How do you measure paradise?

That's a question being weighed by members of the Hawai'i 2050 Sustainability Task Force as they ponder the state's future.

"Each of us is trying to identify what we consider to be the ingredients of paradise," said Paul Berry, author of an essay called "The Paradise Index: An Invitation to Dream, Act and Be Accountable."

Berry has challenged the task force to come up with an index of quality of life issues that can be measured, so the state can track progress toward those goals and be held accountable.

"Right now we just have anecdotal evidence, a sewage spill here, an infestation of an invasive species there," Berry said.

Rather than looking at these things individually, Berry believes they should be combined.

Members of Sustain Hawai'i, a nonprofit aimed at moving the state toward self-sufficiency, on Friday looked at a global monitoring system by Intelesense Technologies that can integrate practical environmental, social, cultural and economic data on one map to get a wider perspective on various issues.

"We can see how we can influence decision making and policy-making so that it's a much more comprehensive view, rather than a very compartmentalized thing," said Kevin Vacarello, founder of Sustain Hawai'i.

One use of InteleSense Technology's monitoring system is comparing water quality in Vietnam with cases of waterborne illnesses to help improve public health. "It enhances the understanding of the interrelationship between people and the environment," said Intelesense representative Kevin Montgomery.

The technology could potentially be used to measure the quality of life indicators under consideration by Hawai'i 2050.

For instance, Berry suggests the state could measure the decline of the living reefs as not just an environmental issue but an economic and social one, which touches on tourism, the fishing industry and water pollution.

"Each of us inherits from the previous generation and what they did to the environment," Berry said. "We have to consider what the legacy is and what we're passing on."

Social indicators, such as the number of living-wage jobs or affordable housing units, could be included in the index, he said.

As a measure of poverty, the state can track, for instance, how many children qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

The state also needs to figure out how many tourists it can accommodate, not only in terms of capacity and infrastructure, but also the tolerance of local residents.

Water is an important issue, whether it's rising ocean levels threatening the airport, sewage treatment and harbors, or water being available for agriculture.

In agriculture itself, there are a number of factors to look at, if the state is to become less dependent on goods from overseas. "Right now we're a high-end consumer society in the middle of nowhere," Berry said.

The state needs to figure out how much food is produced locally and can be relied on if the state is cut off, he said.

The task force has been trying to get more community input.

"You need the general public to have issues to present the Legislature with powerful support for parts of the agenda the task force will deliver," Berry said.

It's not a job for government alone, however.

"We're talking about a sea change in the consumer ethic," Berry said. "If we don't change, we're seriously at risk and no one wants to risk that."

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.