ʻĀ ʻoia Adriane!

Congratulations to Adriane Raff Corwin for securing a full scholarship to study playwriting at the prestigious Arizona State University. “I will always love Maui,” Adriane told me. “But I just could not pass up on this once in a lifetime opportunity.I care so much about Hawaiʻi and will support the Club’s mission from afar. I hope I can make my way back to the most beautiful place on earth someday soon.”We are so proud of Adriane. Of course it is bittersweet because we are losing a key member on the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi team. Not only did Adriane start our child-focused outings program called Sprouts, but she also served as a vocal supporter on critical issues at the Maui County Council.Adriane’s advocacy helped Maui residents push for the county level ban on toxic sunscreens. That bill served as the basis and motivation for statewide action to protect coral reefs and public health from oxybenzone and octinoxate. That campaign revealed Adriane to be a master meme maker, and diehard snorkeler (who knew?!).I really appreciated how Adriane supported the work of iwi protectors to stop the mining of culturally significant sand dunes in central Maui. HC&D, owner of Maui Lani, used simple “grading and grubbing” permits to circumvent environmental and historic site protections, so that they could convert entire areas of rare in-land dunes into money. Dunes like these are well-recognized as traditional burial grounds, yet no assessment of the cultural impacts of this mining has been completed. Thanks to the attention brought to this issue, the mining is currently on hold while the courts decide on the legality of the decision-making process.Most of Adriane’s work, however, focused on planning for the future of Maui in a way that ensures everyone can thrive there. Adriane worked tirelessly to advance the goals of the Hukilike No Maui Coalition. She helped to get three solid advocates into the annual shareholder meeting for Alexander and Baldwin to present a comprehensive land use plan. It is this kind of strategic coalition-building and planning for the longterm benefit of all residents that makes long-lasting big changes happen. We look forward to continuing and complementing Adriane’s work on this coalition to ensure its strategic goals are met. But for now, hoʻomaikaʻi!