Islands and Cultures: How Pacific Islands Provide Paths toward Sustainability

Kawena Elkington was raised on the Windward coast of Oʻahu in Hawaiʻi. She is a PhD candidate in geography at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her research examines how Hawaiian-led community-based organisations are modelling circular economy approaches. This aligns with her work as a graduate research assistant in the Pōʻai Ke Aloha ʻĀina lab at UH Mānoa, which works to elevate aloha ʻāina (stewardship of the land) practices and promote collaborative relationships with sustainability leaders internationally. Her recent work has appeared in Sustainability, Ecology and Society, and she has contributed chapters to a forthcoming volume with University of Hawai‘i Press on water issues in Hawaiʻi.