Welcome to Malama Honua

Manoa Students have put together this presentation to give the campus community a better idea of what UH Manoa is doing to become a more sustainable, environmentally responsible campus.

View the presentation here!

UHM Semester of Sustainability Kick-Off Event--Spring 2012

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012
11:30 - 2:00pm
Manoa Campus Center Ballroom

CAPT. CHARLIE MOORE, DISCOVERER OF THE NORTH PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH,
TO SPEAK AT SUSTAINABILITY KICK-OFF AT UH-MANOA

See event flyer here.

A coalition of sustainability and environmental groups will converge at the University of Hawaii-Manoa's Campus Center Ballroom on Tue., Jan. 17, from 11:30-2:00,  to launch the Semester of Sustainability Kick-Off. The keynote speaker will be Captain Charles Moore, the founder of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation who discovered the North Pacific Garbage Patch.  Moore will be talking about his new book Plastic Ocean and his research about the growing amount of plastic marine pollution in the Garbage Patch and the world's oceans.

Sustainable UH is hosting the event in conjunction with the KYA Sustainability Studio, the Surfrider Foundation, the UHM Sustainability Corps, the Kokua Hawaii Foundation and the Ecology Club.These and other organizations are coordinating to develop partnerships, recruit members, and share upcoming activities, projects and campaigns. Students and members of the community will learn about the rich history of - and new plans for - sustainability initiatives from UHM students, faculty, and administration.

Building on Capt. Moore's talk about marine plastic pollution, the coalition will announce a new initiative to join the Rise Above Plastics (RAP) Campaign and make UHM a plastic-free campus. The RAP Campaign is working to pass a statewide bill to reduce single-use plastic and paper bags.

CONTACT:
Nicole Ferguson, Sustainable UH, (808) 388-3809, nrf@hawaii.edu

FloWater will shortly be arriving on campus to provide students, staff, and faculty with a filtered water bottle refill option in an effort to discourage plastic water bottle use. The short video below gives an overview of why we are doing this and how you can help.

UH Mānoa is one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S. and Canada, according to The Princeton Review. The well-known education services company selected UH Mānoa for inclusion in the just-released second annual edition of “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 311 Green Colleges: 2011 Edition.”
 
UH Mānoa joins the ranks of outstanding universities and colleges that are leading the “green” movement through special programs and initiatives.  Says the guide about the flagship campus in the University of Hawai‘i system, “Students, faculty, and staff at this environmental research powerhouse are saying goodbye to energy waste, climate change, and greenhouse gases, and hello to a future as a leader in Asia-Pacific sustainability.”
 
Some of UH Mānoa’s green highlights include the creation of a Mānoa Sustainability Corps, whose members meet regularly to oversee green initiatives on campus, and the implementation of Mānoa Green Days to reduce energy use in buildings. Students also actively participate in the Help Us Bridge (HUB) group, which is working to establish the University as a world leader in sustainable research, practices and education. A major effort is a commitment to reduce energy use at Mānoa by 30 percent by 2012.  
 
 Said Chancellor Virginia S. Hinshaw, “This honor recognizes the successful campus-wide collaboration developed among UH Mānoa students, faculty and staff to reduce our energy usage.  UH Mānoa takes its leadership role in sustainability research, education and practices very seriously because environmental health tremendously affects Hawai‘i and the rest of the world.”  
 
Created by The Princeton Review in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 311 Green Colleges” is the only free, comprehensive guidebook profiling institutions of higher education that demonstrate a notable commitment to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation.  Schools were selected for inclusion based on a survey of hundreds of college administrators, who were polled in 2010 about sustainability initiatives.  
 
The free guide may be downloaded at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide.aspx and www.centerforgreenschools.org/greenguide.

In October, the University of Hawai'i hosted the Education & Government eWaste Disposal Days, an electronic recycling event to provide a 3-day opportunity for free earth-friendly disposal of computers and other unwanted electronics by the university. Click here to learn more about 2010 facts and statistics.