Summary
In 2021, a bill authorizing entities having a common purpose to organize as general cooperatives was introduced in the Hawaii senate. In the bill’s definition of “person,” it included a sacred species or a natural ecosystem, allowing their participation in the cooperatives through a guardian speaking on their behalf. Elizabeth Dunne of the Earth Law Center worked on this bill with her client, The Kohala Center—an environmental nonprofit. Although the bills did not move forward, the language received approval.
Suggested Citation:
Kauffman, Craig, Catherine Haas, Alex Putzer, Shrishtee Bajpai, Kelsey Leonard, Elizabeth Macpherson, Pamela Martin, Alessandro Pelizzon & Linda Sheehan. Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. V2. 2026. Distributed by the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. https://ecojurisprudence.org/initiatives/hawaii-sb-498/.
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