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This Wahiawā Shop Uses Invasive Albizia Wood for Everything, Even Surfboards – Hawaii Magazine

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This Wahiawā Shop Uses Invasive Albizia Wood for Everything, Even Surfboards – Hawaii Magazine


You’ve probably heard of the age-old question: If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? For the team at Bizia Surf, falling trees not only do make a sound, they also make an impact.

Founders and owners, Joey and Christine Valenti, opened a shop and café in Wahiawā on Oʻahu in 2023 with a mission to restore native forests while connecting the tradition of wave riding on Hawaiʻi-grown wood.

How?

By sourcing the invasive albizia tree.

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Introduced to Hawaiʻi in 1904, the albizia tree has become one of the most notorious invasive trees in the Hawaiian forest.
Photo: Courtesy of Bizia Surf

This species is found all across the state and is one of the fastest growing trees in the world. Not only does it compete with and displace native species and modify nitrogen levels in the soil, it’s notorious for damaging houses, roads and other public infrastructure. Through the certified regenerative lumber program of the the couple’s Albizia Project organization, Joey and Christine partner with local land stewards in tree removal and forest restoration projects, playing an integral role in Hawaiʻi’s albizia wood restorative supply chain.

“It feels a lot bigger than us,” Christine says. “It’s not necessarily our work. It’s just the work that we’re supposed to be putting out into the world.”

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Bizia Surf’s owners Christine and Joey Valenti.
Photo: Courtesy of Bizia Surf

The work is powerful and palpable when you walk through the doors of their shop. The albizia wood finishes showcase its beautiful and functional possibilities as the artwork and paintings on the walls amplify its charming ambiance. The café offers a variety of drinks and baked goods, serving as a satisfying pick-me-up while browsing through the adjacent showroom that also includes albizia wood home goods such as frames, lamps and charcuterie boards. The immediate attention grabber is the array of surfboards stacked side by side for surfing enthusiasts to lay their eyes on. Visitors and patrons alike have taken sight and are on board for the ride.

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“When we opened the shop, the response from the community was overwhelmingly positive and supportive,” Christine says. “It’s so fun to get generations of Wahiawā families coming in and be excited about [this initiative].”

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Surfboards made from albizia wood in the Bizia Surf café in Wahiawā.
Photo: Courtesy of Bizia Surf

That initiative began when Joey worked on his dissertation in his final year of the architecture program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Through researching albizia and the efficacy in building with it came what Joey calls his “lightbulb moment.” That bright idea led to the founding of the Albizia Project in 2017. Seven years and well over a thousand tree removals later, the company stands tall as a key player in tackling the albizia problem and restoring the richness of Hawaiʻi’s ecosystem.

Today, Bizia Surf is turning heads in the local surfing industry, evolving the early chambered board blueprints of Dick Brewer, a legend in surfboard development, from a handmade approach to digital fabrication that includes 3D modeling. For Bizia Surf, it’s about keeping sustainability at the forefront of modern technology while also honoring the past.

“The wood beneath your feet gives you that closeness to nature and to the early surfing days,” Joey says. “It’s the board you want to really feel connected to the waves, the water, and Hawaiian tradition.”

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A surfer riding a longboard made from albizia wood.
Photo: Courtesy of Bizia Surf

Through collaboration with renowned shapers, Bizia Surf offers six different surfboard designs wave riders everywhere can get their hands (and feet) on. The longboards, for example, have gotten praise for how they are sturdy enough to be great at holding noserides and walking the board, yet lightweight enough to make smooth turns and cutbacks. Singer-songwriter and Oʻahu native Jack Johnson calls his Bizia board “one of my best twin fins” as it goes fast down the line and holds all the way through the turns. Surfers can look forward to a new stringerless board in the future as the brand is currently prototyping and testing their latest innovation.

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Inside the retail shop in Wahiawā.
Photo: Courtesy of Bizia Surf

The retail shop, located in the same industrial warehouse as its manufacturing facility, also proudly serves as a hub for community events and a friendly gathering spot for those in the Central Oʻahu area.

“This is where we started and where all the magic happens,” Joey says. “I feel like it’s a responsibility to share that with the community and love it back.”

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Ecosystem restoration, import dependence reduction, landfill waste elimination—three things Bizia Surf stands firm on about what they deliver. For the husband-and-wife team, it’s a calling far greater than profit. It’s helping people direct their dollars to purposeful regeneration.

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The company’s mantra outside the shop in Wahiawā.
Photo: Courtesy of Bizia Surf

“It’s a promise that business is never going to come at the cost of our environment,” Christine says. “We offer easy ways for customers to engage with that promise so that the things they are consuming are contributing to a positive, greener, more eco-friendly future.”

So, if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? The answer is yes. It simply makes waves, in sound and in water.





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Hawaii Island asks for the public’s assistance finding elderly woman, Jacquelyn Glenn

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Hawaii Island asks for the public’s assistance finding elderly woman, Jacquelyn Glenn


HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii Island police are renewing their request for the public’s assistance in locating 82-year-old Jacquelyn Glenn of Kailua-Kona, who was reported missing by her family.

Police said she is considered endangered due to her age.

Glenn was last seen on Friday, Dec. 5, around 6:37 a.m., on the 75-200 block of Nani Kailua Dr. in Kailua-Kona.

She was wearing a peach-colored shirt, blue denim jeans, and black tennis shoes. She reportedly mentioned going to Hilo with friends, but did not say when she planned to return.

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She is described as 5′6″, 125 Ibs, with curly grey hair and brown eyes.

Police ask anyone with information on the whereabouts of Jacquelyn Glenn to call the Hawaii Police Department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311.



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Hawaii gets nearly $190 million for rural health care | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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Hawaii gets nearly 0 million for rural health care | Honolulu Star-Advertiser




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Hawaiian announces $600 million airport, wide-body upgrades | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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Hawaiian announces 0 million airport, wide-body upgrades | Honolulu Star-Advertiser


COURTESY HAWAIIAN AIRLINES

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Hawaiian Airlines today announced an investment of more than $600 million over five years to improve airport passenger areas across the state and interior upgrades to widebody aircraft.

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Hawaiian Airlines CEO Diana Birkett Rakow told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser ahead of today’s announcement at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport that other improvements will include better apps, a better website that will make it easier for passengers to change flights, among other things that also include better integration with Alaska Airlines, which acquired Hawaiian in 2024, making it a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group.

“We have pushed a lot of change through the system for the last couple of months,” Rakow said. “We’re working on integrating our ticketing systems because right now we’re on two separate ticketing systems that don’t talk to each other.”

After late April, she said, booking on the shared Alaska Air and Hawaiian Air ticketing system “will be much more seamless.”

In announcing the renovations and changes, Hawaiian pledged “a significantly smoother guest experience … once Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines share the same passenger service system and Hawaiian Airlines joins the oneworld alliance, both scheduled for late April.”

Right now, Rakow acknowledged, “unfortunately there is some friction.”

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“There’s been so many changes and all of that friction is really painful,” she said. “We are committed to making sure we are addressing the issues. … We are certainly not perfect, but we are committed to working together. … Really, after April, it is going to improve significantly.”

Each island airport also will see renovated lobbies and gates designed to increase comfort, provide better seating and amenities such as improved power charging.

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Daniel K. Inouye International also will get a new 10,600-square-foot lounge at the entrance of the Mauka Concourse in Terminal 1.

And starting in 2028, Hawaiian’s wide-body Airbus A330s will get new seats, carpets, lighting, business class suites, a Bluetooth-enabled in-flight entertainment system with high-definition screens and free Starlink Wi-Fi.

Gov. Josh Green said in a statement ahead of today’s announcement that, “Hawaiian Airlines’ investment is exactly the kind of long-term commitment Hawaiʻi needs. Modern, welcoming airports improve the experience for residents and visitors alike, strengthen our economy and keep Hawaiʻi competitive as a global destination. We appreciate Hawaiian Airlines’ partnership in advancing workforce development, regenerative tourism, clean energy, and community programs that reflect the values of our islands.”

The New Year began with a .75% increase in Hawaii’s Transient Accommodations Tax that will help the state fight climate change.

Rakow said that Hawaiian is working to better inform inbound passengers about how to respect Hawaii’s culture and environment.

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Hawaiian said it will continue to support “programs promoting regenerative tourism, culture and conservation.”

The airline also said it will fund grants to nonprofit organizations “promoting cultural programs, environmental preservation, and perpetuation of native Hawaiian art and language through the Alaska Airlines | Hawaiian Airlines Foundation.”




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