Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 11, 1 November 1993 — CBED conference: looking for eeonomie alternatives [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CBED conference: looking for eeonomie alternatives

Community-based eeonomie development experts tackle environmental, cultural eoncems at two-day conference.

bv Patrick Johnston Many Hawaiian communities face the dilemma of wanting to provide for their families but, at the same time, keep traditional ways in an economy dominated by foreign eeonomie principles. But providing jobs does not have to mean taking over Western, capitalistic ideas and applying them to Hawai'i's island communities. More eulturally and environmentally appropriate alternatives exist. This was part of the thinking behind the second annual eom-munity-based eeonomie development conference (CBED) held last month in Honolulu. "CBED is applicable to any island-based economy," explains Linda Colburn, OHA Eeonomie Development officer. "It takes responsibility for its resources and emphasizes collective activi-

ty. It is consistent with the way Hawaiians used to do things. It stresses conservation rather than exploitation." The conference, sponsored by OHA, DBEDT, and the Bank of Hawai'i, brought together CBED practitioners, government officials, and financial people ffom Hawai'i, the Mainland, and South Pacific to discuss the movement and its application in Hawai'i.

"We recognize that there are Hawaiians committed to more culturally based eeonomie alternatives," OHA Chairman Clayton Hee said at the opening of the conference. "In response, OHA has made a commitment to CBED." Thomas Kappoek, Executive Vice-Chairman of the Bank of Hawai'i, also gave opening remarks, stressing that it was an

important time for communitybased development and that it was equally important that everyone work together. "It is a critical time to start microenterprise but the reality is we all work with a set of eonstraints. The key issue is to work coop>eratively. No one is without obstacles." Keynote speaker Rebecca Adamson, president and founder of the Mainland-based First Nations Development Institute, continued on page 9

Aquaculture display at CBED conference marketplace. Photo by Patrick Johnston