Chief Executives Jointly Launch Aloha+ Challenge
Hawaii's State and County Leaders Formalize Joint Sustainability Commitment
"Aloha+ Challenge" Sets 6 Targets by 2030
- Signed Aloha+ Challenge Declaration
- Resolution endorsed by the Twenty-Seventh Hawai'i State Legislature
- Learn more about the Aloha+ Challenge - Interviews with the Chief Executives
- Aloha+ Challenge Signing & Press Conference highlights
- Media Coverage
Hawai‘i Chief Executives jointly launch the Aloha+ Challenge: A Culture of Sustainability – He Nohona ‘Ae‘oia
HONOLULU – Gov. Neil Abercrombie, Hawaii's four county mayors, and Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) leadership jointly launched the Aloha+ Challenge: A Culture of Sustainability – He Nohona 'Ae'oia at a declaration signing held today at the Hawaii State Capitol. The statewide joint leadership commitment sets clear targets for clean energy transformation, local food production, natural resource management, waste reduction, smart growth, climate resilience, green jobs and education by 2030.
"The Aloha+ Challenge brings us all together across jurisdictions, agencies, sectors and communities to build a sustainable Hawaii for current and future generations," said Gov. Abercrombie, who as a member of President Obama's Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience is in a strong position to provide recommendations on how the federal government can support local efforts outlined today. "The targets transcend political timelines with a longer-term vision that also calls upon us to take bold action now. As a microcosm of the world's sustainability challenges, it is time for Hawaii to become a global model of how to develop innovative and collaborative solutions."
The Hawaii State Legislature unanimously passed the Aloha+ Challenge through resolution this year. Hawaii Green Growth, which brings together key leaders from federal, state, county, business and nonprofit organizations, hosted the declaration signing to show broad support.
Hawaii's commitment to the Aloha+ Challenge is already creating international attention. With the U.S. Department of State, Hawaii has been invited to announce the Aloha+ Challenge on the world stage at a high-level Global Island Partnership event in Samoa this September, during the United Nations' International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which focuses on sustainable development.
"Alternative energy sources like H-Power, solar and wind, combined with fewer car trips and reduced energy consumption, will help us sustain our island for future generations," said City and County of Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell. "We have to invest in our future, and now is the time to do it."
Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi said: "The Aloha+ Challenge is about protecting our Hawaii and maximizing our resources to improve the quality of life for our communities. It reinforces that our decision-making as a state must focus on sustaining our resources for generations to come, and must be rooted in aloha."
"The Aloha+ Challenge is about leading by example," Maui County Mayor Alan Arakawa said. "Our goal is to provide a higher quality of life for our children, and to build a community for our grandchildren that they can be proud of."
"We are a state separated by ocean, but we are connected in so many ways – by families, by businesses and by shared values and traditions," said Mayor Bernard Carvahlo of Kauai County. "It is important for us to always remember that. When our leadership focuses on one vision, we are united."
"We must honor our past while also preparing for our future," said Kamana'opono Crabbe, chief executive officer for OHA. "The active participation of the community partners in this effort will also play a major role in bringing about a better, brighter future for all people of Hawaii."
In addition to sharing tools and knowledge and expanding partnerships, Hawaii's top elected officials have agreed to develop a joint system of tracking progress and to increase long-term financing mechanisms for conservation and sustainability programs geared towards reaching the 2030 targets.
The Aloha+ Challenge commits Hawaii to reaching six targets by 2030:
1. Clean Energy: 70 percent clean energy – 40 percent from renewables and 30 percent from efficiency (reinforcing the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative)
2. Local Food: At least double local food production – 20 to 30 percent 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 native species restoration
4. Waste Reduction: Reduce the solid waste stream prior to disposal by 70 percent 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 state and county levels
6. Green Workforce and Education: Increase local green jobs and education to implement these targets
In 2011, Gov. Abercrombie signed Act 181, which established sustainability as a priority in the Hawaii State Plan and incorporated the definition, goals and principles of sustainability from the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan into Chapter 226. More than 10,000 citizens participated in the Hawaii 2050 planning process.
Media Contact:
Justin Fujioka
Press Secretary
(808) 586-0012
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
http://governor.hawaii.gov
