BISS stands for Big Island Self Sufficiency. It is a Yahoo group started in November of '08 by my friend Kele. Kele stands for Jerry/Gerald in Hawaiian.
The Home Page of the group says it best: This group is for the purpose of learning and teaching self sufficiency gardening/farming for people on the "Big Island" of Hawai'i.
Our purpose is to join together and help each other develop some
level of essential food production in our own yards and farms as we
are soon to be faced with large food shortages globally accompanied
by skyrocketing prices for that which remains available. We are very
vulnerable to these changes..even more so than the rest of the 49 states
of the US.
Although aimed at residents of the Big Island of Hawai'i, we do have several members in some of the other Hawaiian islands, the mainland and even Mexico.
Our members come from all walks of life...we have professionals and retired professionals, farmers, professors, nursery owners, music teachers.....some are members of the younger generations (our future) and some are older......some are bluegrass aficionados as well as aficionados of opera; our group is like the Hawaiian islands....a wonderful melting pot!
Many of the members are very knowledgeable about growing anything and about so many other subjects that are interesting or necessary to know if you plan to live your life as sustainably as possible.
Many members grow at least some food, others grow most of what they eat...yet others own nurseries and give advice on planting and harvesting... others are into medicinal plants....Recipes are shared. Advise on fertilizers and organics is given and discussed...
Not a day goes by that something new doesn't come up for discussion, whether its about State or Federal government as it relates to agriculture; recalls on produce on the mainland....interesting websites members find and like to share with the rest.
Kele started the group on November 26th of '08 and I believe I was the 7th member to join it after meeting Kele and visiting his quarter acre urban 'farmette' where he grows a hundred or more banana trees of different varieties, sugar cane, papaya, pineapples, the tiny red hot Hawaiian chile peppers and also a collection of herbs and other edible plants. Except for a very few ornamentals, everything else growing in the 'farmette' is edible.
A few months after I joined, Kele requested I share moderator duties with him and recently made me an owner....no, no raise in pay with each new position... I still get the same as when I was just one of the members.... ;-)
BISS got stuck for a little while at the half year mark and then all of a sudden it exploded. We started getting together as a group at his 'farmette' and little by little the membership grew, mostly by word of mouth. Our BISS 'gatherings' are on the Sunday closest to the Solstices or the Equinoxes.... no, we don't hold pagan rituals, unless you consider pot-lucks a pagan ritual ;-); sometimes the date has to be moved to a different Sunday if it falls on Father's Day in June or too close to Christmas in December.
At our gatherings besides a dish to share for the potluck, members bring seeds, seedlings, cuttings, plants and fruit or produce to share.
Since we are a group that cares about the future, members bring their own dishes, flatware, napkins and glasses or cups from home....We always request that if disposable paper products are brought they be at least compostable.
Some of the same members come to all the gatherings, some driving a couple of hours just for the afternoon; some come to a few and there is always someone new. The members who have been attending from the start have become like family and new 'family' is added at each.
Besides meeting at Kele's place, we have had gatherings at a nearby beach park, a park near downtown Hilo and at the home of another member.
Members bring their kids or a friend or two to introduce them to the group.
The last gathering was this past Sunday at Kele's and we had about 67 members (not all at one time) attend this one. The biggest gathering to date. We had a lot of fun as some members brought their musical instruments and entertained us with music for about an hour.
If you live in Hawai'i and are interested in joining us to learn more about self sufficiency in the islands or in the tropics, check out Big Island Self Sufficiency