Native Hawaiian communities supported by Running Strong are restoring environmental sovereignty by revitalizing their coastlines through traditional stewardship and science-based restoration. One powerful example is Dreamstarter Easton Chong’s project, “Watchers and Caretakers of our ʻĀina,” which engages his Kailapa community on Hawai‘i Island in restoring coastal health through cultural practices and environmental restoration.

Easton’s initiative reclaims environmental sovereignty by grounding conservation work in Native Hawaiian knowledge. He and community members planted native medicinal plants along the shoreline to prevent coastal soil erosion and protect coral reefs from sedimentation. The restored vegetation filters runoff, improves water quality, and safeguards marine ecosystems, while reconnecting people to ancestral practices of caring for the ‘āina (land) and kai (ocean). Through workshops and intergenerational learning, Easton’s project created “a new generation of resource managers that align with the cultural values of Hawai‘i and promote a productive and healthy fishery and community for future generations”.

By combining traditional ecological knowledge with hands-on coastal restoration, Native Hawaiian communities like Kailapa are reasserting their right to manage and protect their environments — restoring both the land and the community’s role as sovereign caretakers of it.