greening kauai: Sustainability Lives on Kauai - WATCH Now - 09/27/08 04:06 PM
My good friend Ken Stokes who runs the SUSHI blog just posted his video presentation which was given to our Kauai County Council at the end of last year.  He was invited by Councilmember JoAnn Yukimura, who is currently running for Mayor,  to make the same presentation to the County Council that she had seen him give as the keynote for the Kauai LEGS Sustainability Conference.
This presentation introduces the ‘new story’ of the three spheres.
It’s called “Kauaian Sustainability: It’s not what we think, it’s how.” Watch it!Ken drives his electric bike around the island to help maintain and reduce … (0 comments)

greening kauai: Photovoltaic install helps Kauai figure out net metering - 06/22/08 07:24 PM



I recently attended a one hour free workshop at the State Building in Lihue on the subject of a case study in Photovoltaic (PV). The presentation was deliver by Walt Barnes, an engineer who lives in the Wailua Homesteads, and who works for AT&T labs. Co-incidently, Walt's wife Anne is my fellow in the Rotary Club of Kapa`a AND the director of publicity and marketing for KIUC, the electric company cooperative that sells us our electricity, at greater than 40 cents a kilowatt hour.

Walt took to task to research, design, and engineer a photovoltaic system … (0 comments)

greening kauai: Climate Scientists at UH Forum predict Coral Reef demise. - 03/28/08 05:38 AM
When the top research scientists get together and discuss the serious issues of our environment,more and more people become aware. Here in Hawaii big issues include sea-level rise and the destruction of ecosystems like our coral reefs. Watch KGMB Channel 9's report on coral reefs in danger.Check out Ken Stokes' SUSHI blog to read more insights and feedback about the UH conference this week on Oahu.
I'm disappointed that Ken did not make it onto the board of KIUC. But, he came pretty close. Mebbe' next year. 
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greening kauai: Leading Kauai Environmentalist running for board of KIUC - 02/16/08 03:50 AM
My good friend Ken Stokes is taking a big step and offering to run for the board of Directors for KIUC. That's the "people-owned" electric company on Kauai, a county that has some of the highest electricity costs in America. Ken is a Stanford grad and longtime proponent of greening Kauai. You sometimes see me link to Ken's sustainability of Hawaii blog 
Here's Ken's latest press release:
Kauaian Institute director Ken Stokes today announced plans to run for a seat on the Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative board of directors.The green economist and sustainability advocate said his goal is three-fold: to push for 100% … (4 comments)

greening kauai: Hello out there - we're trying to go green! - 01/25/08 04:24 AM
While the governor of Hawaii is promoting Green legislature, the county of Kauai is still dragging its feet. A property owner in Wailua, the mountain area just above Kapaa,  hangs poised to run the island’s first Skystream 3.7 residential windmill, which he and other community members say they want in order to cut their electric bills and “go green” at home. Kauai has one of the most expensive electical costs in the entire US and many folks here would prefer to generate their own power. With current technology however, there is a still about a seven year ROI.
Kaua‘i Electric installed … (8 comments)

greening kauai: Hawaii in 2050? - Will any of us be around to see it? - 11/27/07 05:40 PM
What will Hawaii be like in 2050? There have been many articles about the topic of this article in the local newspaper, on blogs, and even in the monthly Hawaii Realtors magazine, published by the Hawaii Association of Realtors. What kinds of jobs will our children and grandchildren have? Where will they live? How will the "Aloha Spirit" survive in the 21st century? Questions like these are at the core of the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability plan. Hawaii 2050 was founded in 2005 and is guided by the Hawai`i 2050 Sustainability task Force, a 25-member body of private citizen, state lawmakers, and … (0 comments)

greening kauai: Sugar Producer making the transition to Green Energy - 11/23/07 07:16 PM

Ethanol plant stirs coal debate

On November 7th, TGI reported that issue of "burning coal" was a devisive point in the utilization of an upcoming ethanol plant about to break ground in Kaumakani on the campus of Gay & Robinson. Gay & Robinson is one of the two remaining producers of sugar in a state where sugar cane used to be one of the islands' main industries. Then on Nov. 10th, Gay & Robinson President Alan Kennett said yesterday that coal will not power a proposed ethanol plant under development by partners Gay & Robinson and Pacific West Energy, … (9 comments)

greening kauai: Kauai Council to Finalize Shoreline Setback this Week - 11/19/07 01:50 AM
Shoreline Setback Bill heading to Kauai Council.

As global warming becomes more and more of a reality facing each of us in our lives and our communities, here in Kauai as with all of the islands, the notion of sea level rising, which it is, will continue to have an effect on our shorelines and on each counties rules and regulations about such.

The Kauai county council completed hearing from state experts last week and with drafgt legislation heading to the floor Tuesday, Nov. 20, council members are expecting approve a final version of the bill by day's … (3 comments)