OCT/NOV/DEC 2017
Vol. 9 #4
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A HELPING HAND When the nonprofit Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative (HLRI) started planning its new O‘ahu nursery and visitor center, a group of military veterans stepped in to help turn the dream into reality.
In a bright yellow farmhouse on the North Shore of O‘ahu, a team of five U.S. military veterans is helping protect Hawai‘i’s native and endemic trees for generations to come. Instead of shovels, they carry hammers and drills. And instead of dirt and seedlings, they work with windows, walls and floors. These Handy Andy Hawaii workmen are donating their time to build a seedling nursery and transform a traditional farmhouse into the first-ever Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative (HLRI) visitor center on O‘ahu. The nonprofit HLRI has permanently reforested more than 400,000 koa and Hawaiian sandalwood Legacy Trees on 1,200 acres above Umikoa Village on Hawai‘i Island in the past eight years. The organization recently expanded its Legacy Forest program to Hawai‘i Island’s Kahua Ranch, which will cover 700 acres. HLRI plans to start O‘ahu Legacy Tree plantings in the
next year and offer planting tours under the award-winning Hawaiian Legacy Tours soon after. “Operating in an environmentally sound way is an important part of what we do at Handy Andy, so we asked ourselves how we could give back to support the Legacy Tree program,” says Andrew Compean, a U.S. military veteran. He founded Handy Andy in 2017 to provide fellow veterans on O‘ahu with livingwage job opportunities in construction and home maintenance. “Our team of five workmen were proud to donate a total of $5,000 in time.” Over the past several months, Handy Andy has helped build the new nursery for the Legacy Forest program and restored a 1,200 square-foot Hawaiian farmhouse with authentic touches like original double-hung windows. The company also built an adjacent 600 square-foot country store for HLRI. “The Legacy Forest program is the first of its kind in the
ADVERTORIAL
Photos: Courtesy Hawaiian Legacy Restoration Initiative
world,” says HLRI Executive Director Jeff Dunster. “Handy Andy’s team worked closely with us to provide our guests with an experience that they can’t find anywhere else. Visiting the center is like stepping back in time, and that is what we are working to do with our native forests—restore them to their former glory.” HLRI’s O‘ahu Legacy Forest will span more than 500 acres, support more than 200,000 newly planted Legacy Trees and be home to numerous rare and endangered species. “This is the first Legacy Forest to feature predominantly Hawaiian milo, a rare tree known for its bright yellow flower and long prized for its wood to make bowls, calabashes, carvings and musical instruments,” Dunster says. “This ahupua‘a was once part of a great coastal native habitat. These lands stretched from sea level to the upper reaches of the Ko‘olau Range and were dominated by hala, hau, kukui, koa, naio, sandalwood and milo trees.” HLRI uses state-of-the-art radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology to record the growth, health, location and sponsorship details of each tree. Each tree can be tracked online through HLRI’s new Tree Tracker program. HLRI and sustainable forestry company HLH are working to reforest 1.3 million trees across the state—one for each person in Hawai‘i.
ADVERTORIAL
For more on Handy Andy Hawaii, visit HandyAndyHawaii.com. For more on how to plant a Legacy Tree through the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative, visit LegacyTrees.org.
CONTENTS VOLUME 9 NUMBER 4 // OCTOBER/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017
GREEN __________________________________
DESIGN ___________________________________
07 Learn
22 Leed
OHA funds farm-to-school pilot program
08 Ag
Local investment gurus tackle Hawai‘i’s farm-to-shelf marketplace at Eat Think Drink
12 Waste
26 Cool stuff
Because Hawai‘i’s tropical weather calls for these outdoor essentials year round
Aloha Harvest champions sustainable food management
ENERGY ___________________________________
13 Salt
Pacific Biodiesel sows the seeds of sustainability on Maui
Salty Wahine Gourmet Hawaiian Sea Salts packs local flavor
14 Eggs
Eggs ’n Things gives back by sourcing local
15 Plant-based
28 Fuel
35 Solar
Clean energy advocate Hi-Power Solar
36 More Solar
What’s new at Umeke Market
Hawaii Pacific Solar invests in solar education
16 Local
37 Plastic
The secret to those tasty AF omelets at Egg ’n Things
17 Grinds Photo: Matthew Millman
Big Island’s net-zero Energy Lab puts a sustainable spin on learning
Honolulu City Council wises up about the ban on plastic bags
HI on veggies at VegFest O‘ahu
NATURE ___________________________________
18 Garden
38 Nonprofit
How to maximize flavor from the garden to the table
Kupu trains youth to build a sustainable future through service learning
40 Conservation
Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance Foundation hosts 24th annual Hawai‘i Conservation Conference
ON THE COVER _______________________________ Pacific Biodiesel’s founding family celebrate the company’s first sunflower biofuel crop on Maui on Earth Day 2017. Co-founder and Vice President Kelly King and her husband, Founder and President Bob King (center), stand with their son, biologist Aaron King (far left), their daughter, Director of Operations Jenna Long, her husband, Crushing Mill Manager Chris Long, and their daughter Viviana, the King’s first grandchild. PHOTO: Pacific Biodiesel 4
GRE E NM A G A Z I N E H AWA I I .C O M
Powerful. Elegant. Refined.
T HE A L L-NE W 2 018
It’s powerful design and aggressive exterior styling announce your arrival — with authority. A look that’s all at once tempting and tantalizing. Paired with a next-generation Toyota Hybrid System, the all-new 2018 Camry Hybrid is expected to achieve best-in-class fuel economy ratings. And with Toyota Safety SenseTM P (TSS-P) standard, it’s as safe as it is fun. W H AT MOR E C OUL D YOU A S K F OR ?
S E E Y O U R T O Y O TA H A W A I I D E A L E R T O D AY
Powered by Toyota Hawaii
Published by Element Media, Inc. VOLUME 9 :: NUMBER 4 :: OCTOBER/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017
President Jamie Giambrone
Art Director Keith Usher
Senior Account Executive Jennifer Dorman
Publisher Naomi Hazelton
Contributing Writers Joy Galatro, Lindsey Kesel, Molly Mamaril, Melinda Myers, Kevin Whitton
Publishers’ Assistant Maria Sumulong
Managing Editor Lauren McNally laurenm@elementmediahi.com
Contributing Photographers Aaron Bernard, Dave Miyamoto, Darryl Watanabe
Administration Crystal Rogers, Sally Shaner
Subscribe and read online at greenmagazinehawaii.com. Contact Element Media at 1088 Bishop Street, Suite 1130, Honolulu, HI 96813; 808.737.8711. Follow Green on facebook at facebook.com/GreenMagazineHawaii and on Twitter at @greenmaghawaii.
Green Magazine Hawai‘i is a quarterly publication available through subscription, direct mail and bookstores throughout Hawai‘i. The views expressed within Green Magazine Hawai‘i do not necessarily reflect the opinions of management and ownership. Green Magazine Hawai‘i may not be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.
LEARN // AG // WASTE // SALT // EGGS // PLANT-BASED // LOCAL // GRINDS // GARDEN
| LEARN |
MALA‘AI KULA
Photo: Malama Kaua‘i
Office of Hawaiian Affairs supports the launch of Kaua‘i farm-to-school pilot program Mala‘ai Kula
HEALTH
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has made a $170,000 commitment to Malama Kaua‘i to support the launch of Mala‘ai Kula, a Kaua‘ibased farm-to-school pilot program happening at Kawaikini New Century Public Charter School and Ke Kula Ni‘ihau O Kekaha Hawaiian Public Charter School. The goal of the program is to provide a consistent, nutritious and culturally relevant school meal program complemented by agriculture and nutrition-related education. “Our aim is to create a localized school food and educational model that not only feeds our students’ bodies and minds, but also contributes to our local agricultural economy through the lens of Hawaiian culture,” says Megan Fox, Malama Kaua‘i’s executive director. “Programs like this are having incredible impacts all over the world to address the physical, mental and economic health of communities. We’re incredibly grateful that OHA has provided us support in bringing this to Kaua‘i.” –Lauren McNally
HEALTH
LEARN // AG // WASTE // SALT // EGGS // PLANT-BASED // LOCAL // GRINDS // GARDEN
Photos: Hawai‘i Agricultural Foundation
| AG |
EAT THINK DRINK
Local investment gurus tackle Hawai‘i’s farm-to-shelf marketplace
A
n inspiring group of prominent restauranteurs and investment experts joined forces to determine what it takes to transform a local value-added product into the next big Made in Hawai‘i project. On August 28, the Hawai‘i Agricultural Foundation (HAF) hosted five industry leaders and six of Honolulu’s hottest eateries at The Modern Honolulu for the third Eat Think Drink, a quarterly series launched in November 2016 that was designed to bring diverse communities together and find common ground on issues of agriculture and food in Hawai‘i. Targeted at millennials and Gen Xers, the series offers a unique opportunity to learn from innovative minds nationwide. “Hawai‘i is in an incredibly unique position to offer unparalleled products to the national market by leveraging its diverse cultures and exotic ingredients grown throughout the islands,” says keynote speaker Lou Cooperhouse, executive director of the Rutgers Food Innovation Center and a globally renowned pioneer in food business innovation, incubation, acceleration and industry cluster formation. “This event is a critical step in the right direction, bringing together experts who can help local entrepreneurs identify the resources they need to grow a strong, financially viable business model in food production.” Show Me the Green: How to Access Capital and Move Your Project from Seed to Shelf kicked off with a thought-provoking, TED-style talk by keynote speaker Lou Cooperhouse, executive director of the Rutgers Food Innovation Center and a globally renowned pioneer in food business innovation, incubation, acceleration and industry cluster formation. “Hawai‘i is in an 8
GRE E N M A G A Z I N E H AWA I I .C O M
incredibly unique position to offer unparalleled products to the national market by leveraging its diverse cultures and exotic ingredients grown throughout the islands,” Cooperhouse says. “This event is a critical step in the right direction, bringing together experts who can help local entrepreneurs identify the resources they need to grow a strong, financially viable business model in food production.” Afterward, a curated mix of business leaders contributed to the multifaceted conversation on food innovation and what makes a small product made with a locally grown or locally raised crop appeal to national investors. The panel was moderated by Meli James of the Hawai‘i Venture Capital Association and included Kyle Datta of Ulupono Initiative, Greg Leong of Arocrest Company and Nancy Enos of Foodland supermarket. At the conclusion of the panel discussion, guests took part in an interactive dine-around featuring six notable tastemakers, including Keaka Lee of The Pig & The Lady, Jason Schoonover of 12th Ave Grill, Kevin Lee of PAI Honolulu, Keith Pajinag of Ravish Honolulu, Michelle Karr-Ueoka of MW Restaurant and Lyndsey Simone of Roy’s Hawaii Kai. Each restaurant dished out mouthwatering plates that were carefully crafted and inspired by the disruptive food innovation marketplace. “When we establish these channels that allow continued conversation to occur, we foster an environment where consumers can become inspired and lead as stewards of our state’s local food industry,” says Denise Yamaguchi, executive director of HAF. —Lauren McNally
IT TAKES AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY TO FEED AND NOURISH THE PEOPLE OF HAWAI‘I.
HAWAI‘I RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION Working together to produce, prepare and present the freshest ingredients.
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Gas is reliable, efficient and gives Hawaii’s chefs precise cooking control while lowering greenhouse emissions. Gas helps to make a good meal great. 535-5933 I hawaiigas.com
SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES
AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY
LIFE ON LAND
RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
ZERO HUNGER
GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION
LIFE BELOW WATER
CLIMATE ACTION
“If only to do good were as easy as to know what was good to do” “Conserve” is where Hawaii restaurants turn for practical tips, suggestions and resources that reduce their costs and optimize sustainability. To learn more, go to conserve.restaurant.org
Serving Hawaii since 1971
hawaiirestaurant.org
HEALTH
LEARN // AG // WASTE // SALT // EGGS // PLANT-BASED // LOCAL // GRINDS // GARDEN
KU‘ULEI WILLIAMS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ALOHA HARVEST
“In addition to feeding homeless and lowincome residents, our work addresses the need to protect our environment and make Photo: Dave Miyamoto
more efficient use of our limited food supply.” –Ku‘ulei Williams
| WASTE |
NO TIME TO WASTE
Aloha Harvest champions sustainable food management by Kevin Whitton
Island residents waste 237,000 tons of food every year—that’s more than 26 percent of the available food supply and a devastating reality given that we import 85 to 95 percent of that food. “In addition to feeding homeless and low-income residents, our work addresses the need to protect our environment and make more efficient use of our limited food supply,” says Ku‘ulei Williams, executive director at Aloha Harvest, a nonprofit organization that 12
GRE E N M A G A Z I N E H AWA I I.C O M
rescues excess food and delivers it, free of charge, to social service agencies that feed Hawai‘i’s hungry. Now in its 18th year of business, Aloha Harvest has collected and distributed more than 19 millions pounds of food that would otherwise end up in Hawai‘i’s overburdened waste stream and adheres to rigorous standards for food safety throughout the entire process. Many are surprised to learn that Aloha
Harvest doesn’t have a warehouse or store any food. The excess food that the company rescues each day is delivered that same day to local agencies, helping to feed approximately 52,000 each month. The company operates seven days a week with a small team of only five drivers, three office staff and two 16-foot refrigerated trucks. “For years, people thought we were a part of the Foodbank,” Williams says. “In 2012, we changed our tagline to better reflect what we do—rescuing food to feed Hawai‘i’s hungry. This has really made a difference and gets people to take a second look. We often have people share with us that they always thought someone should do something with all this food being thrown away and are happy to know that that is exactly what we do.”
| SALT |
WORTH ONE’S SALT
Salty Wahine Gourmet Hawaiian Sea Salts packs local flavor by Lauren McNally daughters Nicole and Kendall and daughter-in-law Jessica, received two Ho‘okela awards in 2017 for Retail Merchant of the Year and Fastest Growing Retail Merchant in Hawai‘i. In Salty Wahine’s nine years of operation, products have landed at more than 200 stores worldwide, including Safeway, Foodland, ABC stores, Whalers General Stores and hotels and restaurants throughout Hawai‘i, the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. Salty Wahine also provides custom seasoning blends for chefs worldwide, including custom blends for Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa. Salty Whine can also be found at Aloha Festivals in Hawai‘i and Polynesian Festivals in California, Nevada and Arizona.
LAURA CRISTOBAL ANDERSLAND OWNER SALTY WAHINE GOURMET HAWAIIAN SEA SALTS
Photo: Dave Miyamoto
Salty Wahine’s business revolves around its mission statement of making eating healthy and fun. Founder Laura Cristobal Andersland, who learned the spiritual significance of sea salt from her paternal Hawaiian grandmother, launched the company as a passion project in 2008. Salty Wahine is now projected to reach $1 million in gross annual sales and was recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as the Exporter of the Year for Hawai‘i in 2017. Central to the company’s award-winning gourmet seasonings? Their infusions of herbs, spices and tropical fruits, 84 percent of which are of Hawai‘i origin. The salt itself is sourced from companies on Moloka‘i and the Big Island. Cristobal Andersland, along with son Sean,
GREENMAGAZINE HAWAII.COM
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HEALTH
LEARN // AG // WASTE // SALT // EGGS // PLANT-BASED // LOCAL // GRINDS // GARDEN
| EGGS |
A GOOD EGG
Eggs ’n Things gives back by sourcing local Eggs ’n Things Hawai‘i President and CEO Yuka Nawano earned her business chops on the job and has run her business with heart for the past eight years. The former Japanese interpreter and translator currently owns and operates three Eggs ’n Things locations on O‘ahu. Yuka strives to uphold the 42 years of goodwill associated with the restaurant, which began as a mom-and-pop neighborhood eatery. “I need to be firm about what we can afford to do because my decisions impact the lives of my employees and their families,” Yuka says. Her success is rooted in trust, relationship building and placing her business first. Eggs ’n Things continues to prosper under Yuka’s leadership, with each location drawing flocks of brunchgoers hungry to indulge in the sweet and savory locally inspired fare, complete with locally sourced eggs, beef and fish. “I see more breakfast-themed restaurants opening YUKA NAWANO up locally as well as OWNER all over Japan,” Yuka EGGS ’N THINGS says. She credits the growing popularity of the Hawaiian pancake to the wide influence Eggs ’n Things has had throughout the Pacific. There’s typically a wait time of at least an hour at each of the 16 Eggs ’n Things locations in Japan. In August 2014, Yuka opened the first Guam location in the tourist hub of Tumon. The process was challenging for Yuka and her staff. Proper infrastructure had to be installed in addition to building the restaurant to withstand typhoons. Hawai‘i-based employees took turns setting up the restaurant and training local Guamanian employees for two to three months at a time. Yuka’s biggest business decision is yet to come as she decides when to retire. For now, she’s perfectly happy as Eggs ’n Things CEO—or, in Yuka’s words, “Chief Eating Officer.”
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Photos: Dave Miyamoto
by Molly Mamaril
| PLANT-BASED |
SOURCE OF FOOD Umeke Market goes 100 percent plant-based by Lauren McNally Umeke Market is more committed than ever to providing the downtown business community with healthy lunch options that support local agriculture, and for not much more than the price of your typical plate lunch. The change comes courtesy of Rob Daguio, a Mililani native and longtime Umeke Market employee who seized the opportunity to run the business as its new owner, and Umeke Market Executive Chef Mama T, who ran a pop-up kitchen at Lana Lane Studios in Kaka‘ako prior to coming aboard earlier this year. The duo knew each other from their involvement in the local reggae community: Mama T landed in Hawai‘i in 2004 while on
tour as a lead singer, Daguio moonlights as a keyboard player for Ooklah the Moc. When Daguio first broached the subject of going into business with Mama T at the culinary helm, she agreed, on one condition—it had to be 100 percent plant-based. Daguio, along with his girlfriend and three kids, has since made the switch to a plant-based diet. When Mama T first learned about the wave of biotech companies that put down roots in her new home state, she went to work marching in protests and lobbying for pesticide buffer zones at the capitol. But her approach changed after spending a year teaching food-as-medicine classes on Moloka‘i. “I became more solution-oriented,” she says. “I decided to show people how to cook without using genetically modified organisms and to identify them in processed foods.” They kept the name—both Daguio and Mama T agreed that “umeke,” meaning “source of food,” was pretty perfect, as is—and the kalo plant in the Umeke Market logo is now a staple on the menu. “I just want to teach people how to make healthy food and be more mindful of what they’re putting in their bodies,” Mama T says. “It could either be medicine or it could be poison.”
ROB DAGUIO, OWNER MAMA T, EXECUTIVE CHEF UMEKE MARKET
GREENMAGAZINE HAWAII.COM
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HEALTH
LEARN // AG // WASTE // SALT // EGGS // PLANT-BASED // LOCAL // GRINDS // GARDEN
| LOCAL |
GREEN EGGS ‘N THINGS The secret to those tasty AF omelets
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GRE EN M A G A Z I N E H AWA I I.C O M
the menu. Using only local, seasonal fish was a no-brainer. The restaurant’s founder was a fisherman, so he was the one reeling in the catch of the day back in the ’70s when Eggs ’n Things first opened its doors. In other words, way before sea-to-table was really a thing. Adding local beef to the menu has been a more recent development. Grass-fed beef has a slightly different texture than beef raised on corn and grain, and the difference wasn’t always welcomed. “But I think times have changed,” says Eggs ’n Things– Director of Operations Michael Skedeleski. “Now we have a hard time keeping it in stock because it’s in pretty high demand.” In fact, Eggs ’n Things competes with several high-end restaurants to fill its order for local beef but serves it at a significantly more palatable price point. How’s that for egg-cellent service? —Lauren McNally
Photos: Dave Miyamoto
Given the recent wave of localism sweeping the culinary world, it may seem commonplace that every omelet hitting your plate at Eggs ’n Things is made with hand-cracked, USDA-certified local eggs. That is, until you consider that the treasured local eatery goes through 125,000 eggs in a typical month. For anyone who’s counting, that comes out to a whopping 1.5 million eggs per year. So high was their order volume that it took a year for the local farm that Eggs ’n Things contracts with to bump up production when the restaurant first committed to sourcing all of its eggs locally seven years ago. This despite the fact that using boxed eggs—a relatively common practice in restaurants—costs less than half the price of serving dishes made with the real deal. Not to mention the payoff in taste, especially when you’re used to eating liquid eggs or month-old eggs shipped in from the mainland. Eggs ’n Things has since added other local ingredients to
| GRINDS |
HI ON VEGGIES It may take more than an apple a day to keep the doctor away, but experts agree that lifestyle changes—particularly diet and exercise—are our best bet for prolonging life and preventing disease. Google CEO Eric Schmidt even named plant-based protein the most important trend in tech—beating out 3D printing, selfdriving cars, mobile medical data and virtual reality—and it’s no wonder, considering that diet-related disease results in nearly 700,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. Despite the seemingly healthy lifestyle that Hawai‘i offers its residents, we’re home to one of the highest rates of diabetes in the country and one in four island residents are obese. VegFest Oahu is looking to buck the trend by educating attendees on plant-based, sustainable living. Held on September 24 at the Frank Fasi Civic Grounds near Honolulu Hale, the second annual event was an opportunity for the public to learn
Photo: Positive Media
VegFest Oahu tackles the health care crisis and climate change
practical ways to reverse Hawai‘i’s health care crisis and participate in solutions to mitigate climate change. The grassroots effort was organized by an all-volunteer team of local experts in the plantbased and environmental movements and sponsored by a coalition of businesses that support a healthier Hawai‘i. —Lauren McNally
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
HEALTH
GARDEN
HOW DO I PLANT ONE OF THOSE DREAM GARDENS I SEE ON TV OR SOCIAL MEDIA?
Lorra Naholowa’a Soil/Compost Specialist Island Topsoil LLC 808.681.2361 islandtopsoil.com
Photo: Gardener's Supply Company
Microbiology plays a key role in healthy soil. There is a lack of high-quality topsoil and planting media here in the islands, but Island Topsoil has been on the cusp of recreating a healthy living soil from recycled sources for island landscapers, developers, contractors and home gardeners. Years of experience, cutting-edge science and local needs have brought us to a new frontier in providing live soils to our gardening community. Learning and utilizing vermicomposting, compost extracts, biochar, fungal/bacterial tinctures and techniques old and new have brought our soil blends and potting mixes to a level unmatched by any other local producers. Visit our website at www.islandtopsoil.com to see for yourself how we’re bringing life back to Hawai‘i’s soils.
| GARDEN |
KEEP IT FRESH
How to maximize flavor from the garden to the table
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You’ve spent hours weeding, watering and tending to your vegetable garden. Now all your effort has paid off with a bountiful harvest. Best case scenario would be to prepare and serve your veggies immediately after harvest. But let’s face it, most of us are living busy lives and are lucky to get the vegetables picked and eventually cooked. Here are a few things you can do to maximize the flavor and nutritional value of your homegrown vegetables. Handle your produce with care. Wait to wash, trim and clean the vegetables you plan to store or prepare at a later date. Harvest leafy crops last, as they quickly wilt after harvest. Ideally, vegetables you plan to prepare immediately should be cleaned outdoors. You’ll keep garden soil out of the kitchen sink and in the garden where it belongs. Store root crops in a cold, moist environment. A spare refrigerator works great for these. Keep potatoes in a cool, humid and dark location. Use slatted crates or other vegetable storage containers to maximize airflow and increase the longevity of your harvest. Keeping stored fruit separated prevents rot from spreading from one fruit to the other. A few simple changes in handling your harvest will improve its storage life, flavor and nutritional quality. Better quality means less waste and more abundance—happy harvesting! —Melinda Myers
GREENMAGAZINE HAWAII.COM
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A CLASS ACT IN
SUSTAINABILITY Big Island’s net-zero Energy Lab puts a sustainable spin on learning By Lindsey Kesel
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Photos Matthew Millman
I
n 2008, Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy physics teacher
leaving the next generation with dire resource issues and
Dr. Bill Wiecking was approached by the parent of one
brainstormed ways they could better prepare kids to create
of his students during a workshop to determine the
real solutions. The parent said that if they could figure out
school’s next steps for sustainability. They talked about
a way to build a prototype of sustainable design, he’d fund
how Hawai‘i is rich in natural resources yet the most
the whole project. An excited Wiecking took the idea home,
resource-dependent state in the nation, and how it could
sketched it out and assembled a team. He hired a small
be the perfect laboratory to integrate curriculum with the
local construction company, Quality Builders, and they set
principles of sustainability. They shared their fears about
their sights on achieving LEED certification.
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HPA’s Energy Lab was conceived as an ultra-efficient high school learning center where kids could study alternative energies, but it’s since became so much more. The lab has gone on to set all kinds of precedents, starting with its designation as the first school building in the entire world to be zero energy, waste and water. It went from design to full functionality in just 364 days, and it did so under budget. Now as director of the Energy Lab, Wiecking is perpetuating the K-12 school’s mission to create and cultivate agents of change by consistently looking for ways to to enhance the student experience by leveraging the natural environment. “The cathedrals of the Middle Ages were the epitome of forward-thinking architecture,” Wiecking says. “We set out to build a cathedral of sustainability, and today people see that we’re actually contributing to the negative energy footprint of the school. It’s inspiring in many ways, and a lot of that has nothing to do with numbers.” When the Energy Lab presented its unheard-of energy usage statistic of 3.2 kW hours per person per square foot of building per year—one-fifth the national average— the LEED certification team wanted to know exactly how they did it. Wiecking explained that they were able to pinpoint “energy vampires” using their proprietary self-contained monitoring system, setting timers to automatically switch off energydraining outlets. To prove it, the team made diagrams and dismantled the building’s system to take pictures of its 250 sensors. The 6,000-square-foot Energy Lab became 24
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the first school in Hawai‘i— and the second school ever—to achieve LEED for Schools Platinum certification. The lab’s energy monitoring system has been so effective that students are now using it to perform environmental audits on local resorts and other Big Island properties and tracking the telemetry for NASA’s HI-SEAS (Hawai‘i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation) Mars simulation at Mauna Loa. During the LEED research process, the Energy Lab team decided to go for the Living Building Challenge, too—a rigorous green design framework administered by the International Living Future Institute that Wiecking says was “more like landing on the moon than competing in the Olympics.” The program employs a flower metaphor, using seven “petals” of performance to guide builders in addressing specific areas: water, energy, health/happiness, materials, equity and beauty. The team must not only check off the numerous imperatives under all seven petals but also follow a set of radius restrictions for how far source materials could travel—and demonstrate successful performance over a one-year period. It was a lofty goal—at the time, only one building had ever fulfilled that framework. But just one year after completion, the Energy Lab became the fourth building in history to achieve Living Building Challenge certification. An archetype of biophilic design, the Energy Lab functions today as a zero-
impact building, using just 11 gallons of catchment water per person per year thanks to conservation measures. It generates 100 percent of its own energy, consuming only a fraction and sending the rest back to the school’s grid. The classrooms are naturally lit using skylights, wood sunscreens and interior roller shades to control daylight, and task lighting is used at night. “When the sun comes out, it gets a little lighter; when the clouds come out, it gets a little darker,” Wiecking says. “That connection with the natural environment is sort of a meta-message for the occupants—you’re in a building, but the building is part of the outside, not a bunker against it.” Students and teachers also enjoy natural ventilation, facilitated by a 300-foot airfoil-shaped roof at the building’s back end that lifts and pulls air through the rooms, rendering fans unnecessary. Automated louvers also help to maintain a comfortable climate. Wiecking’s vision from the start was to create the consummate learning environment where kids could study ecology, design, science and other subjects in a highly collaborative and interactive space. “Winston Churchill said, ‘We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us,’” he says. “If you put a teacher into a classroom where
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it’s fairly rigid and has a whiteboard in front that’s made to line students up like a factory model, people are going to teach that way.” From the TVs hanging from the ceiling, to tables that can reconfigure to fit the group dynamic, to the flexible outlets on the floor, every feature is meant to maximize functionality and enable teachers to teach in unconventional ways. In the monitoring lab, students engage in brainwave research and drone operation. There’s a workshop with stage-like wooden floors and robotics equipment and a makerspace for tinkering, where a corner known as the “Fab Lab” houses 3D scanners and laser printers so students can design and build anything their minds dream up. A lowerlevel workshop lets kids do welding, carpentry and plumbing. “The sky’s the limit, and these kids have no fear and no sense of failure,” Wiecking adds. “They don’t care if they’re attempting something no one’s ever done before—that’s a really great attitude to have.” About 40 percent of Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy’s boarding students are international, so the lessons of the Energy Lab often spread far beyond Hawai‘i’s borders. They host visitors from around the globe—architects, engineers, designers, environmental students from Stanford and Cornell—who return home and share what they’ve seen and done. The Energy Lab is home to the Openhagen Sustainability Conference, a simulation of the climate summit in Copenhagen, and holds several sustainability workshops over summer and holiday breaks. The Nalukai Startup Camp uses the Energy Lab to teach kids from all over Hawai‘i how to become entrepreneurial problem solvers and digital storytellers. “We’re recognized as a place where you can come and have a really connected experience with the environment,” Wiecking says. “It’s not unusual to have people come to class early, stay late or just hang out in the facility because it’s such a comfortable place to be.” While the Energy Lab nailed its original goal of becoming a prototype of sustainable design, Wiecking insists that what they’ve done should inspire others to create an environmentally friendly building tailored to both the place and people within its walls, instead of triggering carbon copies. “When visitors say they love what we’ve done and want to replicate it in Atlanta or Anchorage, we tell them to take a step back and think about the best solutions for their unique environment,” he says. “What’s the wind, the light, the climate and the culture like? The process is more important than the product.”
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DESIGN
LEED // COOL STUFF 3
| COOL STUFF |
THE ENDLESS SUMMER
Because Hawai‘i’s tropical weather calls for these outdoor essentials year round 2
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1. METROFIETS Try Metrofiets’ easy-to-ride cargo bike for a fossil fuel-free way to get around. Designed for riders of all sizes and skill levels, the bike is fast, fun and easy to maneuver, and it’s equipped with a removable wooden cargo box, cargo deck or bench seat capable of hauling up to 400 pounds. [$3,860– $6,540]
3. ECOLUNCHBOX Ditch the Tupperware and plastic baggies for ECOlunchbox, a line of stainless steel lunchware and machine-washable lunch bags. Offering an alternative to plastic food containers, they’re a waste-free way to transport your grub to the beach, park or office. [$15–$55]
2. RAW ELEMENTS This reef-safe sunscreen packs a high SPF and none of the chemical blockers responsible for destroying our coral reefs. Made with natural, organic ingredients and 23 percent non-nano zinc oxide, Raw Elements is sweatproof, waterproof and suited for infants and extreme athletes alike. [$15.99]
4. SHAKA TEA This brand of ready-to-drink iced tea is brewed from handpicked mamaki, an endemic plant grown only in the Aloha State. On sale at more than 60 restaurants and shops throughout the islands, Shaka Tea is rich in antioxidants and minerals, free of added sugar, made with five or less ingredients and available in three tropical flavors named after towns in Hawai‘i. [$3.29]
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FUEL // SOLAR
| FUEL |
The combine used to mechanically harvest Pacific Biodiesel’s sunflowers and other oil and grain crops operates on 100 percent biodiesel, as does all other equipment on the farm.
SOWING SEEDS OF SUSTAINABILITY
Pacific Biodiesel grows sustainable agriculture and renewable energy model By Joy Galatro
Photos: Pacific Biodiesel
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hen Jenna Long’s environmental economics professor at the University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa asked her class how they each practiced sustainability, some students said they recycled, others talked about limiting their use of plastic. Jenna’s answer stunned her classmates—she has never owned a petroleumpowered vehicle, and she has only driven on petroleum a handful of times in her lifetime. Fast forward a decade—today Long is director of operations for Pacific Biodiesel Technologies, the pioneering renewable fuel company co-founded on Maui by her parents Bob and Kelly King back in 1995 as a solution to the environmentally hazardous disposal of waste cooking oils in the Central Maui Landfill. Pacific Biodiesel opened the first retail biodiesel pump in America and is now Hawai‘i’s only commercial producer of liquid biofuels, annually producing 5.5 million gallons of the nation’s highest quality biodiesel at its Big Island refinery. “Hawai‘i imports more petroleum than any other state,” Long says. “Our company exists to make a dent in our state’s petroleum use, and we’re replacing that petroleum with fuel made locally with local ingredients. That’s exciting to me.” Biodiesel is a non-toxic, biodegradable fuel that can be used in any diesel engine without modification, including cars, trucks, boats, buses, generators and heavy equipment for construction and farming. Designated an advanced biofuel by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, biodiesel is a cleaner and greener alternative to petroleum diesel, reducing emissions by 86 percent compared to petroleum diesel.
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In 2016, Pacific Biodiesel recycled more than 2.5 million gallons of used cooking oil and grease trap waste from restaurants and foodservice facilities statewide. Last year alone, this saved Hawai‘i's restaurants statewide more than $1.5 million. The company uses this waste cooking oil product at its refinery on the Big Island to produce its 100 percent renewable fuel.
“Diesel engines have gotten a bad reputation, but it’s not the engine that’s the problem—it’s the fuel,” Long explains. “The diesel engine was invented to run on peanut oil, but along the way, petroleum fuel was introduced and the rest is history. Our biodiesel is a direct replacement to petroleum diesel. Every gallon directly displaces a gallon of fossil fuel.” Fossil fuels are extracted from the earth, releasing CO2 that has been damaging the environment for over a century. In contrast, Pacific Biodiesel’s fuel is sustainably produced using renewable sources like plant oils, rendered animal fats and recycled cooking oil collected from restaurants and foodservice operations. Sunflowers became part of that ingredient mix this year when the company began farming the eye-catching plant as its 30
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first Maui biofuel crop. “We’re currently farming in Maui’s central valley to evaluate various crops as year-round feedstocks for biodiesel production and other high value co-products,” says James Twigg-Smith, manager of agriculture operations for Pacific Biodiesel. The company’s 115-acre project will expand diversified agriculture on Maui by growing combine-harvested oilseed crops— including sunflower, safflower, camelina and, when allowable, industrial hemp— on land previously used for sugar cane production. This largest liquid biofuel crop project in Hawai‘i is also the only biofuel farming operation in the state running on 100 percent renewable fuel. The sunflower blooms became an instant sensation on social media, attracting Maui locals and tourists alike and enabling Pacific Biodiesel to share its sustainability message with a captivated audience. The company estimates that nearly 50,000 people visited its first sunflower crop during two weeks in April, the same
| FUEL |
"What sets biodiesel apart is that it’s a dense liquid renewable energy source; it’s a fuel you can take with you and transport. You’re not going to find that with solar and wind. Biodiesel is a really good backup for other renewables. I think in general it’s good for the state to diversify its renewable sources; we shouldn’t be dependent on any one fuel source. Also, our fuel is unique because we’re recycling a waste cooking oil product that used to be thrown away. And we’re now growing crops as part of a larger system of food and fuel.” – Jenna Long
Biologist Aaron King measures progress of algae development in Pacific Biodiesel’s R&D laboratory. King works on an innovative project that utilizes waste papaya to produce a protein-rich algae as locally made fish meal for the state’s aquaculture industry.
month that marked the company’s first anniversary of being named the world’s first biodiesel producer certified by the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance. Although the buzz about the Maui blooms was a pleasant surprise, farming sunflowers as a biofuel crop is nothing new to Pacific Biodiesel. The company previously partnered with the U.S. military for the Hawaii Military Biofuels Crop Program that demonstrated the planting, growing and processing of biodiesel feedstocks on O‘ahu and Hawai‘i Island. That research began in 2010 and was federally funded until the end of 2014. “The Maui sunflowers are the culmination of many years we’ve spent working toward a sustainable biodiesel agriculture model, and we still have far to go,” says Pacific Biodiesel President and Founder
Bob King. “Starting with our own research and field trials over the past years, talking with experts in the industry, adding more acreage and equipment, we are learning new things, conceiving new product potential and getting closer to largescale economic feasibility of oilseed farming in Hawai‘i.” The company is also turning agricultural waste into high-value products. In 2015, the company began collecting macadamia nut culls rejected for their imperfect size, color and shape by processors on the Big Island. Pacific Biodiesel began processing the nuts into oil for biodiesel, then realized the value of the natural oil as a skin and hair care product. Maiden Hawaii Naturals, now a wholly owned subsidiary of the company, produces macadamia nut oil, sunflower oil and other highquality cosmetic grade oils that the GREENMAGAZINE HAWAII.COM
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company is marketing to manufacturers throughout the country and in Japan. The company also recently launched its Kuleana skin care line consisting of premium beauty oils and facial cleansers handcrafted from the local oils it produces. “We’re now able to process a wide variety of seeds and nuts with our equipment,” says Crushing Mill Manager Christopher Long. “The agriculture side is especially exciting because we are expanding our community-based model. Used cooking oil and grease trap waste are finite resources for our biodiesel production, but all the agricultural products we’re developing give us a multitude of ways to grow our business while increasing our fuel production. It’s really a green economy that we’re developing—integrating different pieces like farming, processing, distribution, recycling. And we’re touching different industries in our community, from cattle ranchers and farmers to utilities, transportation, restaurants and tourism. It’s exciting because it’s a true bioeconomy model!” Aquaculture is an example of another industry the company is supporting. Locally produced fish meal is desperately needed in order to grow local aquaculture businesses and reduce the community’s dependence on imported fish meal while helping to prevent overfishing. Aaron King, biologist for Pacific Biodiesel and another member of the company’s founding family, returned from the mainland to create and operate a laboratory for algae production. In partnership with the State of Hawai‘i Agribusiness Development Corporation, Pacific Biodiesel is collecting waste papaya on the Big Island and using it to produce protein-rich algae as a locally made fish meal for this burgeoning state industry. “I was born and raised in Hawai‘i, and this is a project that will help our state and the local aquaculture industry by producing feed here versus importing it,” Aaron says. The project also directly supports local papaya farmers. Commercial papaya growers typically lose up to 35 percent of their annual yield to agricultural waste. The moment a papaya starts turning yellow, it can no longer be sold for export and is 32
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Director of Operations Jenna Long reviews production progress with Plant Engineer Scott Proskow (right) and Plant Manager Tony Pastrama at the company’s Big Island refinery, which annually produces 5.5 million gallons of the nation’s highest quality biodiesel.
| FUEL |
“If you care about sustainability, ask your local government to use biodiesel in their fleets. Ask your child’s school to use our 100 percent renewable fuel in school buses. Overall, ask businesses you use to practice sustainability. They need to know that their customers care about sustainability, and we see that businesses do respond to customers’ interests.” —Jenna Long
typically discarded. The Pacific Biodiesel project uses waste papaya as a sugar base to feed the algae and create a new high-value product. After Pacific Biodiesel initially engaged in this research, Aaron helped redirect the project to align with the company’s sustainability mission, which also enhanced the project’s potential impact on the local economy. “The State approached us because of our mechanical expertise, equipment and ability to commercially scale production,” he explains. “They had the objective to grow algae to produce biodiesel, but we knew that’s something the industry was struggling with. We saw greater opportunity in growing an algae type that would benefit local farming and integrate recycling to eliminate agricultural waste. Other similar industry projects use sugar as a base to grow algae, but we are supporting local papaya farmers by using their discards as the sugar base—a cheaper input and a new revenue stream for these farmers. I’m proud that we’re able to do something locally that’s so high tech and still missiondriven. We’re more of a recycling company than we are a fuel company. We just happen to make biodiesel.” As co-founder and vice president, Kelly King maintains that the problem-solving, innovative, pioneering spirit has been a part of the company from day one. “Both Bob and I have a commitment to helping the community solve problems, and the problems of climate change are big,” she says. “Raising our children responsibly is part of that. They’re our future. But we also look at the entire community as our extended family.” “All of what we’re doing now is exciting because
it’s innovation—creating new, sustainable products and expanding our model of sustainability,” Kelly says. “The pioneering spirit is now more important than ever. Someone has to be the first, otherwise nothing new or different or important would ever get done.” “With our sunflower biofuel crops, now we’re proving that it can work—and it can be fun, exciting, beautiful and inspirational,” she adds. “We’re showing that you can make anything happen if you have a vision and you’re willing to commit the necessary time, energy and resources. If we inspire people to pursue their own sustainability projects, then our efforts will be exponentially more successful.” Employees echo Kelly’s commitment to sustainability. “When I left college, I knew I wanted to be outside in the field,” Twigg-Smith says. “I guess growing up on a coffee farm in Kona instills that in you. I’m a bean counter, literally. I went to college to study accounting and business—this background helps me evaluate our current and emerging agricultural projects from many sides and understand how it all ties together. It’s exciting to be working for a company that’s always breaking new ground. Capturing waste streams, recycling to make value-added products and supporting local farming. We all need to have a sustainability mindset living in Hawai‘i. It’s our kuleana to take care of our home. We want to always do what we do in a way that takes care of the land and benefits our community. That’s what makes me proud to be a part of Pacific Biodiesel.” Where does that problem-solving, pioneering spirit come from at Pacific Biodiesel? Kelly acknowledges her GREENMAGAZINE HAWAII.COM
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Pacific Biodiesel founders Bob and Kelly King at their Maui sunflower farm. The company began farming the largest liquid biofuel crop project in the state earlier this year.
success as a partner with her spouse in a 22-year old business has been challenging but fulfilling in their burgeoning industry. “Bob and I have always worked harmoniously as a team,” Kelly says. “We each bring a different skill set, and we look at opportunities from all angles and understand the risks. But we’re also very aligned in our values and are not afraid to jump in and attempt new ventures.” “Solving problems is troubleshooting,” Kelly adds. “Bob is a diesel mechanic, and that’s all about identifying a specific problem and fixing it, making something work that didn’t work before, being able to fire up the engine and then move on to the next problem. So, a lot of our troubleshooting, problem-solving spirit comes from Bob. I’m more of the nurturing side, more about the mission and the message. My background as the oldest of four girls has always been about having a sense of responsibility, taking care of my younger siblings and having compassion for those less able.” “I never aspired to be in this type of business, or create renewable energy, or be a farmer,” Kelly says. “I studied art and journalism in school and wanted to grow up and write the great American novel. But so much of my life has been about doing what is needed. Being in charge of my sisters at such an early age, doing what I was expected to do for the family. You don’t get to ask why it has to be done, you 34
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just step in and do it.” In the early years, Kelly recalls, it was difficult. Their power generator company King Diesel was successful, but there were challenges getting Pacific Biodiesel off the ground. “So much of the time it feels like pushing a boulder uphill,” Kelly says. “Our loyal supporters gave us a sense of hope and motivation to stick with it—especially people like Woody Harrelson, who was one of the first to recognize what we were doing and reached out to us to offer his help in our early days when we were struggling. Then Willie and Annie Nelson started using our fuel and eventually became partners in a couple of biodiesel ventures. Those early fans of biodiesel inspired us to keep going.” “The challenges today are in some ways more frustrating because now there’s an actual biodiesel industry and we live in a state that claims to support renewable energy but often leaves us out of the conversation. There is all this information out there, yet many leaders in our own state and county still don’t understand the environmental and economic benefits of biodiesel,” Kelly says. “We are a local company, creating local jobs and making the nation’s highest quality biodiesel, which is making a positive impact on our local economy. And we still don’t get the same respect or recognition as other renewables in the energy industry. Our politicians largely ignore the external cost benefits,
although they are all quick to emphasize the cost of importing oil and exporting our energy dollars.” Now an elected member of the Maui County Council, Kelly uses the skills honed at Pacific Biodiesel and through decades of community involvement to address other big problems, and she holds on to her positive outlook. “I’m optimistic,” Kelly says. “I always have hope. I’ll play Monopoly until I lose that last property. Persistence and determination are almost an obsession for me. I have to follow through to the end because sometimes things do turn around. People come up to Bob and me all the time telling us how we’ve inspired them. We’re not extraordinary people. We’ve done extraordinary things because we believed enough to invest our own time and resources, several times risking everything we had. If you can inspire people, that’s success because it brings hope. Hope is as important as water, food and air. People who don’t have hope give up on life. I’d love to think we’re motivating people to find their passion, to have a mission and to realize that success is not all about money and material things. Contributing to community and inspiring others are accomplishments that can’t be measured with dollar signs, and they are the things that will keep going long after we’re gone.”
FUEL // SOLAR // MORE SOLAR
ENERGY
| SOLAR |
utility-grade installations, HPS designs and provides unique and sophisticated financing opportunities for both grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems and hybrid systems. When the company won a Department of Education contract in 2012 to provide PV systems for 45 schools on O‘ahu and Kaua‘i, Johnston jumped at the chance to educate Hawai‘i’s youth about the importance of renewable energy. The first order of business was outfitting each school with flat screen televisions to display by Lauren McNally real-time monitoring of the school’s PV system, giving students the opportunity to witness their school’s emissions-reducing solar As president and co-founder of Hawaii Pacific Solar (HPS), system in action. Bob Johnston is helping Hawai‘i break the yoke of foreign fuel Following discussions with the utilities, the state Department dependence and working to create a thriving solar industry in the of Education and various nonprofit organizations, HPS launched islands. Key to this mission? Education. an educational grant program in 2014 to help students understand A leader in the development, design and installation of solar the relevance of solar energy and sustainability in their lives. photovoltaic power solutions for residences, Funds support projects in science, math, commercial businesses, educational environment, social studies and industrial facilities, government, military and engineering. BOB JOHNSTON
SCHOOL OF SOLAR Hawaii Pacific Solar invests in solar education
PRESIDENT/CEO HAWAII PACIFIC SOLAR
Photo: Hawaii Pacific Solar
B ig Business . s mall Business . a nd everything in Between .
Whatever your size, Hawaii Pacific Solar can help you with the best approach to renewable energy. And unlike other solar companies, we stick around and manage your system. Track performance. And do preventative maintenance. All to ensure your system is running at maximum efficiency. So you can concentrate on growing your business. HawaiiPacificSolar.com
Congratulations to Green Leader Zoltan Milaskey GREENMAGAZINE HAWAII.COM
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ENERGY
FUEL // SOLAR // MORE SOLAR
| SOLAR |
CLEAN ENERGY ADVOCATE
Hi-Power Solar helps Hawai‘i homes go green
In April 2010, after nearly 30 years in the local solar industry, Cruz Romero’s dad, Ron Romero, founded a legacy business to help his family forge a more sustainable Hawai‘i. Today, Cruz runs Hi-Power Solar alongside several family members, with a focus on building 100 percent renewable energy systems for residential and commercial clients. In addition to offering a variety of solar panel technology, including SunPower, Mitsubishi and Panasonic, the team installs solar water heaters, solar attic fans, solar pool heating systems and ultra-efficient A/C units for homes and businesses on Maui, O‘ahu and the Big Island. Hi-Power Solar is proud to offer one of the most technologically sound batteries for building off-grid solar primary power systems and backup systems. The lithium-ion iDemand Energy Storage battery provides an uninterrupted energy supply, allowing homeowners to generate and store their own energy and use the grid as a backup. CRUZ ROMERO Next on the horizon, Cruz is excited to VICE PRESIDENT start construction HI-POWER SOLAR of residential homes that have integrated solar storage and green infrastructure, with renovation projects already in the works. Cruz and fam are also big voices in the often controversial renewable rules landscape. They protested the halting of Net Energy Metering and are continually working to help locals find solutions that move towards total energy selfsufficiency. “We truly believe that 100 percent renewable for homes is possible,” he says. “The technology is out there, and we’re going to do all we can to educate people on their options. Most of all, I want to make sure we leave an independent island for our keiki.”
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Photos: Hi-Power Solar
by Lindsey Kesel
PLASTIC // NONPROFIT // CONSERVATION
NATURE
| PLASTIC |
IN THE BAG
Honolulu City Council wises up about the ban on plastic bags In a classic case of missing the mark, retailers statewide responded to Hawai‘i’s pioneering plastic bag ban with “reusable” plastic bags, creating an even bigger issue than the one they were designed to solve. Like so many things in life, it comes down to the fine print—specifically, what can and can’t be considered reusable or compostable. Hawai‘i was the first state in the country to outlaw plastic bags, but our beaches and parks are hardly better off than they were before the ban. On the contrary, the law backfired—big time. The original ban prohibited the thin plastic bags ubiquitous at stores and supermarkets but created a gaping loophole that local retailers simply filled with—wait for it—more plastic. But thanks to a unanimous vote by the Honolulu City Council in July of this year, shoppers will have to pony up 15 cents for those laughably thicker bags beginning July 2018. In January 2020 they, too, will get the boot. While the revised ban is a step in the right direction, it’s far from perfect. There are still plenty of holes in the new law—meat, produce, takeout, baked goods, newspapers, dry cleaning and a slew of other items can still be toted from shops and restaurants in plastic. Which means that leading by example is still the most effective way to do away with those plastic bags for good. —Lauren McNally
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PLASTIC // NONPROFIT // CONSERVATION
JOHN LEONG CEO, KUPU CHAIRMAN AND CEO, PONO PACIFIC
| NONPROFIT |
“My hope is that we can create a training ground of champions for the betterment of society.” –John Leong
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SERVICE LEARNING
Training youth to build a sustainable future through service learning by Lindsey Kesel John Leong’s career is evidence of the determination and conviction it takes to see a vision through to fruition. He’s brought community partners together to shape Kupu into a flourishing nonprofit that trains and places youth in sustainability internships and job positions. His for-profit company, Pono Pacific, designs sustainable land-management solutions and works with businesses and landowners to implement natural resource projects. Leong attributes their continued success to his team’s shared vision. “It’s about retaining people who have a personal passion to make an impact and the heart and character to stick it out through tough times for the greater good,” he says. Leong’s ability to empower his team and weather instability are also important factors in the success of both organizations. “My hope is that we can create a training ground of champions for the betterment of society,” he continues. At Kupu, he engages with more than 150 partners to develop youth into significant contributors to Hawai‘i’s green jobs workforce. Concurrently, Pono Pacific is growing its long-term land steward projects, which include developing revenuegenerating initiatives for landowners focused on resiliency and sustainability. “Getting support and collaboration from partners with similar missions is highly integral to maintaining stability,” Leong says.
Photo: Dave Miyamoto
NATURE
NATURE
CONSERVATION
TRANSFORMING - LAND BACK TO ‘AINA Specializing in Cultural and Ecological Landscapes
• Hawaii’s largest selection of Native Hawaiian Plants & Endangered Species • Licensed and Insured • Erosion Control • Hydroseeding/Mulching • Xeriscaping • Landscape Services • Landscape Maintenance
OUR ISLAND CANOE Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance Foundation hosts 24th annual Hawai‘i Conservation Conference Each year, the annual Hawai‘i Conservation Conference brings together more than 1,200 conservation professionals, natural resource managers, cultural practitioners, scientists and students from throughout the Hawaiian Islands. The theme of this year’s 24th annual conference, He Wa‘a He Moku – Mälama Honua: Caring for Our Island Earth, was chosen to honor the return of Höküle‘a from its Worldwide Voyage (WWV). The WWV commenced in June 2014, when Höküle‘a and Hikianalia sailed around the world to spread the message of Mälama Honua, or “care for our Island Earth.” The conference was a unique opportunity for the community to reflect on global ties, consider Hawai‘i’s legacy for the future and hear from Nainoa Thompson, president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society. “He wa‘a he moku, he moku he wa‘a,” an ‘ölelo no‘eau, translates to “the canoe is an island, and the island is a canoe.” This year’s theme addresses the need to safeguard the planet and Hawai‘i’s biocultural resources as vigilantly as one would the limited water and food carried on a wa‘a, or canoe. Effective stewardship demands cultural knowledge as well as the best available science and technology, traditional and innovative management tools and collaboration between all sectors. The annual Hawai‘i Conservation Conference is the largest gathering of conservationists in the state and is developed and produced by the Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance with support from the Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance Foundation. The Alliance provides unified leadership and advocacy for Hawai‘i’s most critical conservation issues as a cooperative collaboration of conservation leaders from 27 governmental, cultural, educational and nonprofit organizations. Collectively, the organization safeguards the biodiversity of Hawai‘i’s ocean, lands and streams. The members live and work in Hawai‘i and represent the people and communities who depend on healthy land and water for their social, cultural and agricultural well-being while preserving and restoring Hawai‘i’s native ecosystems. —Lauren McNally 40
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nativehawaiianplants@gmail.com
808.235.6165
www.HawaiianNativePlants.com
Special lease and finance offers will be available by BMW of Honolulu through BMW Financial Services. Special lease and finance offers will be available by BMW of Honolulu through BMW Financial Services. BMW of Honolulu Kapiolani Blvd BMW777 of Honolulu Honolulu,Blvd HI 96813-5211 777 Kapiolani 808-597-1225 Honolulu, HI 96813-5211 bmwhawaii.com 808-597-1225 bmwhawaii.com
NOW SERVING
BRUNCH D A I LY
U N T I L
2 P M
BREAKFA ST 6:30am-11:00am
BRUN CH
11:00am-2:00pm
ALOHA HOU R 2:00pm-6:00pm
DI N N ER
4:45pm-10:00pm
Call (808) 923-4852 to make reservations
HULA GRILL WAIKIKI
Oceanfront at the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort
hulagrillwaikiki.com