Community governance
A proposed framework for transparent decisions and accountable stewardship.
A community council should be accountable to the people and places it serves. The framework below is proposed for discussion by our internal team; it is not an adopted charter.
Representation and responsibility
Build participation around relationships with place, relevant experience, and a willingness to document decisions. Cultural authority should be identified by the knowledge holders themselves, not assigned by a website.
- Invite Hawaiian knowledge holders to define the terms under which their knowledge may be shared.
- Include growers, land stewards, residents, and researchers in decisions affecting their work.
- Record who is responsible for each project, review, and correction.
Make interests visible
For each treatment or product evaluation, disclose financial relationships, supplied materials, paid services, and other interests relevant to the claim. Apply this standard to our own work as well as to government and university programs.
Publish decisions and learning
We propose dated meeting notes, a public decision log, and a clear distinction between a proposal, an approved plan, work under way, and a completed result. Publish unsuccessful findings alongside successful ones so that community resources are not spent repeating avoidable mistakes.