For the second year in a row, the University of Hawaii has won the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism’s Hawaiʻi Green Event Award for its work in hosting the Hawaiʻi Sustainability in Higher Education Summit. Representatives from the summit planning team received the award Friday at the state Capitol.
The Hawaiʻi Sustainability in Higher Education Summit took place Feb. 26-28 at UH-Manoa and drew more than 200 faculty and staff members, students and administrators from UH’s 10 campuses who are committed to improving sustainability across the UH system. The summit consisted of sessions and activities where participants took part in establishing sustainability goals and developing action plans.
Participants also took part in a service learning project at Ka Papa Loʻi o Kanewai, the taro patch off Dole Street.
The summit also implemented "green" practices by eliminating paper handouts and plastic bottles and cups, and by composting food waste.
TMT injunction hearing is set for Sept. 18
A Hilo circuit judge has scheduled a hearing for Sept. 18 on a motion for a preliminary injunction halting construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea.
East Hawaii residents Kaniu Kinimaka-Stocksdale and Mike Yellen are requesting the injunction as part of a legal challenge to the University of Hawaii’s authority to grant subleases to observatories on Mauna Kea.
A motion to dismiss the lawsuit was filed by attorneys representing UH, the Board of Land and Natural Resources and the Office of Mauna Kea Management. That motion will be heard Aug. 19, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports.
The lawsuit argues the state cannot sublease the mountain’s summit because it is "crown land," in reference to lands the Hawaiian monarchy directly owned and were transferred to the United States following annexation. Plaintiffs say that subleasing the land is a violation of the Hawaii Homestead Act of 1920.
Power plant fueled by albizia delays startup
A $90 million power plant that will burn albizia chips needs at least another two months before it can go online, the Garden Island reports. The turbine that converts steam into electricity is not as efficient as it should be, said plant manager Randolph Singer.
The facility was originally expected to be on the grid in April.
"It’s not a big deal from our standpoint," said Jim Kelly, spokesman for Kauai Island Utility Cooperative. "This is the time to work out the bugs."
The plant, near Knudsen Gap, will generate about 11 percent of the island’s electricity — enough to power 8,500 households and replace about 3.7 million gallons of imported oil annually.
