Where do you see Hawaii’s energy future?
Last month, The Hawaii Independent turned its focus on Hawaii’s food future. We looked at the numbers, spoke with farmers and restaurant owners, and heard from our readers. And what the dialogue pointed to was a very bad situation for Hawaii’s agricultural lands and many obstacles for our small farmers and business owners who want to ensure that we can feed our future residents. But what our “Feeding the Future” forum at Fresh Cafe helped bring to light was that it’s not an entirely hopeless situation. There are still a lot of people in Hawaii who are willing to create a dialogue for change and, more importantly, take action.
While our attention for food and agriculture isn’t over, The Hawaii Independent would like to turn its spotlight toward energy for the month of July and create that same kind of inspired dialogue. And we need your help to guide the conversation.
What do you do to conserve energy?
What do you think are Hawaii’s most pressing energy issues?
Are Hawaii businesses, organizations, and individuals on the right path in terms of reducing our energy consumption?
What do you see as Hawaii’s best source of alternative energy?
Will Hawaii reach its 2030 goal of 70 percent clean energy? Why or why not? And more importantly, at what cost?
Our goal for the next month will be to describe the obstacles, propose solutions, and get Hawaii’s people to participate in the energy dialogue.
Later this month, a four-evening event organized by the Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii will bring together experts and concerned citizens alike in a roundtable conversation on Hawaii’s energy future on July 11, July 18, July 25, and August 1 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Democratic State Headquarters in Ward Warehouse.
July 11—Energy Independence: A Plan For The Future
Estrella Seese, DBEDT’s State Energy Office
Robert Harris, Hawaii Sierra Club
Henry Curtis, Life of the Land
Richard Ha, Kuo’ko’a
Ray Starling—Hawaii Energy
July 18—Power Vision: Hawaiian Electric and Hawaii Solar Industry
Robbie Alm, Hawaiian Electric
Mark Duda, Hawaii Solar Industry Association
Kristine Kubat, Moku Power
July 25—Big Cable & Big Wind: The Plan, The Questions, The Concerns
Gerald Sumida, Chair Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative
Estrella Seese and Maria Tome, State Energy Office
Robin Kaye, Friends of Lanai
Additional Speaker Pending
August 1—Fuel For The Future: Biofuels, Geothermal, What’s Next?
Kelly King, Pacific Bio Diesel
Robbie Cabral, Innovations Development Group
Jeff Mikulina, Blue Planet
Additional Speaker Pending
In the meantime, here are some energy saving tips from the Hawaiian Electric Company to keep cool during these hot summer months.
1. When air conditioning is necessary, set the thermostat at the warmest comfortable setting. Each degree above 75 degrees saves you approximately 3 percent of the energy used to cool your home.
2. Run ceiling fans to help circulate cool air rather than lowering the thermostat temperature.
3. Keep cool air in by closing doors and windows when the a/c is on.
4. Shade a/c units with trees to increase their efficiency, but avoid blocking air flow around the condenser.
5. To block the afternoon sun, plant medium-sized trees on the west side of your home. Hang awnings or blinds or install tinting film on south and west facing windows.
6. Grow shrubs and groundcover plants near driveways, sidewalks, and lanais to reduce heat radiation.
7. Install Energy Star qualified lighting, computers, printers, copiers, electronics, and appliances, which use less energy and produce less heat so you can reduce your air conditioning load.
To check out Hawaiian Electric Company’s updated “Cool Tips for Home and Work” brochure, visit Hawaiian Electric’s Customer Service Centers and all eight City Mill locations on Oahu. Or download a copy at www.heco.com. For a copy by mail, call (808) 543-7511.
For more information on energy conservation and energy solutions, visit HawaiiEnergy.com.