Mar 18, 2015 | Environment, Small Business, Sustainability
A passion for the o
utdoors inspired John Bendon to create a company that helps others achieve milestones in energy efficiency and environmental design. Bendon, a 1996 Seabury Hall graduate, serves as the founding principal of Green Building Hawaii. “Ultimately, the core focus of what we do is drive value by maximizing performance,” Bendon said.
Founded in 2007, Green Building Hawaii assists commercial and residential clients and conducts training in a number of areas including energy audits, photovoltaic analyses and high performance certifications such as LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. With Green Building Hawaii’s guidance, the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa became the first resort in the state and only the fourth in the world, according to Bendon, to earn a silver level certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance (EBOM). It is also the first building to Maui County to receive this designation. “What’s exciting is that a lot of resorts want to follow Hyatt’s lead,” said Bendon, who’s added more resorts to his clientele list.
Maui Economic Development Board, another Green Building Hawaii client, became the first LEED EBOM certified office building on Maui. “The LEED rating system is the most recognized third party certification for environmentally conscious buildings,” Bendon explained. “I hope more organizations will follow MEDB’s commitment toward promoting renewable clean energy.” Bendon said his team worked with staff at MEDB and at the Hyatt Regency Maui for about a year and a half, reviewing policies and procedures relating to issues such as energy efficiency, waste diversion, green cleaning, and other sustainable operating policies and procedures. “The energy projects are return on investment projects. We help companies both improve the bottom line and the environment,” Bendon said.
Green Building Hawaii has seen an upswing in business. “We’re really busy these days. The awareness is growing in this field and we are starting to work with organizations that did not have these types of issues on their radar even a few years ago.” Bendon said. On his company Web site, Bendon predicts that the next big advances in green building will involve material life cycle assessments and further integration of smart home/building technologies to reduce energy use.
Mar 11, 2015 | Environment, Events, Sustainability
Experts from across the nation will present the latest trends in the electric utility industry, as well as the public policy influencing customer choices. Sessions will address issues about advancing toward grid modernization, consumer protection, and engaging customers in a fresh, new way.
Conference sessions include
- Understanding the evolving role of the customer in a broader context
- The customer of the 21st century
- Are we seeing what they’re seeing: customer perceptions on energy
- Advancing toward grid modernization – meeting customer needs
- The growth of distribution generation – good or bad for the customer?
- Community perspectives (video panel discussion)
- How can the customer become an active participant in the energy landscape
- The changing regulatory compact – the customer, the utility, the regulator
- Consumer protection – who’s looking out for the customer?
Keynote speakers include
- Eric Gleason, President, NextEra Energy Transmission, LLC
- Deborah Kimberly, Vice President, Customer Energy Solutions, Austin Energy
- Constance Lau, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc.
- Alan Oshima, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hawaiian Electric Company
- Luis Salaveria, Director, Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, State of Hawaii
- Mark Toney, Executive Director, The Utility Reform Network (TURN)
For details on how to register and more information about the conference, visit MauiEnergyConference.com
Presented by the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and the Maui Economic Development Board.
Feb 18, 2015 | Environment, Sustainability
Only 11 days remaining!
Share your priorities and values about energy on Maui – today and in the future – as part of a project called “MPowerMaui: An Energy Conversation”.
Sign up and participate in small group sessions during the month of February. These 90-minute sessions are designed to be engaging, interesting, and informative.
You will learn more about energy, think about your own actions related to energy, prioritize issues, consider what actions you would or would not support, and develop messages for decision makers. The results of these MPowerMaui conversations will be presented at the “Maui Energy Conference” to be held on March 25-26, 2015 and shared with decision makers.
We invite you to either host a session at your home, company or organization by bringing together 12-16 individuals and a MEDB representative will run the session … or sign up for a session that MEDB organizes.
For more information and to sign up to participate, please call 875-2336.
The MPowerMaui project is presented by the Maui Economic Development Board with sponsorship from the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development; State Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) Energy Office; and the UH Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI).
Feb 4, 2015 | Community, Environment, Sustainability
Join the conversation!
Share your priorities and values about energy on Maui – today and in the future – as part of a project called “MPowerMaui: An Energy Conversation”.
Sign up and participate in small group sessions during the month of February. These 90-minute sessions are designed to be engaging, interesting, and informative.
You will learn more about energy, think about your own actions related to energy, prioritize issues, consider what actions you would or would not support, and develop messages for decision makers. The results of these MPowerMaui conversations will be presented at the “Maui Energy Conference” to be held on March 25-26, 2015 and reported to the community.
We invite you to either host a session at your home, company or organization by bringing together 12-16 individuals and a MEDB representative will run the session … or sign up for a session that MEDB organizes.
For more information and to sign up to participate, please call 875-2336.
The MPowerMaui project is presented by the Maui Economic Development Board with sponsorship from the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development; State Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) Energy Office; and the UH Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI).
Jan 28, 2015 | Education, Environment, Sustainability
A coral reef monitoring project sounded like it could be fun for the Wailuku Roselani Na Hokulani 4-H Club. Member Kaitlyn Yamada says it was fun, but more importantly she and her fellow 4-Hers were able to master their skills in Google Earth applications as well the Global Positioning and Geographic Information Systems. They also learned the importance of a healthy coral reef. “This project allowed us to become aware of the balance between development and possible jobs and sustainable and green living in Maui County,” Yamada said. “When we began this project, we thought it was a fun idea, but later learned of the significance of gathering and understanding this data.”
A Ke Alahele Education Fund Grant administered by Maui Economic Development Board provided the 4-H Club camera and computer equipment they needed to create coral reef maps at Olowalu and Maalaea. Their task was to establish the baseline reef conditions by teaming up on paddle boards and video taping conditions with GoPro cameras. On shore, the eight club members in grades 8 to 10 tracked their findings on a computer funded by Ke Alahele. Coral reefs worldwide are declining due to various stressors including ocean acidification, sedimentation, over-fishing and near-shore development, according to the club’s grant application. “We were inspired to think of all of the factors that could affect the health of our coral reef. We learned the importance of coral reefs to the health of our island concerns,” Yamada said.
The club’s 4-H leader, Joyce Yamada, said she saw the girls apply skills in science, technology, engineering and math. “STEM skills are integrated in every job and industry. Our members need to be prepared for, and aware of, these opportunities as they become productive members of our community,” Joyce Yamada said. “The confidence that they build as they master these skills will allow our girls to believe in their abilities and become our next generation of inventors, scientists, engineers and members of a community that cares for their environment.”
Jan 21, 2015 | Environment, Events, Sustainability
With island consumers paying more than double the national average per kilowatt hour for electricity, the second Maui Energy Conference + Exhibition comes at a time when Hawaii is seeing a revolutionary shift to renewable energy resources. The conference, presented by the County of Maui in partnership with Maui Economic Development Board, will be held March 25-27 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. The event is expected to draw individuals and businesses from across the state and the country.
At the inaugural 2014 conference, more than 200 recognized policy makers from state and federal government and the private sector gathered to talk candidly about the country’s changing energy landscape and its implications for power utilities and consumers. This time around, the 2015 event promises to explore the evolving role of the electric utility through the lens of the customer. Nationally recognized experts have been invited to speak about emerging trends in the electric utility industry and public policy shaping customer choices including customer engagement programs, distributed generation, microgrids, demand-response programs and renewables integration.
NextEra Energy Transmission President Eric Gleason and HECO President and CEO Alan Oshima have been tapped to give keynote remarks on the opening day of the conference. Hawaiian Electric and the Florida-based NextEra Energy announced a $4.3 billion merger late last year. The conference will also feature multiple sessions with a variety of panelists talking about a range of subjects from meeting the customer’s needs to both self-generate and manage electricity usage to protecting consumers in the new energy/customer choice paradigm. The conference is also offering sponsorship opportunities for companies and exhibit spaces for public and private groups to display products and services. An optional Maui Sustainability Mobile Workshop featuring the Smart Grid Demonstration Project, JumpSmartMaui, will be held on the final day of the conference. Conference fee is $395 prior to Feb. 15; $495 after Feb. 15; and $525 on site. The fee covers admittance to general sessions, exhibit venue, networking exhibit reception, continental breakfast and lunch for two days, and conference materials.
For more information, please visit MauiEnergyConference.com
Oct 22, 2014 | Community, Environment, Sustainability
Maui Smart Grid volunteers wrapped up their participation in a pilot project that led many to become more energy efficient. “I really wanted to get a good handle on my family’s energy use and bring down, if possible, our electricity bills. I got that by participating in the Maui Smart Grid Project,” said Maria Drey, one of 66 Maui Meadows residents who participated in the two-year project.
The Maui Smart Grid project aimed to help volunteers monitor their home power use, sometimes in real time, and make adjustments for efficient and cost-effective use of electricity. With the help of one smart meter on property, Drey said her family kept track of their energy consumption and made changes accordingly. They invested in an energy-efficient system for their pool and were more prudent with lights and appliances. Meanwhile, volunteer Alfred Wolf monitored his electric usage to “get a more precise feel for how energy is used and generated at my place.” For Wolf and Thomas Croly, volunteering for Maui Smart Grid meant they could contribute toward the state’s efforts to reach the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative goals. “I hope Maui Electric Co. will gain information from the Maui Smart Grid project to help distribute energy more efficiently,” Croly said.
The project was co-led by the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Maui Electric Co. Maui Economic Development Board partnered to engage with the community and project volunteers. The project’s findings will be sent to the U.S. Department of Energy, and shared with industry looking at best uses of technological tools for energy efficiency, according to Leon Roose, principal and chief technologist of GridSTART at Hawaii Natural Energy Institute. “We found on average, people did change their behavior and reduced their energy consumption as a result of having more information on energy use and through tips and awareness made possible through home energy audits,” Roose said.
Oct 15, 2014 | Community, Environment, Sustainability
Maui County students in kindergarten through 12th grade are invited to submit art designs to beautify the island’s JUMPSmartMaui Fast-Charger stations. “This is a chance for Maui’s talented students to shine and jump-start their creative juices by coming up with some original designs for our island’s JUMPSmart electric vehicle charging stations,” said Jeanne Skog, President and Chief Executive Officer of Maui Economic Development Board.
MEDB and Hitachi are sponsoring the student art contest. Judges will look for entries with an original design that positively represents Maui’s community, the environment and clean energy. The EV chargers are an important component of the JUMPSmartMaui demonstration project, which seeks to incorporate renewable energy, smart grid technologies and electric vehicle solutions to achieve a clean future for Maui County. NEDO, Japan’s largest public research and development management organization, is investing $30 million in the project.
The winner’s artwork will be displayed on existing and upcoming JUMPSmartMaui fast charger stations on Maui Island. An example of winning artwork already installed can be found at the Queen Kaahumanu Center station. Currently, stations are located at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel, Maui Tropical Plantation, Maalaea Triangle (Maui Ocean Center) and Piilani Village Shopping Center. New locations will be at the Pukalani Shopping Center and Long’s in Kulamalu Pukalani. More than a dozen other stations are being planned. Artwork can be created in digital media or using crayon, color pencil and/or paints. Only 2-dimensional art will be accepted. For art contest rules and guidelines, go to www.medb.org Deadline for submissions is 4:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 31. Application forms are available at the JUMPSmartMaui Innovation Center at the Queen Kaahumanu Center or MEDB at 1305 North Holopono Street, Suite 1, in the Maui Research & Technology Park in Kihei. For more information, contact Lalaine Pasion at MEDB: lalaine@medb.org, (808) 875-2341.
Sep 10, 2014 | Community, Sustainability
After planting trees in every state across the country, Joe Imhoff and Sara Tekula returned to their roots on Maui, giving life to a newborn son, and their fledgling nonprofit, Plant a Wish. The husband-and-wife team was first featured in Focus Maui Nui three years ago in the midst of a tree-planting mission. They identified tree caretakers in each of the states and helped to spearhead the planting of more than 1,000 native trees at dozens of community tree planting events.
Their plan to create a documentary about the tree-planting venture is still in post-production, in part because they had to turn their attention to the birth of a son, Henry Koa, in October 2012. In his first year of life, Henry accompanied his dad, Joe, in planting a tree on every day in 2013, mostly on Maui but in other places as well. “Even when we were on vacation and then attending a family wedding on the Mainland, Joe made certain they planted a tree somewhere every day,” Tekula said.
Today, Plant a Wish is taking root on Maui where Tekula and Imhoff have partnered in a variety of events and with other nonprofits to bring awareness to land stewardship, tree planting and restoration of native habitat. Plant a Wish is also teamed up with Tri-Isle Resource Conservation and Development, which serves as its fiscal sponsor. Tekula said much of her time is spent in tree dedications, an opportunity that residents take to plant trees in celebration of special events and/or people in their lives. Plant a Wish is also busy during the holiday season when Tekula and Imhoff sell native Christmas trees as a fundraiser and a chance to educate more people about tree planting. “We’re really glad we’re here on Maui and that our mission of tree restoration can keep going.” For more information, go to: plantawish.org
