We launched our Live Pono program and Patreon page in March this year, and thanks to our generous funders, we have greened our first home for a local Hawaii farmer!

Teachers, first responders, farmers, certain volunteers and students are keystone members of a thriving and livable society, and yet earn less than many careers that don’t contribute as much to our society. Our company has been fortunate enough to have the support of an energy conservation program in Hawaii that funds some of our work with lower income individuals, helping them save money on their utility bills every month. We’ve seen the power in this work–it helps create social equity and relieve financial stress from those who need help while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating local self-reliance. We don’t think this type of work should be limited to cities and towns with progressive leadership, so we created the Live Pono program.

Through our Patreon page, we collect money from supporters interested in helping fund home eco-upgrades for teachers, farmers, and other wonderful and giving people in our community that earn less than they deserve. We pool the money and when we have enough to green a home, we contact the people at the top of of the list who’ve requested it. (So get on the list if you haven’t already!) We green the home, at no cost to the resident, and then spread some gratitude on social media (residents are welcome/encouraged, but not required, to also spread the love).

Farmer Claire is an independent, organic local farmer and sells produce bundles from her 1/4 acre farm in Waimanalo. She is committed to making the smallest environmental footprint possible and was excited for the opportunity to lessen her impact. Earlier this month, we installed a showerhead, advanced powerstrip, and 6 LED bulbs for Claire, for a total of $135.50, at no cost to her! We also provided some information on Hawaii Energy’s refrigerator rebates.

Our remaining budget is now $68.50, and we will select our next participant for the program when we have enough funding. Mahalo to our funders for supporting eco-upgrades for farmers and teachers in Hawaii!