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Larry Ellison, billionaire and owner of the software company “Oracle”, moved to the Hawaiian island of Lanai, for whose development he has invested so far 500 million dollars. He managed to buy 98 percent of the island and is trying to conduct a “sustainability experiment” on it.
Ellison owns 87 of Lanai’s 90,000 acres of land, which he bought in 2012 for $ 300 million. With only 3,200 residents, it is the least populated island in Hawaii, home to quiet beaches, rocky terrain, the best resorts and Ellison’s ambitions to make it a “green and economically viable” island through Pulama Lanaj, reports Business Insider. .
The island was first in the hands of James Dole, who developed the industry and the cultivation of pineapple on it, which is why it is called the “king of pineapple”, and then it was owned by David Murdoch, who asked Allison an incredible billion dollars to sell it.
In June 2012, however, Ellison paid just 300,000 for it, and what he plans to do is turn it into a tourist destination. Thus, Lanaj can already boast of two hotels that operate “For Seasons”, in which the apartment costs up to $ 21,000 per night, making it the most expensive in Hawaii.
Larry’s purchase of Lanai also included an animal rescue center, so since there is no natural hazard to cats on this island, he became the owner of 400 feral cats that live in this center.
Ambitions bigger than tourism
In fact, Ellison plans not only to turn Lanai into a tourist attraction, but also to create the first “100% economically viable green community,” according to the New York Times.
In 2018, he launched a wellness company called “Sensei” that he owns, working on global food supply, nutrition and sustainability. Sensei’s goal is to use data to help people lead healthier and longer lives.
In practice, this includes two 20,000-square-meter hydroponic greenhouses (Sensei farms), which have sensors and cameras that monitor data on water use and air flow. They are powered by 1,600 Tesla solar panels and the crops grown in them are used to prepare food in restaurants.
Sensei also built a luxury spa called “Sensei Ritrit”, which costs $ 3,000 for one night. Guests set physical and mental goals for their stay, and the “spa” monitors their sleep, diet, and blood flow.
Now Ellison reportedly wants to buy both the island’s power plant and Hawaiian Electric Co., to “switch” the island from fossil fuels to 100 percent renewable energy. His goal is for Lanai to serve as a prototype for the “health utopia.”
When the Coronavirus pandemic hit Lanai last year, Ellison reduced or completely “forgave” business lease debts and paid full wages and benefits to employees who worked for him. Despite spending around $ 500 million on Lanaj, his wealth continued to grow during the pandemic and today stands at $ 81.6 billion.
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