News Articles
Highlights from the Hawai‘i County
Sustainability Summit
For the third time, the Mayor's Office hosted the Hawai‘i County Sustainability Summit, underscoring its commitment to a range of sustainability goals outlined in the Hawaiʻi Green Growth’s Aloha + Challenge. The summit highlighted crucial areas such as local food production, clean energy, natural resource management, waste reduction, smart sustainable communities, and green workforce development. In March and April, a series of workgroup meetings were convened focusing on these key areas. The summit concluded with a Youth Congress with 8th grade students on May 2nd and a large gathering on May 3rd, where participants from all workgroups shared progress and strategies to advance these sustainability goals across Hawai‘i Island. There was consensus among the workgroups on the need for more frequent gatherings and increased collaboration among organizations, businesses, and government to drive significant progress in these areas.
Zero Waste Hawai‘i Island assisted in coordinating the Solid Waste Reduction Workgroup meeting held on April 8th. The day was filled with presentations and panel discussions on policy initiatives, organic waste diversion, the reuse of “still good stuff,” and visioning sessions that further emphasized the need for developing a circular economy on Hawai‘i Island. This included discussions on Resource Recovery Parks and Reusable Packaging Systems. The Reusable Packaging Systems presentation highlighted practical starting points for implementing reuse on Hawai‘i Island, such as refillable beverage systems, reusable foodware, water refill stations, the use of glass bottles and jars for locally made products, and refill systems for personal care and cleaning products. The session also showcased progress in the design and implementation of Hilo Reusable Foodware System and explored potential funding mechanisms that could support the expansion of this program island-wide.
The summit showcased the dedication of countless individuals collectively working toward a sustainable future for Hawai‘i Island. Those interested in joining the Solid Waste Reduction Workgroup can contact zwhi@zerowaste.org to be added to the group's contact list. Notes from the Waste Reduction meeting on April 8th are available HERE.