Hawaiʻi 2050 Sustainability Plan

100% Electricity Renewable Portfolio Standard

Location: Statewide

In 2015, Hawai‘i became the first US state to commit to achieving a 100% electricity renewable portfolio standard by 2045. Concurrently, the State of Hawai‘i established a similar energy goal for the University of Hawai‘i System to achieve net-zero energy use by 2035, meaning the university system would produce as much renewable energy as it consumes across its 10 campuses.

In July 2020, Leeward Community College generated 97% of energy through on-site photovoltaic systems, becoming one of the first net-zero campuses in the US. By January 2021, the University of Hawai‘i Maui College also became one the first campuses in the nation to generate 100% of its energy from on-site solar photovoltaic systems coupled with battery storage. The Hawai‘i State Energy Office also tracks and reports electricity purchased by State agencies as part of the “Lead by Example” initiative, and between 2005 and 2019, Hawai‘i State agencies reduced their electricity use by 17.5%.

Buildings account for almost 40% of global energy-related carbon dioxide and will play a major role in a sustainable transformation. Building energy codes covering new and existing buildings are the fundamental tool to drive this change. Overall, green buildings play an important role in sustainable development by reducing energy and waste consumption; conserving water; prioritizing the use of safer materials; and lowering exposure to toxins. Applying these principles locally in the design, construction, retrofitting, and operation in Hawai‘i's buildings will help transform local energy use, reduce GHG emissions, adapt to climate change, and create sustainable and thriving communities.

Waimea River Settlement

Location: Kaua‘i Island

All water in Hawai‘i is held as a public trust. This key feature of Hawai‘i law is an inheritance from Kānaka Maoli principles where private ownership of water was unthinkable. However, the state’s plantation legacy and a historic disregard for this public trust ethic means that water use often results in contentious, notoriously prolonged lawsuits. The 2017 Waimea Watershed Agreement stands out for being Hawai‘i’s first major water dispute resolved without litigation.

The case centered on Waimea River, which by 2013 had become extremely low and silt-filled due to upstream diversions. Pō‘ai Wai Ola (representing community members and cultural practitioners), the State Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC), the Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC), the Kekaha Agriculture Association (KAA), and the Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL) each had their own competing design for beneficial use of the river’s water.

However, at the suggestion of mediation by the State Commission on Water Resources, and with diligent effort by a communally respected figure, everyone came to agree that Waimea River should be allowed to flow mauka to makai (from the mountains to the ocean), and total diversion of the water must never happen again. This founding principle evolved into the first of the agreement’s “Statement of Guiding Principles,” and the Waimea Watershed Agreement was signed after a year of formal mediation.

The outcome ceded important wins to all stakeholders. Millions of gallons of water would be restored to Waimea River, allowing for minimum instream flows to support stream ecosystems and traditional cultural practices. Hawaiian homesteads on DHHL land in Waimea would have water specifically reserved for them for the first time since 1921. KIUC would have the opportunity to develop a pumped-storage hydro “battery” using water from Waimea River. And, ADC and KAA could continue utilizing existing ditch irrigation systems from the river for agriculture.

This remarkable feat of compromise and cooperation has been called “historic,” and it shows that by setting aside ultimatums, exhibiting empathy, and being willing to listen, even opposed parties can come to terms and a resolution found. 

Hā‘ena State Park

Location: Hā‘ena, Kaua‘i

According to the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, 10,424,995 tourists visited Hawaiʻi in 2019. Tourism is a major contributing sector of Hawaiʻi’s economy, but increased visitor numbers can also intensify strain on local communities and ecosystems. Sustainable tourism is often seen as a solution to address these effects.

Hāʻena State Park on Kauaʻi is a wahi pana (legendary place), wahi kapu (sacred place), and an area of ecological significance, but it is also one of Hawaiʻi’s busiest state parks. It struggled with overcrowding and vehicle congestion, so the park turned to its community in a collaborative process to lessen the impacts of tourism and reform the park’s management plan. The Hāʻena State Park Master Plan engagement coordinated with the community and developed a plan to balance recreational use with natural and cultural resource protection and restoration. Community stakeholders and cultural practitioners continue to have an important role in plan implementation and park management, including through a community advisory committee and a future cultural advisory group.

Other outcomes include a daily visitor limit of 900 (not counting cultural practitioners or special user groups), a parking reservation system for out-of-state visitors, and a new boardwalk through the park’s loʻi. While it took an unprecedented flood in 2018 and subsequent State emergency funding to fast-track these implementations, the Hāʻena State Park Master Plan became an example to mitigate tourism impacts to communities and provide a higher quality experience with the natural environment.

Wainiha Community Resiliency Center

Location: Wainiha, Kaua‘i

Hawai‘i is predicted to experience a hurricane every 16 years that is powerful enough to cause a FEMA disaster declaration. In fact, climate change is expected to increase this occurrence by causing stronger and more frequent hurricanes, and climate change will also exacerbate vulnerability to other natural disasters such as wildfires.

Isolated communities are especially vulnerable to natural disasters if vital roads become impassable, giving no access for emergency services to reach communities in the crucial hours and days after a disaster. In April 2018, this occurred when floods and landslides from record-breaking rainfall in Kaua‘i resulted in severe damage to roads, homes, and other structures. The communities of Hāʻena, Wainiha, and Hanalei on Kaua‘i’s North Shore were among those most impacted because the only highway built to connect these communities to the rest of the island was closed into 2019 due to critical damage from the floods.

To prevent similar disaster catastrophes in the future, the County of Kaua‘i is leading a collaborative initiative for a Wainiha Community Resiliency Center, which will service these North Shore communities before, during and after future disasters. Funded by appropriations for disaster relief from Act 35, Session Laws of Hawaiʻi 2019, the Wainiha Community Resiliency Center will include a commercial kitchen, supplies staging and storage space, and satellites offices for first responders and State Parks officials, as well as provide a community gathering space.

Honolulu Board of Water Supply

Location: O‘ahu Island

It’s estimated that Hawaiʻi will need 529 million gallons of fresh water a day from its aquifers in 2030. Kānaka Maoli have long respected water as a critical resource in their traditional laws, community organization, and religious beliefs. To ensure the sustainability of our island communities, similar care must be taken to protect freshwater sources.

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply is the largest groundwater user on Oʻahu, and their 2016 Water Master Plan is one initiative to ensure they can provide water sustainably. They are also part of the Hawaiʻi Fresh Water Initiative, a collaboration of government, academic, nonprofit, and private sector organizations to address water security. Based on the Hawaiʻi Fresh Water Initiative’s 2016 Blueprint for Action, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply aligned their Water Master Plan priorities with the blueprint’s 3 recommended focus areas: water conservation, aquifer recharge, and wastewater reuse. Examples of this in the Water Master Plan include a proactive leak detection team to reduce water loss and plans to expand the capacity of the Honouliuli Wastewater Recycling Facility to at least 16 million gallons a day.

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply also utilizes an advisory group for community feedback and representation, which was responsible for the inclusion of a dedicated water supply sustainability section in the plan. Together, this comprehensive planning and community involvement furthers the Honolulu Board of Water Supply’s mission to provide safe water for Oʻahu’s residents.

Wai‘anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center

Locations: Leeward Oʻahu

A March 2021 University of Hawaiʻi study found that during the COVID-19 global pandemic, 58% of Hawaiʻi families with children were food insecure, with 15% reporting that they did not have enough food in the past week. The study further found that 76% of families who identified as food insecure lost employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health Center (WCCHC) is one of several organizations tackling food insecurity in Oʻahu. With their “food is medicine” philosophy, WCCHC has implemented initiatives such as the “Double Bucks” Mākeke Farmers Market program for EBT/SNAP recipients and local produce prescriptions for patients with nutrition-related chronic diseases. Their work fills a critical need: food insecurity is a significant concern for the Waiʻanae Coast, and WCCHC distributed 250,000 pounds of food in 2019. Due to impacts from the COVID-19 global pandemic, 2.4 million pounds of food were distributed in March-December 2020 alone.

This increased community need caused WCCHC to acquire a larger warehouse facility to provide additional community assistance and provide food preservation and storage capabilities. This improved capacity was made possible due to support from private donors, federal CARES funding, and WCCHC’s long-standing partnerships with local farmers and food security organizations. WCCHC plans to establish an emergency food storage facility on the Waiʻanae Coast as well, although these plans were paused to focus on the demands brought on by the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Kō Hana Distillers

Location: Kunia, O‘ahu

Hawaiʻi depends largely on goods shipped in from out-of-state: for example, 85-90% of our food supply is sourced from outside of Hawaiʻi. However, this reliance leaves Hawaiʻi vulnerable as disasters and emergencies can disrupt supply chains.

The COVID-19 global pandemic rapidly highlighted Hawaiʻi’s vulnerability. In March 2020, the onset of intense demand for hand sanitizer created an enormous gap between the supply and demand of sanitizer. In response, Kō Hana Distillers, an Oʻahu distillery better known for its premium rum, and with the assistance of the State of Hawaiʻi, approached the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval to produce high-proof alcohol as a base for sanitizer from distilling Hawaiʻi-grown sugarcane. Other local businesses throughout Hawaiʻi joined Kō Hana by supplying bottles, labels, boxes, ingredients, oversight, and labor—completing the manufacturing process and, together, creating the first locally made, FDA-registered hand sanitizer in Hawaiʻi.

Within a few weeks, the sanitizer was ready for distribution and the State of Hawaiʻi, along with several nonprofits, helped coordinate the logistics to disperse bottles of sanitizer into the community as quickly as practical. First responders, hospitals, schools, kūpuna (grandparents, or those of the grandparents' generation), correctional facilities, and homeless all received donations. By December 2020, Kō Hana had locally produced over 50,000 gallons of hand sanitizer for the people of Hawaiʻi. The distillery also planted nearly 300 new acres of sugarcane, ensuring sanitizer remains a permanent addition to Hawaiʻi’s locally manufactured products.

Windward Zero Waste School Hui

Location: Windward O‘ahu

Decaying organic waste emits methane, a greenhouse gas with at least 28 times more global warming potential than carbon dioxide. There are also valuable nutrients in organic waste that are lost when it is sent to landfills or incinerators. Composting sequesters carbon and these nutrients from organic waste in the soil, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions while improving soil health.

The Windward Zero Waste School Hui is a nonprofit on Oʻahu working to reduce waste levels, recover these nutrients, and generate revenue for five Kailua-Kalāheo Complex schools through on-site composting. Siting compost production on school grounds eliminates waste transportation emissions and allows students to learn about soil science, ecology, environmental stewardship, and green careers. Windward Zero Waste School Hui also farms earthworms on the campuses for compost needs and sales, and compost and worms are sold to community members and local farmers.

In total, Windward Zero Waste School Hui composted 47,164 pounds of waste across the five schools in 2020 (note: this number is low due to COVID-19 pandemic school closures, since this organization previously composted 108,703 pounds of waste in 2019), and compost and worm sales generated $46,504—100% of which went directly to the schools. Windward Zero Waste School Hui’s compost programs provide additional revenue for greater student investment, a welcomed resource as schools face budget challenges and the number of economically disadvantaged students increases from the impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Hanauma Bay

Location: Hawai‘i Kai, O‘ahu

Coral, or koʻa, is the first species named in the Kumulipo (Hawaiian creation chant). This is one way Kānaka Maoli underpin the close relationship between life on land and sea. Coral’s cultural significance, along with its ecological and economic importance, is why the declining health of Hawaiʻi’s corals in the face of human pressures and climate change evokes great concern.

Hanauma Bay on Oʻahu is no different in facing this dual threat. The bay’s coral colonies face stress from multiple bleaching events and show reduced growth in areas of higher visitor disturbance. The COVID-19 global pandemic further demonstrated the effects of visitor traffic: after Hanauma Bay was closed for safety purposes in March 2020, water clarity improved by 64% and as much as 19.5 feet, larger fish were spotted in the reef, and there was a reported increase in endangered Hawaiian monk seal activity.

The bay’s closure also allowed the nonprofit Friends of Hanauma Bay, in partnership with DLNR-DAR’s Coral Restoration Nursery, to begin coral restoration to repair damage to the reef. When Hanauma Bay reopened in December 2020, the City and County of Honolulu implemented COVID-19 capacity limits, shortened operation hours, and closures two days a week, which allowed for a reopening while continuing reduced pressure on the coral reef. As the bay reopens further, visitor impacts can be monitored from a new baseline to determine the best mechanisms to steward a more thriving Hanauma Bay.

Moloka'i Homestead Farmers Alliance

Location: Ho‘olehua, Moloka‘i

According to a 2010 study by Gallup, social gathering places are the top driver of people’s attachment to their community. This conclusion reinforces the importance of fostering connection through placemaking and points to one way that Hawaiʻi’s strong social ties can be maintained as communities change over the coming decade.

In Hoʻolehua, Molokaʻi, the Lanikeha Community Center is the only large facility available for such social gatherings. Originally procured by the Molokaʻi Homestead Farmers Alliance (MHFA) for its kitchen to assist farmers in created value-added products, repeated interest led to it also becoming a focal location for a wide range of community events. To better meet community needs, the center was renovated in 2017 through a State grant to add features like a new stage, an upgraded certified kitchen, and solar panels.

With its titular focus on farmers, MHFA dedicates much work to assisting them in increasing their economic stability, but its efforts have since grown to include the community at large. After the COVID-19 global pandemic began, the Lanikeha Community Center hosted events such as toy giveaways, food distributions, and a monthly farmer’s market—not only lessening economic impacts but also buffering some of the pandemic’s social disruptions and helping the community remain connected. The Lanikeha Community Center is both reflective of and nurtures community members’ deep commitment to their home, and it is positioned—physically and figuratively—to become anything the community needs.

‘Āina Momona

Location: Ka‘amola, Moloka‘i

Molokaʻi is estimated to have supported a population of 10,500 people prior to European contact. Today the island is home to approximately 6,275 people, but the systems that once supported such a population size have been degraded by the impacts of climate change, land development, and colonization.

ʻĀina Momona is a Native Hawaiian nonprofit on Molokaʻi dedicated to rebuilding this community resilience through ancestral solutions and achieving environmental health and sustainability through four pillars: land, water, food, and restorative social justice. They are based at the Keawanui Fishpond and Cultural Learning Site where they manage the 55-acre loko i‘a and 8 acres of agricultural land. With support from public and private partners, their team of community members work to revitalize the land and restore traditional food systems; and, in partnership with Kamehameha Schools, they will be extending this stewardship and restoration to the overall Ka‘amola ahupua‘a.

Current work focuses on stabilizing the soil and sheltering the Cultural Learning Site and loko iʻa (Hawaiian fishpond) against climate change-induced storms and winds. ʻĀina Momona is collaborating with the Māla Kaluʻulu Cooperative to incorporate agroforestry on site with native species to restore traditional food systems, ensure ground water retention, and mitigate erosion. Their overall aim is to create self-determination opportunities for Molokaʻi residents while also creating a scalable model for community-led restoration for other areas similarly impacted by climate change, and to restore the Ka‘amola ahupua‘a to an ʻāina momona (abundant, fertile land) again.

Lāna‘i Community Health Center

Location: Lāna‘i City, Lāna‘i

Although Hawaiʻi is a top-ranked state in number of healthcare providers per capita, the fact remains that healthcare providers are distributed unevenly across the state and not everyone can afford healthcare. Increasing physical and financial access to healthcare for all residents will need to be a continued priority to ensure a sustainable Hawaiʻi.

As the island’s only Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), Lānaʻi Community Health Center (LCHC) has been a cornerstone of continual efforts to provide healthcare services to Lānaʻi’s residents. LCHC offers additional services like language translation, internet access, community wellness education, and assistance in applying for public benefits. Importantly, as an FQHC, all services are available for everyone regardless of ability to pay for medical care. Over three-fifths of LCHC’s patients are low-income, so having affordable access to primary and specialty health services and assistance in navigating the healthcare system is paramount for community members. LCHC further expands its reach to patients through its telehealth program, for which it has been nationally recognized.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, LCHC was designated to receive COVID-19 vaccine doses to increase access for underserved populations, and by June 2021, LCHC and other providers were able to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to nearly 70% of the island’s population. Although health inequalities still persist for Lānaʻi’s residents, LCHC remains committed to bringing care to and advocating for the needs of its patients in order to reduce those disparities.

Pacific Biodiesel

Location: Kahului, Maui

In 2017, ground transportation alone accounted for about 20% of Hawaiʻi’s greenhouse gas emissions. Meeting the State’s Zero Emissions Clean Economy Target will require significant reduction in this area, which in turn will require a multi-pronged approach of increasing multimodal active transportation, zero-emission vehicle use, and increased use of alternative fuels.

Maui-based Pacific Biodiesel is currently the only commercial biofuel producer in Hawaiʻi and the nation’s longest operating biodiesel producer, with locations on three islands. Pacific Biodiesel produces nearly 5.5 million gallons annually from waste oil, largely sourced through a community-based recycling program. The company collects and converts used cooking oil into renewable energy from over 900 local restaurants, hotels, and other food service operations. This diverts waste from landfills and provides locally-produced fuel that generates approximately 74% fewer lifetime greenhouse gas emissions than traditional petroleum diesel.

In order to support an end-to-end local production process, Pacific Biodiesel began a 115-acre project in 2017 to grow sunflowers to increase its local fuel source supply—and made history by being the largest biofuel crop project in the state of Hawaiʻi and the only biofuel farming operation in the state running on 100% renewable fuel. In 2019, the Hamakua Energy power generation facility, which provides up to 22% of Hawaiʻi Island’s generating capacity, diversified its fuel sourcing by using biodiesel fuel to reduce the facility’s dependence on fossil fuels and advance Hawaiʻi Island’s energy independence and energy security.

Ma Ka Hana Ka ‘Ike

Location: Hāna, Maui

From 2013 to 2017, 48.4% of Hawaiʻi-born residents who moved out-of-state did so for job-related reasons. This phenomenon, known as “brain drain,” is especially prevalent in younger residents, and evidence suggests that the types and availability of jobs outside of Hawaiʻi are a prime factor.

Ma Ka Hana Ka ʻIke (in working one learns) is the ʻŌlelo Noʻeau for the current-day educational term describing “experiential learning.” Ma Ka Hana Ka ʻIke is also a nonprofit providing youth vocational training through construction and agriculture apprenticeship programs. Past undertakings include constructing “age-in-place” modifications to kūpuna homes, restoring agricultural landscapes for community wellbeing, and ongoing revitalization of cultural and place-based practices, including ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) and Hāna regionalisms. 

Even after the COVID-19 global pandemic shut down in-person training, apprentices directed their own at-home projects to take ownership of their role in their families’ well-being. Overall, the organization’s focus is on fostering service, connection to community, and self-esteem in apprentices through community capacity-building, while giving them marketable skills and introduction to career pathways for success. Many apprentices remain in or return to Hāna after finishing their apprenticeships, with several becoming apprentice trainers themselves and other leaders in the community. Hence, Ma Ka Hana Ka ʻIke demonstrates the success of investing in community to sustain community, and the strength of a community’s ties to one another is key to its resiliency.

BRIDGES and DA BUX Programs

Location: Hawai‘i Island and Statewide

Hawaiʻi’s agricultural sector is predominantly small, family-owned farms and ranches, with over 60% of all operations making less than $10,000 in annual sales. To meet the State's target of doubling local food production by 2030, much work will be needed to support these families in scaling up production.

Farms and ranches on Hawai‘i Island make up nearly half of all state agriculture sales. Thus, when the COVID-19 economic crisis left producers hard-hit, the County of Hawai‘i partnered with the Hawai‘i Farm Bureau to create the Big Island Rural Agricultural Industries Distribution and Growing Enterprise Strategies (BRIDGES) Program: a dual-focus program to address the burgeoning food insecurity while supporting the island’s agricultural industry. The program received funding from multiple partners and lasted until December 2020. 

To provide more assistance, the State of Hawaiʻi temporarily expanded the “DA BUX” (Double Bucks) program—which matches SNAP recipients’ dollars up to $10 a day when buying local produce—and doubled this match to $25 a day and included the purchase of local ground beef and eggs. To permanently revise the DA BUX program, Act 177 was signed into law in 2021, removing the dollar-amount cap and allowing for local healthy proteins to be added to the program’s eligibility list. The success and popularity of these programs garnered awareness to ensure equitable food access and highlighted the importance of increasing market demand for local agricultural products in order to achieve doubling local food production by 2030.