MISSION STATEMENT

ENVIRO-TECH HAWAII, INC. IS COMMITTED TO EMBRACING THE AHUPA’A TRADITION IN ALL OF ITS BUSINESS PRACTICES. OUR MISSION IS TO OFFER ENGINEER, DESIGNERS, PLANNERS, AND CONTRACTORS A FULLY COMPREHENSIVE LINE OF FISCALLY AND ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE MATERIALS, TECHNOLOGIES, AND SERVICES AIMED AT CONTROLLING EROSION AND SEDIMENT POLLUTION. OUR FIRM COMMITMENT TO PROTECTING HAWAII’S INVALUABLE NATURAL RESOURCES WILL BE THE GUIDING FORCE BEHIND ALL OF OUR ACTIONS.

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TANNYA & ALAN JOAQUIN’S BIO

In 2000, at a drop of the hat, Tannya Joaquin quit her evening News Anchor Job in San Francisco and moved to Hawaii. Tannya remembers the event clearly, “I was so fascinated with Hawaii’s natural beauty, it just became this driving force that pulled me to it. I quit my job and moved to Hawaii, just like that. I had no plans, other than to stay with my Aunty in Kailua until I figured out what I was going to do for work.” Fortunately for Tannya things fell into place and she quickly got hired at KHON2 News, and rapidly moved up the ranks from Reporter, to Morning News Anchor, and then finally to replace Leslie Wilcox on the evening Anchor Desk. When asked why she got into the Erosion Control Industry, Tannya’s response was simply “I love Hawaii, and I want to help preserve the natural beauty which attracting me to these Islands. I always felt that I was extremely blessed growing up, and I wanted to give something back. When I met my Husband, Alan Joaquin, he was always talking about how he wanted to do more to help prevent Hawaii’s environment from being polluted and destroyed. Just like the Hawaiian Islands, Alan’s passion for protecting the reefs and the marine life drew me in. I founded Enviro-Tech Hawaii, Inc. to protect our precious environment, I wanted to give something back, and this was my chance to make a difference”. When asked about where she envisions Enviro-Tech Hawaii, Inc. in the future, she responded “Without a doubt we will be a leading authority on new technologies designed to prevent our waterways, reefs, and ecosystems from being polluted and destroyed. We will make a difference, and I really believe we will be part of the reason why our future generations will enjoy the same beauty and magic of the Islands that drew me here”.

Alan Joaquin began his career in Erosion Control while attending Kaiser High School in Honolulu, Hawaii. At the age of 16, Alan engineered and built a 300 gallon hydro-mulcher designed to service the local Residential market, a market which at that time was not being served by the Hydraulic Planting and Erosion Control Industry. Alan built his business and quickly outgrew his small hydro-mulcher. At the age 18, Alan purchased a licensed landscape contracting business, which at the time was inactive, and expanded into the Commercial and Government markets. Soon after purchasing the licensed business, Alan acquired his second hydro-mulcher, a 1,100 gallon hydro-mulcher equipped with a Moyono Progressive Cavity Pump. Two years later Alan purchased a 2,500 gallon hydro-mulcher equipped with both a centrifugal pump and a Moyono Progressive Cavity Pump. At the age of 20, Alan had built a reputable Erosion Control and Hydraulic Planting business and had successfully completed several high profile jobs. One notable project was the internationally recognized Waikakalaua Stream Realignment Project (IECA Technical Paper, Seattle, 1995).

When asked about his career, Alan states “It all happened really fast. I remember when I completed the hydro-sprigging at the Jack Nicklaus designed Hualalai Four Seasons Golf Course. I was at this grand opening party and one of the Developers offered me a beer. I was so embarrassed to tell him I wasn’t 21 yet!”.

In 2003 Alan made the leap from Contractor to Consultant and Supplier. When asked about why he left the Contracting field, Alan responded by saying “I have over 12 years experience working as a Contractor in Hawaii’s Erosion Control and Hydraulic Planting Industry. During those years, I always felt that there was lots of room for improvement in erosion control products and techniques, but I was so focused on completing jobs that I couldn’t deviate from my path as a Contractor. I chose to give up Contracting, as I wanted to devote my time to developing innovative new products and advanced technologies that can be used to overcome some of today’s toughest erosion control and sediment control problems. Protecting Hawaii’s natural resources is critical to maintaining our cultural, social, and economic health. I am honored to be a part of the Erosion Control Industry, and I am committed to perpetuating the Ahupua’a Tradition”

Alan also holds a degree in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle School of Aeronautics and is a Commercial Airline Pilot flying Boeing 737s for Aloha Airlines in Honolulu, Hawaii.

So what’s next for this Consultant/Supplier/Pilot? “I love Erosion Control, and I love Flying” states Alan Joaquin, “I’m working on a business plan right now which will utilize all of my skills. The new business venture is a fresh and extremely innovative approach to protecting Hawaii’s reefs and associated ecosystems. I can’t say much more at this point in time, but you will hear about it soon, I promise!”

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EMBRACING THE AHUPUA’A TRADITION

The concept of private property was unknown to ancient Hawaiians, but they did follow a complex system of land division. All land was controlled ultimately by the highest chief or king who held it in trust for the whole population. Who supervised these lands was designated by the king based on rank and standing. A whole island, or mokupuni, was divided in smaller parts, down to a basic unit belonging to a single family.

Each mokupuni was divided into several moku, the largest units within each island, usually wedge-shaped and running from the mountain crest to shore. O`ahu was divided into six moku.

Each moku was divided into ahupua`a, narrower wedge-shaped land sections that again ran from the mountains to the sea. The size of the ahupua`a depended on the resources of the area with poorer agricultural regions split into larger ahupua`a to compensate for the relative lack of natural abundance. Each ahupua`a was ruled by an ali`i or local chief and administered by a konohiki.

Within the ahupua`a, `ili were smaller divisions (two or three per ahupua`a) that constituted the estate of the chief. Each `ili could be formed of noncontiguous pieces called lele, or jumps. Mo`o were sections of the `ili that were arable; usually these agricultural units did not extend to the sea. Smaller yet were the kuleana, or land tracts used by the common people for cultivation of crops. The size of kuleana, like the size of ahupua`a, depended on the natural fertility and abundance of the land.

The ancient ahupua`a, the basic self-sustaining unit, extended elements of Hawaiian spirituality into the natural landscape. Amidst a belief system that emphasized the interrelationship of elements and beings, the ahupua`a contained those interrelationships in the activities of daily and seasonal life.

Shaped by island geography, each ahupua`a was a wedge-shaped area of land running from the uplands to the sea, following the natural boundaries of the watershed. Each ahupua`a contained the resources the human community needed, from fish and salt, to fertile land for farming taro or sweet potato, to koa and other trees growing in upslope areas. Villagers from the coast traded fish for other foods or for wood to build canoes and houses. Specialized knowledge and resources peculiar to a small area were also shared among ahupua`a.

Although there was no private ownership of property, land tenure of the maka`ainana (commoners) was stable. They paid weekly labor taxes and annual taxes to the konohiki, or local overseer, who collected goods to support the chief and his court. The konohiki supervised communal labor within the ahupua`a and also regulated land, water and ocean use.

Stewardship of the land and its resources was formalized through the kapu system. The kapu (taboo) - administered and enforced by konohiki and kahuna, or priests - placed restrictions on fishing certain species during specific seasons, on gathering and replacing certain plants, and on many aspects of social interaction as well. In this way, the community maintained a sustainable lifestyle. Through sharing resources and constantly working within the rhythms of their natural environment, Hawaiians enjoyed abundance and a quality lifestyle with leisure time for recreation during the harvest season of the year. This lifestyle also encouraged a high level of artistic achievement. Many crafts, including Hawaiian kapa and featherwork, were the finest in the Pacific. Hawaiians devoted themselves to competitive sport and martial arts as well as expression through dance and chant, creating rich traditions that continue today.

Sites for Further Information

Major Aspects of Traditional Hawaiian Culture: Land Divisions (National Park Service)
www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/kona/history1g.htm

From the Mountains to the Sea - Early Hawaiian Life (Julie Stewart Williams)
ulukau.org/cgi-bin/library?c=english&l=en

Life in Early Hawai`i - The Ahupua’a (Kamehameha Schools)
ulukau.org/cgi-bin/library?c=ahu&l=en