Hawaii has announced a new commitment to sustainable living
technology, declaring that the state will transform both private and public
transportation to completely renewable fuel sources by 2045. Hōkūleʻa, the
Polynesian Voyaging Society, hosted the state's four mayors from the City and
County of Honolulu, Maui County, Hawaiʻi County and Kauaʻi County aboard a
canoe in mid-December.
There they signed proclamations declaring their goal.
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, Maui County Mayor Alan
Arakawa, Kauaʻi County Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho Jr. and Hawaiʻi County
Managing Director Wil Okabe (representing Mayor Harry Kim) met with Master
Navigator Nainoa Thompson in Pōkaʻī Bay. Hōkūleʻa has special significance in
regards to transportation.
Fast Company reports that the voyaging canoe made a
highly publicized trip in June of 2017, using only traditional navigation tools
to make their way around the world. The choice of location was a symbolic
gesture to Hawaii's history.
“The stakes are too high for Oʻahu, as well as the rest of
our state. We have to change our path,” Caldwell told reporters. “With this
announcement we want to send a message that we welcome the next phase of
Hawaiʻi’s clean energy transformation, which will not only reduce our carbon dioxide
emissions and fossil fuel imports, but will also ensure a more resilient
future.”
Caldwell also wrote in his post for Fast Company that the new commitment to renewable
transportation was building on Hawaii's efforts towards sustainability.
Though the state has been working to green their grid, 24
percent of the state's fossil fuel consumption goes to ground transportation,
and a quarter of their greenhouse gas emissions. Living on an island make the
population even more aware of the threats posed by climate change and a rising
ocean tide. Different sectors have been making commitments to combat these
numbers for years.
Honolulu has already committed to making their bus system
electric by 2035, and has one of the highest ridership rates in the nation.
Maui and Kaua'i have also joined the pledge to improve their public
transportation and switch to electric.
“It is vitally important that we chart a new course that
steers us away from fossil fuel use and carbon emissions in our ground
transportation,” said Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa. “The goals we are
setting today are not only desirable, but attainable, and help send a message
that Maui County and Hawaiʻi are open for innovation to help ensure the greater
health of our communities and the planet as a whole.”
This band of mayors isn't coming out of nowhere. In 2015,
Hawaii's governor signed four energy bills into law that set 2045 as the
benchmark for when the state’s utilities must generate 100 percent of their
electricity sales from renewable energy resources.
The decision was made to save money, cut off fossil fuel
imports, and give folks who don't own their own homes a chance to save money on
their electric bill. While overarching legislation is an important motivator in
the fight against climate destruction, innovation often depends on the work of
local government and businesses. Hawaii's mayors have heard the call, and are
signaling their commitment to meet the state's goals, one bus ride at a
time.
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