"If you're not familiar with the GMO issue, there's basically big corporations over on our island and all over Hawaii, they're just dominating our politics and it's not cool with the people because they're putting a lot of poison in the land, air and water and it ain't right. I'm really privileged to be able to surf and the reason I want to be out there is because it's clean, nice and beautiful. That's why we live in Hawaii and we have got to stick together..." Photo by Mike Coots

"We should continue to do research on GMO until it is safe for the community. I will keep fighting to preserve my home for my kids and their kids. Ku kanaka.” Photo by Kine By Design

“The world is finite. There is only one Kauai in the world and it is priceless. It has been a sanctuary for soul-searching, a haven for biodiversity and a teacher for those willing to learn. It has been an escape from the industrialized rat-race of the city. Kauai has provided for me in my time of need and I am obligated to be there for her. Agro-chemical GMO farming practices do not meet the sustainability requirements Hawaii is moving toward through concerted efforts.” Photo by Justin Zern

“I am from the Garden Isle of Kauai, best spot on earth! I pray it will never be known as the Garden Isle of Pesticides. The tourism industry would suffer just as much as the land is now. GMOs need more testing, but regardless of whether they are good or bad, the chemical companies that make them should not control our food.” Photo by Justin Zern

“We need to protect and embrace Mother Earth for only she can truly give us health. Technology should be used to work in harmony with nature and not against it. Traditional hybridization and genetic engineering through force in a laboratory by chemical companies are two totally different things and don't let anyone convince you otherwise. People and their egos search for wealth and power, while what we really need has always been beneath our feet.” Photo by Kiki

“I deserve the right to know what chemicals are being sprayed. My children, and my children's children, deserve the right to know what is happening to our islands. With aloha comes kuleana. That which we love we defend.” Photo by Justin Zern

“Hawaii is ground zero for all gmo testing and seed production worldwide with over 5,000 open air experiments so far. Kauaʻi, recently passed its first bill giving us pesticide and GMO disclosure, impact studies and buffer zones around schools, hospitals and homes. Runoff from Restricted Use Pesticides (RUPs) are entering our beautiful waters, negatively impacting our unique ecosystem..." Self Portrait

“My mission as a Hawaiian coconut breeder is to revitalize Hawaiian coconut culture through varietal conservation and explore possibilities of diversified sustainable coconut farming. These farms will help hawaii become independent, making it possible to boycott the biotech industries' GMOs and imported goods. Local organic food is essential for healthy communities and strong economics." Photos by Justin Zern

“Our kuleana is to take care of our land from the top of the mountains to the reefs of our ocean. The GMO practice of playing God while poisoning our land and water is not Hawaiian and not pono. We have an inescapable obligation to stand up for our family who cannot stand up for themselves including our keiki, kupuna, 'āina, wai and 'aumakua from ka uka to ke kai.” Photo by Justin Zern

“I don’t want GMOs in my food. We have the right to know what we are eating! Stop with the corruption and get real, eat real food.” Photo by Jamie Nakama

"We have a duty and a moral obligation to protect the health and safety of the future generations and the ones with quiet voices. We need to place a moratorium on GMO farming in Hawaii and do the research that will tell us if the excessive GM related pesticides being sprayed across our islands are related to the skyrocketing birth defect rates we are experiencing.” Photo by Justin Zern

“The kanaka maoli or the native Hawaiian believe that we are called to be stewards, not engineers. I am a Hawaiian national here to speak on behalf of the host culture of the illegally occupied nation of Hawaii: We do not give our permission for these lands to be used for biotech research and development or for any other reason that does not benefit the Hawaiian nation and the world.” Photo by Justin Zern