Hawai`i Convention Center turned off the lights for Earth Hour on March 29!
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Tag Archives: sustainability
Join Us In Turning Off Your Lights For Earth Hour!
At the Hawai`i Convention Center we work hard to reduce our impact on the environment. Check out what we are doing in our commitment to sustainability.
We are joining the World Wildlife Fund and millions of people worldwide for Earth Hour, the single largest public event to raise awareness about energy conservation and climate change.
Join us in turning off your lights for Earth Hour, 8:30-9:30 pm on Saturday, March 29! Learn more at http://www.earthhour.org/
Earth Hour 2014
Superhero Ambassador
Welcome 5th Annual Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit
The 5th Annual Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo (APCESE) takes place September 9-11, running concurrently with the Islands & Isolated Communities Congress and International OTEC Symposium. All three gatherings will address the central theme of how government, business, technology, and innovative forward thinking can collaborate to ensure a secure energy future for people globally, especially those living in isolated areas.
Now in its fifth year, the Summit has undergone a remarkable transformation from a conference that was initially created to support Hawai`i companies working in clean energy, to one that is now attended predominately by companies and leaders from international markets, especially Asia and the Pacific Rim. Event organizers say nearly 90 percent of this year’s exhibitors are from outside Hawai`i.
The Summit will feature a range of notable local, national, and international guest speakers reflecting the importance of its global focus, including:
- Governor Neil Abercrombie, State of Hawai`i
- Henk Rogers, Founder and Chairman, Blue Planet Foundation
- Peter Boyd, Chief Operating Officer, Carbon War Room
- Tomoyo Nonaka, Chair, GAIA Initiative
- Thomas Hicks, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy, U.S. Navy
Anticipated to generate buzz among Summit attendees is the Shizuoka, Japan delegation. Among Shizuoka’s exhibit highlights will be one of the world’s fastest electric cars and its driver, ‘Monster’ Tajima, who just nine weeks ago won the Electric Division of the 91st Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Tajima’s car goes 200 kilometers per hour – without making a sound – except for the tires contacting the road.
Hawai`i’s visitor industry will benefit from APCESE with the 1,200 attendees projected to generate $5 million in visitor spending and $487,000 in state tax revenue.
For more information about the APCESE, please visit www.islandsconnect.com.
3rd Annual Hawai`i Food & Wine Festival
Photo courtesy of the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival.
The 3rd Annual Hawai`i Food & Wine Festival continued its festivities on Sept. 7 on the Rooftop Garden at the Hawai`i Convention Center. The evening event “Taste Our Love for the Land” showcased local ingredients, farm-to-table sourcing and cooking practices.
The Hawai`i Food & Wine Festival runs Sept. 1-9, 2013. For more information, visit www.hawaiifoodandwinefestival.com.
Hawai`i Launches Efforts to Secure 2016 Global Conservation Meeting
Delegates from the Hawai`i IUCN 2012/2016 Alliance presented Hawai`i’s global conservation efforts at the 2012 World Conservation Congress in Jeju, Korea.
The Hawai`i Convention Center, among leaders from two-dozen organizations spanning the education, government, meetings, tourism, culture, and conservation sectors, has launched efforts to secure the 2016 World Conservation Congress of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Held every four years, it is the world’s largest and most important conservation event, with an estimated 8,000 participants from 140 countries working to negotiate solutions to environmental and development challenges.
In the first of several major milestones on the road to securing the 2016 Congress, a delegation of 40 leaders from Hawai`i and the Pacific Rim traveled to the 2012 Congress in Jeju, Korea, from Sept. 6-15, 2012, to showcase the state as a premier meetings destination to the international conservation community.
Delegates from the Hawai`i IUCN 2012/2016 Alliance presented at and led workshops, knowledge cafes, and poster sessions, each providing a perspective on Hawai`i’s global conservation efforts. In addition, Hawaiian dancers performed as part of the meeting’s formal program, and delegates hosted a Hawai`i Nature + Aloha reception, which included participation from top IUCN officials and representatives from international conservation and environmental organizations.
A delegation of 40 leaders from Hawai`i and the Pacific Rim traveled to the 2012 Congress in Jeju, Korea, from Sept. 6-15, 2012.
These efforts represent the largest collaboration to secure a Hawai`i meeting since the November 2011 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Meeting (APEC), including participation by the Hawai`i Tourism Authority, the University of Hawai`i, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and the Hawai`i Conservation Alliance; as well as a continuation of relationships built during APEC, including work with the U.S. Department of State, the official U.S. member of the IUCN.
Fourth-Annual Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit & Expo to Showcase Hawai`i as Leader in Energy Advancement and Business Opportunities
Photo: Luci Pemoni/Diamond Head Photography
The Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit & Expo will draw more than 1,000 attendees to the Hawai`i Convention Center from Aug. 13-15, 2012, to explore breakthrough advancements in energy technologies, as well as opportunities for new projects throughout the state. The meeting is the latest to advance Hawai`i’s focus on renewable energy and science industries, which were highlighted in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s (APEC) Four Pillars, or theme areas, in November 2011.
This premier high-level global networking forum and scientific meeting allows companies from throughout North American and the Pacific Rim to better understand Hawai`i’s clean energy opportunities and advance the state’s goal of achieving 70% clean energy use by 2030, as outlined by the Hawai`i Clean Energy Initiative. The fourth-annual meeting, which has grown in attendance each year, also offers global and defense projects, as hundreds of business leaders, development agencies, and economic offices gather to find partners.
Highlights from this year’s meeting will include the Defense Energy Technology Challenge, an effort continued from 2011 that allows selected companies and organizations to present new technologies to the defense, clean energy, and investment communities. More than 250 submissions were received, covering areas such as renewable power, vehicle technologies, and energy storage. New this year is the Project Finance Connect Program, which connects growth-stage companies and clean energy projects with finance sources, developers, and partners. More than 100 submissions were received.
Photo: Luci Pemoni/Diamond Head Photography
The meeting will also draw participation from more than 45 exhibitors, including global companies Toyota, Caterpillar, and Lockheed Martin, as well as a new poster program, which attracted more than 200 submissions from around the world, 80 of which were selected for presentation.
The Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit & Expo is hosted by the State of Hawai`i Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism in partnership with the Clean Technology and Sustainable Industries Organization (CTSI).
Hawai`i Convention Center Awarded $80,000 Rebate for Energy Efficiency Upgrades to Air Quality System Fans
The Hawai`i Convention Center recently completed another major effort to enhance the conservation of Hawai`i’s natural resources and reduce its impact on the environment.
The Center installed new variable frequency drives (VFDs) to loading dock area fans to ensure optimum air quality. A VFD improves efficiency by adjusting motor speed to more closely match output requirements, which typically results in energy savings. The installation was supported by a $79,781 rebate from Hawai`i Energy, the energy efficiency and conservation program for Hawai`i, Honolulu, and Maui counties, and will result in an energy savings of nearly 445,000 kilowatt hours annually.
The Center’s previous rebates and awards for energy-saving measures have totaled nearly $350,000 for projects including lighting upgrades and a new jockey chiller. When it opened in 1998, the Center was also awarded Hawaiian Electric Company’s Energy Project of the Year for its efficient design.
Zero Emissions Congress Attracts World Leaders
The World Congress on Zero Emissions Initiatives, Launching “The Blue Economy,” will focus on the design of an economic system driven by innovations, generating jobs, and building social capital.
They will be releasing one innovation a week on their website, so you can continue to interact with the ideas presented at the Congress all year long. The introduction is here, along with links to all the innovations currently posted.
Here’s more from the Zero Emissions website:
The Blue Economy is based upon one hundred plus breakthroughs in businesses that have proven their competitiveness. The innovations being addressed at the World Congress are related to Energy, Food, Health, Housing, Transportation, Water and Waste, and how these innovations integrate and provide new job opportunities in today’s changing world. Concrete case studies from around the world will inspire entrepreneurs to follow suit.
This event featured several recognized speakers, including:
PROFESSOR GUNTER PAULI
Author, innovator, founder of ZERI (Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives)
TOMOYO NONAKA
Chairman GAIA Initiative
Former CEO of Sanyo
HIS EXCELLENCY, THE HONORABLE MINISTER OF EDUCATION, LYONPO THAKUR S. POWDYEL
Royal Government of Bhutan
NAINOA THOMPSON
Executive Director, Polynesian Voyaging Society
Native Hawaiian Master Navigator
One of the most discussed features of this event (and a first for us at the Hawai`i Convention Center!) was that we offered 100% “locally sourced” meals – meaning all food served to the delegates was grown and made right here in Hawai`i. As you can imagine, this is not an easy task for our island archipelago in the middle of the Pacific, or the “piko of the Universe” as we often call it. Piko is the Hawaiian word for belly button. Next time you look at the earth, see if you don’t recognize us. :-)
There were many memorable sessions with noted international speakers, including “talk-story” sessions for eight hundred (800) local elementary, secondary, and high school students. They discussed ways to protect the environment and help eliminate waste with Professor Gunter Pauli, founder of the Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives organization.
We are proud that our city and state are frequently ranked among the cleanest cities in which to live and work, making the Hawaii Convention Center an ideal location for any event that wants to be eco-friendly and provide a healthy, green environment to their delegates. In March, 2010, Honolulu was ranked third in a USA “green city” index.
This event was produced by Enterprise Honolulu.