Building a Sustainability Program in Laie

Allison Huff

The best way to make our communities more environmentally friendly is to integrate eco-friendly ways of living into elementary schools. This is where people learn the essentials of living and develop habits that they carry through life. By encouraging things like recycling, planting gardens, and riding bicycles rather than driving, children will be exposed to a way of living that will benefit both them and the Earth.

There are several ways that elementary schools can influence their students. They should not only preach recycling, they should practice it. Classes can participate in recycling competitions and re-using materials such as paper and plastic for projects like art creations. Another way schools can recycle is by building playgrounds out of recycled materials. Old tires, used wood, and scrap metal can all be used to create fun, eco-friendly playgrounds that will promote recycling to school children.

Classes should also take part in planting and tending vegetable gardens that can contribute to their school lunches, promoting a healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle. Lunch trays and utensils should be re-usable, rather than using disposable paper or plastic plates and forks. Rather than buy hundreds of paper plates every day that will be used only once, schools should buy plates that can be washed and used daily.

In areas that are safe for children to ride bicycles to schools, bike companies should make deals with schools to sell bikes to children at discounted rates. By making bicycles more accessible to children, they will be able to travel to school without being driven and releasing greenhouse gases.

Since many adults are stuck in their habits of using plastic and not recycling, our best attempt at changing our future is teaching the next generation how to live in harmony with the Earth. It is unrealistic to think everyone will change lifestyles they have been living for years; however, children will learn and make habits that will benefit the Earth if we are willing to teach them.

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Andrea Kokkonen

Geothermal power is power extracted from the heat stored in the earth. It originates from the formation of the planet, from the radioactive decomposition of minerals, and from solar energy soaked into the surface. Today, it is primarily used for generating electricity. Geothermal power is cost effective, sustainable, dependable, and environmentally friendly. It is usually limited to tectonic plate boundaries but recently it has expanded its range. Also, geothermal wells release greenhouse gasses but the emissions are very small. There is currently a geothermal plant on the Big Island that supplies energy to the island residents. Because geothermal power is so effective and dependable, Hawaii should exploit what resources we have. In order to efficiently give our communities power, we need to find a much more stable, cheaper and environmentally friendly way to do it, and I think that geothermal power is the way to go. We would need to develop a safe, inexpensive way to store and transport enough energy for all the Hawaiian Islands – a tunnel under the ocean that would be able to transfer the energy to other storage plants on the different islands. These tunnels would have to be insulated and able to keep the energy going without losing any strength. They would travel to every habitable island in Hawaii and deliver geothermal energy to a designated plant on each island. From there, the energy can be harvested and distributed among the many inhabitants on the islands.

Geothermal power would be a much preferable alternative than electric power. It is relatively inexpensive, reliable and it’s better for the environment. It comes from natural wells deep inside the earth and although there are a few risks such as the release of greenhouse gasses, I believe it is definitely worth the few risks.

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Chelsie Kamauoha

My Idea to Promote Reusable Energy

The number of street lamps in Hawaii has struck me as a great problem concerning energy. There are numerous street lamps bordering Hawaii’s roads and the cost to provide the electricity for these lights is very expensive. I believe that by replacing the current street lights with solar powered LED lights will benefit Hawaii’s taxpayers and save electricity that is constantly being wasted.

The majority of all street lamps run on high powered light bulbs which are the cause of a huge amount of wasted energy. These light bulbs usually run on about 150 to 250 watts of electricity. Portland, Maine, paying an average of about $1.3 million on electricity needed to sustain street lamps alone, is an example of a city that wastes large amounts of money and electricity. There are huge amounts of money being spent, that is reality do not have to be. The reason why we still have these old fashioned light bulbs in our street lamps is because they are cheep to buy and install, however I have come to find that these light bulbs have turned out to be expensive to light and maintain.

My solution is to replace these expensive old fashioned lights with the combination of both solar panels and LED lights. The cost to maintain these lights and to actually light them will be a strikingly lesser cost then the traditional lights we use today. The positive aspect about his solutions in that the current light poles do not need to be removed; the LED lights and the solar panels can be mounted on. However, the street lamps will remain connected to an outside power supply incase enough solar energy is not given. The taxpayer’s money that is normally used to pay for electricity can be used for more important and necessary things. The money can be used for things such as paving roads, cleaning towns, or possibly reducing or ending furloughs.

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Chloe Yester

The renewable energy field has many facets. Harnessing the environment’s natural energy to provide the power necessary for our everyday lives is a field growing in interest and popularity. Recycling is another branch of “Green Living.” More and more, people are taking steps towards decreasing their carbon footprints, and contributing to a greener global community. A very commonly recycled plastic is called Polyethylene terephthalate plastic or PET. PET is 100% recyclable. Over 2 trillion pounds of PET is recycled every year. This plastic is very versatile, and I believe that if we begin to manufacture more and more of our everyday appliances and household necessities with recycled PET, we will be able to efficiently use this resource.
Creating goods out of recycled PET saves 60% of the energy required to create the same goods out of raw materials. Thus, using recycled plastics to construct things such as playground equipment, furniture, or auto parts, we would be conserving an extremely large amount of energy, and also making use of what otherwise would be trash. Using these bottles to manufacture things that we need is clearly much better than allowing them to take up space in landfills.

Many colleges are moving in a “greener” direction, and are leading by example. Within the past few years, colleges have begun to construct more eco-friendly buildings. When constructing a new library or dining hall, some colleges have opted to use salvaged bricks and windows, and stocked the buildings with furniture made from recycled PET. For example, the University of Michigan constructed a building using recycled materials. The Ground floor corridors of the building were paved with recycled tire rubber, and the composite material for the countertops was made from annually renewable resources such as wheat straw, sunflower seed hulls, soy flour, and waste newspaper. All plumbing
equipment in the building was replaced with low-flow fixtures. All of the new fixtures were estimated to decrease water use by 31% and reduce
waste water generation by 50%.

If we could take the initiative to implement measures such as these in our own homes, and commit to purchasing goods made from recycled materials, we could save money and help the environment. We would be helping our families, our communities, and ourselves. All of these steps move us closer toward the goal of being less dependent on major energy sources and natural resources.

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Dylan Pachucki

What’s OTEC?

The private sector has gripped the American government, and it’s people, in a tangled web of deception and lies- a web spun only by the profits dangled in front of the noses of a few CEOs and business owners. At its core, a business is merely an entity created to make money: not something that will help the sick, clean our streets, help the poor, or solve our energy crisis- in fact, we’ve seen quite the opposite. Large corporate lobbying groups have done everything in their power to keep the public blindfolded, and the government under their wings. Meaningful reform in pharmaceutical prices has been halted by four large companies, at the expense (pun intended) of millions of Americans. Oil companies are creating huge incentives for the government to do all but the right thing, these incentives range from funding elections, to direct monetary bribes. According to the latest lobbying data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, the oil and gas industry spent nearly $44.6 million lobbying Congress in just the first three months of this year, and ranked second only to the health care and pharmaceutical industries in total spending, unsurprisingly, both of the biggest spending corporate fields are the ones that need the most change. Recent polls show that just short of 90% of Americans believe strongly in energy reform, but, sadly, 100% of oil companies seem to disagree- it’s clear whose voice is being heard.

The definition of a utopia is ‘an imaginary place considered to be perfect or ideal’. The state of Hawaii has the chance to be an alternative energy utopia; it has the resources, and the economical stability that nearly any other country with sufficient resources lacks. Year round sun, wind, and oceans that can be utilized to create a self-sustainable energy hub that can prove the possibility of self-sustainability to the rest of the world. However, as the realism of a corporately controlled America and the word ‘imaginary’ in the definition of utopia only grows; the surrealism of a self-sustainable Hawaii, and consequently America, only grows.

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is something you’ve probably never heard of. OTEC is a form of alternative energy technology that converts solar radiation to electric power. OTEC systems use the ocean’s natural thermal gradient- the fact that the ocean’s layers of water have different temperatures- to drive a power producing cycle. Oceans cover a little over 70% of the world’s surface, and 100% of Hawaii’s surroundings, of course. The ocean surrounding Hawaii sees constant sunshine, and as a result absorbs tons of solar power.

According to the Rafe Foundation, On an average day, 60 million square kilometers (23 million square miles) of tropical seas absorb an amount of solar radiation equal in heat content to about 250 billion barrel of oil. If less than one-tenth of one percent of this stored solar energy could be converted into electric power, it would supply more than 20 times the total amount of electricity consumed in the United States on any given day. The United States Department of Energy backs this statistic, adding that just one percent of the energy would power the whole world a hundred times over. The ocean is Hawaii’s most bountiful natural resource, and it’s also the solution to our energy crisis.
This probably sounds too good to be true, it must cost an astronomical amount; you’re thinking- but it doesn’t. There’s an inherent barrier blocking us from tapping into OTEC resources- corporations. The most recent calculation for turnkey construction costs for an OTEC power plant is very competitive with that of equivalent oil-fired power plants. Even more eye opening is one cost estimation from a private company in Hawaii quoted about $0.04 per kilowatt-hour produced, a price that is not only exponentially cheaper than oil energy production, but is dropping everyday because of technological advantages.

The biggest kicker? This resource is replenished by the solar system at no cost. OTEC is the only available alternative energy that can completely deplete our addiction to oil. Wind, solar, and other alternative energies all reduce the amount of fossil fuel burned to meet Hawaii’s energy needs, but they are not 100% reliable energy sources that can be used around the clock with no drawbacks as a bottom-line energy source. OTEC is the only widely available renewable resource in Hawaii that can do that. Hawaii Energy Options, an activist Hawaiian energy website goes as far as saying that “OTEC is so superior in replacing oil for baseload electricity generation that any legislator, government official, utility executive, energy expert or environmental leader who doesn’t support OTEC is simply not believable.“

Hawaii has the chance to be at the forefront of the OTEC movement- all it takes is a commitment. The technology is ready, and so are Hawaii’s people- too bad the corporations aren’t. The benefits of utilizing OTEC are infinite, not only will it kill our oil dependence helping our economy and freeing us from the grips of corporate control, but it will support a cleaner, greener Hawaii with a renewable foreseeable future that relies on energy independence.

President Lincoln foretold of the dangerous results of corporate control, prophesying that “in the near future a crisis [is] approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. Corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money-power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.” This is a prophecy that can and must be proven untrue- the well being of future generations and our environment hangs in the balance. OTEC is the remedy now, and if we invest, it can continue to be the remedy.

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Makena Ford

“We’ve embarked on the beginning of the last days of the age of oil. Embrace the future and recognize the growing demand for a wide range of fuels or ignore reality and slowly but surely be left behind.” – Mike Bowlin, chairman and CEO of ARCO (now BP)

Brazil is a nation rich in natural resources. But like many other countries, it was dependent on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are nonrenewable and bad for the environment. Brazil, realizing this, has taken positive steps towards self-sustainability. It has turned to sugar cane for fuel. Sugar Cane energy is clean, 6 times cheaper than corn ethanol and produces 8 times more energy per ton. In terms of net energy, sugar cane has the best score of all energy crops, Wageningen University’s De Vries said by telephone. A crop like corn, which scores poorly, is at 10 percent of that. Sugar Cane can be used to produce both electricity and fuel for flex fuel cars. Currently, over 75% of Brazil’s cars are flex fuel, powered by sugar cane. “Renewable fuel has been a fantastic solution for us.” Brazil’s minister of agriculture, Roberto Rodrigues, said “And it offers a way out of the fossil fuel trap for others as well.” Sugar cane energy is cheap, efficient, and proven to promote self-sustainability. So why isn’t it being grown in the US? The truth is that the US does not have the climate or land needed to mass-produce this sugar cane. But, Hawaii does. The Hawaiian environment is perfect for the growth of sugar cane. When Captain Cook came to the islands, sugar cane was already growing. The production of sugar cane continued to increase after colonization. By 1960 the industry brought about 150 million dollars in profit to the island and over one million tons of it was produced each year. Now, only one sugar cane plantation is left. However, with over 1 million acres of unused agriculture land in the state, the industry could easily be started up again. This time, the sugar cane could be used to power all of Hawaii. The technology is readily available. The Hamakua plantation on the island of Hawaii could take in over 3.5 million if they turned to sugar cane energy. In the past, sugar cane energy has provided over 10 percent of the island’s electricity. With increased plantations, dedicated to energy independence, Hawaii could become completely energy independent and self-sustainable. All we need are incentives, and awareness. Energy independence is important because fossil fuels are destroying the environment. Our state alone sends out around 22 million tons of carbon emissions a year, polluting our air and contributing to global warming. It is our duty to preserve Hawaii’s spectacular beauty. Fossil fuels are also nonrenewable, which means that as they grow sparse, they will become more expensive until they run out. Renewable energy that can compete with fossil fuels generates revenue inside state. Hawaii must take steps now to promote energy independence. Brazil has already reached this goal. We should take advantage of our perfect environment, and increase sugar cane production. It is proven, cheap, efficient, clean, and much needed.

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Mosiah Jean

Renewable Energy

Now days, we need effective and new ways of energy, instead of relying on fossil fuels that destroys the earth in many aspects. We need to find an energy source that is safe and that occurs naturally in the Earth itself. I think that we should invest in the Aurora Borealis; this phenomenon is when the charged particles in the magnetosphere collide with the atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere. During, the collisions of particles it releases huge amounts of energy or electricity that could be potentially harnessed into a renewable energy. If we could put up satellites that could harness and store the released energy life would be great. You could just transmit the electricity to your home; with a generator that could use the energy and use it in all appliances in your house. Sure, it would cost a pretty penny at first, but in the long run it would pay for itself and you would have a cheap and reliable source of electricity.

The electricity could be stored in a battery outfitted into your home. This same electricity could be used to power your computers, television, the lightbulbs, and many other appliances. You would have the same electric system installed into your home, but instead from getting it from an Electric Company you would get it from a satellite. This same electricity could power up a whole state power grid. The Aurora Borealis happens all around the globe and you can only see it in certain places and times, but we don’t need to see it to use the electricity produce by the phenomenon. So this source of energy is reliable and will be safe to our environment. You would cancel the pollution caused by factories because you would just transmit the electricity straight from the satellite to the house or battery.

The electricity produced by the Aurora Borealis would be cheap because all you would need to pay for is the satellite and your battery; a whole country chipping in to pay for a satellite wouldn’t hurt your purse a bit. Also this source of energy isn’t harmful to the earth’s environment because there isn’t any production of toxic gases and creating anything that could be dangerous, but instead you are using the natural energy of the sun. The Aurora Borealis is just one of many ways to obtain renewable energy, but the Aurora Borealis happens around the world and as long as the sun is still ticking. If it stops ticking then we would all be dead anyways so I think that we should invest in this valuable and reliable source of energy.

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Michael Tyau

Renewable Energy

In this new day and age the need for Renewable Energy is growing and growing because the demand for energy is increasing exponentially with the ever increasing industrialized population and the rapidly decreasing availability of fossil fuels. Another reason for this growth is for the protection of the environment as well as allowing one to live fully or semi self sustained by using the concept of Renewable Energy. My idea of renewable energy would be through the use of a Thermosyphon Rankine Engine (TSR), which is a recent concept for power generation using solar or other available low grade heat sources. The basis of the engine is the modification of a heat pipe, which involves excellent heat and mass transfer characteristics, to incorporate a turbine, thereby making the system into a Rankine Cycle Engine. The Thermosyphon Rankine Engine is directed towards power production from solar ponds, geothermal energy and heat produced by solar collectors, as well as for waste heat utilization for electrical power generation. Based on the results, it is concluded that the TSR engine may play an important role for conversion into electrical energy of thermal energy produced by conventional solar collectors, geothermal sources and waste heat. These generators can be used by power plants to provide energy for the community and its beneficiaries.

This low-grade energy Rankine-cycle engine is widely used nowadays for power generation from heat recovered or collected at low temperatures from waste exhaust gases of internal combustion engines, thermal power, industrial plants, solar collectors, as well as from geothermal sources. The heat input to these engines occurs at low temperature; therefore lower overall efficiencies are anticipated. By using Rankine cycle engines, we can simply power the everyday necessities of our daily life for our home(s) and save great amounts of money.

However, the most desired renewable source that would be incorporated into my home is a hydrogen-water disassociation machine, which in theory would convert water into infinite energy considering the fact that water is always available. This machine will break down water into hydrogen and oxygen to produce an endless energy supply by using simple harmonic frequencies to separate the hydrogen and oxygen constituents into energy through the use of hydrogen fuel cells. A simple efficient machine of this class would provide my home with energy to last me a life time or in other words be self sustained, while living in a modern home or environment of my choosing.

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Nalia Tafua

Due to the economic downfall of 2008, the great nation of America resides in a recession. Inflicting millions, this recession has scared consumers into spending less and saving more. As the economic push to Go Green gains popularity, sewing homemade clothes is one of the many ways Americans are saving their money and resources.

Changes to the economy happen day to day pending on stock markets, war, and major financial decisions. Therefore the push to Go Green becomes evermore popular. With campaign ads, infomercials, and interest groups promoting eco-friendly habits and awareness, the efforts to Go Green expand and develop new concepts each day.

As middle class mean and women consistently try to stretch their dollars as far as possible, financial expert Dave Ramsey and radio personality Rush Limbaugh, stated that many Americans are learning to “penny pinch” and budget their hard earned money responsibly (ezinearticles.com). With that the Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle program is rapidly gaining popularity with the push to Go Green.

Sewing homemade clothes is just one of the many money saving alternatives that I have chosen to develop my skills in. Sewing can be used as part of the Reduce Reuse and Recycle logic and can be applied to Modern Fashion. As prices increase in the fashion industry consumers get hit the worse. It is a very helpful practiced skill to be able to sew for yourself. Websites like sew-it-yourself.com, and articles like How to Make a Whole New Wardrobe by Recycling Your Clothes by Kimberly Carr help in giving ideas of how to reuse and recycle old clothes and make it fashionable, to avoid waist.

Old pieces of clothes can be reused and recycled to newer fashion and other things like pillows, blankets, and sheets. If an average person learned how to sew their own clothes, pillows, blankets, and sheets they would be more self sufficient and depend less on commercial shipping and money expenses when going shopping. Of course it a delight to shop for brand new clothes but home-sewed clothes are cheaper and look just as good as clothes manufactured at a warehouse.

By taking a small step to recycle used clothes and sew homemade clothes we can be on our way to becoming self-sufficient one step at a time. Seeing the effects that the economic downfall has left on our society in, going green as a nation will only benefit and stabilize our economic quo in the long run.

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Tiffany James

There is a select group of people living in homes that are completely off the grid. These houses are called Earthships. While their lifestyles are admirable they are simply not practical for the majority of us at this point in time.

A more practical approach to becoming more self-sufficient would be to modify our lifestyles while still living in average houses. There are a number of easy things we can do to save energy and money.

Electronics and home appliances take up, on average, about twenty percent of your energy bills. These would include your computer, dryer, oven, and water heater etc. With every appliance you own there is a way in trying to reduce its energy consumption. Water heaters are one of the most electricity consuming appliances in your house. Taking shorter showers and lowering the water heating temperature are ways to save energy and lower your water heating bills. Instead of drying your clothes in the dryer try hanging them up more often. Turn off your computer when you’re not using it. There are so many easy little things we can do.

Solar panels are an excellent way of lessening your dependency on centralized sources of energy. Solar energy and is clean and renewable. It doesn’t cause pollution like most forms of electrical generation do. Although buying solar panels may seem pricey at first they will save you money in the long run. In some states there are even monetary incentives from the government that can reduce the cost. Some electrical companies will even buy the extra energy your solar panels produce.

With these small steps you may not be totally off the grid yet or leading the movement towards complete independency and sustainability but it’s a step; hopefully the many of first.

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