How One Hawaii Man Is Using An Invasive Tree To Nurture His Community … The Westside resident thinks kiawe trees can revolutionize Oahu’s food system and help the next generation learn to love where they live.
Vince Kanaʻi Dodge is known for a lot of things: poi pounding, activism, concern for the environment. But the first thing most people notice about him is his apparent disdain for shoes.
“It was the most embarrassing thing ever growing up,” Dodge’s son Daniel Anthony said with a laugh.
Although Anthony is now proud that local kids know his dad as “no more slippers Vince,” he finds it ironic his father chooses to work with kiawe trees, which are known for their painful thorns.
“Oh yeah, these thorns can be bad for a barefoot guy like me,” said Dodge, while examining a towering kiawe tree at Pokai Bay Beach Park in late June.
