Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 10, 1 October 2016 — Aloha mai kākou, [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Aloha mai kākou,

When you put sunscreen on your child, do you really know what you're doing to the environment? When it comes to our keiki, we will do anything to protect them. But if we step back and listen to our kūpuna, we know our responsibility goes deeper - especially when there are alternatives. We need to protect the kai, the 'āina and our keiki. So when I learned that sunscreens with oxybenzone are damaging our coral reefs, I understood we had to stop using it. Make no mistake, our keiki eome first, but there are alternatives to oxybenzone and we ean all find a safer alternative. It got me to thinking about our ancestors and the mission of Hōkūle'a and Mālama Honua. The Polynesian Voyaging Society reminds us all that we are on one earth. We should act as one to protect our planet. Nowhere was that more evident than at the IUCN World Conservation Congress held at the Hawai'i Convention Center last month. The world's spotlight was on Hawai'i and its coimnunity. We were able to showcase our cultural heritage as an indigenous people and showcase our ancestors' ways of creating a sustainable community. President Barack Ohama expanded Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the days before the congress meetings and most importantly elevated OHA as a co-trustee. This means Native

Hawaiians have a greater say in what happens there. We will be able to bring our cultural lens on par with that of the federal govermnent. Think about that for a moment. We have a voice. We will be at the table. We will be a global leader on protecting our oceans with our Pacific Island family. The president was listening, the IUCN was listening and soon the world will listen to the wisdom of our ancestors on building a sustainable future and to Mālama Honua. Hawaiians and the indigenous people of the Pacific see the world as a whole - not just of its parts. We have a greater vision beyond our individual borders because we ean see how the simple act of using an unhealthy sunscreen ean affect our world as a whole. But as we look globally we must also think locally. Our elections are just around the corner. Venting on Facebook and Twitter is a great way to raise consciousness about the issues that challenge our coimnunities. But imagine if all those on social media actually upped their game and made a difference by voting. Make your voice heard by voting with your feet and getting your 'ōkole to ' the voting booth. Learn about the candidates and exercise your constitutional right to vote by going the the polls and actually making a difference. 'O au iho nō me ke aloha a me ka 'oia'i'o,

MAULI OLA IS O U R DESTINY

-V 'ŌLELO A KA LUNA HO'OKELE ^ MESSAGE FR0M THE CE0 r

Kamana'opono M. Crabbe, Ph.D. Ka Pouhana/Chief Executive 0fficer