HONOLULU - The Carbon Smart Program has awarded a total of $1,000,000 to 10 grantees to develop and implement plans for regenerative sustainable practices, particularly carbon sequestration (capturing, securing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere). The program is a pilot initiative to promote the preservation and enhancement of ranches, forests and farmlands in Hawai?i,

Developed by the Hawai?i State Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission (CCMAC), the programprovides grant funding to landowners or lessees in the state with a focus on smaller land managers, who often have difficulty accessing federal funding. The awardees will work to improve and expand practical solutions for soil health, carbon storage, and climate change resilience.

Funds have been awarded to land managersfrom Hawai?i County to Moloka?i and O?ahu. These include M?LA ??iwi with Wai?anae Community Redevelopment Corporation; OCR INC., dba Small Kine Farm; Healing Mountain Homestead, LLC; Living Life Source Foundation; The Kohala Center; Pu?u O Hoku Operations; Maluhia Fields, LLC; Mililani Agricultural Park, LLC; Protect & Preserve Hawai?i; and Kuilima Farm with Pono Pacific, LLC.

“The goal is to increase the strategies and options for land managers to develop greater carbon sequestration practices while building resilience and enhancing regenerative practices already in place,” said Leah Laramee, CCMAC Coordinator. “We are hoping to be able to continue this program in the future to fund a wider range of projects. We want to support local land managers and to implement community-led carbon sequestration actions.”

Examples of grantee projects include transitioning fallow land to agroforestry systems, creating organic compost from mushrooms to provide to markets across the islands, removing invasive species and regenerating native forest through Hawaiian traditional ecological knowledge and supporting a hui of 14 ‘?iwi-led organizations in diverse locally designed carbon sequestration activities.

This grant program addresses the urgent need to mitigate climate vulnerability in Hawai?i. Farmers, schools, community hui, businesses and nonprofit organizations were among a diverse group expressing a high level of interest to participate in these efforts.