2022 Hawaiʻi Sustainability Summit underway in West Hawaiʻi

Hawaiʻi County Mayor Mitch Roth has established a satellite emergency operations Center at the site of the 2022 Hawaiʻi Sustainability Summit in West Hawaiʻi to maintain full continuity of management and real-time response to the ongoing Mauna Loa eruption and also press local and state leaders to move forward on critical policy priorities for sustainable communities.

The 2022 Hawaiʻi Sustainability Summit is underway, moving forward with action-oriented work to help advance statewide sustainability efforts.

“The Mauna Loa eruption is a poignant example of the real need for resilient and sustainable infrastructure to serve our people,” Roth said in a press release. “We are here because the need is urgent. While we manage the crisis in real time, we cannot neglect the need to push forward with the hard work of strengthening the systems and infrastructure our community deserves.”

The summit aims to forge shared policy priorities that catalyze critical shifts for all of Hawaiʻi. It starts today with panel discussions and an exchange of ideas, followed by two days of keynote speakers and working sessions to identify policy priorities, initiatives and strategies for the upcoming 2023 state legislative session.

Participants will listen to keynote addresses from experts on each of six focus areas, aligned with the Aloha+ Challenge goals: green workforce and education, natural resource management, local food, clean energy transformation, solid waste reduction and smart sustainable communities.

After the summit, participants will continue working together to advocate for meaningful policy change. The coalition-building work that happens during the 2022 summit will carry forward into 2023 and beyond, as the participating organizations work together to advance the shared policy agenda priorities.

To learn more about the Hawaiʻi Sustainability Summit, click here.