From the Courtroom to the Council: Rylee Brooke's Story
I was 7 years old when my mom and I found a Hawaiian green sea turtle wrapped in fishing line on the beach.
I started crying. I wanted to help, but because the turtle was an endangered species, there were laws about how close we could get. My mom called NOAA, and they sent people out to help detangle the turtle from the line.
Two Years Later: Hawaiʻi’s Climate Settlement Moves from Vision to Implementation
Two years ago, thirteen youth plaintiffs, represented by Our Children’s Trust and Earthjustice, brought the state to the brink of trial in Navahine v. Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation (HDOT). Ultimately, the Director of HDOT chose collaboration over confrontation. The settlement that followed was the first of its kind in the United States, committing Hawaiʻi to reaching zero emissions from ground, marine, and interisland air travel by 2045.
Hawai’i Makes Its Future So
I was in grad school doing my usual Saturday used-bookstore perusal when I stumbled upon Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World Revisited. In this work of non-fiction, Huxley compared the fictional future he put forth in Brave New World and the fictional future envisioned by George Orwell in 1984 to the real world of the late 1950s. These two different views of the future stemmed from a similar starting point in the tumultuous first half of the 20th century.
Hawai’i Youth Stands for States’ Rights in Petitioner Declaration
N.N. is a youth petitioner in Venner v. EPA, a constitutional petition asking a federal court to reverse and vacate EPA's rule rescinding the 2009 Endangerment Finding (Repeal Rule), which for more than 15 years recognized that greenhouse gas pollution threatens public health and welfare, and challenging the rollback of vehicle emission standards that have been in place since 2012.
Turning Rights into Action: Empowering Hawaiʻi’s Next Generation
Fewer than 5% of the students we met this spring knew that Hawaiʻi's Constitution guarantees every person the right to a clean and healthful environment. That number stayed with us — not as a failure of civics education, but as an opportunity. Because once students learned that right existed, something shifted in the room.
Teaching the Next Generation: How Hawaiʻi's Educators Are Bringing Constitutional Rights into the Classroom
When 13 young people stood up for their constitutional right to a life-sustaining climate and achieved a historic settlement in Navahine v. Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation, they didn't just win in court—they opened a door for every student in Hawaiʻi to understand their own power as citizens.
One Year Later: Hawaiʻi's Climate Settlement Delivers Transformative Progress
Just over a year ago, a significant moment occurred in Hawaiʻi's climate history. After thirteen youth plaintiffs, represented by Our Children's Trust, took the state to the brink of trial in Navahine v. Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation, the Director of HDOT made a crucial decision: to choose collaboration over confrontation. The settlement that followed—the first of its kind in the United States—committed Hawaiʻi to reaching zero emissions from ground, marine, and interisland air travel by 2045.
Youth Power is Steering the Future of Electric Transportation in Hawai‘i
One year ago, youth in Hawaiʻi made history. Through Navahine v. HDOT, they secured a first-of-its-kind legal settlement agreement to decarbonize Hawaiʻi’s transportation system by 2045 and protect young people’s constitutional rights to a livable climate. But the fight didn’t end with the legal victory—it was just the beginning.
Hawai‘i Youth-Led Constitutional Climate Case Makes History
Thirteen young people across Hawai‘i made history on June 20, 2024, when they announced a historic Settlement Agreement in their constitutional climate lawsuit Navahine v. Hawai‘i Department of Transportation.
Testimony at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights Advocating for Best Available Climate Science to Protect Childrens’ Right
On April 23, 24, and 25, 2024, in Bridgetown, Barbados, Kalālapaikuanalu Winter, a 20-year-old Native Hawaiian and youth plaintiff in Navahine v. Hawai‘i Department of Transportation and attorney Kelly Matheson with Our Children’s Trust, along with the backing of 21 youth and 18 pediatric associations—testified before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) about the harrowing effects of climate change on children across the globe and what humanity must do to stop the crisis.
Youth in Hawai‘i Reach Historic Climate Settlement to Decarbonize Its State Transportation Sector
I le‘a ka hula i ka ho‘opa‘a is a Hawaiian saying which translates to “the hula is pleasing because of the drummer.” Essentially, the saying means the smaller details that one pays little attention to are just as important as the major ones.
On the Bench with Delores Barr Weaver
We are proud to announce that Delores Barr Weaver created a 2024 Legacy Fund for Our Children’s Trust to advance our work to save our planet for our children’s sake. The Fund at Our Children’s Trust was established with a gift of one million dollars and serves as a fundraising challenge to our community. It is a gift designed to inspire generosity among as many people as possible.