Off the Grid with Vetiver Farms in Hawaii

October 4, 2020

Stabilizing Hawaiian shorelines with vetiver grass

On this episode, Peter Ravella and Tyler Buckingham hook up with Jason Fox, founder of Vetiver Farms Hawaii on the Big Island of Hawaii, to talk about shoreline stabilization and vetiver grass, a tenacious, clumping perennial grass he has used all over the Hawaii and the South Pacific to stabilize eroding coastlines.  But, there is much more to Jason and his passion for this unique and amazing Sri Lankan grass used world-wide for everything from bioremediation to erosion response to production of aromatic oils.  He lives a life many would envy: off the grid, on a farm, tending the land, and restoring and stabilizing shorelines.  It sounds idyllic but it is hard work and Jason has the passion and the skills to make it work.  Take a trip to Hawaii and met Jason, one of the coolest, most innovative entrepreneurs we've met on the American Shoreline Podcast.

Show Transcription
This transcription was generated by a computer. Please excuse any errors.
Peter Ravella & Tyler Buckingham

Peter and Tyler joined forces in 2015 and from the first meeting began discussing a project that would become Coastal News Today and the American Shoreline Podcast Network. At the time, Peter and Tyler were coastal consultants for Pete’s firm, PAR Consulting, LLC. In that role, they worked with coastal communities in Texas, Florida, and North Carolina, engaged in grant writing, coastal project development, shoreline erosion and land use planning, permitting, and financial planning for communities undertaking big beach restoration projects. Between and among their consulting tasks, they kept talking and kept building the idea of CNT & ASPN. In almost every arena they worked, public engagement played a central role. They spent thousands of hours talking with coastal stakeholders, like business owners, hotel operators, condo managers, watermen, property owners, enviros, surfers, and fishermen. They dived deep into the value, meaning, and responsibility for the American shoreline, segment-by-segment. Common threads emerged, themes were revealed, differences uncovered. There was a big conversation going on along the American shoreline! But, no place to have it. That's where CNT and ASPN were born.