Sustainability Under the Stars Featuring Tom Vendetti “Bhutan Taking the Middle Path to Happiness”

Office of the Mayor led by Office of Innovation and Sustainability  (OIS) offers an evening of entertainment with movie sharing experiences of Maui in a sustainable neighbor of Bhutan illustrating cultural lessons of well-being around the world.  OIS partners with Hawai’i filmmakers to offer opportunity to show short documentary and feature films across Maui Nui with community screenings.

The second Sustainability Under the Stars showing will take place on February 20, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. hosted at  Kalana Pakui o Maui near Kalana O Maui . Sustainability Under the Stars features a film by Maui based filmmaker Tom Vendetti and also feature a conversation about a recent visit to Bhutan by a Maui delegation experiencing first hand the culture of compassion and conservation.  

“Bhutan Taking the Middle Path to Happiness” offers a rare insight into the Himalayan kingdom where the people’s happiness is the goal of its government, life is viewed as sacred and happiness lies in following the Buddhist middle path. Bhutan culture also reflects deep connection with nature and the environmental surroundings.

Maui based filmmaker Vendetti’s previous works include “Journey Inside Tibet,” “Mount Kailash: Return to Tibet,” and “When The Mountain Calls: Nepal, Tibet & Bhutan,” which included a prologue and epilogue by Hana’s Kris Kristofferson.

After the film, Vendetti will speak about recent personal experiences in Bhutan on a cultural exchange with the Himalayan nation centered around teaching music and the message of sustainability and solidarity.

Besides teaching in Bhutan, their trip included an arduous hike to the famous Paro Taktsang Monastery, built in the late 17th century on the site of a cliff cave. Known as Tiger’s Nest, it sits more than 9,000 feet above the Paro Valley. “It’s a three-hour trek into the mountains,” Vendetti reported.

Tom Vendetti led a delegation of cultural ambassadors from Maui in early November to Bhutan gifting, useless to dozens of children in the remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan teaching the keikit how to play the instruments as the latest venture by the World Ukulele Program. Mohala Hou Foundation, a Maui-based group, coordinates the World Ukulele Program sharing a mission to help spread aloha around the world.  

The County of Maui Office Innovation & Sustainability (OIS), under the Office of the Mayor, is committed to driving environmental and social progress in through policies, programs, and initiatives, building a resilient community for sustainable prosperity and economic health for current and future generations.