Lisa Brochu, my wife and consulting partner in Heartfelt Associates, recently celebrated a birthday and suggested we have her birthday lunch at the Hawaiian Vanilla Company. In two decades of traveling to 24 countries and 50 U.S. states to train and consult on heritage interpretation and visitor experiences, we had somehow managed to miss visitingContinue reading “The Hawaiian Vanilla Company Experience”
Category Archives: Product Development
Off-Grid Lessons Learned
On April 2nd I wrote about our plans to install an off-grid solar system with Aquion batteries on our new bamboo home on the Big Island of Hawaii. It seemed we had little choice. Off-grid solar was less expensive than hooking up to the electrical grid. Seven months later, we live in the homeContinue reading “Off-Grid Lessons Learned”
Festival of 1000 Bowls
We recently stopped by the Cool Fusion: Festival of 1000 Bowls held by the Donkey Mill Art Center at Keauhou Shopping Center south of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, with only a little idea of what the 4-hour event held in store for us. It was lunchtime and a Somen Noodle lunch is part of the fun ofContinue reading “Festival of 1000 Bowls”
Encouraging a Community of Arts
Today we stopped by the Donkey Mill Art Center just south of Holualoa, Hawaii, and enjoyed a small but fascinating exhibit based on area artists taking the challenge of creating a unique work of art from one eight foot two by four, the most basic unit in wood home construction. The variety of results achievedContinue reading “Encouraging a Community of Arts”
Mass Media Ethics in Films and Videos
http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Confessions-of-a-Wildlife-Filmm Early in my career I delivered snake programs with live snakes for people to touch or see at a state park. Each year my live snake show at the Illinois State Fair would draw four or five daily audiences of hundreds. I was trying to provide an alternate narrative to the misinformation about snakesContinue reading “Mass Media Ethics in Films and Videos”
The Power of Real People
Using photos of real people on signs and exhibits is an especially powerful method of telling the stories of communities. Here are some examples we have seen around the world that were interesting choices connecting visitors to real people in the region. The Warm Springs, Wasco and Paiute people of Oregon share their stories in the Warm SpringsContinue reading “The Power of Real People”
Your Message Could Be Many Places
Signs, exhibits, videos and TVs are the most common media selected for interpretive messages at natural and cultural heritage sites and in communities. There are some variations on these approaches that will convey a message powerfully and creatively. Here are a few to think about: Visiting natural and cultural heritage sites and communities will become moreContinue reading “Your Message Could Be Many Places”
We’re Nuts about Hamakua Nut Factory’s Tour
We have driven by the sign pointing up the hill in Kawaihae, Hawaii, many times. Hamakua Nut Factory Tour is just one block off of the main highway from Kailua-Kona to Hawi on the Big Island of Hawaii. Having a guest with us, we were looking for a macadamia nut factory tour and the timeContinue reading “We’re Nuts about Hamakua Nut Factory’s Tour”
Mountain Thunder Coffee Tour
I have been hearing about the Mountain Thunder Coffee story from various friends since we moved to the Big Island of Hawaii. This morning we took a trip up Kaloko Drive to the main coffee mill located at 3,000 feet elevation in the cloud forests on Hualalai Volcano. As you leave the main highway atContinue reading “Mountain Thunder Coffee Tour”
What’s in a battery?
It is an exciting time in the energy innovations business. And I am wishing I had paid more attention in high school during physics class. It was my worst subject. I just did not know how to relate it to the real world. After a lifetime of applied physics lessons, I am actually learning howContinue reading “What’s in a battery?”
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