INDEX - ECONOMIC
www.islandbreath.org

SUBJECT: SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY

SOURCE: RAY CHUAN rchuan@verizon.net

Agriculture & Development: Creating Sustainable Communities

1 October 2004 - 5:00am

West Maui agland site of Honolua Ridge housing site

Maui Land and Pineapple CEO To Speak on Kauai
 
David Cole, Chairman, President and CEO of Maui Land and Pineapple, will present a free public talk, “Agriculture and Development:  Creating Sustainable Communities,” at the Kauai Community College Performing Arts Center on October 5, 2004, from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm.
 
Cole’s presentation is sponsored by the County of Kauai - Office of Economic Development, the County Council, the Kauai Chamber of Commerce, Kauai Community College, Kauai Planning and Action Alliance, Kauai Economic Development Board, the Kauai County Farm Bureau, and the Kauai Group of the Sierra Club.
 
David Cole is widely recognized as one of the most visionary business leaders in the state.  Having joined Maui Land and Pine last year, his mission is to revitalize the large plantation landholding company using the principles of ecological soundness, sustainability, authenticity and inclusiveness.
 
“By integrating agriculture, wise stewardship and eco-effective design principles,Maui Land and Pine seeks to create and manage holistic communities that will build a sustainable future for Maui,” Cole said.  Recently Maui Land and Pine unveiled a plan to create a 900-unit self-contained community that will include 900 dwelling units, with more than half of those units being 50% affordable. The project housing will be designed so that residents will be able to walk to almost everything they need. 
 
The request for Cole to speak on Kauai was initiated by Council member and former mayor JoAnn Yukimura when she heard him speak about a year ago before the statewide Farm Bureau Convention in Honolulu.  “David Cole is a creative and innovative leader,” Yukimura said.  “We are very fortunate that he has consented to share his wide-ranging experience and his inspiring work at Sunnyside Organic Farms and Maui Land and Pine with us. I know he will stimulate our thinking about what we might do on Kauai to develop our agricultural potential and create a sustainable community.”
 
Prior to joining Maui Land and Pine, Cole was active worldwide in the publishing, communications, software, and online service industries.  He has been an officer of America Online, Inc., and president of both Ziff Communications and Ashton-Tate.  For most of his adult life he has been active in conservation, including serving as a director of The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, American Farmland Trust, and Island Press.   He presently serves as chairman of the Twin Farms Collection, an owner and operator of luxury resorts (TwinFarms.com) in Barnard,Vermont and chairman of Sunnyside Farms (SunnysideFarms.com), a specialty consumer products retailer and supplier of premium organic meats and produce in Washington, Virginia.
 
Cole was raised in Kailua, Oahu and received a B.A. from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1975.  In 1997 he was recognized as a UH distinguished alumnus and in 2004 he has awarded an honorary doctorate for his work in conservation and sustainable design.
 
Cole’s talk will be especially interesting to anyone involved in agriculture, land planning, community development and the business of food production, from growers to chefs.  Everyone is invited to this free event.

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