Reducing Hawai‘i’s third-largest energy bill - Ka Leo (University of Hawa... http://www.kaleo.org/news/reducing-hawai-i-s-third-largest-energy-bill/a...
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Giulio Rocca Contributing Writer | Posted: Thursday, January 19, 2012 6:30 pm In her latest action to save energy, Sustainable UH Director Shanah Trevenna reached a key milestone last week for the Hawai‘i Student Energy Ambassador Development Program: raising enough money to place two copies of her energy handbook, "Surfing Tsunamis of Change," in every public high school library in Hawai‘i. "We can actually make a really big impact," said Trevenna in a presentation delivered at a fundraiser last week. "We want these students to be ambassadors of knowledge." A HUGE OPPORTUNITY After the United States military and the University of Hawai‘i, the Department of Education - which includes its vast public school system - is the state's third-largest consumer of energy. "I would like to place an energy handbook and an energy audit kit in every single high school in Hawai‘i and have energy training days with energy ambassadors at every school," said Trevenna. Trevenna brings a wealth of experience to the challenge, having previously led a student initiative that reduced Saunders Hall's energy bill by 24 percent, or nearly $150,000, in one year by removing light bulbs and implementing air conditioning shutdowns. Impressed by the results, the Department of Education Office of Schools & Facilities Support Services hired student interns to perform sustainability assessments in public schools such as Keone‘ula Elementary School in ‘Ewa Beach. PARTNERSHIPS The SEAD Program was formed as a partnership among various organizations. "There's synergy with many programs that exist in the state, and we're pursuing many collaborations," said Trevenna. Current partners include the Hawai‘i Department of Education, the United States Green Building Council, Sustainable UH and the UH community colleges' RISE-UH program. The partnerships coalesced from a shared sense of purpose. "We wanted to help bring together what she was trying to put together and make it into a reality," said Christopher Parker, chair of the Green Schools Committee of the US GBC's Hawai‘i chapter. "Some people in the public think that sustainability and being green is just cleaning beaches, but the reality is that it's more than that." The United States GBC's Hawai‘i chapter matched funding on 30 books in the fundraiser and will host the first energy ambassador workshop, where SEAD staff will train high school students to perform energy audits. "There's an immediate need and interest among high school students" for this type of education, according to Parker. BOOKS, KITS, TRAINING
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