Life  of  the  Land

Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka `Aina I Ka Pono
The Life (Sovereignty) of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness


OUR AWESOME BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Kim Ramos: President
David Henkin
Fred Madlener
Art Mori
Kapua Sproat
Anne Sturgis       
Andrew Tomlinson
Jessica Wooley

OUR DEDICATED STAFF

Henry Curtis                                      Kat Brady
Executive Director                             Assistant Executive Director
henry.lifeoftheland@gmail.com          katbrady@hotmail.com


MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of Life of the Land is to preserve and protect the life of the land through sustainable land use and energy policies and to promote open government through research, education, advocacy and, when necessary, litigation.

HISTORY

Before the first Earth Day celebration, a group of dynamic women were appalled at the dumping of raw sewage into our precious ocean. These women printed leaflets with a toilet on the front cover asking “Do you know you are swimming in our sewage?” which they then distributed to tourists on Waikiki Beach. This direct action successfully forced the City and County of Honolulu to build the first sewage treatment plant in Hawai`i.

That is why Pegge Hopper, Helga Frankel, Stephanie (Morrison) Austin, Benni (Hodges) D’Enbeau, Riki Weiss, and Linda Spaulding, among others are affectionately known as our “Foremothers”. From their hard labor Life of the Land was born.

COURT VICTORIES

Kaho`olawe (1971). Congress passed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in 1969. President Nixon signed the bill into law in 1970. It was unclear whether NEPA covered the military. So Life of the Land filed a lawsuit in the summer of 1971 charging the Navy with bombing Kaho`olawe in violation of NEPA. This landmark federal case established that the military must obey federal environmental law.

HECO Rate Case (1971-75). In 1971, Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) proposed in a docket before the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) that ratepayers be charged for an advertisement campaign encouraging ratepayers to use more electricity. Life of the Land sought intervention, but was permitted to ask questions only through the PUC staff. The staff wanted to reject the proposed rate hike, but the PUC Commissioners overrode them. Life of the Land appealed. The PUC fought our right to appeal. In 1975, in a landmark ruling, the Hawai`i Supreme Court ruled in In re Application of HECO that ratepayers who sought participation in contested case hearings have standing before the courts and that the proposed rate hike was improper, forcing a $500,000 rollback in rates.

H-3 (1971-87). LOL fought a 16 year battle against the interstate highway, H-3. We won every challenge in court. In 1987, by a one vote majority, Congress exempted the proposed highway from federal environmental law.  We saved one important valley from destruction.

Heptachlor (1982-86). LOL won a $4 million class-action pesticide lawsuit which created a Hawai`i heptachlor research and Education Foundation to monitor the affected children.

Dae Won Sa (1988-). LOL won a ten-year battle before the Hawai`i Supreme Court on a variance issue (1988-98). Our lawsuit on building code violations for that site will last several more years (1988- ).

Kamoku-Pukele (1996-2002). Life of the Land is in Circuit Court challenging the adequacy of the Revised Final EIS. We have completed a contested case hearing before a BLNR hearing officer who is recommending to that BLNR deny HECO’s application for a permit.


WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID ...

“Life of the Land is waging a vigorous fight against polluters in and out of court. Hawaii needs all the committed, competent environmentalists it can get. Despite it clear governmental advantages and unique natural setting, it totters on the brink of some real environmental disasters.
[Former U. S. Interior Secretary] Stewart Udall and Jeff Stansbury. Honolulu Advertiser. December 23, 1970.

“Direct, aggressive action based on fact. Most active environmental group in the state.”  Conservation Directory. 
National Wildlife Federation. 1977.

“Life of the Land has been concerned about Island water supply for years and advocated state management and control of such vital areas as the Pearl Harbor aquifer. A year ago the state designated the Pearl harbor water basin as critical and placed it under state management.”
Honolulu Star Bulletin - December 4, 1980

In March 1995, the Honolulu Star Bulletin published three special sections on the History of Hawaii. They said: “The effect a person can have on a place is immeasurable. Here are the 10 people or organizations who, from 1965 to 1975, helped make Hawaii what it is today”. There list contained 6 individuals and 4 organizations: The state Land Use Commission; Bishop Estate; the Labor Unions; and Life of the Land.
Honolulu Star-Bulletin March 14, 1995.

”Life of the Land has become synonymous with environmental activism in Hawaii.”
Honolulu Weekly. Earth Day edition. April 1996.


Life of the Land is a  Hawaii-based, Hawaii-focused environmental and community action group. Founded in 1970, the mission of Life of the Land is to preserve and protect the life of the land through sustainable land use and energy policies and to promote open government through research, education, advocacy and, when necessary, litigation. We believe that people are part of the environment. We are known for research, research, research. We cover complex issues such as genetic engineering, climate change, and quality of life issues. LOL is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. We do not attend fundraisers, testify for/against political and/or administrative candidates, nor do we rank candidates. We work on issues not people.

Contact: Life of the Land, 76 North King Street, Suite 203, Honolulu, Hawaii  96817, Email: lifeofthelandhawaii@hotmail.com Executive Director: Henry Curtis, henry.lifeoftheland@gmail.com * Assistant Executive Director: Kat Brady, katbrady@hotmail.com

Links: Who Are We  Clean Energy Now!  Coastal Issues  Community Alliance on Prisons  Contact Information  Cultural Issues  Energy Links    Environmental Links  Genetic Engineering  Good Government  Hawaii Energy Blog  HECO's Proposed 2009 Power Plant  Land Use  LOL History  Newsletters (Ka Uila (Energy Newsletters); LOL Newsletters)  Quality of Life (adequate food, shelter, education, employment and a living wage)  Toxics Campaign

Index