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
Jun 25, 2014 | Community, Environment, Sustainability
A new brewery is nearing completion in Kihei. Owned and operated by husband and wife, Garrett and Melanie Marrero, Maui Brewing Co.’s newest venture represents a response to their business’ growing demand. The Marreros founded their company almost 10 years ago and today operate a seven-barrel brewpub in Kahana and a 25-barrel production brewery and canning facility in Lahaina. Come this fall, Maui Brewing Co. will close its Lahaina brewery and open a new 42,000-square-foot facility in Kihei on 5.3 acres in the Maui Research & Technology Park, right next to Maui Economic Development Board’s offices.
“Our business is very multi-faceted,” Garrett Marrero said. “What we have shown and demonstrated is that you can be a successful manufacturing business in Hawaii,” Marrero said. The company’s BrewPub in Lahaina will remain open and together with the new brewery in Kihei, Maui Brewing Co.’s staff will grow from 59 employees today to approximately 140 when the brewery and a new Kihei brewpub opens. “When you manufacture a product truly local, our entire community succeeds,” he said. Aside from the brewery, the Kihei location will also house a distillery, a tasting room and eventually a BrewPub. “People want to support local. They want to support something that’s authentic to the islands,” Morrero said as he explained Maui Brewing Co.’s success. Maui Brewing Co. beers are sold in 11 states and four countries.
Maui Brewing Co. describes itself as a “truly Hawaiian brewery.” The company has been recognized as Hawaii’s No. 1 craft beer producer since 2005. Beers are packaged in eco-friendly materials with cans manufactured on Oahu and designed by local Maui artists. The cans, according to Maui Brewing Co., have the added bonus of better protecting the beer from both light and oxygen damage which can compromise the taste. A unique, recyclable plastic carrying device is used to hold the cans. The spent grain from beer production is donated to local ranchers for cattle feed and composting.
Jun 18, 2014 | Environment, Sustainability
Baldwin High School student Chelsea Kau got up close and personal with marine life on a recent Maui Youth Alliance excursion to visit the Waihee Beach Park with Department of Land and Natural Resources staff and learn about ocean safety. The best part of the visit “was when I got to cut a hole in a fish to feel for the cavity in its belly, and then suture the fish,” the 15-year-old Wailuku resident said.
Kau said she gained an appreciation of the impact humans are having on the ocean and its sea life. Overfishing may be one of the biggest problems contributing to fewer fish in the ocean, she said. “But, it’s also because of these other land factors such as sewage pumps and humans stepping on the coral reefs, etcetera. But the only thing that can be controlled right now, is the overfishing.” Kau, who has participated in the Youth Alliance for two years, advocated for diving and fishing for subsistence only. “That’s the way it should be, because you don’t need 10 or 15 fish for a family of three or four,” she said. “Take what you need.” After visiting marine resource officials, Kau said she believes shark attacks are “more than likely” caused by debris that has floated to the Hawaiian Islands from the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan on March 11, 2011.
Kau said she believes ocean safety is a challenge: “It’s ‘something you can’t control’ as ‘Mother Nature is unpredictable.’ But because we have lifeguards and all of the land emergency services, they’re saving the lives of people who don’t know our currents and tides,” she said. Youth Alliance members attend monthly events during the school year to explore and gain a greater understanding of key components in the Maui community. The Maui Economic Development Board coordinates the group’s gatherings.
Apr 16, 2014 | Community, Sustainability
Haiku resident John Cadman’s career as a hotel sous chef, a school cafeteria manager and now the owner of a locally sourced food business has always focused on healthy alternatives. “I just felt like it was my destiny,” Cadman said, referring to his newest venture as the owner and sole operator of the Maui Breadfruit Company and Pono Pies. Cadman earned first place at the 2014 Hawaii Food Products Recipe Contest for his Maui ‘Ulu Hummus during the Maui County Ag Festival.
After working for 18 years in cafeterias at Haiku Elementary, King Kekaulike High School and Kamehameha Schools Maui, Cadman found himself studying, cooking and eventually promoting the use of breadfruit in daily living. “There was like this huge hole, vacuum, with breadfruit. I was so inspired, I decided to go with it,” he said. He launched Pono Pies, gluten-free, dairy-free desserts served up at local restaurants and sold at retail outlets. The pies made their debut at Whole Foods Market in Kahului just this month. The Maui ‘Ulu Hummus features breadfruit, macadamia nuts and lemon juice as its primary ingredients. Cadman says 90 percent of the hummus comes from local island sources. “Localized food sources make a lot of sense, and it allows us to be healthy,” he said.
“I think people are eating with a conscience,” Cadman said, noting a national shift away from processed foods and items with high sugar and high fat content. “We’re all more conscious now of the leading causes of obesity, diabetes and cancer and most of them are causes by lifestyle choices, especially diet,” he said. As the winner of the Hawaii Food Products Recipe Contest, Cadman will receive assistance from Maui Food Technology Center consultants with nutritional labels or food science services. “I’ll take all the help I can get,” Cadman said.
The Maui Food Technology Center is an organization dedicated to growing Hawaii’s food industry and connecting students, food producers and farmers through the practice of food science. The Maui Economic Development Board is a founding member of the Maui Food Technology Center, and MEDB President and CEO Jeanne Skog serves on its board of directors.
“Eating consciously entails eating food that’s healthier for the body, the environment and for the planet.” — John Cadman, Owner and operator of the Maui Breadfruit Company, Winner of the 2014 Hawaii Food Products Recipe Contest
Feb 19, 2014 | Small Business, Sustainability
On Wednesday, February 26, 2014, Maui Food Technology Center will hold their 1st Annual Supply and Service Expo at the Hannibal Tavares Community Center in Pukalani from 10 am to 3 pm.
This is the perfect opportunity for new or existing food producers wanting assistance with the many challenges of developing a product and getting it into the marketplace, entrepreneurs planning to expand their network opportunities and resources, and consumers interested in attending the tradeshow and hearing the latest from experts in the food manufacturing, distribution and hospitality industries.
A tradeshow comprised of national, state and local service providers will feature manufacturers and distributors of food, ingredients, equipment and packaging supplies; dealers, brokers and traders; business services and educational groups that work with the food and hospitality industries. Entrepreneurs and existing businesses will also have an opportunity to network with brand identity and marketing industry professionals.
Specialized presentations will be held throughout the event. Featured speakers include
- Dr. Aurora Saulo, Professor and Extension Specialist in Food Technology with the University of Hawaii Maui College on “Food Safety Certified: What Does That Mean?”
- Marc McDowell, Executive Chef of Makena Resort on “Developing Local Products From Start To Finish”
- Marty Parisien, Co-Owner/CEO at Singing Dog Vanilla on “Social Media Zen”
- Mike Abrams, President of Flavor Waves, on “Get Out There, Make Friends, and Help People.”
Door prizes will be drawn throughout the event, must be present to win. Attendees are also eligible to win a 32 GB i-Pad Mini, need not be present to win. The first 100 people will receive a free Expo tote. Public admission is free.
Major event sponsors include: County of Maui Office of Economic Development, Fred Baldwin Memorial Fund, and Tri-Isle Resource Conservation and Development.
For more information on becoming an exhibitor and/or attending the Supply and Service Expo, visit MauiFoodTechnology.org or call 888-948-6382.
Dec 18, 2013 | Education, Environment, Sustainability
Ka Honua Momona means “abundant Earth,” and a Molokai nonprofit of that name is reawakening the fertile Friendly Isle through the restoration of ancient Hawaiian fishponds on the island’s south shore. “Molokai was once known as the breadbasket of the islands due to the momona (abundance) of the land and sea,” said Kauwila Hanchett, the nonprofit’s executive director. “We believe Molokai can return to momona and become a model of sustainability for others.”
In fact, “sustainability is at the heart of all we do,” Hanchett said. “We are driven by our passion to ensure that the natural and cultural beauty of Molokai remains vibrant and strong for future generations.” Rooted in sustainability, the group is also actively engaged with nurturing young people, she said. “Training young people to become leaders through year-round and summer internships, as well as working with youth of all ages through our environmental education programs is an important part of our strategy to ensure that the resources we care for today continue to be protected in perpetuity,” Hanchett explained.
The nonprofit has 14 staff members and volunteers forming its “core team,” Hanchett said. Local school and community groups also donate more than 10,000 hours of service annually to fishpond restoration. “Together, we are removing invasive species, rebuilding the ancient rock walls surrounding the pond, and restoring the momona of Alii and Kalokoeli fishponds,” she said. The group carries out its work with five core principles: hoewe, or cultural rootedness; kahu hoilina, environmental stewardship; kuka’I ka ha, deep sharing; ka ‘imi ‘ike, lifelong learning; and mahuaola, health and well-being, Hanchett said.
Ka Honua Momona hosts Community Work Days on the third Saturday of each month. For more information, call (808) 553-8353 or visit the nonprofit’s website at www.kahonuamomona.org.
Sidebar quote
“Sustainability is at the heart of all we do.”
Kauwila Hanchett, Ka Honua Momona Executive Director
