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Hawaii Viewpoint – Things To Know About Hawaii

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Environmental Technology in Hawaii

August 15th, 2009 · Environment

A photovoltaic array is a linked assembly of P...
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In an effort to preserve the natural beauty of the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaii has been extremely progressive in terms of researching and applying technologies that will allow locals to use alternate sources of energy, allowing Hawaii to become a more environmentally friendly state with a reduced carbon footprint. Its also extremely important that Hawaii becomes more dependent on alternative sources of energy because since Hawaii is isolated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, millions of dollars are spent to have the oil shipped to the islands, making it even more expensive than elsewhere in the nations. Because of the Hawaii’s geographical location, Hawaii would have the ability to access numerous alternate sources of energy, a convenience many other places in the world don’t have. Researchers in Hawaii are working on creating technologies that will allow Hawaii to rely less on oil and more on other sources of energy including wind, sun, waves, and geothermal activity.

Because Hawaii enjoys sunny weather more than most other places in the world, solar technologies are one of the most hopeful alternate sources of energy. In fact, there are already numerous businesses in Hawaii that offer solar products in some way or form so people can take advantage of Hawaii’s sunny weather. Many people in Hawaii have installed solar powered fans, solar water heaters, and photovoltaic solar panels to supply all of the home’s electricity needs. By using solar energy, many homeowners can save a barrel of oil a day.

Another alternate source of energy that applies to Hawaii more than anywhere else is wave energy. Researchers are finding ways to harness the power of the waves in order to create electricity.

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The Big Island

August 14th, 2009 · Hawaii

Hilo, Hawai'i
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The island of Hawaii is often referred to as the Big Island in order to avoid confusion with the state of Hawaii. With an area of 4,028 square miles, the Big Island is the largest and youngest of the eight major Hawaiian Islands, which include Ni’ihau, Kaua’i, O’ahu, Moloka’i, Lana’i, Kaho’olawe, Maui, and the island of Hawai’i. The volcanic island is said to have been named for Hawai’iloa, the Polynesian navigator who is believed to have been the first person to discover the Hawaiian Islands.

Another story also claims that the island was named after Hawaiki, a place where the Polynesians believed they came from and where they would go to in the afterlife. The Big Island is administered as the County of Hawaii, and the county seat is Hilo, which is also the largest community on the Big Island, with a population just over 200,000.

The Big Island is perhaps most well known for its volcanoes, especially Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea, which is also one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The most popular volcanic attractions on the island is the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which is home to both Mauna Loa and Kilauea, as well as a volcano museum and hotel called the Volcano House. Aside from the town of Hilo, which is located on the island’s east coast, the other major settlement on the Big Island is Kailua-Kona, which is located on the island’s west coast. Most visitors to the island stay at either Hilo or Kailua-Kona, where most of the island’s dining, shopping, and entertainment opportunities are located.

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About Hawaii

August 13th, 2009 · Hawaii State

Photograph of the Hawaiian Islands from Space ...
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The state of Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states and is the only state made up entirely of islands, an archipelago known as the Hawaiian Islands, which is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States.

Hawaii is made up of eight major islands: Ni’ihau, Kaua’i, O’ahu, Moloka’i, Lana’i, Kaho’olawe, Maui, and the island of Hawai’i, all of which were formed entirely by volcanic activity. The island of Hawaii, which is also referred to as the Big Island to avoid confusion, is the youngest and largest of the eight major Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii has a population of about 1.3 million residents, but over 90% of the population is situated on the island of Oahu, which could be considered the center of commerce for the state.

Oahu is home to Honolulu, the state capital and largest city, as well as Waikiki, the main tourist center throughout the islands.

With its beautiful beaches, lush greenery, and pleasant, year-round warm climate, Hawaii is one of the most popular destinations in the world for vacationing.

Some of the most popular towns and cities to explore in Hawaii include Hilo and Kailua-Kona on the Big Island, Kihei and Lahaina on Maui, Lihue and Kapa’a on Kauai, and Honolulu, and Waikiki on Oahu. Although great experiences can be found on any of the Hawaiian Islands, there are really only four islands suitable for vacations: Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island. Although Oahu suffers from overcrowding, overdevelopment, and traffic, Oahu has the most to offer in terms of dining, shopping, and entertainment opportunities.

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Lost

August 13th, 2009 · LOST - Hawaii

From left to right: Hurley, Claire, Sawyer, Ka...
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Lost is perhaps the first major television show to bring fame back to Hawaii since Hawaii Five-O, which first aired in 1968.

The pilot for Lost first aired in the fall of 2004, and since then five full seasons have been broadcasted. Lost is an American serial drama television series based upon the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island. Much of the show is filmed in on the island of Oahu, and due to its large ensemble cast and the cost of filming in Hawaii, Lost is one of the most expensive productions on television. The show was created by Damon Lindelof, J.J. Abrams, and Jeffrey Lieber.

The television series has long been a popular success, gaining an extremely large fan base and attracting on average 16 million viewers per episode.

Lost has won numerous awards including the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 2005, Best American Import at the British Academy Television Awards in 2005, a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series, and the Golden Globe for Best Drama in 2006. Lost has truly become a major icon of American popular culture, gaining influence in other television series, commercials, comic books, magazines, video games, and song lyrics.

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University of Hawaii Athletics

August 13th, 2009 · University of Hawaii

Aloha Stadium: USC @ Hawaii. Photo taken by Bo...
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Although Hawaii has had a few professional sports teams in the past, collegiate sports are really the only locally televised sports events in Hawaii today.

The University of Hawaii in Manoa is the only major university in Hawaii and it is home to about 20 NCAA Division I varsity teams in affiliation with the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Although spectators can watch numerous excellent UH teams for sports such as Baseball, Swimming, Diving, Golf, and Cross Country, some of the university’s most popular athletic programs include men’s football and basketball, as well as women’s basketball and volleyball.

The Aloha Stadium is the venue for all UH football home games. The stadium is the largest and most versatile multi-purpose facility in the state and can hold about 50,000 spectators.The Aloha Stadium also features the NFL Pro Bowl, baseball games, soccer matches, as well as events such as concerts, car shows, fairs, and a swap meet. The other major UH sports venue is the Stan Sheriff Center, which is the primary site for UH basketball and volleyball games.

The arena also hosts gymnastics competitions and holds over 10,000 people.

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Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology

August 13th, 2009 · Hawaii Education

Coral reefs in Papua New Guinea

Although Hawaii doesn’t have many high-tech or engineering industries, Hawaii still holds an important role in the world of science in terms of the marine biology research done in the islands. It is obvious why marine biology would be one of the most prominent sciences practiced in the islands due to convenient access to the sea and the wealth of marine life in the Pacific Ocean, and one of the premier marine biology facilities in the islands is theHawaii Institute of Marine Biology, which is located on Coconut Island in Kaneohe Bay, just 15 miles from the main campus of the University of Hawaii and downtown Honolulu.

The 29 acres of land on Coconut Island is entirely a research facility surrounded by 64 acres of coral reef designated as the Hawaii Marine Laboratory Refuge.

The island is also composed of 6 acres of enclosed lagoons that are used for keeping organisms in captivity for study. Only researchers and members of the research facility can access Coconut Island and conduct any experiments on or around the island.

Although scientist from around the world come to conduct experiments at the facility, the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology is established primarily for use by University of Hawaii students and faculty.

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Traditional Hawaiian Food

August 13th, 2009 · Hawaiian Food

Making Poi in traditional way, Western Oahu ne...
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Because of Hawaii’s diverse population and cultures, tasty food from around the world can be found in the islands. However, sometimes the best foods to try are the traditional Hawaiian dishes that were eaten by the native Hawaiians long before any other cuisines were introduced to the islands. Due to the Hawaiian’s belief that life and health were one in the same, they believed that it was important to eat healthy and to use all of the edible resources provided by nature. The native Hawaiians lived very active lives, so it was important for them to eat foods rich in nutrients such as taro, yams, breadfruit, pigs, and fish.

The main sources of protein for the native Hawaiians were fish, squid, crab, chicken, and birds. Leafy vegetables including taro, tree fern, and fan palm were also a main component of their diets. They also ate bananas, coconuts, mountain apples, and sugar cane. One of the staples of their diet was poi, a glutinous purple paste made from pounded taro root.

Although times have changed greatly, there are still many traditional Hawaiian foods found today, especially at events known as luaus, which are traditional Hawaiian feasts. Poi is still a commonly found Hawaiian dish, and you will also often find a whole pig wrapped in ti and banana leaves and cooked in an underground oven known as an imu as one of the main dishes. Laulau is another common dish, which consists of pork or chicken wrapped in taro leaves. For desert people will often eat haupia, which is made from coconu

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Some of the Top Hawaii Blogs

August 13th, 2009 · Hawaii Blogs

Kilauea Lighthouse, Photo 3
Image by J. Stephen Conn via Flickr

Although it may seem that Hawaii would be somewhat less technologically advanced than most other parts of the world because it is isolated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, which also happens to be the largest ocean in the world, Hawaii, especially the island of Oahu is just as developed as many large cities. In Hawaii there are many important issues that are talked about, and many of these give rise to the numerous blogs on the internet about Hawaii affairs. Although there are thousands of blogs on Hawaii on the internet, many of which are only related to tourism, here are a few of the most popular Hawaii blogs.

One of the most heated issues in Hawaii are related to Native Hawaiian rights, which makes the Hawaiian Independence Blog, which is made especially to discuss Native Hawaiian Issues, one of the most popular Hawaii Blogs. Some topics talked about on this blog are related to Hawaii regaining its sovereignty and the disputes over the Akaka Bill, which is proposing to give Native Hawaiians more rights. Another popular Hawaii blog is Hawaiirama, which is a blog dedicated to Hawaii travel. This blog will give you all the local’s best picks for shopping, dining, and entertainment so that visitors can have the best experience possible in paradise. With all of the talk about being eco-friendly and going green, environmental issues are the primary topic on the Hawaii blog, Raising Islands. This blog offers news about the environment of the Hawaiian Islands and educates readers all about environmental sciences so that people are more aware of the environment around them.

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Music in Hawaii

August 13th, 2009 · Hawaii Music

Due to Hawaii’s diverse population, Hawaii also has a diverse musical background, with music being influenced by cultures from all around the world. With all types of traditional and contemporary music styles put on display in Hawaii, Hawaii is home to music ranging from traditional native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock, jazz, and hip hop. A popular local music style in the islands is slack-key guitar, as well as country music which became popular with the introduction of the steel guitar. Nevertheless, many locals still strive to preserve Hawaii’s traditional music styles, which include chanting and dance music.

Hawaii is home to numerous musical venues and events. Some of the popular music festivals in Hawaii include the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, Molokai Music Festival, Hawaii International Jazz Festival, as well as many slack-key and steel guitar festivals such as the Big Island Slack Key Guitar Festival, Steel Guitar Association Festival, and the Gabby Pahinui / Atta Isaacs Slack Key Festival. Some of the well known music venues and institutions include the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, Hawaii Opera Theatre, and the Oahu Choral Society’s Honolulu Symphony Chorus, which also hosts the popular Hawaii International Choral Festival.

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Hawaii State Art Museum

August 13th, 2009 · Hawaii State

hawaii state art museum

Run by the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts the Hawaii State Art Museum is a popular art museum conveniently located in the No. 1 Capitol District Building right in downtown Honolulu. Admission is free at all times and the museum also participates in an event in downtown known as First Friday, which is where numerous art galleries throughout downtown open in the evening to allow people to explore any new works of art that may have been put on display.

The downtown Hawaii State Art Museum is actually the newest museum in Hawaii, and the museum is separated into three galleries: the Diamond Head Gallery, the Ewa Gallery, and the Sculpture Gallery.The museum also offers a 70 seat multi-purpose room for hosting any special events or public programs that may take place at the museum. Also located in the museum is Downtown @ HiSAM, which is the museum’s restaurant, as well as Shop @ HiSAM, which is the museum gift shop. Group tours for the museum are also offered for groups of up to 12 people.

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