Pete Jalbert R(S)

Maui Community College in Kahului will be hosting its first Annual Maui Sustainable Living Expo on August 16th and 17th. The event will feature forums, exhibits, and activities. Key topics for discussion will include food security, energy security and sustainable living in a Native Hawaiian Cultural Context.

Tickets for the events may be purchased for one or both days. Ticket rates vary depending on whether you are a student, teacher or member of the general public. Check out the event community invite for additional information on ticket prices, event times and programs. Saturday night there is a free event from 6:00-8:00 with live music, sustainable living exhibits, healthy local foods and farm stand selling locally grown produce.

The event is being organized by the Sustainable Living Institute of Maui. The institute was created by MCC with the assistance of Maui Land and Pineapple. The institute's goals are to help Maui move toward the path of being a sustainable Maui economy.

This sounds like a great event for those that are interested in developing Maui's green future!

A couple of weeks back, I had the opportunity to attend a seminar on Photovoltaic (PV), Wind Power and Catchment Systems sponsored by the Realtors Association of Maui. PV and wind power have been in use on Maui for quite some time. Most of the use has been by home owners living off the grid. We are seeing increasing demand for grid tied photovoltaic and wind power. Buyers are seeking greener energy sources and a means to reduce utility bills. Here are some tidbits from the meeting that I thought might be of interest for those that are considering net metered wind or solar power.

• PV systems offer a means for home owners to decrease their dependence on fossil fuel based utilities and an opportunity to cut their monthly electric bill.
• Net metered systems are tied to the existing electric grid. In times where the systems create a surplus of electricity, the excess electricity goes back to the grid and creates a credit for the homeowner.
• The homeowners credit may be applied toward the times when they need to draw electricity from the grid.
• Net metered PV systems do not require a drastic change in lifestyle as the grid is still available during periods of peak power consumption.
• Solar panels will create power on cloudy days, but at a reduced rate.
• Solar panels also operate at a reduced capacity on days with heavy Vog or volcanic haze.
• Solar panels work best when facing due south.
• Ideally, solar panels should all be oriented in the same direction.
• Panels need to be cleaned periodically to keep them performing at a high level.
• Panels are light weight enough that they can go on almost any roof.
• Older plantation style homes may need some modification due to their smaller trusses.
• The lifespan for panels is 25-30 years. Homes with roofs approaching the end of their lifespan may want to consider roof replacement prior to install.
• PV systems may also be ground mounted if they have clear access to the sun.
• Maui's abundant trade winds are also ideal for on the grid wind power.
• Wind power is another clean energy that helps reduce electric bills.
• New turbines are quiet.
• Towers start at about 35 feet.
• Turbines generate power at wind speeds of 8 mph or more.
• Like solar power, excess energy can be used to generate credits with the utility company.
• Wind and photovoltaic systems are suscebtible to grid power failures. Home owners require a battery backup system to better their chances of continuous power.
• Wind and photovoltaic systems require a permit with the county and contract with Maui Electric Company.
• Both wind and solar are eligible for tax credits to be applied towards a tax liability. Talk to your CPA about tax credits available in your community.

Thanks to Michael Schwartz of Sunsation LLC and Cinco Young of for taking the time to educate us on the ins and outs of PV and wind power.

There are a few different companies on Maui that can help you with net metered solar or wind power.

Solar

Sunsation LLC. -Michael Schwarz mschwarz@maui.net (808)573 0774

Rising Sun Solar

Wind

Maui Wind and Water Tech -Cinco Young windandwatertech@hawaii.rr.com (808)870-3041

Maui Energy Company

Contact me if you are searching for green properties in beautiful Maui, Hawaii.

When people think of Maui and Hawaii in general, they often think of the beach first. Heck as an island resident, when I have some down time I tend to grab my surf board and head to the beach before anything else. Yesterday the prospects for surf were limited so my friend Tom and I did something a little different and headed up to the Iao Valley in the West Maui Mountains. Maui has some beautiful mountain areas from the massive dormant volcano Haleakala to the lush and rugged West Mauis.

The West Mauis are an old remnant volcano that is eroding rapidly. The results of the rapid erosion are jagged, steep and lush peaks. The steep slopes are filled with the trails from periodic waterfalls. When the area is subjected to heavier rain, hundreds of waterfalls spill down these steeper slopes. We did a nice little hike up in the Iao valley. Much of the hike was forested and a pleasant relief from the warm summer sun. The forest is a mix of native plants and non-native vegetation. Regardless of origins, there are lots of beautiful flowers along the way. We were also able to climb a little off the valley floor to get some more panoramic views of the mountains surrounding us.

Perhaps, the best part of the hike was the post hike dip in the Iao Stream. The cool mountain waters were a great way to wash off sweat from the trail.

The Iao Valley is located in Wailuku, Maui. There are properties for sale along the entrance of the valley and on the lower slopes of the West Maui Mountains. Check out all of the current listings for Wailuku Homes on MauiRealEstate.com.

I was out at our new listing in Haiku yesterday. I had my camera with me and snapped some pictures of some of the fruit and flowers that I saw when I was walking around the property.

As you come down the driveway, you go past a few big mango trees. It has been a banner year for mangoes. The ground below the trees was covered with ripe and over ripe mangos. There were also a few beautiful looking fruit hanging from the trees.

The sellers have planted the area above their cottage with a variety of fruit, vergetables and flowers. As I was walking up the stair case from the cottage to the parking area, I was impressed by the bromeliads.

I had to stop and get a close up of one of the more striking flowers.

The flower almost looked like it was from another planet. Maui is such a beautiful landscape, but sometimes you need to stop and take in the splendor of the local flora.

I was pretty proud of my little town of Paia when it was the first in Maui to go Plastic Bag Free. The town's merchants voluntarily decided to get rid of plastic after residents tired of seeing plastic bags getting in the ocean and endangering sea life. Now, the whole county of Maui is considering a ban on plastic bags.

The ban was approved by the county council sub-committee that reviewed the issue. Now it needs to get approval by the overall council. The bill would encourage the use of reusable bags, but would also allow for paper bags. Hopefully, we will see more people adapting to use the reusable bags. The one dissapointing element on the bill is that it would not go into effect until 2011. I will continue to follow the debate over plastic bags in Maui on this blog. In the interim, check out today's Maui News Article for additional details.

Maui saw its lowest volume of condo sales in June vs. any other month in the last five years. There were 53 condo sales based on sales on the Maui MLS. This figure is for the county of Maui including the islands of Maui, Molokai and Lanai. This number is a good bit lower than last month's totals where the county had 84 sales. It is also quite a bit lower than June of 2007 when we had 113 sales.

It appears that a number of factors may be contributing to the slow down in volume. Looking at the timing, one of the first thoughts that came to my mind was the impact of airline strugges. Late March saw the loss of two of Maui's bigger carriers. Aloha went out of business as did ATA airlines. They accounted for something between 15-18% of all passengers flying into Maui. Less visitors mean less potential buyers for our condo market. The airline struggles and higher fuel prices have also means higher prices for plane tickets for the other carriers. The credit crunch is also playing a part. Buyers are having a little more trouble securing financing. Buyers need to have strong credit and full documentation to access the best available financing. The overall economy may also be a factor. Second homes become less of a priority as the economy continues to slow.

What does this all mean for buyers and sellers? Buyers will find that there are opportunities in the current market. The majority of the condo market is seeing price adjustment with recent sales falling below market highs achieved over the last couple of years. Sellers need to account for the adjusting market and decreasing sales volume when pricing their condos. Those that need to sell quickly should be priced to stand out in the market. Contact me for additional on Maui Condos for Sale and information on the Maui condo market.

My apologies to Gene Autry, but I couldn't resist. My brother Billy and I have always enjoyed heading out for a stand up paddle after work. Maui's North Shore is an ideal location for coast runs on paddle boards. Coast runs entail paddling down the coast with the prevailing trade winds. With the wind at your back, you can often catch and ride unbreaking open ocean swells. If there are breaking waves along the way, we will usually stop and go for a surf. Unfortunately, our down wind paddles have ben pretty limited for the last year and a half. Billy blew a disc in his back. It has been a long and painful rehab process. He is just now getting healthy and this holiday weekend we were able to go on our first two paddles in quite some time.

It has been wonderful to have my brother out in the water again. Our paddles are not only great exercise, but it provides a fantastic vantage point for both the onshore and offshore beauty of Maui. It is pretty spectacular to be able to look back towards shore at towering Haleakala and its cloak of clouds. The elevated vantage point is also ideal for seeing sea life. I have seen all kinds of turtles, fish, rays, small sharks and even whales in the winter. Here's to the continued health of Billy's back and lots of great paddles the rest of the year.

When people think about Maui, they tend to think of white sand beaches, beautiful ocean waters, rainbows and tropical waterfalls. Somehow, cowboys don't make the list. However, cowboys or as they are known locally Paniolos are a big part of the culture and identity of Maui's Upcountry. The slopes of Haleakala have been ranching country since the 1880s. Communities like Makawao formed to help support the needs of ranchers. While there aren't any more feed stores in Makawao town, it still has a cowboy feel and it actively celebrates its Paniolo culture. Fourth of July weekend is the town's biggest celebration of Paniolo culture with the fourth of July parade and the Makawao Rodeo.

This holiday weekend is the 53rd annual rodeo. The rodeo starts at 9:00 AM on Thursday with the qualifying events. Qualifying events are free to the public. Friday morning the annual Fourth of July parade runs through Makawao. The stick horse race starts at 8:45 and the parade starts at 9:00. The Bull Bash is one of the most popular rodeo events. It runs at 7:00 on Friday. Tickets for the Bull Bash are $15. Saturday and Sunday, the rodeo will host all kinds of events including roping, barrels and bull riding. Gates open Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 with the rodeo itself starting at 1:00 PM. Tickets for Saturday and Sunday are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for kids 6-12 and free for children 5 and under. All events are held at the Oskie Rice Arena just up Olinda Road from Makawao town. It should be a fun weekend in the Upcountry.

If you are interested in horse and ranch properties, Maui has options from acreage, to properties with equestrian facilities to huge parcels of ranch land. Contact me for all of the latest horse properties on Maui.

There has been a good run of surf on the South Shores of Maui over the last couple of weeks, so I was inspired to to write a blog on the surf scene in Maui. I am writing this with a little bit of trepidation. I am like most surfers in that I like to surf uncrowded waves. I am a wary of adding to the crowds, but if someone has a keen interest in learning to surf who am I to deny them of their opportunity. I am going to keep things pretty general while giving a few tips for beginners who are looking to cut their teeth on Maui's waves.

Surf Seasons on Maui

There are two distinct surf seasons in Maui. Right now, we are in the summer surf season where the vast majority of the waves will be hitting the island's south and west shores. The waves that grace these shores are originating from Fall and Winter storms south of the equator. They come from storm systems from as close as Tahiti to as far away as the waters off the shores of Antarctica. This season tends to start in April and will usually run until September or maybe October.

The last month of south swells typically overlaps with the start of the other Maui surf season. During September, storms begin to track across the Northern Pacific. These storms create swells that strike our North and Western Shores. This season tends to run from late September through April with a peak season of December through March.

Clean winter surf along the North Shore of Maui

Time frame is not the only difference between the two Maui surf seasons. Typically, south swell season brings waves with moderate intensity. The south swell waves are typically less than head high in height and tend to break more gently. The longer travel distance helps moderate the power of the swell. Greater distance also means that waves come in lesser frequency so it is easier to paddle out to the surf break. If you are learning to surf, this is the more friendly of the two surf seasons. The waves are a little less treacherous and your initial water experiences are more likely to be enjoyable. That being said, inexperienced surfers should not just venture out at any spot on the South Shore. There are a number of experts only breaks where lack of skill and experience will be detrimental to your own health and the health of those around you. Only venture out at beginner spots (more about that below).

While South Shores tend to be gentle, the winter swells that grace the island's north shores are renowned world wide for their power. It is common to have swells where wave heights exceed 15 feet on the face and we are usually good for a half dozen or more swells where waves can exceed heights of 25 feet. Maui is home to the largest breaking wave in the world. Along the cliffs of Haiku, there is a spot known as Peahi or Jaws. It draws big wave riders from around the world to test their mettle on waves that have reached heights of 80 feet on the face. These waves move too quickly to be caught by traditional methods . Typically riders will be pulled behind jet skis and whipped into the waves (see more below). The consequences of these waves are intense.

Medium sized wave at Jaws

The North and Northwest facing shores tend to have more power even when the waves aren't 50 feet tall. Plain and simple, this side of the island is a tough area to learn. I would be hard pressed to recommend for beginners to venture out on the North Shore unless conditions are small and they are accompanied by a more experienced friend.

Types of Wave Riding

Maui has always been a place where people have used a variety of vehicles to ride waves. The most traditional method is the surf board. Surfboards come in a variety of sizes for adults ranging from 5' to 11'. These boards are diferentiated into the categories of long boards and short boards. A traditional lonboard is 9' or longer and tends to be wider. The best traditional long boarders will gracefully move up and down the length of the board by cross stepping. The pinnacle of this style is to hang ten. Riders seemingly defying physics by sticking all ten toes over the front nose of a board. It is easier said than done. Long boards typically are used in gentler and smaller waves. That being said, there is a Hawaiian tradition to ride long boards in waves of all sizes.

Author bottom turning on a longboard

During the 1960s, surfing had its own sort of revolution as surfers started chopping their boards down in size. The result was the dawn of short boarding. The shorter boards were more manuverable and allowed surfers to ride in more critical spots of the waves. The manuverability of surfboards and the resulting extreme manuvers have been on a steady trajectory upward ever since. The smaller boards, diminished bouyancy and less stability make short boarding a more challenging element of the sport.

As mentioned previously, big waves often move too quickly to catch by paddling. During the 1990s a group of Maui guys started experimenting with inflatable zodiacs. They towed themselves behind the zodiacs so they had enough speed to catch bigger waves. It did not take long for them to move to more nimble jet skis. After enhancing their equipment to catch waves, they made enhancements on the equipement used to ride waves. Traditionally big wave riding was carried out on bigger boards. Bigger boards made for more paddling power, but they meant less maneuverability. The next stage of the big wave riding evolution was to shorten the tow boards. Nowadays, tow surfers ride short heavier boards that give them tremendous maneuverability. They are riding waves bigger than comprehension in a manner that few would have imagined just a couple of decades ago.

Yikes! This is a monster at Jaws

While the general tendency has been to go to shorter and thinner with surf boards, there has been a recent resurgence in an older stle of surfing that has bucked this trend. Stand up paddle surfing is a sport where surfers stand on jumbo sized longboards. They then use an elongated canoe paddle to propel themselves through the water. This can be done to catch waves or in flat water. Either way it is fun and a great work out. It is the fastest growing part of the surfing tribe.

Author catching a wave stand up paddle surfing

Maui's trade winds have made this one of the best places in the world to combine wind sports and wave riding. The North Shore of Maui is acknowledged as the wind surfing capital of the world and one of the best locales on the planet for wave sailing. Maui is great not just for waves, but for general wind surf cruising.

A big turn windsurfing

A more recent wind innovation is kiteboarding or kitesurfing. This entails riding a smaller board and being propelled by a kite. The sport is fun in both waves and flat water. It is distinguished for the ability of kiters to catch tremendous amounts of air. Talented kiters can launch themselves up to 60 feet in the air with jaw dropping hangtimes. Talented kiters can also ride pretty big waves. This sport has really caught on in the last 5 years or so surpassing wind surfing as the hot wind sport.

Last but not least, the sport of body boarding is very popular in Hawaii. While this sport has arguably the easiest learning curve, it takes a lot of skill to perform at a high level. Talented body boarders can get in extremely critical parts of waves where few surfers would dare to venture.

Learning to Surf

Surfing is by far and away, the most difficult sport or activity that I have tried. The learning curve can be steep and headway can be slow. It is best to be patient, enjoy the scenery that comes with learning and take your time.

Enjoying the surf

There are a couple online articles that may be worth reading before you venture out. Here is a pretty good how to for learning:

Learning to surf

Learning surf ettiquette is of equal or greater importance than surf technique. These are the rules of thumb that helps keep you and other surfers safe in the lineup. These are important lessons to remember whether you are a beginner or an experienced surfer.

Surfing Etiquette 101

Once you have digested some of the information above, you are ready to venture out and catch your first waves. I would recommend either going out with a patient and experienced friend or to take a lesson. If you are looking for lessons on Maui, here are some of the surf schools available:

Nancy Emerson Surf School

Royal Hawaiian Surf Academy

Rivers to the Sea

After your first lesson, you will need to practice, practice and practice some more. Take solace in the fact that you are learning the sport in a beautiful location and that every surfer has their growing pains. Be safe and have fun!

The Cottages at Kulamalu is a new 40 unit development underway in the Upcountry Area of Maui. National homebuilder DR Horton has partnered with Maui Based Rising Sun Solar to give prospective homebuyers a number of green options. Buyers may opt to have net metered photo voltaic systems installed as well solar hot water heaters and solar powered attic fans. The builder is also offering buyers the option of including all energy star appliances. To my knowledge, this is the first Maui development where a menu of green options are available. Hopefully, we will see similar options available on other Maui developments.

For additional information, check out this article in the Maui Weekly. This development is being offered through DR Horton Schuler Homes. Contact me for more information or other green listings on Maui.