plenary Maui + Sustainable Travel Policies CONVENE ON SITE Six Degrees of Aloha
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Once confining renegades, the old Lahaina Prison (top) has been repurposed as a beautiful, open-air courtyard. Converting used cooking oil into green energy, Pacific Biodeisel (bottom) is the No. 1 producer of biodiesel fuel in Hawaii.
eloquently and efficiently sustained. This was the pattern that emerged
during a recent press trip throughout Maui hosted by the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau. There was such diversity in the terrain, weather, and beaches, but a common thread remained — the idea of “aloha,” which I now define as unabashed generosity, kindness, and a boundless respect for nature. From the open-air baggage claim at Kahului Airport to the roofless, Moorish-inspired, 1,200-square-foot lobby of the Fairmont Kea Lani, nature was never far. The 450-room Kea Lani in Wailea,
our first host hotel, has more than 36,000 square feet of meeting space, including the 8,400-square-foot Kea Lani Ballroom, which opens onto the 3,200-square-foot Royal Fountain Ter- race. Looking out over the resort’s three pools is Ko, a new sushi restaurant serving 100-percent sustainable pro- duce and locally caught fish, where our generous hosts served up Kobe beef and fresh spring rolls our second night. With small peephole windows
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throughout the grounds, the sun and sand are never out of view, and the Kea Lani provides nature tours weekly. The property also offers an Eco-Meet program, providing a meeting structure to planners that encourages maximum waste diversion and environmental awareness for conference delegates, including organic menus and dispos- able-free F&B service. Nature is woven throughout the
verything is connected,” the nature guide explained as we hiked through the lush, rainfor-
est-lined Maunalei Arboretum trail just beyond the grounds of the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua — our gracious hosts during the property’s annual four-day Kapalua Wine & Food Festival. On our way to
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the trail, we passed a garden full of fresh herbs, pineapples, and vegetables, where scraps from the resort’s kitchens are composted to enrich the soil. The produce and spices we saw would later make an appearance in our meals at the six restaurants on site. Everything was connected — a delicate ecosystem
Hawaiian lifestyle, and its industries as well. During our first two days on Maui, we drove past sugarcane fields and Koa trees to scientific landmarks such as the Haleakala Observatory, which sits atop 10,000-foot Mt. Haleakala. We also visited nonprofit organizations that are working to protect and sustain the