Island communities are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Adaptation and environmental management are therefore critical for their survival and health.
Loli Aniau, Maka‘ala Aniau (Climate Change, Climate Alert) or “LAMA” is a program housed within Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge (HSHK), one of the largest schools of indigenous knowledge in the United States.
LAMA’s mission is to catalyze climate adaptation and resiliency by engaging communities in Hawai’i and beyond through innovative training and policy tools that link decision-makers with the university, island communities, and the public as well as private sectors. It is our goal to engage and empower climate justice communities in Hawai‘i and globally.
LAMA utilizes and expands on the past two years of learnings through an iterative knowledge development process incorporating the integral relationships among renewable energy, food security, and traditional knowledge found in the Native Hawaiian community and the State of Hawaiʻi at large.
LAMA believes that by enhancing the collective knowledge, skills and attitudes of the participants we are lighting the lama (torch) in each community regarding these key issues that our communities are faced with. The participants become strengthened leaders in their communities who inform others about the reality we face and encourage them to take action.
One of our recent projects funded through the Kresge Foundation is called “Lamakū Naʻauao”. The overall goal of the “Lamakū Naʻauao” project is to build the capacity of the Native Hawaiian community to participate in decision-making and contribute to an enhanced capacity for our islands’ food, agricultural sectors and cultural practices to be resilient to the impacts of climate change.