
Stay Reef-Safe and Sun-Smart with Stream2Sea
WE C Hope has partnered with Stream2Sea, “the only mineral-based sunscreen on the planet that’s been tested and proven safe for freshwater fish, saltwater fish, and coral larvae, and has passed the stringent HEL Labs Protect Land + Sea certification”.
Shop for sunscreen and a wide variety of eco-friendly and coral reef-safe products. When you use our unique link, WE C Hope will receive 20% of your purchase price. Additionally, use the code “hope10” for 10% off your purchase!
2. Prevent Plastic Waste
Hawaii has banned plastic bags because of their significant environmental impact. Plastic forms the bulk of the vast floating garbage patches in the Pacific Ocean, while microplastics from degrading items spread extensively, and wash onto Hawaii’s beaches. Several of Hawaii’s far flung beaches are literally turning into plastic sand. Yet most these plastics don’t come from within Hawaii; they come from Continental North America, and even Europe.
Many marine animals and sea birds become entangled in this mass of floating plastic, eat it, or swallow microplastics with the sea water. If it doesn’t kill them by blocking their gut or lungs, its chemicals can begin to alter DNA, damaging fertility and reproduction.
To help prevent plastic pollution during your stay:
- Avoid single-use plastics like cutlery, straws, bags, and bottles.
- Carry your own cloth bags when out and about.
- Carry a reusable water bottle or bladder.
- Bring an extra bag for picnic waste, and leave no trace when you leave.
- Dispose of your own litter responsibly in a trash can.
- Pick up litter you find on land or in the sea and dispose of it safely.
- Look out for regular beach clean-up event – tourists are encouraged to join to help Hawaii keep the environment safe and enjoyable for all life, human and otherwise.
3. Respect and Protect Marine Life
Hawaii is home to a diversity of stunning wildlife, and it’s natural to want to get closer when we experience that beauty at close range, especially if we have limited sight, and viewing from a distance may not be possible.
Respecting marine life and their habitats is important as human interference can have serious and potentially irreversible impacts. The following are mandated and recommended viewing distances for various marine life, and other guidance, provided by the NOAA Fisheries Marine Viewing Guide:
- Humpback whale (Hawaii’s state marine mammal): Federal law requires a distance of at least 100 yards (approx. 90m).
- All other sea life: including dolphins, shark, green sea turtle, and monk seal (Hawaii’s critically endangered state mammal), 50 yards (approx. 45m) is recommended when viewing on the shoreline.
- Respect the Wild: it is illegal to closely approach, distress, agitate, harm, touch, feed, or take selfies with any marine mammal or sea turtle in their natural habitat.
- Protect the Coral: Do not step on coral, or remove coral pieces from a reef. Reefs are built by coral, an incredible marine animal; they are vital to the health of the oceans and our entire planet.
- Preserve the natural environment: Marvel at the coral, sand, shells, sea stars, sand dollars, crustaceans, and other marine discoveries, but don’t remove them. Each item plays a role in the chain of life and sustainability of the beach itself, even when it is no longer living. Possession of material from an endangered species may be illegal. This applies equally to lava rocks, plants, flowers, and similar items on land. Leave them for others to delight in long after your visit.
4. Stay Safe on Land and at Sea
Hawaii’s tropical waters are gloriously warm and hypnotically beautiful. But they can also be fickle. Following these tips will help keep you safe:
- Swim at beaches staffed by lifeguards.
- Look for hazard rating signs on the beach, and respect all warnings and closures. Check for the latest ocean conditions at your destination beach with Hawaii Beach Safety.
- Whether swimming, surfing or enjoying another watersport, always buddy with another person in the water. Look out for one another, and stay alert for changing conditions.
- Box jellyfish usually appear off southern beaches 8 to 10 days after a full moon. Their sting can be extremely painful and uncomfortable, or worse in severe cases. In 2024, October’s full moon will rise on Thursday 17. There will be a high probability of jellyfish on 25-27 October, with low-probability on 24 and 28. Dates provided by Waikiki Aquarium’s interactive box-jellyfish-calendar.
You may encounter many “keep out” or “no trespassing” signs throughout the Hawaiian Islands. They are placed to protect visitors from unseen danger, and to protect cultural heritage and ecology.
An accident could seriously disrupt your visit, or much worse. More broadly, each tourist rescue strains local emergency and healthcare resources. So be responsible – always check the weather, ocean, and sea-life reports; ask Hawaiians and locals for advice, stay on marked trails and in designated viewing areas, and honour warnings to stay off private / protected property.
5. Don’t Geotag Your Social Posts
Tagging can lead to overcrowding that stresses, damages and destroys the natural environment. When you post your spellbinding beauty spot photos, leave their locations out of your posts, and never tag sacred places. However picturesque they are, leaving the location information out helps prevent or slow the degradation of this place. If a friend asks the location, tell them privately, but try to remember the potentially widespread and lasting impact of social media.
You may think this isn’t worth doing because this is a tiny action and no one else bothers. But through small actions like this, we each have the power to express our personal commitment to steward the planet well, and change how we all value the planet.
6. Support Local
Buying local means you invest in local people and help the Hawaiian economy to thrive.
Discover the delights of farm-fresh eateries where ingredients are locally sourced on the day, or family-run restaurants serving authentic Hawaiian cuisine. Or shop at a one of many farmers markets across the islands. Join the annual Hawaii Food & Wine Festival – an ideal opportunity to discover the islands’ cuisine over 3 weekends in October.
Local food businesses are more likely than big-name chains to incorporate eco-friendly practices; culturally significant ingredients; and sensitive, educational entertainment. They also ensure profits stay within the local economy.
Book tours with local businesses to learn about farming, aspects of Hawaiian culture, craftwork, wildlife, ecology and environmental preservation. Buy locally handcrafts that help talented artisans preserve their craft and culture. Buying direct means you can talk story with the artisan or tour guide. Conversation gives the item or experience added layers of value and memory.
Na Mea and MORI by Art +Flea are two popular locally-owned Honolulu boutiques offering unique items created by Native Hawaiian and local artisans.
Kuhikuhi.com is a directory listing a wide range of Native Hawaiian-owned businesses. The service was created jointly by the Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce and Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association.
Hawaii is a cluttered arena of options at every turn that can quickly feel overwhelming. By narrowing down to local traders who prioritize Native culture and protecting the environment, you reduce the stress of decision-making.
7. “Talk Story” Whenever You Can
A rich oral tradition is woven throughout Native Hawaiian culture, sharing history, wisdom, experience, ideas, opinions, and events of the day through song, poetry, storytelling, and conversation with others. The lovely phrase “talk story” invites everyone to slow down and connect with one another more, to share meaningful presence through conversation.
Value each opportunity to learn about Hawaii from the people who know the islands most intimately, and be confident to ask respectful questions. When you express genuine interest and time to chat, your companion will delight in talking story.
Chat with as many people as possible to hear their stories and gain deeper insight into Hawaii’s history and culture. You’ll likely also gather valuable local knowledge and recommendations you may otherwise miss. For example, you may learn about currently overcrowded tourist traps that are best avoided, or quiet hidden gems and the best-buys in town.
8. Mālama Hawaii – Take Care of Hawaii
“Mālama” means to steward and take care of, to honour, serve, protect, and care for.
Each of our actions and interactions has an impact, shaping the environment around us in some way. Hawaii is in a precarious state – the ecology is fragile, fresh water and other natural resources are limited, and nearly 600 species of birds, animals, plants, and marine life are listed as endangered – many found nowhere else on earth. As visitors revelling in this Pacific paradise, we have a responsibility to treat these precious islands with respect – and to leave them in a better condition.
To help tourists do just that, the Hawai‘i Visitors & Convention Bureau launched Mālama Hawai‘i in 2021. The program offers a wide range of ways to give back, through diverse partner organizations across the islands. Examples include a beach clean-up, reforestation project, repair of over-used trails, and serving at a foodbank. Give-back opportunities also include educational tours suitable for young families.
Some hotels offer a discount, even a free night, if you participate in the program – including our conference hotel (this link is informational only: reservations must be made via our group portal to benefit from our discounted group rate).
Volunteering doesn’t mean sacrificing a day of vacation for hot work. Quite the opposite. Choose an opportunity that appeals to you, and it will bring you alongside Hawaii’s residents to actively care for this exquisite, fragile environment. Mālama will connect you to Hawaii and her people like no other tourist experience can.
Malama Hawaii makes it easy to find an opportunity matching your interests and skills. Simply explore the stories from volunteers, and the listed organizations towards the end of the main page.
9. Return Your Lei to the Land
Lei are sacred gifts of love in Hawaii. Throwing them away is considered deeply disrespectful to the maker, the gift-giver, and the spirit of aloha. Visitors are encouraged to follow the local custom of returning the lei to the earth at the end of its use.
First, carefully remove all flowers, leaves, and other natural elements from the string, and dispose of the string safely – it is usually not biodegradable. For this reason, do not hang the lei on a tree to decompose.
To return the lei to the earth, you can either scatter the flowers in the ocean or forest, bury them, or burn them. Giving them back to nature is a ceremonial mark of respect to the lei, the land that nourished it, the person who made it for you, and the person who gifted it to you.
10. Learn About and Respect Hawaii
Here are just a few final points to bear in mind.
- Hawaiians and Locals. “Hawaiian” refers to Native Hawaiian people (kanaka) and to the islands’ indigenous culture, plants, birds, animals, and marine life. Non-Hawaiians who live on the islands are called locals. Any resident born in Hawaii is called “kamaʻāina” (born of the land), regardless of their Hawaiian heritage..
- Hawaii and the Continental USA: Hawaii is located 2,400 miles from the continental USA. Many people refer to the continental USA as “the mainland”. However, be mindful that Native Hawaiians may consider this an offensive term with colonial
- Place Names: Many places have both a Hawaiian name and a colloquial English name. If you encounter this, try to use the Hawaiian name, rather than the English version, as this is more respectful, particularly when the site holds sacred meaning and value to the community.
- Local News: Visit Honolulu Civil Beat, a local non-profit journalism source, to explore some of the issues affecting Hawaii right now, including multiplr environmental threats and a housing crisis. Hawaii is much more than a paradise playground. How we interact with the islands and her people has lasting impact.
Bonus – See Our Tips on Alternatives to Car Hire!
Hawaiian citizens ask that visitors help to preserve the harmonious way of life on the islands, and protect its fragile ecology. Please consider your need to hire a car for this trip in the Hawaiian spirit of kuleana (responsible travel), and Mālama Honua (taking care of the earth).
On our Travel Facts page, you’ll find 4 points to consider before renting, along with 2 valuable videos on the subject, plus alternative options for local travel, and 8 tips from locals for driving with “Aloha” if you do hire a car.
Read the section: Renting a Car or Driving.
More About One Rb World 2024
Hawaii 2024 | 2024 Program | Child Life | Conference Hotel | Registration | Partnerships | Travel Facts | Discover Hawaii – Stay Longer | Kuleana (Responsible Travel)
