How Hawaiʻi's Light Pollution Affects Wildlife and Humans
Wedge-tailed shearwater fledging season runs from early November to late December. That’s when hundreds of grounded birds are found on roads and in people’s yards in Hawai‘i each year.
Sustainability
Fires Consume More Hawaiʻi Forest in Recent Years
Fires burned more than 30,000 acres of forest and brushland in both 2018 and 2019 – far more than any other year in more than a decade.
Pandemic Changes Hawai‘i’s Energy Consumption: Who, When and How Much
The pandemic and resulting recession has transformed the way Hawai‘i uses energy: who consumes it, when and how much, says Scott Glenn, the state’s chief energy officer.
People and Places that Grow Hawai‘i’s Food
It seems everyone wants more locally grown food. Here are those making it happen: their successes, challenges and ideas about how to make Hawai‘i more self-sufficient in food. Alternately fought over and forgotten, land in Lualualei Valley has long served…
Kona Coffee Farmers Favor 100% Labeling Rule
These farmers want the Kona name to be reserved only for 100% Kona coffee.
Microgrids: A Different Way to Deliver Power
Imagine an electric grid that keeps your lights on while the rest of the island’s grid is dark during a natural disaster or outage. That’s the promise at Kahauiki Village, a community for formerly homeless families near Sand Island. The…
Three Ways to Pay Back Nature Before it Forecloses on Hawaiʻi
Imagine going to your favorite Hawai‘i beach, picnicking on the white sand and snorkeling over a reef teeming with yellow tang. Or hiking through a māmane reserve and hearing palila sing. How much should you pay for such experiences?
Plastics Ban: What’s Next
Local restaurants are seeking alternatives and worried about the costs, customer experiences and other challenges just as Oʻahu's new law restricting single-use plastics has business owners scrambling to comply.
Should Hawai‘i Become More Sustainable?
Here’s how we phrased the question: “People talk a lot about sustainability, the desire for Hawai‘i to produce what it needs in resources such as energy and food. How do you feel: Is it important for Hawai‘i to become more…
Making Koa Sustainable
The native tree is a vital part of Hawaiʻi's forests and watersheds, and prized by woodworkers and by Hawaiian cultural practitioners. The challenge is making koa sustainable for all of its valuable roles. https://vimeo.com/366353476 Video by Jeff Hawe Koa has…
Climathon Working Locally To Create Global Impact
Local Participation In Honolulu, a diverse group of stakeholders convened to design the first Climathon for Honolulu. The group determined that reducing the human impact of tourism in Honolulu would be a great target area to start. This year, participating…
Saving Discarded Food to Fight Hunger
Goodr: Startup profile No. 5 covering Elemental Excelerator’s latest cohort. Every year, an estimated 72 billion pounds of edible food ends up in landfills – and Goodr wants to rescue as much of it as it can to feed people…
Jupiter Intelligence Shows Companies How Climate Change Will Impact Them
Startup profile No. 3 covering Elemental Excelerator’s latest cohort. Jupiter Intelligence uses human and artificial intelligence to help companies look into the future and see the potential impact of climate change on their businesses. “The world needs that kind of…
Amply Makes It Easier for Fleets to Convert to Electric Vehicles
Startup profile No. 4 covering Elemental Excelerator’s latest cohort. Amply, part of Elemental Excelerator’s latest cohort, aims to remove one of the biggest challenges that fleet operators face when switching to electric-powered vehicles. “If you’re doing electric-vehicle charging, it’s a…
Elemental Excelerator Announces Its Latest Cohort
Hawaii Business Magazine will profile five of the startups over the next few days Elemental Excelerator, a global clean technology accelerator based in downtown Honolulu, today announced $6 million in funding for the 17 startups that comprise its latest cohort.…
Blue Ocean Barns Fights Climate Change with Seaweed
Startup profile No. 1 covering Elemental Excelerator’s latest cohort. Cattle are a major source of methane, but Blue Ocean Barns says its seaweed-based feed additive for cows will reduce their formation and emission of that powerful greenhouse gas. “Blue Ocean…
Order Food Direct from O‘ahu Farmers
Farm Link Hawai‘i: Startup profile No. 2 covering Elemental Excelerator’s latest cohort. Farm Link Hawai‘i lets stores, restaurants and consumers connect to farmers on O‘ahu, order food and then have it delivered. Farm Link founder Rob…
How to Increase Visitor Spending
Millions of tourists come to Hawai‘i and venture beyond the resort areas – crowding our parks, beaches, hiking trails, roads and more. But in 2019, total inflation-adjusted visitor spending actually declined, which means there was no extra money to fix this worn infrastructure. Here are three ways to turn that problem around.
Finally Tackling a Crappy Situation
Hold your nose if you must but don’t look away if you love the ocean or swim in it. This story is about cesspools in Hawaiʻi, a problem that was kicked down the road for decades but one we are…
A New Way for Electricity
The business model for electric utilities is almost 100 years old. Some energy experts say Hawai‘i is a pioneer in creating a 21st century business model that will mean more clean energy, lower rates, greater efficiency and better customer service.…
B Corps: "Business as a Force for Good"
Local leaders explain the benefits of becoming a B Corp hat do international corporations like Patagonia and Seventh Generation have in common with local companies like Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods and Pono Home? They are part of a global network…
Green Hawaii 2019
The path toward sustainability starts with each of us. OUR MESSAGE IN GREEN HAWAII SIMPLE: The path toward sustainability starts with each of us. A business, nonprofit organization, family and individual can each do their part to promote a greener…
Natural Environment: Saving an Essential Part of Hawaiʻi
Here are five stories on how we can prepare for the present and the future, and what individuals, businesses, nonprofits and governments are doing to protect our natural environment.