Event Description: The Mill is honored to welcome artists and bioremediation specialists, the co-founders of EarthRM, for an evening of shared learning, ʻāina-centered action, and community connection. Kauʻi Lopes, Hannah Hartmann, and Sanae Hartmann will give a presentation on how they work with nature's clean up crew -- fungi, plants, and microbes -- to heal contaminated soil and water, how ʻike Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian knowledge) grounds that work, and how Hawaiʻi communities can practice bioremediation at home.
Event Details: There will be a presentation and hands-on activity introducing Indigenous Microorganisms (IMOs) and how they can support the healing of our lands and waters. This will be followed by a community potluck. Participants are encouraged to bring a dish to share, ideally featuring locally grown or harvested fruits, vegetables, prepared foods, or drinks.
This event is free and open to the public.
About EarthRM
EarthRM bridges place-based moʻolelo (stories), science, and mālama ʻāina practices. Their work centers on microbes and fungi—nature’s clean-up crew—as a means to address pollution through bioremediation science and grassroots efforts. EarthRM was founded in Hawaiʻi and is deeply rooted in Kānaka ʻŌiwi values and leadership. Their mission is to restore contaminated lands and waters through bioremediation science, while empowering communities with the tools, education, and capacity to lead their own healing efforts.
EarthRM believes every being has the right to clean air, soil, and water—and that through natural yet highly effective techniques, we can create large-scale healing, one community at a time.
About the Speakers
Hannah Hartmann, Co-Founder, EarthRM
A settler aloha ʻāina based in Hilo, Hannah is a bioremediation ecologist, educator, and co-founder of Maui Bioremediation Group (MBRG) and EarthRM. She also teaches Sustainable Agriculture at Kūlani Correctional Facility, equipping incarcerated individuals with hands-on, ʻāina-based skills for reintegration.
Hannah’s personal journey into environmental healing began at age 16, shaped by pollution-related illness in her community and family in Tongva territory (Los Angeles). She studied Environmental Science and Ecological Restoration at Cal Poly Humboldt and later earned a Master's in Tropical Conservation Biology from UH Hilo.
Her work spans scientific research, community organizing, and systems change, with a focus on natural, effective strategies like mycofiltration and microbial remediation. She continues to advocate for environmental justice in Hawaiʻi, most notably regarding the Red Hill crisis (Kapūkakī).
Kauʻi Lopes, Director of Cultural Protocol
As a Kanaka Maoli, Kauʻi has always held a deep sense of responsibility to care for her Indigenous lands. She has dedicated herself to learning and embodying her people’s cultural knowledge, practices and protocols which include but are not limited to Hula, Oli, and moʻokūʻauhau. Kauʻi co-founded EarthRM and serves as Director of Cultural Protocol. She ensures Hawaiian voices, priorities, and protocols are central to all activities and impacts that EarthRM facilitates. After graduating from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, she applied her experiential training and degrees in Hawaiian Studies and Communication, to her current roles as educator, researcher, and leader in bridging Hawaiian and Western science to heal Hawaiʻi communities through place-based bioremediation.
Sanae Hartmann, Co-Founder, EarchRM
Sanae began her bioremediation work at Cal Poly Humboldt, where she studied political systems and environmental justice, and conducted participatory action research on mycofiltration in partnership with Wiyot community members. Currently pursuing a PhD in Geography at Penn State University, her dissertation project maps the moʻokūʻauhau (genealogy) of the Red Hill water contamination to explore meaningful, community-rooted pathways to healing. Sanae’s work is grounded in honoring Indigenous knowledge systems and bridging communities across time and place in collective efforts toward regeneration.
About Our Programs: As a place of convergence, the Mill serves as both a community and a physical place–celebrating the power of the arts, bringing people, ideas and perspectives together. We are proud to offer adult and youth programs that focus on awareness of one’s individuality in the contexts of family, community and the natural world. Our exhibitions provide a space to reflect, share perspectives and grow as a community. Our classes & workshops are designed to inspire creativity, foster connections, and provide enriching experiences for all participants. We invite you to join us in the studio.
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