10 • July 2018 Hawaii Forest & Trail Celebrates 25 Years www.hawaii-forest.com
At Hawaii Forest & Trail,
conservation and sustainability
are the foundational philosophies
of the business.
“It’s just about who we are,”
said Rob Pacheco, president
and founder. “Our whole
enterprise is built on a love for
place and resources. It’s our
job, our obligation to care for
our island home. Hopefully,
that message and example will
nurture a conservation ethic in
our guests.”
Since the Hawaii Island
business started its adventure
tours in the 1990s, guests have
had the opportunity to explore
many of the island’s most
awe-inspiring places.
So taking care of the places to
which they take guests comes,
well, naturally.
“We’re naturalists, so we
look at everything interconnected,”
Pacheco said. “So anything
that we can do that offsets
what our impact is with
business practice and operating,
that’s just a win-win for
us. And it’s something that
not only aligns with our own
beliefs, but most of the time
it makes good business sense.”
As Hawaii Forest & Trail has
grown over the years, the company
has taken the opportunity
to learn and experiment
with the most efficient ways to
reduce waste and its impact on
the environment.
One big example of that is its
water bottle program.
For a long time, the company
used water bottles from Costco,
which only cost about a quarter
each.
But Hawaii Forest & Trail
wanted to do better, Pacheco
said, and the company went
through numerous ideas to find
a way.
One was to offer souvenir bottles
that customers could take
with them when they went home.
Those bottles were sourced to be
made from recycled material and
made in the United States.
But they cost closer to a dollar
and, while Pacheco said the
company believed it worth the
price, they also noticed how not
all customers used the bottle and
some even threw them away.
They kept trying and ultimately
came up with the idea of using
Nalgene bottles with a message
addressed to the customer
encouraging them to return it to
be washed and reused.
Even with the loss associated
with some customers taking the
bottles away with them, he said,
the reuse over time makes financial
sense.
In addition to cutting waste
associated with single-use plastic
bottles, he said, it also cuts
the environmental impact of
transporting those bottles
from across the ocean.
And it’s not just a matter of
leaving natural places as they
found them.
The company often undertakes
efforts to enhance natural
spaces, whether through
Congratulations
on 25 Years of
Big Adventures!
Congratulations Hawaii Forest & Trail on
this amazing milestone! We are in awe of
your dedication to supporting Hawaii nei and
commitment to Hawaii Island’s vibrant future.
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Hawaii Forest and Trail
Congratulations
for your 25 years of caring for our island
and sharing its beauty with the world.
Ho’o hanohano ‘ia ‘o Hawaii Forest and Trail
no ka Malama ma-u ‘ana I ka a-ina nani o Hawai‘i nei.
/www.hawaii-forest.com
