Leeward student and sustainability team are big winners

Winners of the first University of Hawaii President's Green Initiative Awards recognized

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
Kelli Abe Trifonovitch, (808) 228-8108
Director of Communications and Outreach
Posted: Mar 11, 2016

Scott Seu, Hawaiian Electric Companies, Christine Kaleiwahea, Leeward CC and President David Lassner
Scott Seu, Hawaiian Electric Companies, Christine Kaleiwahea, Leeward CC and President David Lassner
Leeward CC's award winning "Integrated Approach to Resource Recovery"
Leeward CC's award winning "Integrated Approach to Resource Recovery"

Link to video and sound (details below): http://bit.ly/1pls2as

The first winners of the University of Hawai‘i President’s Green Initiative Awards were honored in a ceremony today at the East-West Center as part of the fourth Hawai‘i Sustainability in Higher Education Summit. 

The top awards, presented by the Hawaiian Electric Companies with support from Johnson Controls, recognize student initiative, innovation, creativity and civic engagement in campus and community sustainability with cash prizes totaling $30,000.

UH President David Lassner said, “It is a great honor to celebrate the amazing work of our students, faculty and staff who are advancing sustainability across the UH system.  We are very grateful to the Hawaiian Electric Companies and Johnson Controls for helping us recognize this outstanding work, which is building a better future for the university and Hawaiʻi through sustainable innovations and practices.”

The winners of the University of Hawai‘i President’s Green Project Implementation and Green Student Leader Awards are:

Green Project Implementation Awards - for student-led sustainability projects with measurable outcomes.

  • E Ho῾opa῾iapuni Kākou: An Integrated Approach to Resource Recovery, Leeward Community College ($10,000 from the Hawaiian Electric Companies)

In support of student efforts to at Leeward Community College to develop a process to collect food waste on campus and turn it into high-quality organic fertilizer and compost for the campus farm.

  • Rescaling Urbanism, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa ($10,000 from Johnson Controls)

In support of applied research and design to develop an alternative framework of building, utilizing wood from the invasive albizia tree, for the sustainability of our island and our planet.

Green Student Leader Awards - for students who take on leadership roles in sustainability related activities.

  • Christina Kaleiwahea, Leeward Community College ($5,000 from the Hawaiian Electric Companies) In recognition of outstanding leadership in sustainability on campus through her roles as Leeward CC Sustainability Committee Member, STEM Club President, Student Government member and dedicated community volunteer.
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  • Jeff Kim, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa ($5,000 from Johnson Controls) In recognition of outstanding leadership in sustainability on campus through his role as Honolulu Chapter Leader of Citizens' Climate Lobby and his tireless advocacy and work in the community for divestment from fossil fuels.

"Sustainability is about unleashing our creative innovation to solve the problems created by a rapidly changing world for our communities," UH Sustainability Director Matthew K. Lynch said. "The President's Green Initiative Awards were created as a tool to help unleash the creativity that our students have and create pathways for great ideas to emerge."

Staff and faculty awards for outstanding teaching in sustainability, excellence in sustainable facilities management and collaboration for sustainability were also presented.  The winners are:

Outstanding Teaching in Sustainability 

  • Aaron Hanai, Instructor, Kapi‘olani Community College In recognition of commitment to develop and teach transformative sustainability curriculum in STEM at Kapi‘olani Community College.  
  • Aya Kimura, Associate Professor, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa In recognition of commitment to develop and teach transformative sustainability curriculum in women's studies at the University of Hawai‘i Mānoa.  

Excellence in Sustainable Facilities Management

  • Kevin Hand, UH Hilo Electrician In recognition of exemplary performance to improve energy-efficiency and reduce energy consumption at UH Hilo.

Outstanding Collaboration for Sustainability

  • David Strauch, Richard Criley, Roxanne Adams In recognition of outstanding collaboration by students, faculty and staff towards the internationally recognized accreditation of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa campus as an arboretum.

It was also announced today that UH Mānoa student McKenna Lewis had been selected as the receipient of the 2015-16 Alaska Airlines Environmental Endowed Scholarship for $1,600. The UH President’s Green Initiative Awards issued a call for nominations in November 2015 and the program was open to University of Hawai‘i students from across all 10 campuses. 

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Link to video and sound:  http://bit.ly/1pls2as

Soundbites:

Christina Kaleiwahea, student, Leeward Community College (winner of the $5,000 Green Student Leader Award and team leader for Leeward Community College, Green Project Implementation $10,000 Award winner) (:08)

“I’m passionate about a multitude of issues, but this is definitely the top priority because it umbrellas everything else that we do.”

Christina Kaleiwahea, student, Leeward Community College (winner of the $5,000 Green Student Leader Award and team leader for Leeward Community College, Green Project Implementation $10,000 Award winner) (:16)

“We want to capture 100 percent of Leeward’s food and hopefully paper waste as well, but we want this to perpetuate past the grant period. So we want to make it self-sustaining and that means fiscally.”

Jeff Kim, student, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (winner of the $5,000 Green Student Leader Award) (:16)

“I hate to put it this way because its life or death in many ways for us as a species.  I mean this might seem kind of dramatic, but in terms of the predictions that we’re seeing from the scientific community, that’s kind of what we’re facing if we don’t act very, very soon.”

B-roll
Leeward CC: Exterior x2
Cafeteria/kitchen x4
LCC Farm x7
Awards Ceremony x4