To restore the land
We must understand it
To understand the land
We must hear it
To hear the land
We must love it
To love the land
We must be it
Hawaiʻi Environmental Restoration (HER) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to restoring the natural integrity of Hawaiʻi’s environment. Our mission is to preserve the islands’ unique cultural and biological resources through ecological restoration, environmental education, and community stewardship. Founded in 2019 after five years under Mālama O Puna, HER’s roots reach back to 2014, when our intensive restoration work in Keauʻohana State Forest Reserve first began.
As Hawaiʻi’s ecosystems continue to face immense pressure from development, agriculture, and invasive species, protecting the few remaining native forests is essential. These ecosystems safeguard biodiversity, cultural identity, and the very services—clean air, water, climate stability—that sustain human life. HER seeks to help people make this vital connection between the health of our forests and the wellbeing of our communities.
Education is central to this vision. From volunteer workdays to classrooms and community outreach, HER teaches ecological principles alongside the cultural and historical significance of Hawaiʻi’s native species. We encourage people to recognize how everyday choices—such as the plants they grow—impact the survival of native ecosystems and Hawaiʻi’s fragile environment at large.
Our spiritual mission is to inspire a deeper, sacred rapport with the land—one that honors Hawaiʻi’s native people, perpetuates Hawaiian culture, and protects original plant communities. Hawaiian Protocol is included in all of our forest group events, creating a foundation of respect that profoundly shapes how people hold the experience and relate to the land and to one another. This practice nurtures a sense of sensitivity, harmony, and long-term sustainability, grounding our work in both cultural and ecological integrity.
By weaving together traditional knowledge, ecological science, and cultural practice, HER contributes to a larger movement of biocultural restoration in Hawaiʻi and beyond. We envision a future where people and native ecosystems thrive together, rooted in mutual respect and shared responsibility.
Ho’oku’u Kākou
E ho mai kūikawā mālama
‘Ia kēia hohonu wahi o Hawai’i
E noho I ka piko
O ka moana nui loa
E ala i nā luna lilo
Me pākahi kakahiaka lā
Laha nā mahana wana
Ma loko o ma’o ma’ukele papa
Kahi ko kākou a’a ho’ohui
A me palupalu kupu ho’owaiwai
‘Ia ‘ale’o kumu lā’au
A me ka makani hanu kākou
Ku ike kūhohonu o nā kupuna
Me ka mali’u ‘ia welina
Na piha le’a ‘apapalani
‘Ane’i maluna kēia honua, aloha ‘ia
Allow Us
Bring special care
To this profound place
Dwelling in the center
Of the great ocean
Rise into the heights
As each morning sun
Spreads warm rays
Through to green forest floor
Where our roots may gather
And tender shoots prosper
To towering tree
And the wind we breathe
Attain ancestral insight
With wisdom to welcome
The joyful and Godly realms
Here upon this earth we love