Inaugural Climate Community Fair to take place June 17 in Hilo with 50 organizations

Hawaiʻi County’s inaugural Climate Community Fair will be held June 17 at the Hilo Civic Center with nearly 50 organizations participating.

The free event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., is part of the state Hawaiʻi Climate Commission’s effort to educate communities about how to create more sustainable and resilient plans to protect the Hawaiian Islands from climate change impacts.

“The fair is all about empowering people to act on climate change, State Climate Change Coordinator Leah Laramee said. “Our hope is people will walk away feeling confident about the climate actions they can take. Climate change impacts every aspect of our life.”

The commission hosted the first fair, in collaboration with the City and County of Honolulu, in May at the State Capitol. This will be the second fair, which includes foods, activities and the chance to win a new bike.

People attending the Hilo event can learn about natural resources, agriculture, forestry, energy, emergency management, cultural resources, and marine and coastal issues.

The Hilo fair also will provide a hands-on learning experience to understand the impacts of climate change and what the community members can do individually to help make a change.

The Hawai‘i State Climate Commission is supported by VISTA program within the federal agency AmeriCorps. The VISTA program supports organizations to make sustainable change in areas that effect poverty, including education, public health and climate, access to benefits.

With most of the VISTA members based in Honolulu and a few on the Big Island, those two islands were chosen for the locations of the inaugural fairs because of the support and connection to the federal program.

The Climate Community Fair will be held annually on Hawai‘i Island and O‘ahu. Neal said the commission will try next year to reach out to leaders on Moloka‘i, Kaua‘i and Maui to bring the climate fair to their islands as well.

The Climate Community Fair will tie into Hawai‘i County’s Integrated Climate Action Plan. Neal said the event will help the county build connections, network and increase information about climate change. It also will teach mitigation and adaptation strategies towards climate change.

The county’s Integrated Climate Action Plan was created to hold the county accountable for their actions toward climate change and what they can do to mitigate and adapt. Click here to learn more about the plan.