Denise Antolini delivers a thank you speech to the attendees of Mālama ‘Āina Kākou 2024.
On Sunday, September 29, environmental practitioners, conservationists, and community members from across Hawaiʻi Paeʻāina (the Hawaiian Archipelago) gathered for the 2024 Mālama ʻĀina Kākou. Mālama ʻĀina Kākou is an annual event sponsored by Hawai‘i Land Trust (HILT) that honors one person, group, or organization as a Kahu o ka ‘Āina (honored caretaker of the land) because of their substantial impact in conservation and sustainability in Hawai‘i. This year’s sold out event honored Denise Antolini as 2024 Kahu o ka ʻĀina and took place on the west coast of O‘ahu on the historic grounds of Lanikūhonua.
Antolini served as faculty of the William S. Richardson School of Law (WSRSL) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, for nearly 30 years, including 9 years as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Director of ELP for 7 years. She taught courses in torts, legal writing, foundational environmental law, and advanced environmental law topics like Domestic Ocean and Coastal Law. According to ELP Co-Director David Forman, Professor Antolini’s vital contributions to the program are far too numerous to list. A partial list includes her creation of the program’s immensely popular Enviromentors event, which facilitates speed meetings between our students and a wide variety of environmental practitioners with an eye toward establishing more lasting mentoring relationships. She also created the Legal Fellows Program that has been so influential that permanent civil service positions have been created to allow some of our graduates to provide ongoing service needed by state governmental agencies. Antolini also played an instrumental role in helping train judges on the Environmental Court in addition to crafting the Hawaii Natural Resources Law Enforcement Manual. Forman added that Antolini’s efforts on behalf of ELP while serving as Associate Dean greatly expanded the program’s influence on the international stage while also creating opportunities for current students and graduates. She organized the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Hawaiʻi Hui in advance of the 2016 World Conservation Congress in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi; she also served as a member of the Executive Committee for the IUCN U.S. National Committee. In her role as Deputy Chair for the World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL), Professor Antolini: often filled in for the WCEL Chair at meetings of the IUCN Council in Gland, Switzerland and around the world; served as one of two Election Officers for the 2020-2021 World Conservation Congress in Marseilles; organized a host of global webinars; and conducted trainings for the Global Judicial Institute on the Environment. Immensely grateful for these contributions, Forman exclaimed “She is both a force for nature, and a force of nature!”
Denise Antolini poses with ELP Research Associate and student volunteer Jessie Ho ʻ26.
The event featured a vibrant evening with locally grown and sourced mea ʻai (food) from the Asato Family Shop, Kahumana Cafe, and Roy’s, along with complimentary cocktails and live entertainment by Hawaiian Music Band Ei Nei. Attendees contributed donations and participated in an exciting auction offering prizes like fine wine, Southwest Airlines flights, and a dining experience at Fête in downtown Honolulu. Funds raised help bolster HILT’s mission to protect and steward vital lands across Hawai‘i, including coastlines, cultural sites, and farmlands.
ELP student volunteers enjoy the amazing food. From left to right: Malia Taylor-Wolfe ʻ25, Kayla Skye Bartolini ʻ26, and Kaila Wilkinson ʻ26.
HILT is a long-time supporter of Richardson students. Several Environmental Law Certificate recipients perform important roles at the organization: ʻOlu Campbell ʻ15 (President & Chief Executive Officer), Shaelene Kamakaʻala ’14 (Director of ‘Āina Protection) and Luʻukia Nakanelua ʻ19 (‘Āina Protection Manager and Associate General Counsel). HILT annually attends Richardson’s Public Interest Fair, a pop-up event for students to network and find potential summer employers. HILT’s employees routinely volunteer as mentors at ELP’s Enviromentors networking event which allows students and practitioners to engage in five-minute conversations to learn first-hand about the environmental law field.
Also in attendance was Professor Uʻi Tanigawa-Lum ‘19 who delivered the program’s oli aloha (welcome chant), Professor Kamaile Turčan ‘08, and Law School Dean Camille Nelson.
ELP students had the opportunity to join in on the fun through volunteer work for the event. They helped greet and check in guests, present lei to VIP attendees, and provide administrative assistance to HILT staff to ensure the event ran smoothly.
One student volunteer, Kaila Wilkinson ʻ26, said: “My favorite part about volunteering at the event was being able to witness Dean A receive her award and congratulating her. It was great to see familiar faces and meet new people in the environmental law community. As Dean A would say––volunteering at the event was a ‘fabulous schmoozing opportunity’!”
ELP student volunteers prepare to greet the guests. Back: Kaila Wilkinson ʻ26. Front from left to right: Katie Pothier ʻ26, Malia Taylor-Wolfe ʻ25, and Xiao Yi Zhao ʻ25.
ELP would like to thank everyone at HILT, especially Madi Masek, HILT Philanthropy Associate, and Angela Britten, Chief Operations and Philanthropy Officer, for all their help in assisting the student volunteers with this amazing opportunity!
Guests chat at the banquet tables as the sun sets over Lanikūhonua.
MTW & JH