Common goals from 12.680 km away

Hello everyone!

This is my first blog entry for this course and I look forward to many more. I want to start off by introducing myself and taking you on a short journey of my life that has brought me to here, 12.680 km from the islands of Hawai’i in the middle of the Pacific Ocean to EOI, Madrid.

It is customary in Hawai’i during introductions, to recount your entire lineage tracing you back to the roots of your ancestry, as a protocol. Through this one is able to bring their intentions forward and be reminded of their family ties to the place of where they are from. I will spare you these details of my ‘olelo no’eau, as it is called but wanted to bring it up as it is important as I discuss the reasons why I am here studying the International Masters in Sustainable Development & Corporate Responsibility here.

Growing up in Hawai’i, the natural environment was something that played a part in my everyday life. It was something that I can say now, that as a child, was taken for granted. It wasn’t until I began to travel and see other parts of the world that I realized just how special the places were that I grew up in. (I’m sure that this is not exclusive to Hawai’i, but that many people would have this realization of their hometown after growing up.) And just like most places, as I got older I noticed the changes that were happening around me. The loss of beach access for locals, the development of our own natural playgrounds and a growing sense of urgency to preserve the life and land of our home.

I wasn’t the only one noticing the change and the voices within the community became louder. However, I soon realized that while the voice of the community was strong, there was nothing stronger than political will and that screaming and crying no longer got us what we wanted. I chose to study Political Science at the University of Hawai’i and thus began my learning of how the system works.

Fast forward to today, and while my late professor of Hawaiian Politics would laugh at my optimism, I see the bigger picture of what it will take in order to make change for the better. I understand the importance of community activism and strength however, it’s goes unheard without the political will, checks and balances.

My first instinct to “preserve” the life and land that we had in Hawai’i is no longer an option, but we must embrace the change that is coming at us in order to truly be able to adapt and progress. I know these may be ‘fluffy’ words that I’m using to describe this, but it’s what I really feel. We need the community grassroots approach while at the same time the political drive to progress forward. Because as of now, we’ve gone past the point of preservation and have moved onto the point of adaptation. This can either be a positive change or negative, but I hope that with this masters that I will be able to find the tools that we need in order to secure a future in which my children can also enjoy the same things that I did.

To conclude, I understand that my approach may seem extremely narrow in the whole scheme of things, but I this is what attracted me the most to the IMSD Program. Not only does it give a global perspective on sustainability issues, but it brings together the minds of students of all over the world.

So, while the islands of Hawai’i may be 12.680 km away from Spain, what brings us together are the common goals that we share in order to achieve a more sustainable future.

So… let’s go IMSD!! Or, as we would say in Hawai’i, IMUA!

1 comentario / 20 Nov 2012 por Ivory McClintock Kealani Pan
IMSD /

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