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C O U NT Y O F KAU A‘I
BERNARD P. CARVALHO JR.
Mayor
WALLACE G. REZENTES JR.
Managing Director
News Release
June 11, 2017
Aloha+ Challenge statewide meeting held on Kaua‘i
KALĀHEO – Approximately 50 key leaders and stakeholders from across the state
recently convened on Kaua‘i to develop recommendations for the Aloha+ Challenge Dashboard.
The group discussed shared metrics to track progress, provide accountability and
advance action on Hawai‘i’s statewide 2030 sustainability goals.
The meeting was co-hosted by the County of Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i Green Growth and the
National Tropical Botanical Garden.
Celeste Connors, executive director of Hawai‘i Green Growth, noted that tracking
Hawai‘i’s sustainability goals is critical to achieving the Aloha+ Challenge.
“The Dashboard holds exciting opportunities for innovation to capture community-driven
data, increased county-level measures, and enhanced visuals and interactive features,” said
Connors. "Its purpose is to inform policy and inspire action.”
The Aloha+ Challenge was launched in 2014 by the governor, four county mayors,
Office of Hawaiian Affairs, State Legislature and a number of public/private partners from
diverse sectors. Hawai‘i Green Growth serves as the backbone organization for the Aloha+
Challenge.
The leadership team made a commitment to achieve six integrated sustainability goals in
the areas of clean energy, local food production, natural resource management, waste
reduction, smart sustainable communities, and green workforce and education.
The goals provide a framework for setting priorities, tracking progress, and catalyzing
action on sustainability and community resilience.
“Kaua‘i is proud to collaborate with leaders across the state in creating a culture of
sustainability. We are fortunate that Hawai‘i has a history of systems-thinking and ancestral
knowledge that we can draw from,” said Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr.
Since 2014, the counties have taken turns hosting an annual Aloha+ Challenge
statewide meeting that focused on one of their sustainability goals.
Kaua‘i held the first kick-off meeting on clean energy, and hosted the recent meeting on
smart sustainable communities that include areas such as climate resilience and disaster
management, affordable housing, mobility, economic prosperity and connection to place. In
addition to the working sessions, the participants visited some of the island’s sustainability sites
including: the National Tropical Botanical Garden, which has a LEED certified building; Ke Ala
Hele Makalae, the multi-use path; and Hardy Street, Kaua‘i’s first major Complete Streets
project. In addition, they toured Rice Street, site of the TIGER grant area, and enjoyed a Farm
to Table meal at the Kaua‘i Beer Company.
Last week, Connors spoke at the United Nations Oceans Conference in New York,
where Hawai‘i was recognized for leadership on the Paris Climate Agreement as well as the
Aloha+ Challenge.