BUILDING A GREENER HAWAI‘I THROUGH PARTNERSHIP
WINTER 2021
GREENMAGAZINEHAWAII.COM
CONTENTS GREEN
WINTER 2021
2 ENERGY
Building a Greener Hawai‘i through Partnership
6 EDUCATION
HOKALI, Surfing to a Better Tomorrow
8 ENDEMIC & INDIGENOUS Landscaping with Native Hawaiian Plants
14 INSPIRING NEW BEGINNINGS: ONE BUTTERFLY AT A TIME
How a drive for passion has lead to the pursuit to educate and spread joy throughout the community of Oahu
16 ECO-FRIENDLY
Hana Dreiling, co-founder of Holey Grail Donuts
PUBLISHED BY Element Media at 1088 Bishop Street, Suite 1130 Honolulu, HI 96813 808.721.1300 Subscribe and read online at greenmagazinehawaii.com Follow Green on Facebook at facebook.com/GreenMagazineHawaii and on Twitter at @greenmaghawaii Find us on issuu.com/greenmagazinehawaii 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.
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ENERGY // EDUCATION // EFFICIENCY // ENDEMIC & INDIGENOUS // ECO-FRIENDLY
BUILDING A GREENER HAWAI‘I THROUGH PARTNERSHIP
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reen Building Hawaii (GBH) began from a place of passion and a deep love of the islands that we call home. Our objective is to make the built environment part of the solution and far less of the problem of climate change. The great news is that we (all of us working together in partnership) can make it happen. It takes collaboration and thoughtful approaches that get us to where we need to be in the future while recognizing the realities of today. Like many things that go well together, boards and waves, for example, GBH and EnergyLogic go great together. Early in 2020, EnergyLogic, acquired GBH to extend and scale its foundational work. GBH founder, John Bendon, and Energy Efficiency Specialist, Austin Van Heusen have joined the EnergyLogic team. However, GBH continues operating under its name, reflecting our commitment to local and regional expertise. Being part of EnergyLogic supports GBH in growing existing services and extending new ones to the
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Hawaii market. Toward that end, EnergyLogic expert, Senior Energy Rater Zoe LaMantia, relocated to Hawaii, and we have begun growing, welcoming Energy Rater Assistant Estrella Franco to our field team. EnergyLogic is a Colorado-based B Corporation™ that serves clients in Colorado with direct field services and clients nationwide with software and consulting services. Founded in 2006, EnergyLogic is deeply committed to assisting our clients in reaching their sustainability goals. We’re both a market leader and trailblazer at the national level. We do that with an intense focus on our internal company culture, enabling our “Logicians” to do their absolute best for our client partners. This foundation made an even deeper relationship with GBH so logical. Our shared vision for where we have been, where we are, and where we can go have generated great energy as we grow together.
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John Bendon, Founder of Green Building Hawaii and Senior Business Development Manager of EnergyLogic
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There’s so much work to be done, and we’re thankful to be engaged in so much of it. GBH has long taken a leadership position on energy and sustainability issues across the islands that support the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI) goals. We do this by helping our clients find the most cost-effective ways to meet the state’s continually evolving energy codes. There are a variety of rebates through Hawaii Energy that we target when working on eligible projects. We work across the spectrum of the built environment. Our clients include some of Hawaii’s largest and most progressive single-family builders. Our everyday work with them begins early in the build process and extends to the home’s completion. As shown on the cover page, Energy Efficiency Specialist Austin Van Heusen illustrates a blower door test to identify air leakage areas to make energy-saving improvements and building performance assessments. We’ve been highly successful in helping our builders achieve the federal builder tax credit, a meaningful incentive for quality builders. GBH also works extensively in the multi-family housing sector. The dire need for affordable housing is obvious to all of us, and we’re engaged in helping our clients assess and then qualify for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (source: https://dbedt.hawaii. gov/hhfdc/developers/lihtc_html/). This financing tool is a key driver in developing affordable housing across the nation, and energy-efficient affordable housing is a win-win for everyone involved.
Zoe LaMantia, Senior Energy Rater
Another exciting area of work for GBH is with resorts and commercial facilities nationwide. There are various programs, most notably, the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program, where we help clients achieve certification. Additionally, we work with clients and projects to help them meet their sustainability and operational goals with a catalog of inspection and consulting services. Whether it is a high-end custom home, a multi-family project, or a military facility, the core of how we work is through a focus on partnership and collaboration. For GBH and EnergyLogic, building and growing strong partnering relationships has been the key to business growth and achieving mutual energy and sustainability goals.
Austin Van Heusen, Energy Efficiency Specialist
And where we are today is not where we intend to remain. Like every company, we hope to grow. We have done this throughout history by developing long-standing and constructive partnerships that evolve and deepen with time. Our commitment to our team and clients is founded on our commitment to the environment and the communities we live in. We also think the work we do, while tremendously important, should be fun. A lot of our fun is found in the places in nature that we love. So, for those of us who work in Colorado, you’ll find us in the mountains and on the rivers. For those of us in Hawaii, well, there is so much to love, the beaches, and the ocean, the rainforest, and the volcano. And that really is why we do what we do and why it matters so much. Let’s work together for us all. To learn more about us, please visit greenbuildinghawaii.com and theenergylogic.com.
Estrella Franco, Rating Field Inspector
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WHO IS PROTECTING YOUR SOLAR INVESTMENT?
We have been solely dedicated to protecting solar investments in the Hawaiian Islands since 2009. We do more than just clean panels •
Photovoltaic Inverter Certified Technicians
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PV system communication system experts
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Certified Thermographers - we have published the papers on how to inspect PV systems using thermal imagery!
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Energy Consulting for our clients as we have an in-house Certified Energy Manager and Energy Auditor
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We provide a written report of all the work done and any recommended course of action with photo documentation
We are a locally owned and operated certified service disabled veteran owned business. Full time crews on Oahu and Maui and we maintain systems on all our neighbor islands.
808-772-4705 • info@pacificpanelcleaners.com • 4348 Waialae Avenue # 286, Honolulu HI, 96816
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ENERGY // EDUCATION // EFFICIENCY // ENDEMIC & INDIGENOUS // ECO-FRIENDLY
HOKALI SURFING TO A BETTER TOMORROW
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n with the tide and sweeping the shores of Hawai’i joins the refreshing and new surf community marketplace, HOKALI. HOKALI is a recent success story that all began on the beaches of California with two Argentinians, Tomás Bisi and Ignacio Viau. These two founders both started surfing at a young age with competitions and coaching along the way, but it was not until meeting in San Francisco that the opportunity to change the surfing world washed ashore. There was a high demand for surf lessons but no surf coaches hence with passions
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for the sport. Teaching Tomás and Ignacio decided to change that, and so HOKALI surfed its first wave. The two surfers did not just create a platform for students and coaches to connect but transformed the industry into a community. HOKALI can be easily found through their website (hokali.co), Instagram (hokali.co), Facebook (HOKALI), LinkedIn (HOKALI), and YouTube. Their interactive platform has everything a student surfer could ever need from gear rental, to video tutorials,
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to vetted professional coaches to individual time and beach preferences. They aspire to create value for students, private coaches, and surf schools alike. Just starting with fifty plus bookings in a mere few days has transformed to over two thousand bookings between five locations with the newest edition being our very own Oahu, Hawai’i. HOKALI just launched its operations in Waikiki and Haleiwa September fifteenth with the help of Blue Startups, a venture accelerator here in Hawai’i. The company is partnering with Blue Ocean Reef Surf School and Natty Surf School, and rather than competing with them, HOKALI desires to partner with them instead to simplify their daily operations and further connect everyone with the ocean. Speaking of ocean life, the company name, HOKALI, was built upon the Hawaiian word for nature which originated from their mission to be sustainable. The company is committed to preserving nature and taking care of our beaches and oceans, so they have partnered with some amazing companies such as the Sea Tree Foundation which restores kelp in California for every surf lesson booked through HOKALI. In addition, their newest challenge is with the non-profit organization, Scholas Ocurrentes; the hope is to hit one thousand surf lessons and donate the proceeds to provide ten grants to children in South American and Africa to participate in the ‘School of Sea and Beach’ program, and HOKALI does not stop there. They are working with the Groundswell Community and chatting with local nonprofits from North Shore that support environmental education in the schools and communities of Hawai’i, along with organizing beach cleanups as well. On the horizon for HOKALI is the dream to surf around the world and include new sports such as kitesurfing and scuba diving. With their sixth location being Puerto Rico on the rise and more of Hawai’i’s islands in plan to come next year, HOKALI will not be bailing on any wave any time soon.
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ENERGY // EDUCATION // EFFICIENCY // ENDEMIC & INDIGENOUS // ECO-FRIENDLY
Landscaping with native Hawaiian plants By Kevin Whitton Photos Darryl Watanabe Rick Barboza and Matt Schirman, coowners of native Hawaiian plant nursery Hui Kū Maoli Ola, are on a mission to reintroduce native Hawaiian plants into the suburban landscape. Since 2005, they’ve been growing them at their He‘eia nursery in Ha‘ikū Valley and educating landscapers
and backyard-gardening enthusiasts about the care and importance of these environmentally and culturally significant species. To this day, they hear the same gripes about native Hawaiian plants—that they’re ugly, slow growing and difficult to keep alive. The two native Hawaiian plant specialists are adamant that these misconceptions stem from a lack of knowledge about the specific growing conditions that native Hawaiian plants require. Most residential areas have been cleared of their naturally occurring native vegetation. If you’re looking to landscape
ALULA SCIENTIFIC NAME: BRIGHAMIA INSIGNIS DESCRIPTION: Small to medium shrub with a fat, succulent stalk—sometimes branched—that produces a rosette of large, rounded, light green leaves. Grows up to six feet tall and three feet wide. Small, star-shaped yellow flowers protrude from the leaf axis on long stems. Blooming is sporadic. When in bloom, its fragrant flowers can completely encircle the top of the plant, resembling a crown. LANDSCAPE USE: Shrub, accent, container. Plant alula in dry areas with full sun. Soil should dry out completely between watering.
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with native Hawaiian plants, you need to pick them based on where you live. You wouldn’t want to plant beach plants in the back of Mānoa Valley, and you would definitely kill a hapu‘u tree fern if you planted it on the windward side of a beach house. The trick to maintaining a beautiful landscape of native Hawaiian plants is to learn about the plants that once grew in the area, so you can then mimic that biodiversity. Done properly, nature will take care of most of the plants’ needs once they are established.
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‘UKI‘UKI SCIENTIFIC NAME: DIANELLA SANDWICENSE
INDIGENOUS VS. ENDEMIC Hawai‘i is home to approximately 1,500 native plant species, 90 percent of which are endemic.
DESCRIPTION: ‘Uki‘uki has two forms: short, compact growth with dark green leaf blades about a foot tall and less compact growth with lighter green foliage up to three feet tall. When in bloom, the short form sends up a short, central stalk covered with small purple and yellow flowers that develop into dark purple berries. The taller form sends up a stalk with many small white and yellow flowers. Both forms bloom year round. LANDSCAPE USE: Ground cover, accent plant, container. Plant ‘uki‘uki in full sun to partial shade. Requires light to moderate watering.
Hawai‘i indigenous plants are native to Hawai‘i as well as other parts of the world— think naupaka kahakai.
Hawai‘i endemic plants are native only to Hawai‘i—think koa trees. Hawai‘i’s endemic plants arrived by wing, wind or waves before the arrival of Captain Cook and gradually evolved into new species shaped by its environment, predators and pollinators.
Of the approximately 20,000 plant species introduced into Hawai‘i over the last 200 years, 8,000 have become naturalized—they are established and growing on their own in nature.
‘O-HAI SCIENTIFIC NAME: SESBANIA TOMENTOSA DESCRIPTION: Partially woody, lowsprawling shrub with extremely soft, silvery-pubescent pinnate leaves that help reflect sunlight and retain moisture. Leaves at the stem tips are highly aromatic in full sun. Striking pink and yellow pea flowers, each about one to two inches in length, form in clusters under the leaves. ‘O-hai blooms sporadically throughout the year with peak blooming periods following heavy rain in winter and spring. Long, greenish bean pods form after flowering. LANDSCAPE USE: Shrub, tree, accent, hedges, screening. Plant ‘o-hai in full sun in well-draining soil. Prefers dry growing conditions and is generally tolerant of wind. ‘O-hai enriches the soil with nitrogen, benefiting neighboring plants. GREENMAGAZINE HAWAII.COM GRE E NMAGAZINE HAWA I I.C O M
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ENERGY // EDUCATION // EFFICIENCY // ENDEMIC & INDIGENOUS // ECO-FRIENDLY
INSPIRING NEW BEGINNINGS: One Butterfly at a Time How a drive for passion has lead to the pursuit to educate and spread joy throughout the community of Oahu BY: EMMA WILLIAMS 14
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n March of 2020, Henry Fang, a young business leader in Oahu, was climbing the corporate ladder, when he was suddenly furloughed from his job with Four Seasons KoOlina. “Shortly after, just by chance, I came across an article stating how pacific monarch butterflies are on the verge of becoming an endangered species and from there, the idea was born.” Henry became inspired to begin responsibly raising monarch butterflies and releasing them back into nature to encourage their well-populations in the wild. The concept originated as a backyard passion project, shared with friends and family, but through leadership and a spark of interest across social media, it quickly evolved into so much more. Fast forward a year into the future and the passion-fun project born amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic has evolved into a full-time, sustainable, family run business. Henry Fang, along with his brother have dedicated themselves to spreading symbols of hope during these tough times to develop long-lasting impacts throughout the community. The process is easy. Each box includes one live monarch butterfly chrysalis and contains release instructions so families, friends, and individuals can safely release the monarch butterfly into the wild. Through his partnerships with Make a Wish Hawaii and chrysalis box donations to Kapiolani Hospital, Paradise Monarch’s is spreading happiness and shedding light through even the darkest of times. Through sharing this experience, Paradise Monarchs is able to create awareness and educate individuals about the local monarch butterfly conservation and transformation. When asked of the next steps, Henry said they are in the midst of creating a live-working monarch butterfly conservation property on the west side of Oahu. “This butterfly garden is our next goal we have as a way to increase conservation and educational efforts across the community.” ”Seeing the smiles on kids’ faces is and will always be the inspiration for my business,” Henry says. The butterfly release is a symbol of hope, happiness, and positivity and Henry Fang, as a leader in our community, is a symbol that it is never too late for a new, fresh start. Be sure to check out the Henry’s gifts that keep on giving at the Kakaako Farmers market every Saturday and Kailua town every other Sunday. You can also follow them on social media @ParadiseMonarch or on paradisemonarchs.com.
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What does it mean to be self-made? I think entrepreneurial success relies heavily on following your obsession while having the courage to dust yourself off after failure because ultimately, you are doing something that brings you a strange amount of joy and stress combined. I am not sure if a self-made entrepreneur exists because the successes they gain also rely on guidance and interactions from others. I know I would not be where I am today without the incredible support of others throughout my journey. What is it like being an entrepreneur in Hawai‘i? Doing business in Hawaii is an epic roller coaster! It can be unpredictable and unstable at times, being a very tourism-driven economy; however, on the flip side, I think Hawaii is the perfect hub for new, growing ideas and opportunities of sharing those ideas with people from all over the world. It’s incredible. What has been an obstacle to you as a business owner? Finding a healthy work-life balance and getting out of the hustle mindset to make room for more self-care (especially this year) has been tough. We have been working to build this balanced mindset into our brand. This year, we started hosting a weekly yoga class after hours at our donut shop for our team. That is just one fun example, but we are always looking for more creative ways to lift each other up and out of obstacles. Where does your grit come from? My grit comes from caring deeply about what I do. I learned to always take chances, trust my gut, and learn how to live with failure. Never regret taking a chance.
Hana Dreiling CO-FOUNDER HOLEY GRAIL DONUTS
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PROJECT FOOTPRINT WE ENDEAVOR TO REDUCE OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT, PRESERVE OUR ENVIRONMENT AND PROTECT OUR ISLAND HOME. TOGETHER, WE WILL BUILD RESILIENT COMMUNITIES AND A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR HAWAI‘I.
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