My Job Is Restoring Maunalua Bay to Its Full Health
Alex Awo hopes work on the estuary can serve as a model for future environmental advocates across Hawaiʻi and beyond
Sustainability
Excellence in Business and Charitable Giving
First Hawaiian Bank’s 1,961 employees contributed 7,362 hours of their own time and $886,450 of their own money through a giving program called Kōkua Mai, with participation above 99%.
Wahine Mālama ʻĀina
Mālama ‘āina is the Hawaiian values-based practice of caring for, protecting and honoring the natural world. For this year’s Wahine issue, Hawaii Business Magazine recognizes five women doing vital work to steward Hawai‘i’s land and ocean — from conserving culturally and ecologically significant sites and mitigating invasive pests to restoring coral reefs and revitalizing the traditional ahupua‘a system.
FHB Foundation Awards $25,000 Grant to Center for Marine Debris Research
Funds come at crucial time for the Honolulu center that aims to recycle tons of fishing nets and other debris removed from oceans around Hawaiʻi. Center was a victim of slashed federal funding for science programs.
New Soil Lab Helps Rejuvenate the ʻĀina
Makali‘i Metrics is blending advanced technology with ʻike (traditional Hawaiian knowledge) to support farmers and land stewards.
Race Randle, The Builder
If Tadashi Yanai is the billionaire at the center of Maui’s water controversy, Race Randle is the local executive who has become one of its most visible participants.
Making Climate Action Work for Hawai‘i
From clean energy financing to brave-space conversations, Climate Hawai‘i is helping businesses and communities see sustainability not as a sacrifice but as a strategy.
West Maui Advocates Seek to Make Water a Public Resource
As West Maui recovers from fires and storms, residents call for public control of water systems—aiming to restore stream flow, protect the island’s future and honor ancestral stewardship.
The Trash on Hawai‘i's Beaches Tells a Global Story
Tons of plastic trash wash up on Hawaiʻi beaches every day. Forensic scientists using chemical analysis and other means to trace the sources say 80% is abandoned fishing gear from global fleets in the Pacific. Here's what comes next.
EXCLUSIVE: Over 50 High-Profile Hawaiʻi Companies Push for Affordable Energy with LNG
More than 50 of Hawaiʻi’s leading organizations have called for immediate action to lower energy costs by replacing petroleum with Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). The Coalition for Hawaiʻi’s Energy Future brings together Native Hawaiian leaders, healthcare providers, agricultural groups, tourism…
Meet the Sustainability Entrepreneurs Putting Hawai‘i Refill Stores on the Map
141 million tons of plastic packaging are produced globally each year. These local refill storefronts offer a low-waste solution.
Worming Toward a Greener Future
The food scraps and leftovers you normally throw away can be turned into new soil or fertilizer and soil conditioner.
A Master Woodworker Makes Furniture That Endures
At his woodworking shop in Hālawa, Dae Son turns local hardwoods into custom furniture.
Simonpietri Enterprises Turns Demolition and Construction Waste into Energy
2024 SmallBiz Editor’s Choice Award winner: President Joelle Simonpietri helps supply O‘ahu with renewable gas and jet fuel, with new ventures on the way.
These Eco-Friendly Surfboards Are Made from Invasive Trees
Bizia Surf sources unwanted albizia wood to make alaias and other hand-crafted boards.
Honolulu Harbor Isn’t Ready for Climate Change
But the new Kapālama Container Terminal is the first step in an ambitious plan to create a more resilient port and cope with a rising ocean.
Cesspools Are Killing Hawai‘i’s Coral – But It Doesn’t Have to Be That Way
An expert explains how to reverse the damage from the state’s 83,000 cesspools, including using treated wastewater for irrigation and landscaping.
Hawai‘i’s Sustainability Heroes 2023
Climate change has raised the stakes for Hawai‘i and communities around the world. That’s why we are sharing six stories of people and companies that are taking significant climate action.
Hawai‘i’s Sustainability Heroes: Elemental Excelerator
The climate-tech accelerator helps fund food, energy and transportation solutions in Hawai‘i and around the world.
Hawai‘i’s Sustainability Heroes: Pono Pacific
The company is on a mission to conserve land, save native species, promote food security and develop renewable energy from agriculture.
Hawai‘i’s Sustainability Heroes: Shifted Energy
The company uses machine learning to optimize energy use, with a focus on multifamily and rental buildings.
Hawai‘i’s Sustainability Heroes: Makena Coffman
The UH Mānoa professor is an energy and climate policy expert focused on reducing carbon emissions, especially in the transportation sector.
Hawai‘i’s Sustainability Heroes: Blue Planet Foundation
Among its recent legislative wins is a law that extends efficiency standards to toilets, water coolers, ventilating fans and other products.
Hawai‘i’s Sustainability Heroes: Pono Home
The company helps homeowners and renters reduce their energy and water waste, while saving customers $6.3 million a year.