Hi HMGSG members!
There is a lot to consider when choosing to participate in the upcoming conference in person or virtually. The HMGSG supports both decisions and we look forward to learning and sharing with our members at the conference.
While Hawai’i may be far from where some of our members live, this location is closer for other members. As such, AAG 2024 may facilitate the attendance of participants from Asia and Oceania. For example, the distance from Seoul to Honolulu is 7323 kilometers (4551 miles). In contrast, the distance from Seoul to Denver (AAG 2023) is 9939 kilometers (6176 miles). Calculate your own distances to see how far you may travel to attend: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/distance.html.
The Board has put together some tips and ideas for the upcoming AAG 2024 in Hawai’i. We hope these resources are helpful for you!
- Consider these tips for traveling to Hawai’i responsibly
- Read AAG President Rebecca Lave’s column:
https://www.aag.org/the-2024-annual-meeting-in-honolulu/ - Apply a health/medical geography lens to learning more about how colonialism and its attendant consequences (e.g., resource extraction, food systems) have permanently altered the ability of indigenous populations to promote population-wide health and well-being. Use that understanding to frame your approach to attendance at the conference.
- Avoid Airbnbs, Uber, and other corporatized/extractive industries & chains that negatively impact on the local housing market and traffic volume. Instead, stay at existing hotels/establishments and bike, wheel, scoot, walk, or take the bus to get around when you can. Support certified eco-friendly tour operators such as the Unique Maui Tours who donate one tree planting for each tour they conduct.
- Be deliberate in spending money at Kanaka Maoli (or otherwise locally-owned businesses). AAG has done a good job of getting a list going and providing further guidance.Whenever looking at places to eat, visit local businesses as this is a great way to ensure that the community benefits from your visit. Many businesses have suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic and depend on your support.
- Read AAG President Rebecca Lave’s column:
2. Explore volunteering opportunities while at the conference
Volunteering while visiting Hawai’i is one way to support ecosystem preservation and the well-being of local populations, both of which are impacted by the tourism industry. In 2020, Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) and Hawai‘i Visitors & Convention Bureau (HVCB) launched a tourism program called Mālama Hawai‘i, which is ultimately a way to give back on your trip (mālama means to take care of in Hawaiian). The idea is to encourage travelers to leave Hawai‘i better than it was when they found it, so they are helping to curb—not contribute to—the overtourism problem. Below are two options for HMGSG members, both of which can accommodate groups
A. Hawai’i Food Bank: HFB is a Feeding America affiliate working to address food insecurity through its own distribution facilities and in partnership with organizations across the state of Hawai’i.
- Volunteers may be required to stand, lift, and bend.
- Group and individual sign ups available.
- Accepts donations.
B. Paepae o He’eia: Paepae o He’eia is dedicated to caring for He’eia Fishpond. They “utilize the strengths of the fishpond as a place of learning to weave ancestral knowledge together with western ways of knowing” to support cultural sustainability
- Volunteers will be doing physical labor outdoors, like moving rock/coral or pulling invasive mangrove. Recommendations for clothes to wear are provided in the link.
- Please note the location.
- Group or individual sign ups available. Spots fill quickly, so signing up in advance is recommended.
- Accepts donations.
3. Appreciate the importance of exposure to new places and people
A. Embrace the traditional Hawaiian concept of pono — In other words, embracing the concept of pono while you’re here means striving for the best possible outcome for Hawai‘i. This means taking the locals’ views and experiences into account rather than just your own. If there’s a “no trespassing” sign in front of a beautiful cliff, for example, resist the urge to go take a photo and think about it from the Hawaiian perspective: That sign is there for a reason. Honor the principle of ho’okipa – meaning visitors should not trespass the forbidden lands known as kapu grounds for a social media posting. To visitors it might look like a collection of rocks, but it is essential to leave the place as is. When posting on social media, don’t tag the location — this helps prevent overtourism.
B. Hawaiians are guided by a concept called aloha aina translated to English as a love of the land– every tree, plant and animal has a deity attached to it and ancient Hawaiians worshipped those deities daily which allowed them to live sustainably for more than a thousand years in an isolated part of the Earth. Therefore, aloha aina, is a soulful love for the very land that made that possible.
C. Learn the deeper meaning behind your lei—and treat it with care — Lei are defined as garlands or wreaths typically made from elements of nature, such as flowers, leaves, shells, nuts, seeds, feathers, and more. As a traveler, it’s so important to receive a lei with honor and take care of it after you do: because someone made it for you with love and intention. When the fresh flowers begin to fade, do as the locals do and set the lei gently on your nightstand to enjoy the remaining fragrance, rather than carelessly tossing it in the garbage.
D. Honor the sanctity of traditional Hawaiian foods — as a visitor, it’s especially important to know and understand the traditional, pre-contact foods like hāloanakalaukapalili (taro) because these traditional foods sustained ancestors for generations, they are considered sacred.
F. Whenever possible, try to say the Hawaiian name of place, rather than the English version.
References
Mau, M. K., Sinclair, K. I., Saito, E. P., Baumhofer, K. I. N., & Kaholokula, J. K. A. (2009). Cardiometabolic health disparities in native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. Epidemiologic Reviews, 31(1), 113-129.
McLennan, A. K., & Ulijaszek, S. J. (2015). Obesity emergence in the Pacific islands: why understanding colonial history and social change is important. Public Health Nutrition, 18(8), 1499-1505.
Morey, B. N., Tanjasiri, S. P., Subica, A. M., Kaholokula, J. K. A., Penaia, C., Thomas, K., … & Ong, E. (2020). Structural racism and its effects on native Hawaiians and Pacific islanders in the United States: issues of health equity, Census undercounting, and voter disenfranchisement. AAPI Nexus: Policy, Practice and Community, 17(1-2).
Horwood, P. F., Tarantola, A., Goarant, C., Matsui, M., Klement, E., Umezaki, M., … & Greenhill, A. R. (2019). Health challenges of the Pacific region: insights from history, geography, social determinants, genetics, and the microbiome. Frontiers in Immunology, 10, 2184.
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Health and Medical Geography 