Born from Kauaʻi dirt

The work starts below the surface.

Good projects begin with honest ground.

I ka wā ma mua, ka wā ma hope.

The future is found in the past.

We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.

Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono.

The life of the land is preserved in righteousness.

Measure the ground before you move it.

Careful planning protects the property, the budget, and the ʻāina.

E mālama i ka ʻāina, a e mālama ka ʻāina iā ʻoe.

Care for the land, and the land will care for you.

It is not the beauty of the building you should look at: it is the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time.

Hānau ka ʻāina, hānau ke aliʻi, hānau ke kanaka.

Born was the land, born were the chiefs, born were the common people.

We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.

Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend… the land is one organism.

The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.