Congresswoman Hanabusa Attends Earth Day Energy Summit
Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa encouraged the continued diversification of Hawai‘i’s energy sources and stressed the need to accelerate the pace of efforts to move the state closer to clean, sustainable sources of power.
Congresswoman Hanabusa shared her comments after attending the Earth Day Summit at Washington Place today where participants reviewed the results of a report assessing the state’s progress toward 100% renewable energy by 2045.
Transcending Oil: Hawai‘i’s Path to a Clean Energy Economy, details the efforts of the Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative, a partnership the state formed with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in 2008 to help build a clean energy economy.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
The report outlines a path and proposes policies that would help Hawai‘i achieve its renewable energy goal well before 2045, creating new jobs and implementing increased environmental protections in the process.
“For too long our communities have relied on imported fossil fuels to generate the majority of our power supply,” said Congresswoman Hanabusa. “Hawaii has unparalleled potential to be a leader in the development and deployment of solar, wind, wave, geothermal, biofuel, and other sustainable energy sources. The changes we make now to diversify our energy sources to grow our economy and protect the planet are critical for the well-being of our environment and most importantly, our people.”
Hawai‘i’s isolated position in the Pacific has contributed to some of the highest and most expensive electricity prices in the nation. Over the last 15 years, Hawaii residents have paid up to 260% more for electricity than the U.S. average, and the price of gasoline remains close to $1 per gallon higher, according to the report.
Congresswoman Hanabusa thanked the many partners and stakeholders who participated in the collective effort resulting in the Transcending Oil report, including Dawn Lippert and the team at the Elemental Excelerator, Laurene Powell Jobs and Emerson Collective, Andy Karsner, the U.S. Department of Energy, other federal and state partners and the many individuals who gave of their time and expertise to produce the Transcending Oil report.
ORIGINAL: April 20, 8:42 a.m.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
Elemental Excelerator is gathering changemakers, entrepreneurs, artists and cultural leaders in Honolulu for a day of dialogue, festivities and action on Friday, April 20, 2018.
Elemental Excelerator will celebrate 10 years of progress since the signing of the Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative in 2008, galvanize action to fulfill the promise of a clean, resilient and inclusive future, and amplify Hawai‘i as a model of what’s possible when people come together.
Tune in to Elemental Excelerator’s livestream to hear from leaders in energy, transportation, education, and innovation from Hawaii and beyond.
SCHEDULE
9:15 a.m.: Fulfilling Our Promise
10 years into the Hawaiʻi Clean Energy Initiative, we are coming together and completing what we started.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
Secretary Ernie Moniz, former Secretary of U.S. Department of Energy
Maurice Kaya, Elemental Excelerator
Andy Karsner, Emerson Collective
Connie Lau, Hawaiian Electric Industries
Dawn Lippert, Elemental Excelerator
10 a.m.: Designing a Compass for a World Without Maps
How we can design a compass for a world without maps—and why Hawaiʻi is at the epicenter of this design challenge.
Joi Ito, MIT Media Lab
10:30 a.m.: Our Clean Energy Future: Transitioning by Design, Not by Default
How much and how fast can we organize to decarbonize? What is the cost of waiting to get off oil? What must we do now to design an energy future that both includes everyone and helps our economy thrive? What is possible in the next ten years that was not possible in the last ten?
Colton Ching, Hawaiian Electric
Brian Kealoha, Hawaii Energy
Jeff Mikulina, Blue Planet Foundation
Moderated by Yunji de Nies, Journalist
11:45 a.m.: Our Mobility Opportunity: Uplifting Community through a Clean & Equitable Mobility System
Hawaiʻi’s electric vehicle market is growing, but more people are driving more miles every year. How is ground transportation—including EVs, cars, trucks, bus, rail, walking and cycling—closely linked to access (societal, economic, and physical)?
Ford Fuchigami, Office of the Governor
Peter Fukunaga, Servco Pacific
Alvaro Sanchez, Greenlining Institute
Moderated by Aki Marceau, Elemental Excelerator
1:30 p.m.: Reaffirming Hawaiʻi’s Commitment to a Clean Energy Transition
Gov. David Ige
Dawn Lippert, Elemental Excelerator
2:30 p.m. HT: Bites, Batteries & (Human) Beings: An Opportunity for Innovation
There are hundreds of entrepreneurs in Hawaiʻi building companies that can change the way we live. Where some see problems, they see opportunities for innovation. Entrepreneurs start and grow companies that contribute directly to clean energy, local food production, and new jobs for the next generation. What more can we do to support them?
Tad Glauthier, Stem
Bella Hughes, Shaka Tea
Olin Lagon, Shifted Energy
Bobby Farias, Kunoa Cattle Company
Introduced by State Representative Jarrett Keohokalole
2:50 p.m.: Moonshot Thinking: How Hawaiʻi is Inspiring the World to Shoot for the Moon
This is a pivotal time in history, and Hawai’i can help reimagine what’s possible.
Astro Teller, X
Miki Tomita, Education Incubator
3:45 p.m.: HNL to Paris: How the Paris Agreement Opens an Opportunity for Hawaiʻi
In June 2017, Hawaiʻi became the first U.S. state to pass a law committing to the Paris Agreement. How will prices, policy, projects, and the private sector intersect to meet the Paris goals? How do the private and public sectors turn greenhouse gas emissions into an opportunity for our residents, and ensure that while living in paradise we also steward our islands?
Peter Ingram, Hawaiian Airlines
Representative Chris Lee
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz
4:10 p.m.: Mālama Honua
Nainoa shared during Mālama Honua, “the worst thing in our time is ignorance, and it’s apathy, and it’s inaction. And especially now, because the world is changing so quick, you need to be in front of it, not behind.” Nainoa will share his perspectives about navigating our future, and how Hawaiʻi can shine a light for the world.
Nainoa Thompson, Polynesian Voyaging Society
In conversation with Andy Karsner, Emerson Collective
4:30 p.m.: E Ohana Hou
Hana creates a living economy that transcends an economy driven by transactions. As Hawaiʻi walks an uncharted path off of oil, it is time to reawaken a traditional perspective for living and being.
This comments section is a public community forum for the purpose of free expression. Although Big Island Now encourages respectful communication only, some content may be considered offensive. Please view at your own discretion. View Comments
