Aloha and mahalo to the folks at GnomeDiaries.com for offering me this opportunity to participate in this voluntary project. I support this idea on several levels for several reasons:

The first is I have been passing around a traveling gnome since September of 2006. Since Bud the Gnome began his journeys I have met many interesting people and Bud and his tiki travel companion, Tiki Jr., have visited some cool places. It’s fun.

A recent journey took them to Ireland with a vacationing New York native. Please check out my traveling gnome site at www.punagnome.com. Feel free to contact me with regards to that concept if you wish.

The second is my lifestyle has changed. Prior to living in the Puna District, I had lived in several locations on the island of Hawaii. All of these locations offered the “necessary” conveniences associated with a “normal” lifestyle in the United States. Abundant electricity, water and access to convenience.

I spent my days in the same fashion as many Americans, everything plugged in, multiple lights on most of the time, and the television and computer running. As I reflect on this, I find it rather hypocritical to think that I carelessly consumed energy and then would complain about the monthly electric bill.

Today my life is much different. Living in a rural area that is considered remote, off the grid, and undesirable by many people, I have been more or less forced to change my lifestyle.

Our local electric company, Hawaiian Electric Light Company, aka HELCO has placed poles throughout the subdivision and electricity is available. In order to access the grid I must pay a $2400.00 fee for use, as well as, other fees associated with setup and monthly service. Frankly, I find that undesirable and wasteful.

I have been fortunate in that several long time residents of this area have helped me set up a crude yet very useful power arrangement using 4-6V golf cart batteries, an inverter and a single solar panel. Approx. a $2500 set up.

I am grateful for this “free” energy provided by the sun. I must say, however, that I realized that this setup is primarily being used for strictly entertainment purposes to operate a DVD player and 15” LCD television, as well as, a small light in the evening. In my defense it certainly is a luxury to have entertainment.

There are other issues associated with this lifestyle that I may go in to at another time.

The final reason I am willing and eager to participate is to live both a more economically efficient life and at the same time contribute less to the pollution and consumption of resources in the world.

I encourage anyone looking at this website for the first time to take a look at the simple ways that each of us can make a difference and help to lessen the impacts of pollution on our world. Individuals can make a difference.

I look forward to investigating the attitudes and changes that the people of Hawaii are making in order to help preserve the health of our precious planet and Hawaii, which is, in its self, a very fragile eco-system.

As a final note I would like to add that I do not consider myself green or an environmentalist in any fashion nor am I involved in any political movements with regards to the above. 

Mahalo

Tony