Day 6 - Prep for College and Beyond!!

For our last day of the Fall 2011 Hawai'i Green Collar Institute we met at Leeward Community with Auli'i Silva, coordinator extraordinaire of Hālau ‘Ike o Pu‘uloa. We were joined by past HGCI participants, both educators and participants learning about where we take our new knowledge about green collar jobs, be it to education or the workforce. First we were joined by  Jeffrey Matsu, Lead Researcher, Hawaii Green Jobs Initiative, State DLIR who presented what the state of Hawai'i's research on green jobs and the services they have to support green job-seekers.

College Planning

Next we had presentations from Sheryl Higa: College Recruiter on “How to Choose a College That’s Just Right For You.” Nicole Keim-Fortuno: Counselor, Developmental English “Seven Things I Wish I Knew When I Started College.”

Wow, there is A LOT to think about; what kind of college am I looking for, what do I need to do to apply to college, what colleges and employers are looking for.

Career Planning

Aulii Silva, Coordinator at Hālau ‘Ike o Pu‘uloa, spoke with us about how to jump starting your “Green Career” during college. Finding a mentor, be it in school, through a program, any one of the HGCI staff, is a crucial component to success. I was surprised to find out how much opportunity there is for grants and funding for school. Layering funding from different entities, federal, private, work study, etc. College IS possible!!

After a full morning, we feasted on a delicious lunch prepared by Mark Ka'aha'aina. We were lucky to have Leeward CC Students in Green Degree Programs candidly speak with us about their experiences in school from what the favorite and least favorite classes (I liked that Kalani's were both physics), how they afford school, and more. We wish we had even more time to talk with them.  

Mahalo to all the speakers today, who helped us learn more about "the next steps," speakers all week who introduced us to new green collar job opportunities, and the wonderful students who spent their fall intersession with us. We look forward to seeing everyone in upcoming events and HGCI reunions!!

Day 5 - Wrapping up in the classroom

We returned back to the classroom after our tour at Oceanic and feasted on a Hawaiian lunch prepared by Mark Ka'aha'aina. It was so 'ono!  (No pictures again, shucks!)

Then we heard from Mr. Howard Killian of the U.S. Army and the Ordnance Reef Hawaii project spoke to us about the disposed munitions from World War II that are in the ocean waters all over the Hawaiian Islands, including along the Wai'anae Coast. While they aren't as dangerous as unexploded ordnance, they still should be handled with care, especially because they are more than 60 years old and deteriorating in the water. He showed us some cool videos showing robots picking up ordnance from hundreds of feet deep. Several marine scientists are working on this project along with the robot, who makes their job safer.

Then we all got to fill out a post-survey (yippee!) as well as complete our journal assignments. The reward was having cupcakes and singing "happy birthday" to several of our classmates. Hau'oli la hanau!

Day 5 - It's all about energy!

Today we heard from a variety of interesting speakers on the topic of alternative energy and energy conservation.  Our first speaker was Mr. Kalani Ruiz, who was in a previous HGCI program. He works full-time for Nissan and is also a student at Leeward Community College studying mechanical engineering. His presentation on electric cars and his summer project was really interesting. So interesting that we didn't think of getting our cameras out to take pictures!

Next we heard from Tamba and Ivy from Blue Planet Foundation. They gave a high energy presentation on why we need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and get with the program on alternative energy!  They also pointed out easy ways we can help to conserve energy, particularly by switching out incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent or LED bulbs.

After that we hopped on a bus to visit Oceanic Cable Time Warner in Mililani. We were pretty much blown away with all they are doing to be green by having a LEED Gold certified building with a huge PV parking lot. Brian Kealoha of Chevron Energy Solutions helped arrange this tour by the top executives of Oceanic.

They talked to us about ways they capture storm water and let it filter underground in a system that cleans out the toxins before the water is released downhill, eventually ending up in the ocean.

We saw the parking lot with shade provided by PV panels. Not only do the panels generate energy, they also extend the life of the asphalt as well as keep cars cool.

Inside the building, we learned that the carpeting is "green," too. It's put together in removable square so that if any place needs to be replaced, you just need to take out the square and not the entire carpet. That would save a lot of resources and reduce waste going into the landfill or H-Power.

Even the chairs they give to employees are good for the environment and people. They are ergonomic and made of recycled plastic. They sure were comfortable!

Certain types of plants that clean the air of harmful chemicals are strategically placed throughout the building.

Also throughout the building are little signs that explain what's "green" about a particular feature of the building. This is an educational tool to help the employees and visitors understand why things are a certain way and how they are helping the environment.

Another educational tool is the monitor at the entrance of the building that shows, in real time, the energy that is being produced by the PV panels, how much energy is being consumed, and other information that helps people understand how the building is helping them become a green business.

Today was the first time most of us had been in a LEED Gold building and this experience made us want to see what more we can do at school and in our homes to become more sustainable.

Day 4 - Going up mauka to Wai'anae Kai

Today was a day to get our hands real dirty and help to save our native forests. We also learned a lot about working hard together to get big jobs done -- teamwork!  Here we are looking nice and clean before we got started.

Scott Lynch of the Wai'anae Mountains Watershed Partnership took us on a fun adventure to Wai'anae Kai Forest Reserve. Our task was to help keep the fuel load down (e.g. clearing dry brush and pruning trees) and keep a firebreak clear. Fires, which are not generally a natural occurrence in Hawai`i, often start from the lowlands (by people) and move on up the mountain, taking out native species along the way. Maintaining a fire break helps to protect the upland forests.

With some light hand tools, we were off to work!  It was hot and sticky but that didn't stop  us from getting a lot of work done.

Another challenge they face here is having cattle break through fences and run into the forests. We saw a calf being urged back into the neighboring ranch by our new friend, Mr. Fuller. That was quite a surprise!

As it was pretty hot and we were working hard, we had to take breaks now and then. We really got to appreciate fresh water, which is what the forest watershed protects. It was nice to see folks sharing water.

How do we look in our "after" shots?  Pretty awesome!  Thanks, Scott, for the rewarding day.

Day 3 - Waikiki Aquarium, here we come!

We continued our day at the Waikiki Aquarium to learn about the ocean's resources and jobs that care for them.   We received an excellent overview from Mary Roney and then got to see the exhibits. For many of us, it was the first visit to the aquarium. The exhibits were great!

Look at the size of this grouper fish!

We'll have many great memories of the Waikiki Aquarium. Mahalo to all who helped us get there.

Day 3 - A Visit to Leeward Community College

We took a special trip to Leeward Community College to see what college life is like.  First we stopped at the organic garden, which is part of the coursework offered by the Halau 'Ike O Pu'uloa. Students get to have their own row to plant and test out different techniques.

After that we were able to observe different classes and pretend we were LCC students for 30 minutes. We were invited to classes in Hawaiian Studies, oceanography, environment and ecology, and cuilinary arts. It was really fun!

The counselors at the Halau 'Ike O Pu'uloa encouraged us to look seriously at applying to Leeward Community College and get 1:1 help on planning a course of study. It certainly sounded appealing.

We finished our tour at the job and career fair organized by LCC's Job Placement Services office. There were many booths there, including one from Malama Learning Center!

Day 2 - Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling Wastes

Today we looked into ways waste can be minimized in small and big ways, and the jobs that are involved in the field of waste management.

Our hands were busy making worm bins for vermiculture (recycling food waste using composting worms). It was a bit of a messy task but seeing how busy the worms were motivated us to give them more food and space.

Janice Staab gave a lot of good tips on how to keep the worms happy by giving them the 3 Ds -- darkness, dampness, and dinner!

The next project was making compost bins that don't use worms. We reused wood pallets as the foundation for the bins.  Sayo Costantino knows a lot about building compost bins and made the work fun.

After all this work, we created quite an appetite. It's a good thing chef Jason at the John A. Burns School of Medicine's Kuhio Grill cafeteria prepared a hearty lunch for all of us. It was helpful to hear how he got started as a chef and how he tries to cook food that is healthy and uses locally grown products.

Just down the block is ReUse Hawai`i, a quickly growing non-profit organization in Kaka`ako that takes in potential waste from de-construction projects and makes them available for sale to the public at a low price. There we found materials to complete our compost bins for only $20.

And finally, we ended up back on the Leeward Coast at PVT landfill in Lualualei Valley. PVT takes the bulk of construction waste on O`ahu. Our guide told us about how they separate materials from the waste for recyclables, shred and grind the remaining products, and create new landfill cells. It's quite an involved and expensive process.

We sure learned a lot today!  Mahalo to all the speakers who helped us learn more about waste management and the jobs that help take care of our `aina.