Preserving and restoring the land, and creating heirlooms to be cherished for generation after generation - these are two of the ways that we push the limits of our heritage.
JOE AND KRISTEN SOUZA
Land is scarce in Hawaii. So when 128 acres went up for sale in the big island’s forest, Joe Souza and his wife Kristen seized the opportunity to pursue their dream - to help maintain the island’s native forests. Having the parcel provides them with a chance to regrow the resources they use in their business. Joe and Kristen learned how to clear out invasive plants and animal. With the help of their three sons they built a nursery, planted seeds, and started to reset the natural growth cycle of the forest.
For the Souzas, growing a native forest is personal. They own and operate an ukulele company called Kanile`a, which means ‘joyful sound’ in Hawaiian. Joe is a master luthier and produces many of his instruments from native Hawaiian woods, such as koa. Learning to grow trees just seemed a natural step to pursue.
Science in Everyday Life
RECOMMENDED BOOKS AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Consider these titles for your Heritage theme book selection. Full descriptions of each book and suggested discussion questions can be found in the download file at the bottom of the page.
Cave of Bones, by Anne Hillerman. (Fiction)
In a series rich with the lore of the Navajo, tribal police officer Bernadette Manuelito learns of a skeleton in the wilderness that may be the remains of an instructor that vanished somewhere in the volcanic landscape known as El Malpais. The lava caves and tubes are believed to be the solidified blood of a terrible monster killed by superhuman twin warriors. But before Bernie can find the truth, an unexpected blizzard, a suspicious accidental drowning, and the arrival of a new FBI agent complicate the investigation.
The Hills of Chianti: The Story of a Tuscan Winemaking Family, in Seven Bottles, by Piero Antinori. (Non fiction)
The head of Italy's "first family" of winemaking reflects on the Antinoris' six-hundred-year legacy and a life of good food and drink in the hills of Tuscany. In this family memoir Piero Antinori reveals the passion that has driven twenty-seven generations of vintners and relates a connection to the land, an appreciation for good food and drink, and the quintessentially Italian love of hospitality.
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger. (Fiction)
1932, Minnesota- hundreds of Native American children are forcibly separated from their parents and sent to be educated. It is also home to an orphan named Odie O’Banion. He and his brother Albert, their best friend Mose, and a brokenhearted little girl named Emmy steal away in a canoe, heading for the mighty Mississippi and a place to call their own.
The Royal Nanny by Karen Harper. (Fiction)
In 1897 A young nanny arrives at Sandringham, ancestral estate of the Duke and Duchess of York. So begins the unforgettable story of Charlotte Bill, who would care for a generation of royals as their parents never could. Neither Charlotte - LaLa, as her charges dub her—nor anyone else can predict that eldest sons David and Bertie will each one day be king. LaLa knows only that these children, and the four who swiftly follow, need her steadfast loyalty and unconditional affection.
The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett. (Fiction)
The story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known, and of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect - a man divided in his soul. An epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England.
In a series rich with the lore of the Navajo, tribal police officer Bernadette Manuelito learns of a skeleton in the wilderness that may be the remains of an instructor that vanished somewhere in the volcanic landscape known as El Malpais. The lava caves and tubes are believed to be the solidified blood of a terrible monster killed by superhuman twin warriors. But before Bernie can find the truth, an unexpected blizzard, a suspicious accidental drowning, and the arrival of a new FBI agent complicate the investigation.
The Hills of Chianti: The Story of a Tuscan Winemaking Family, in Seven Bottles, by Piero Antinori. (Non fiction)
The head of Italy's "first family" of winemaking reflects on the Antinoris' six-hundred-year legacy and a life of good food and drink in the hills of Tuscany. In this family memoir Piero Antinori reveals the passion that has driven twenty-seven generations of vintners and relates a connection to the land, an appreciation for good food and drink, and the quintessentially Italian love of hospitality.
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger. (Fiction)
1932, Minnesota- hundreds of Native American children are forcibly separated from their parents and sent to be educated. It is also home to an orphan named Odie O’Banion. He and his brother Albert, their best friend Mose, and a brokenhearted little girl named Emmy steal away in a canoe, heading for the mighty Mississippi and a place to call their own.
The Royal Nanny by Karen Harper. (Fiction)
In 1897 A young nanny arrives at Sandringham, ancestral estate of the Duke and Duchess of York. So begins the unforgettable story of Charlotte Bill, who would care for a generation of royals as their parents never could. Neither Charlotte - LaLa, as her charges dub her—nor anyone else can predict that eldest sons David and Bertie will each one day be king. LaLa knows only that these children, and the four who swiftly follow, need her steadfast loyalty and unconditional affection.
The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett. (Fiction)
The story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known, and of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect - a man divided in his soul. An epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England.