Where will Hawai'i be by mid-century, 43 years from now? That is the end point that the Hawai'i 2050 Sustainability Plan seeks to define.

It's not so long from now. Those who remember statehood already have seen more years than that slip past. Ready or not, that point in time will arrive, and the state will be on a path of its own choosing, or the one that's left by default. The difference between those two futures lies in planning.

Planning is something many people see as a fussy process ending up with nothing more than a thick set of volumes that gather dust after a perfunctory review. Community leaders who recognize planning as essential also know that they have to do something about this image problem.

The Hawai'i 2050 Sustainability Task Force has been working on that concern. At the end of 2005, the task force hired a team of researchers to identify the issues that a robust state plan will have to consider. They compiled a book (available online at www.hawaii2050.org). Included in the 100-plus pages are thoughtful pieces on issues central to "sustainability" such as good stewardship of our land and natural resources; core quality of life issues centering on education, wealth distribution and healthcare; and how to nurture a green and vibrant economy.

Then the critical work of engaging the community started. Twelve community meetings were held last year, and responses to an online survey were compiled.

And before a draft of the plan is finished late this summer, more public input is needed.

In the next few weeks, a second statewide survey, this one conducted by phone, will get under way. A sample group of 2,000 randomly selected residents will be asked where Hawai'i should be in 2050, and what are some of the critical choices we must make to get us there.

An even more pointed question: What will it take to keep us there? Creating a desirable lifestyle for this community and nurturing it for the long-term is what the current buzz word — "sustainability" — is all about.

Many good ideas were embodied in the Hawai'i State Plan that was forged in the 1970s.

What happened to that effort? Some say it simply ran out of steam. Hawai'i's former governor, George Ariyoshi, recently has been putting out a call for the state to dust off its plan and bring it up to date.

The hope this time is that Hawai'i 2050, once it's written, reviewed and adopted, will not simply end up back on the shelf. A key element in preventing that from happening is giving the new document something the old one lacked: a means for measuring our state's progress, and a way to keep it in force.

Benchmarks, in other words — with people enlisted to see that they're met.

The task force wants to see a community council formed, one that reflects the state's diverse constituencies, that could hold government's feet to the fire. In particular, it's important for our younger citizens to be involved, because they are the ones who will inherit the results of all this planning.

Voters should take an interest in this plan at every opportunity.

For a few thousand, it may be when the phone rings, and a survey-taker is at the other end. For many, the most significant opportunity will be on Sept. 22, when the draft of the sustainability plan is unveiled. Thereafter, there will be more town meetings to revise and amplify the plan.

"Sustainability" may seem like an intangible concept, but if we fail to properly plan for it, our future generations will be left with the consequences. We all must do our part now to ensure that our children will have a Hawai'i worth raising their children in.