The native Hawaiians understood reusing and recycling more than most Americans today ever will. And the importance of using every plant, animal, flower, etc. for what it’s worth has been passed down along ancestral lines for centuries. I was fortunate enough to experience traditional Lau Lau making at the Hawaii Island Retreat with two local Hawaiians who have been doing this their entire lives — Uncle Earl and Auntie Audrey (in the video above and the photos below).

The Hawaii Island Retreat, where we made the Lau Lau’s, is an eco-resort that runs entirely on locally-generated solar power and that provides all of its food from the on-site organic farm and garden. Its owners, Jeanne Sunderland and her husband Robert Watkins live in complete harmony with the earth, using only what they need, and providing guests with what they desire within the limits of their property.

For Lau Lau-making, no trip to the store was even considered — a staff member brought out chicken, pork, bananas, sweet potatoes and carrots, as well as the traditional taro and ti leaves. All of the veggies were plucked from the ground (the bananas from a nearby tree). And the meat was raised from birth on the farm, without hormones or antibiotics of any kind. For me, the ability to literally see where every ingredient I was going to eat came from was not only a first, but something I seriously treasured. Just as the ancient Hawaiians, we used what the earth had to offer — leaves, fruit, vegetables — and the animals that also live off the land, ones that were treated humanely their entire lives. The fact that Hawaiians today are still doing some things, such as this, the same way their ancestors did proves to me that there is a sense of pride in using, but not taking advantage of the land.

[Photos Via: Deston Nokes]

My adventures in Hawaii are a result of an awesome press trip that I got to take thanks to the Big Island Visitor’s Bureau.

Follow me on Twitter @SustainablYours