SUSTAINABLE MATH: 37 into 100
The Blue Planet Alliance Fellowship Program just welcomed another nine islands to Hawaii. The fourth cohort of our flagship initiative has now seen 37 islands matriculate the Program, a number that will push closer to 50 by the end of the year.
And two of those islands — the Maldives and Saint Lucia — signed Blue Planet Climate Agreements (BPCAs), bringing the total to 14 islands that, like Hawaii, have pledged to go 100% renewable.
It all started in the Aloha State about 15 years ago, when State Senator Chris Lee authored a bill that in 2015 became the landmark law that resonated throughout the world: a law requiring the state to transition to 100% renewable energy.
That law has been cited by then-President Barack Obama, former President of Ireland and climate visionary Mary Robinson, and many other environment advocates and thought leaders, including our own founder Henk Rogers, who helped lead the movement that culminated in then-Hawaii Governor David Ige signing that law.
Both Gov. Ige and Senator Lee were on hand this past week in Hawaii to address the Fellows from those nine islands — in addition to the Maldives and Saint Lucia were also representatives from the Bahamas, Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, Kiribati, Niue, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Samoa. And Senator Lee became the very first recipient of a BPA SDG Award, one of five annually selected recipients who will be honored for their excellence and leadership in the five UN Sustainable Development Goals that are most critical to the work that BPA does in trying to end the use of carbon-based fuel. Senator Lee, a tireless advocate and champion for advancing renewables and a commitment to the UN Goal of Affordable and Clean Energy, was recognized with the BPA SDG7 Award.
BPA was also honored to have high-level representation from the Maldives and Saint Lucia sign those BPCAs: H.E. Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef of the Maldives — co-signed by Ali Shareef, Special Envoy for Climate Change — and H.E. Lenita Joseph, Permanent Secretary, Department of Infrastructure, Ports, and Transport (DIPT) of Saint Lucia.
The Aloha Spirit
We want our guests to really get to know Hawaii. So the day before the BPA Fellowship Program kicked off, we offered them a choice of two excursions to two of Hawaii's most renowned icons — the Makapuu Lighthouse Trail and Pearl Harbor, with the Arizona Memorial. The former offers stunning panoramic views of the Pacific, while the latter is a sacred reminder of the sacrifices made by our service members. Our Fellows also got more Hawaiian flavor at the evening Welcome Reception at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel, right across from world-famous Waikiki Beach.
The fourth cohort then officially commenced with what has become a beloved opening ceremony — a bonding of island leaders from across the planet in a meaningful blessing led by Kahu (Shepherd, Pastor) Kordell Kekoa. In addition to sharing similar vulnerabilities to the global climate emergency, islands also share so much culturally, and Kahu Kordell's traditional Hawaiian blessing demonstrates how we are all connected.
On the third day of the Program, the Fellows were treated to a road trip, leaving the East-West Center for a look at the renewable innovation taking place all over Oahu, Hawaii's most populous island. They started off at the Kawailoa Wind Farm, learning about how to tie in the community and finding out about innovative ways to include Indigenous habitats. After lunch in historic Haleiwa Town, they then finished up the excursion at the Mililani Solar Park, where they learned about agrivoltaic practices, which aim to maximize land-use efficiency and enhance agricultural resilience, all while generating clean energy.
The Kawailoa Wind Farm, on the North Shore of the island, has 30 wind turbines, and an output of 69 Megawatts (MWs) of power.
The Mililani Solar Park is on 131 acres in Central Oahu, and includes a 39 MW solar agrivoltaic project paired with 156 MWh of battery storage.
And their tour of the island took place aboard a fully electric bus that powered the delegations all day! We love showing visitors what Hawaii is achieving — and learning from them, as well.
In addition to presentations by each of the participating nine islands, and a lineup of experts from Hawaii, who shared their expertise on how Hawaii is navigating the road to 100% renewable energy by 2045, our speaker lineup also featured special talks from some of our critically important partners, such as the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE); Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator (CCSA); the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability & Sea Grant; the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC); and Mana Pacific, Inc. We’re grateful for such a rich and meaningful panoply of partners, and to that list we added six more organizations who signed MOU partner agreements, edging us closer to 200 such organizations around the world.
While we’re witnessing a fragile period in geopolitical history, with many volatile scenarios and a general move backwards on matters of the environment, BPA is proud to be moving the needle forward in assembling an Alliance of islands that are committed to a future without carbon-based fuels. And as each of these 37 islands continues to explore and develop new ideas and plans to adopt 100% renewable energy in their respective jurisdictions, Blue Planet Alliance is offering whatever we can in the way of resources to keep them on track.
