Mayor puts energy sustainability in focus

• 15 years ago

MEDIA RELEASE

Mayor Billy Kenoi today urged residents to join the County of Hawai‘i in its focus on increasing energy sustainability practices throughout our Island. Mayor Kenoi spoke at a press conference today in Hilo.

The County of Hawai‘i has embarked on a wide range of energy sustainability initiatives and programs that are part of a comprehensive approach to the environment that is unprecedented on the county level. Some of these were begun with past administrations, but others are being initiated now as the County commits to increasing awareness of the need for energy sustainability and reducing our environmental impact for generations to come in Hawaii.

“If we don’t pay attention to these kinds of energy sustaining initiatives today, we won’t have a tomorrow to hand to our keiki,” said Mayor Kenoi. “We must commit ourselves to a healthy future.

“I call on every resident of our island, every home, business and family, to think seriously about how they can apply good environmental practices, be more energy efficient and to take at least one positive step toward sustainability.”

Throughout the County, many programs (fact sheet attached) are taking place that put Hawai‘i County on the forefront of energy sustainability practices. These programs, when taken as a whole, are impressive in their scope and vision for our island.

First, a few facts we’re proud of:

• The County leads the state in renewable energy generation with 32 percent of the total power generated.
• All 19 County of Hawai‘i fire stations are equipped with solar water heating.
• Seven hybrid County vehicles were purchased since 2007.

Some we need to work on:

• Hawai‘I County imports 70 percent of the fuel we use to produce electricity, 76 percent of our total material goods, 85 percent of our food, and 99.9 percent of our transportation fuel.
• The County accounts for 7 percent of the island’s total energy consumption.

What we have to work with:

• The County maintains 926.75 miles of streets and roads, occupies over 1.1 million square feet of office and building space, and uses 1.5 million gallons of fuel to run 953 County vehicles, including 53 buses.

What the County is doing:

• The Mayor’s Energy Advisory Commission is being filled with new appointees who will propose creative ways to meet the energy demands of our County, businesses and residents and to make our island more energy self-sufficient. A list of qualified nominees to the Commission is under review. Nominees do not need to be confirmed by the County Council. The Commission is expected to begin meeting next month.
• The County has joined with the state’s Hawai‘i Energy Initiative, committing to the reduction of fossil-fuel energy consumption from 70 percent of the total energy used on the island to 30 percent by 2030.
• On Earth Day, April 22, the Mayor’s office announced the formation of the Hawai‘i County Green Team, employees who have volunteered to scour the County to find ways to save on energy costs, reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels and protect our environment.
• The County expects to receive a $737,800 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for such projects as energy efficient street lights, conducting energy audits and conservation programs for county facilities.
• The County has adopted the Model Energy Code bill that requires new construction and remodels to be more energy efficient through the use of reflective materials, insulation and large eaves to conserve energy.
• We are currently interviewing prospective candidates for the position of Energy Specialist in the Department of Research and Development.
• The County is currently preparing 21 parking stalls for plug-in electric vehicles at the Hilo County Building which is currently being renovated, and 14 stalls at the West Hawai‘i Civic Center, which is currently under construction. When the type of wiring and plugs needed for refueling with electricity are determined, they can be installed without tearing up sidewalks or the parking lot.

Building on past progress

• The County’s Energy Program continues to monitor a contract to reduce energy consumption at the Hilo Public Safety Building and Kona Police Station. Now in its seventh year, this project has generated over $1 million in savings through retrofitting of the lights and air conditioning units.
• The Hawai‘i County Energy Sustainability Plan was completed in October 2007 and accepted by then-Mayor Kim in early 2008. The plan included a broad evaluation of the county’s energy supply and demand, and serves as a roadmap for the county’s future.
• The policy of the Department of Public Works is to include photovoltaic systems in all new construction projects and roof replacement bid specifications where applicable.
• A 100 kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic system will be installed shortly as part of the renovations to the County Building in Hilo.
• A second major photovoltaic system (400 kW) will be installed on the new West Hawai`i Civic Center.
• The County’s Zero Waste policy and Zero Waste Implementation Plan call for reducing, reusing and recycling and the creation of “green” jobs.

Also this year

• Mayor Kenoi has supported Bike-to-Work, Earth Day, Earth Hour and the Nike Reuse-a-Shoe program in which the Fire Department and Department of Environmental Management collected more than 4,000 athletic shoes for recycling, to encourage everyone to make their own plans for energy conservation and sustainability.
• All of these initiatives are part of the administration’s commitment to preserving Hawaii Island’s beauty and maintaining the quality of life here that our families and visitors enjoy.