See the latest Aloha ʻĀina Action here!
March 4, 2026
9:00am - 5:00pm
Imin Conference Center, UH Mānoa
This year’s Piʻo Summit: ʻĀinahoʻi: Land, Law & Justice brings together aloha ʻāina, community organizers and land stewards to explore the intersections of land, law and justice in Hawaiʻi.
ʻĀinahoʻi amplifies the collective movement for land back across the pae ʻāina, showcasing the innovative ways communities are both navigating and challenging existing systems through legal frameworks, nonprofit land trusts, and grassroots actions. Translations of ʻĀinahoʻi remind us it is “indeed that which feeds us” – both that land must return to community stewardship and trust, and that we must see land as ʻāina for a regenerative future. The summit features a range of models and pathways towards land back, highlighting the many ways ʻāina is being restored, reclaimed, and protected.
Our gathering focuses on highlighting micro to macro level approaches to ʻĀinahoʻi, including restoring ea, strengthening relationships to ʻāina, and advancing self-determined governance rooted in ancestral innovation and courageousness.
Join us in engaging in crucial discussions on strategic pathways that shape land back efforts today.
Throughout the summit, key conversations will include:
Through these conversations, attendees will gain insights into:
Through this gathering, we bridge our individual and collective efforts to land back to forge new pathways toward community care and resilience. By coming together, we strengthen our commitment to protect, reclaim, and care for the ʻāina and wai that sustain us. We move toward a reality in which we determine the future of Hawaiʻi’s resources and people.
We are excited to invite you to Piʻo Summit 2024, an event that revolves around "Hulihia" - an overturning or complete change that aptly describes the transformative power of community leadership in times of crisis. Recent catastrophic events including the 2018 flooding of Hāʻena, Kauaʻi, and the 2023 wildfires in Lāhaina, Maui, have highlighted the need for community leadership that is courageous and creative in the face of disaster. Join us for panel discussions with aloha ʻāina, community organizers, and scholars who continue to achieve better futures for their places while emerging through crises.
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
7:30am - 5:15pm
Hawaiʻi Convention Center
The pursuit of convenience today has led to rampant consumerism, throwaway culture, and monumental waste. Product design and manufacturing is focused on efficiency and low cost, with little regard for sustainability. As a result, the linear “take, make, use, waste” economy is built on continuously extracting finite resources just to create products destined for landfills.
In recent years, growing scrutiny around the linear economy has sparked a demand for urgent action on issues regarding limited natural resources, biodiversity loss, climate change, energy efficiency, mass waste, and pollution. Governments across the globe are searching for solutions that decouple economic growth from environmental degradation while ensuring long-term prosperity. One steadily advancing movement is aimed at designing a Circular Economy, where waste is minimal, materials and resources are preserved for as long as possible, and modes of production mimic nature’s regenerative processes.
In ancestral Hawaiʻi, a similar “give, take, regenerate” circular system led to the development of balanced structures of resource management. One example of this can be seen in the ahupuaʻa, a unit of land division and an efficient socio-political management structure that enhanced ecosystems health. Ahupuaʻa, in partnership with a sophisticated governance structure, ensured a successful ancestral circular economy, where resources were managed effectively to promote abundance. Combining contemporary Circular Economy solutions with ancestral knowledge creates integrated approaches to sustainability that are both environmentally regenerative and socially just.
As the state’s largest research institution, the University of Hawai‘i (UH) has an obligation to help improve the quality of life for our residents and to those around the world through innovative research and education. This year, in partnership with the Dana Naone Hall Endowed Chair we created a Piʻo Summit to highlight the need for courageous leadership and ancestral innovation to solve the complex problems of our times. Advancing a Circular Economy in Hawai‘i brings together UH and community partners to advance contemporary applications of ancestral innovation and resource management sciences to help develop sustainable and just solutions for healthy communities in Hawai‘i and around the world.
Advancing a Circular Economy in Hawai‘i is sponsored by the University of Hawaiʻi Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation, The GSI Family of Companies, Elemental Excelerator and Kamehameha Schools in partnership with Piʻo Summit 2023 and Ulupono Initiative.
Thursday, December 15, 2022
12:00 - 4:30pm
Imin International Conference Center & Kennedy Theatre, UH Mānoa
Wai Sovereignty & Justice was chosen as the theme of our inaugural summit to draw attention and action to the current state of our wai, along with the constant threats our water resources are currently facing. Wai Sovereignty & Justice brought together esteemed community leaders, advocates, and truth speakers who are advancing aloha ʻāina and water justice. The summit consisted of two day-time panels, a networking mixer event and an evening keynote discussion.
