New Year Sale: Celebrating a Healthy, Prosperous 2009!
Hawaii Health Guide announces a New Year’s Sale for directory listings and event promotion.
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Local Business Announces Second Annual Native Christmas Tree Project
The Permaculture Group Announces the return of its program "Planting Christmas"
The Permaculture Group, a local business committed to "sealing the bonds that allow communities to thrive", is back for a second consecutive year with its ‘Planting Christmas’ native Christmas tree sale. Maui residents can begin placing orders on a variety of live, potted native tree species, all between 4 and 7 feet tall – perfect for decorating and displaying inside or outside the home during the holidays.
Last year, company founder and Olinda resident Joseph Imhoff initiated ‘Planting Christmas’, a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) project that supports local native tree farmers and encourages Maui residents to reconsider cutting down a tree for the holidays. Imhoff asks Maui to re-think the Christmas tradition of decorating an imported pine tree, and suggests everyone decorate a live, potted, native tree instead. "Last year, several containers of dead pine trees were turned away from the Islands because they were infested with wasps," Imhoff recalls. "As you might imagine, shipping in Christmas trees creates a world of problems with invasive species, andcompletely discounts the value of our local tree farmers. There’s an easy solution to that – buy local!"
In December 2007, The Permaculture Group saw a growing response to this project, which launched several weeks before the infested shipping containers arrived in Hawaiian waters. "It is a big part of our company’s mission to encourage Maui to support our local farmers, and it thrills me to think that more people are considering having a local, ‘no-cut’ and "non-invasive species’ Christmas this year. "
‘Planting Christmas’ makes it convenient for Maui residents to buy a young, living tree that is native to Maui, decorate it for the holidays, and then plant it after Christmas. The Permaculture Group has partnered with local native tree farmers, who have grown the trees from seed and have cared for them to get their lives off to a good start. Imhoff hand-selects trees that are suited for an in-home setting, purchases them from the farmer, and consults with each customer to make sure they’re buying the tree that is best for their area. Interested buyers can also request delivery and planting assistance.
While searching for the perfect native trees for this year’s inventory, Imhoff decided on the Ha’o, Koa, and Koai`a species. The trees now stand from 4 to 7 ft. tall, and are suited for several different areas of the islands. The Ha’o thrive in dry, sunny climates. The Koa does best Upcountry at elevations above 2,000 feet, and the Koai`a (or "dwarf koa") can handle lower elevations and drier climates. The trees start at $50 each and availability is limited.
For the past several years, Imhoff and his wife have used young, live, native Hawaiian trees as their holiday tree, and have planted the trees with their New Year resolutions in January. "The holiday trees that I’ve planted are growing big and healthy, and its quite rewarding to watch", Imhoff says. "Every time I plant a Koa tree, I’m reminded that the slopes of Upcountry Maui used to be a huge, dense Koa Forest. It was a completely different environment up until the 1800’s when people decided to harvest Haleakala’s precious timbers. I feel proud take an active role this holiday season, and inspire everyone in Maui to replant the native forest in your own back yard. Every day new people move here, and each of them should be planting trees. It’s fun, it makes sense, and it’s a gift to future generations."
For more information, or to order your tree for the 2008 holiday season, please call Joseph Imhoff at 808-250-1469, or email your order to proudtobuylocal@gmail.com To purchase the trees online, customers can make secure payments at www.permaculturegroup.com
The Permaculture Group is committed to sealing the bonds that allow communities to thrive. Through its Community-Supported Agriculture projects (CSAs), The Permaculture Group creates creative, engaging opportunities for community members on Maui to participate in lifestyle changes that support the local economy. This includes supporting local farmers, native reforestation projects, food security issues, and promoting local organizations and events that have a focus on community health. For more information, please visit: http://www.permaculturegroup.com/.
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Joseph Imhoff
Founder & CEO
The Permaculture Group
1135 Makawao Ave, PMB #182
Makawao, HI 96768
808-250-1469
www.permaculturegroup.com
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Ten Oahu Homeowners to Receive Free Solar Water Heaters This Holiday
The holiday season will be a bit brighter for ten Hawaii households. Blue Planet Foundation and Suntech Hawaii have teamed up to offer free solar water heating systems to ten Oahu families.
Winners will be selected from a list of those who sign up to be a "friend" of Blue Planet by December 20 at , and winners announced December 22. The solar giveaway is one of a series of programs
Blue Planet Foundation will be rolling out over the next year to decrease household energy use in Hawaii. Blue Planet Foundation approached us to discuss the best way to help ten families go solar as a holiday gift, and we knew a good idea when we heard it," said Mark Duda, Suntech Hawaii’s Vice President of Finance. "By not only doing the system design and installation, but also making a contribution ourselves, Suntech Hawaii is able to drive the system cost down to zero for those ten families."
The ten solar water heaters—to be installed in the first months of 2009—will save approximately 500 barrels of oil over the life of the system. At today’s electricity prices, they will also save the homeowners about $150,000 collectively over the next 15 years.
"A solar water heater is one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to reduce the use of fossil fuels and start saving money," said Julie Rogers, Director of Community Relations for the Blue Planet Foundation. "We want to provide an opportunity for people to get involved in Hawaii’s clean energy movement and to win an energy-saving solar water heater."
Interested residents can sign up at by December 20. Friends of Blue Planet will receive periodic email updates on Hawaii’s clean energy future and learn how they can help accelerate clean energy solutions for Hawaii. People can also sign up at the Blue Planet booth at the Night Market at Aloha Tower on December 17.
Blue Planet and Suntech Hawaii are able to deliver solar hot water systems system at no out-of-pocket cost to the homeowners because of the state and federal tax incentives supporting adoption of solar energy. The two organizations have agreed to jointly cover the full after-tax/after-rebate cost of the systems. See the Blue Planet website for the giveaway contest rules.
"We are excited to work with Suntech Hawaii to make the holidays brighter for ten Hawaii families," said Julie Rogers. "We look forward to providing more programs like this in the future for Hawaii residents."
About Blue Planet Foundation
The Blue Planet Foundation is a non-profit organization created to change our world’s energy culture, to raise global awareness in order to develop and adopt practical programs to implement clean, efficient, and renewable energy and to create a global response to our increasingly urgent climate crisis.
About Suntech Hawaii
Suntech Hawaii is a renewable energy company specializing in solar photovoltaic and hot water systems. Founded in 2004, the company is now the largest Hawaii-owned and -operated solar integrator, and is an authorized SunPower dealer. Suntech Hawaii is active across the Hawaiian Islands and works with local and national alternative energy finance partners to make solar energy an accessible, affordable option for Hawaii businesses, government and non-profit entities.
For more information visit www.suntechhawaii.com. Suntech Hawaii is not a subsidiary or affiliate of the solar module manufacturer Suntech (NYSE: STP).
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Inspirational Vegan Cookbook Released for the Holidays!
VEGAN INSPIRATION - COOKBOOK
Whole Food Recipes for Life
by Chef Todd Dacey with Jia Patton
Book Review by Dodi Rose of Dodi-Liscious
Chef Todd Dacey has provided the vegetarian and vegan community with a beautiful cookbook that is both practical and essential for those on the path of eating holistically. Yet it does not stop there. There are a growing number of people who are seeking to change their diet and lifestyle to a more healthy, whole and simple way of eating and being. This cookbook clearly presents itself as a very concrete tool to anyone who is sincere about making that change.
What could be more motivating than recipes that are easy to understand and follow, using simple ingredients? This demonstrates that it is a simple and relatively painless process to make delicious vegetarian dishes, which is very important to those who are used to opening a package and popping it in the microwave. Many tasty selections come from different ethnic traditions, such as Indian, Asian and South of the Border, all using whole, familiar items from our kitchens.
The book’s well-organized sections include an eloquent forward by Diamond and River Jameson, founders of the Total Integration Institute, and thoughtful introductions by Todd and Jia that are all well worth reading. A plethora of information follows, providing simple methods of incorporating it into daily life. The sections on Organic Farming and High Vibration Foods give practical guidelines for making wise choices when shopping.
There are sections on how to improve the functioning of the body with such topics as acid/alkaline balance and colon health, along with practical information about fats, oils, dairy and soy. And to top it off, the explanations of Ayurveda, Fasting and Meditation, and Foundational Holistic Health Practices can help any reader understand that it is not difficult to be healthy. Chef Todd has done the homework for us!
The inspiring quotes and the prayers really bring home the essence of this cookbook: that nourishing our bodies with the right kind of food can be and should be an elevating experience that ties us to the heavens and the earth. The lovely art work and pictures make reading this cookbook a visually pleasing experience and enhances the meaning of what is being conveyed.
The title of this book could not be more apropos.
It is truly inspirational.
Website: www.VeganInspiration.com
Contact: Vegan Cheff Tod Dacey - 808-217-8412
Dodi Rose
Hawaii Health Guide - Food Reviewer
Email Dodi
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Hawaii Down to Earth Stores Ranked #3 in Vegetarian Times!
Congratulations to Down to Earth All Vegetarian stores - for their recognition by Vegetarian Times Magazine Veg25 hot list!
Find all five Down to Earth stores Oahu & Maui locations at: www.HawaiiHealthGuide.com/directory/
Or visit their educational website for more info: www.downtoearth.org
Here is the full story by Erika Engle from www.starbulletin.com/business/
The Hawaii-based, Maui-born five-store chain gets national exposure in the January issue of Vegetarian Times magazine, which named it No. 3 on its "Veg25 hot list of fresh voices, ingenious products and handy resources" for 2009.
The magazine compares shopping at Down to Earth to "the limitless feeling you get in a veg restaurant," where a diner needn’t worry about a dish’s ingredients. The magazine reports that every product the store sells is free of meat, fish oils, gelatin and animal rennet and tells a bit more about the store.
The top two Veg25 listees were Iced Bliss, a line of soy- and rice-based ice creams and veganetsy.etsy.com, a community of artisans selling cruelty-free crafts online.
The magazine contacted Marketing Director Frank Santana a few months ago asking for information.
"They wanted an update on where we are and what we’re doing and so I gave them what they needed," he said.
He didn’t know how the magazine was going to use it until the issue arrived, "and you can imagine my surprise!" he said.
"Vegetarian Times wrote about us quite a few years ago, but we’ve been off the radar for quite a long time," he said.
A large part of the blip that got it back on the radar was its repositioning as a 100-percent vegetarian store, not just a health food store or a natural food store. The differentiation is more significant than an omnivore might realize.
"The Vegetarian Times recognition of Down to Earth is particularly auspicious because there are so few all-vegetarian stores in the nation," Santana said.
Many natural supplements, for instance, are sold in capsules that are often made from a material derived from cow hooves. Not at Down to Earth, where foods and supplements are plant-based.
"This is a values-based company," Santana said. "From the start, the idea was to promote a healthier lifestyle through organic and natural foods and a vegetarian lifestyle."
While not popular with the mainstream on Maui when established in 1977, a core group was interested, kept it going, "and it caught on," he said. "They were ahead of the power curve, by decades."
The flagship Down to Earth store on S. King Street in Moiliili has been renovated, with space and new products added "and we have been inundated with compliments from our customers," not all of whom are vegetarian, Santana said.
The company also has introduced a customer-reward card this year "and it’s going gangbusters. We already have 20,000 subscribers."
The magazine hits newsstands Tuesday and is available at Down to Earth and other locations. The coverage will not be posted online until late February.
The flagship Down to Earth store on S. King Street in Moiliili has been renovated, with space and new products added "and we have been inundated with compliments from our customers," not all of whom are vegetarian, Santana said.
The company also has introduced a customer-reward card this year "and it’s going gangbusters. We already have 20,000 subscribers." 
The magazine hits newsstands Tuesday and is available at Down to Earth and other locations. The coverage will not be posted online until late February.
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