Page 8 - MidWeek - July 7, 2021

8 MIDWEEK JULY 7, 2021
By John Kealoha Garcia, Gowner of Exchange Ave.
That garden grew into a community foodscape and ultimately fueled the development of my latest venture, Exchange Ave. (EA); ideated and realized as part of an indigenous innovation incubator in 2020 called the Purple Prize, Purple Maiʻa Foundation’s annual competition.
we’ve registered almost 1,000 members, with exchanges happen- ing around the world, from Hawaiʻi to Costa Rica.
rowing up, my earliest memories were spent with ʻohana, exploring the ʻāi-
EA’s goal is to become a global economy focused on connecting in- digenous communities worldwide with Hawaiʻi serving as a model for a sustainable way of living.
na at my papa’s house in Nānākuli. Those days spent on Nānākuli Av- enue shaped my sense of culture, place and belonging.
EAisaportaltothepastanda bridge to our future. It’s a digital economy inspired by the ahupua‘a, with aloha and shared abundance at its core.
To learn more, check out exchangeave.com or Instagram (@exchangeave).
As I got older and my curiosity about my culture grew, I remember my papa would share moʻolelo about our people who, before the over- throw in 1893, thrived in a highly organized, self-sufficient subsistent social system. At the core of this system was the ahupuaʻa, a land di- vision that sustained the Hawaiian people for thousands of years. Re- sources were cultivated from moun- tain to ocean, and abundance was shared amongst the community with a focus on health and well-being.
The mobile app allows members to create a profile, upload items, and browse a marketplace of goods, services, events and opportunities offered by neighbors in your area.
Aloha was the currency.
In 2018, I moved home after
I began growing kalo in a small mala (garden) in Ka‘imukī, as a way for my ʻohana to eat healthier.
Since launching one year ago,
Self Rediscovery Inspires Digital Economy
Mobile app Exchange Ave. allows members to create a profile, upload items, and browse a marketplace of goods, services, events and opportunities in the area. PHOTO COURTESY JOHN KEALOHA GARCIA
Growing up in Honolulu and continuing through my career in the corporate world, I slowly lost that connection my papa believed in and instilled in us. As family members passed — memories and ʻike (infor- mation/stories) were lost.
John Kealoha Garcia has had the opportunity to build his career based on storytelling — weaving technology and innovation into ac- cessible morsels of information that have the ability to activate audienc- es toward positive action.
“Nā Leo Alaka‘i” is presented by Kamehameha Schools to am- plify the wisdom of ‘ōiwi leaders from across the pae ‘āina and rec- ognize the immeasurable ways they strengthen our communities, inspire the lāhui and elevate Hawaiʻi nei.
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spending two years in New York City. Being away allowed me to explore different cultures and ul- timately led me to appreciate and reconnect to my own.
The EA app is currently being used to drive a people-powered economy in the village at Pu‘uho- nua O Waimānalo. The communi- ty stays connected virtually, and digital literacy improves through productive use of technology and innovation.
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