In September 2015, world leaders adopted 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – which build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and will guide development decisions and funding for the next 15 years. In December that year, 195 countries adopted the Paris Climate Agreement, the first universal, legally binding global climate deal to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future.

The Aloha+ Challenge provides a framework for Hawai‘i’s to help achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Paris Climate Agreement, and has been recognized regionally and globally as unique local model that can be scaled and adapted. Hawai‘i and the US Department of State jointly announced the Aloha+ Challenge as an example of US action for green growth at the 2014 United Nations Conference on Small Island Developing States in Samoa. As Hawai‘i’s legendary voyaging canoe Hōkūle‘a completed the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage, Hawai‘i’s important message was carried across the world’s oceans to help build a global community for action.

The Aloha+ Challenge was inspired by the Global Island Partnership and island commitments such as the Micronesia Challenge to develop a sustainable development statewide framework integrating environmental, economic and social priorities. At the U.S.-hosted 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress hosted in Honolulu, Hawai‘i Governor Ige and Palau President Remengesau jointly announced that Hawai‘i would work with the Global Island Partnership to scale the Aloha+ Challenge and local solutions with 3-5 islands through the Island Resilience Initiative. The Aloha+ Challenge continues to be recognized internationally as a unique local model that can adapted for other islands, states, coastal communities and sub-national contexts to support economic growth, environmental stewardship, and community resilience

Hawai‘i Green Growth is mobilizing broad collaboration through a statewide network to support Hawai‘i’s 2030 sustainability goals through the following strategic portfolios:

Aloha+ Challenge Dashboard Lab: Statewide Accountability Mechanism
The Aloha+ Challenge Dashboard is an open-data platform to track progress, provide accountability and inform action on Hawai‘i’s sustainability commitment for 2030. HGG leads development of the Dashboard with public-private partners to measure and communicate annual progress through shared targets, indicators, data tends, and public resources. After the Dashboard is populated with all six goals in 2017, there is an opportunity to engage students in maintaining and increasing innovation with statewide partners through 2030 with a structured internship program. HGG and academic partners are launching a Dashboard Lab to provide leadership pathways and meaningful workforce development opportunities focused on sustainable development policy and data.

Smart Sustainable Communities Roundtable: Private Sector Blueprints for Action
By convening a network of Hawai‘i’s business leaders, the Smart Sustainable Communities Roundtable envisions a more sustainable future for Hawai‘i based on triple bottom line principles: environmental stewardship, economic prosperity and community resilience. The Roundtable is developing Business Blueprints for Action that can help local business leaders catalyze action on collaborative projects that build resilience, reduce risk and create investment opportunities. The group launched through developing recommendations on Hawai‘i’s Aloha+ Challenge Smart Sustainable Communities goal, including target areas for economic prosperity, affordable housing, urban impact mitigation and sense of place among others. In 2017, the Roundtable will explore opportunities to develop market-based mechanisms, including a carbon offset and payment for ecosystem services programs linked to ecotourism initiatives.

Ala Wai Watershed Initiative: Increasing Community Resilience
HGG coordinates and facilitates policy action for the Ala Wai Watershed Partnership, a diverse public-private stakeholder group committed to an ambitious action plan to clean up the Ala Wai Watershed to reduce the risk of catastrophic natural disasters and provide significant environmental, economic and social benefits. Through this initiative, HGG will convene stakeholders on multi-disciplinary engineering and re-design, innovative financing and policy, disaster preparedness education, youth and community engagement, and a world-class prize competition to design climate resilient infrastructure and support ecosystem restoration. This initiative can provide an integrated model for other vulnerable areas across the state and the Pacific, and be adapted and applied to other regions to increase resiliency.

Legislation and Policy Agenda: Driving Implementation on Hawai‘i’s 2030 Goals
HGG advances implementation on Hawai‘i’s 2030 goals through high-impact legislation and policy priorities, tangible initiatives, and innovative finance mechanisms. To leverage the opportunity of the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress, HGG scaled up efforts to catalyze over twenty legacy initiatives and ensure lasting policy outcomes for Hawai‘i. HGG serves as a facilitator and convener to identify, vet and confirm agreement on an annual policy agenda, and uplift partner priorities though the Aloha+ Challenge, high-level outreach, and a diverse network.

Next Generation Leadership: Inspiring Student and Community Action
HGG is committed to creating opportunities for next generation leadership and statewide community engagement on the Aloha+ Challenge. As a first step to engaging students in all six of the Aloha+ Challenge sustainability goals, HGG is working with academic partners through a new MOU to engage youth leadership in co-development of statewide targets and indicators for the Aloha+ Green Workforce and Education goal. Through supporting existing network partners, HGG is developing innovative pathways to inspire and uplift student and community action on Hawai‘i’s 2030 sustainability goals, cultivate leadership development, and create practical workforce opportunities.

Scaling Island Models: Local Solutions to Address Global Challenges
Building on national and international recognition for Hawai‘i, HGG is expanding global partnerships to scale the Aloha+ Challenge as a locally and culturally appropriate model to achieve the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As part of the Global Island Partnership’s Island Resilience Initiative, HGG is working with leaders from 3-5 islands to increase capacity for public-private partnerships and local sustainable development through a peer-learning network. In addition to helping to address critical challenges facing islands, coastal communities and other sub-national contexts, international engagement helps to accelerate action and strengthen political leadership in Hawai‘i.

Hawai'i launched the Aloha+ Challenge, a statewide commitment to sustainability, with the leadership of the Governor, four county Mayors, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, State Legislature, and Hawai‘i Green Growth public-private partners across the state. The Aloha+ Challenge: He Nohona ‘Ae‘oia, A Culture of Sustainability builds on Hawai‘i's history of systems thinking, indigenous knowledge, and successful track record on sustainability to identify six ambitious goals to be achieved by 2030 in clean energy transformation, local food production, natural resource management, solid waste reduction, smart sustainable communities, and green workforce and education.

Hawai'i's elected officials formally signed the Aloha+ Challenge Declaration at a press conference on July 7th 2014. The State Legislature unanimously endorsed the Aloha+ Challenge with Senate Concurrent resolution (SCR69). Hawai‘i Green Growth, the public-private partnership platform that serves as the backbone organization for the Aloha+ Challenge, is developing shared measures and a joint policy and action agenda to track progress, provide accountability, and drive implementation on Hawai‘i's 2030 goals.

The Aloha+ Challenge was inspired by the Global Island Partnership and other island commitments like the Micronesia Challenge and Caribbean Challenge, broadening the focus to include the environmental, economic and social pillars of sustainable development. The Hawaiian name for the Aloha+ Challenge is He Nohona 'Ae'oia: A Culture of Sustainability; Aloha+ was chosen to represent Hawai'i's unique, integrated approach to sustainability rooted in Hawaiian culture, values, and knowledge.

Learn more about Hawai‘i's sustainability goals, and visit the online to track progress through Aloha+ Challenge Dashboard statewide targets and indicators.

 

            

The Aloha+ Challenge identifies six ambitious, interconnected sustainability goals to be acheived by 2030:

1. Clean Energy: 70% clean energy - 40% from renewables & 30% from efficiency, with a view towards 100% by 2045
2. Local Food: At least double local food production - 20-30% of food consumed is grown locally
3. Natural Resource Management: Reverse the trend of natural resource loss mauka to makai by increasing freshwater security, watershed protection, community-based marine management, invasive species control, and restoration of native species
4. Waste Reduction: Reduce the solid waste stream prior to disposal by 70% through source reduction, recycling, bioconversion, and landfill diversion methods
5. Smart Sustainable Communities: Increase livability and resilience in the built environment through planning and implementation at the state and county levels
6. Green Workforce & Education: Increase local green jobs and education to implement these targets

Learn more about each goals by clicking the links above, and visit the Aloha+ Challenge Dashboard at https://dashboard.hawaii.gov/aloha-challenge

Visit the online Aloha+ Challenge Dashboard: https://dashboard.hawaii.gov/aloha-challenge

The Aloha+ Challenge Dashboard is an online open data platform to track progress, provide accountability, and ensure transparency on the Aloha+ Challenge The online dashboard is designed for decision makers, practitioners, and the public to inform policy, data driven decision making, and inspire action on Hawai‘i's statewide 2030 sustainability goals.

The Dashboard currently under development, featuring targets, indicators, data trends, narratives and resources for four of the six 2030 goals: clean energy, solid waste reduction, natural resource management and local food goals. The Dashboard will be completed with the remaining two goals in 2017.

 

Navigating Change Document