Abstract
The circular economy is gaining traction in the European Union and other parts of the world as a transition away from extractive and exploitative linear economy. In Hawaiʻi, the cultural value of aloha ʻāina is a philosophy describing a set of values grounded in a relationship of kinship between people and the environment. Aloha ʻāina has evolved over generations to frame responses to crucial issues such as climate change, oligopolistic markets, and contemporary land management as a tool of sustainability, and method to describe the efficiency of closed loop circular systems historically. Extensive reviews of existing literature, analysis of contextually different case studies, and reflections from practitioners are all utilized to examine economic development, and responses to its effects, from opposite parts of the globe: Hawaiʻi and Europe. Through discussion of historical and modern examples of how to install circular, closed loop systems, this research aims to examine the potential aloha ʻāina and the circular economy have as catalysts for global change, and describes the implications and lessons drawn from the examination of both approaches in light of each other.
Presenters
Kawena ElkingtonStudent, PhD, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii, United States Dr. Kamanamaikalani Beamer
Professor , School of Hawaiian Knowledge , University of Hawaii at Manoa , Hawaii, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Economic, Social, and Cultural Context
KEYWORDS
Sustainability, Indigenous Knowledge, Circular Economy, Sustainable Development, Natural Resource Management
