Puna Lunch Club sat down with Kehaulani Feliciano today to discuss her real estate investing journey and how she went from a cold caller for Spectrum to wholesaling to buying her first condo and now doing her own development projects. We discussed the need for Hawaiians and local people to have a seat at the table to direct what happens here, finding mentorships and community, and what success means. 

Puna Lunch Club sat down with Kawika Lewis of ‘Āina University to discuss ʻĀina Momona (abundant land) and self-determination, sustainability and keeping traditional Hawaiian practices alive and thriving.

Puna Lunch Club sat down with Dr. Kimo Alameda to discuss the upcoming mayoral election, why we need to rethink the county’s role in addressing our housing crisis, the sewage plant in Keaukaha and what could be the biggest environmental disaster the Big Island has ever faced if it were to rupture, health disparities in our community, and the future for Hawai’i he hopes to leave the next generations.

Puna Lunch Club sat with Kuhio Thomas, Director of Big Island Men’s Center of Adult & Teen Challenge, to discuss overcoming addiction, self-love, confronting life’s challenges head on and their ongoing work in the community.

Puna Lunch Club sat down with Kawehi from the Big Island Invasive Species Committee (BIISC) to discuss the high prevalence of invasive species on the Big Island and its characteristics, how a plant goes from introduced to invasive, Puna as the epicenter of Rat Lungworm, the importance of kilo, what is being done to fight the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle, hula dancers as conservationists and more.

Puna Lunch Club sat down with Samantha DeCorte, running for State Senator. If elected, she will be the first Native Hawaiian Wahine State Senator to represent District 22, Ko ‘Olina, Nānākuli, Mā‘ili, Wai‘anae, Mākaha, and Mākua. We discussed housing Hawaiians first, DHHL and getting the 30,000 people off of the waitlist, coconut tree planting and native forestry, the culture in the capital and what she’s learned working with Senator Awa, a recent viral video and the fight for power, and more. 

Puna Lunch Club sat down with Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death specialist Charlotte Romo with the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa CTAHR (College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources) and Katie Graham, Kupu Intern. We discussed what is ROD, how can we spot its symptoms, how can we prevent its spread, and how can we balance the need for housing/development while protecting our native plants, forests and ecosystems. We then take a short huakaʻi to one of our job sites to see what that looks like in practice.

Puna Lunch Club sat down with Scrappahz Union 96792, a group of Nānākuli High School students and kumu who are scrapping food / plastic / cardboard waste from the landfills and turning it into soil, cardboard pots, mulch, confetti and providing fresh produce at their Sustainable Saturdays. They recently entered and won $25,000 in the KeikiCo Contest for their cardboard shredding and use the winnings to buy cardboard shredders for all the westside schools. They aim to get cardboard shredders into as many schools as they can, including schools on Maui.

Puna Lunch Club sat down with Carmen Guzman-Simpliciano, the Assistant Director of Kingdom Pathways based in Waianae, and we discussed the work they’re doing to clean up the water pollution at Pōka‘ī Bay, Makaha Beach, how they got their own lab at Waianae High School so they can do water testing with the students, and more.

Puna Lunch Club sat down with Jay Kahee to discuss keeping Hawaiian lands in Hawaiian hands, financial literacy, life insurance, setting up trusts, estate planning, wellness and how what is ono is not always pono.