The change we need from chaos

by Colin Yost, Hawaiʻi Chapter ExCom Chair

There is a wall in the Kakaʻako SALT development covered with stenciled phrases, including “All Great Changes Are Preceded by Chaos.” Is our world chaotic enough yet to enable the Great Changes we need? Probably yes, given the confluence of COVID-19, western U.S. firestorms, multiple hurricanes, Justice Ginsburg’s sudden passing, heartbreaking cultural warfare, and a bitterly contested national election that’s being openly subverted by our con-man-in-chief, his enablers and foreign governments.

Many great changes are already underway. We are experiencing massive upheaval in the ways we work, learn and interact with each other. And it’s alarming that this chaos seems more likely to lead to disaster than to positive, transformational change. When climate scientists are asked “is this the new normal?”; they respond: “No. It’s going to get much worse.”

[deep breath]

So, we have our work cut out for us. What else is new? We need to find the strength to redouble our efforts to guide society and policy makers in the direction that leads to a Green New World instead of a smoking ruin. Perhaps the only good news about COVID-19 is that it has forced everyone to slow down and reconsider the old ways of doing things. People no longer need to be convinced that social transformation is necessary. It’s happening whether we like it or not.

Perhaps our best first step is re-building connections to each other to reclaim our collective strength. COVID-19 has scattered everyone and everything, and although we are physically stuck on our own islands, we can still zoom, email and text each other. In this edition of the Mālama, and in other communications in the weeks and months to come, the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi will focus on how we can work together to re-open and re-structure our economy to be sustainable, renewable and resilient. It is imperative that we dramatically increase local food supply, accelerate our transition to renewable energy, protect our clean water and diversify our economy to reduce dependence on tourism (in part through agriculture, green energy and sustainable infrastructure projects like planting millions of trees!).

Join us to make good things happen!