With the help of C&C of Honolulu’s Adopt-a-Block/Adopt-a-Stream Program, we’re back at it again on Saturday, March 26th, from 8-10am.

This will be the last C&C coordinated clean up for our area this year, it’s one more chance team up and do what we can to help make Iwilei a better place. Not to mention, a great way to meet fellow business neighbors outside of their 9-5 routine.

HONBLUE will be supplying gloves, trash bags and cans, brooms and water (but you’ll need to bring your own bottle). So pull up your sleeves, slap on some sunscreen and don’t forget to wear covered shoes and a hat.

Please spread the word to co-workers, family and friends. Let’s make a difference together!

Visit the Clean Water Honolulu website for a release form or fill one out earlier on the morning of the clean up (7:45a at HONBLUE).

If you have any questions, about this neighborhood cleanup or any other sustainability initiative please contact Shannon Hines at Shines@honblue.com or 441-4452.

Our recycling process is pretty simple.  Through our various recycling programs, we receive a mix of office papers, shredded paper waste, old newspapers/magazines and rolls of old plans.  Then we evaluate the condition of full size plan sets and try and reclaim what paper we can — which is then re-manufactured into spiral bound notebooks.

We take great pains to ensure these notebooks contain only anonymous information and cannot be identified. First, we remove the title and index pages as well as any other obvious content identifiers. The plans are then trimmed on all four sides, shuffled with other plan sets, cut down and shuffled again.

After we reclaim what paper we can, we store the remaining material to be recycled in temporary storage containers provided by our recycling partners. Once the containers are full, they take the materials back to their facilities, bail the material and ship it to recycling plants.

When it comes down to it, recycling any sensitive documents is only as safe as the precautions you take. Before throwing everything in a bin and sending it off to get recycled, take the time to evaluate exactly what you’re disposing.

RFP submittals? Shred them. Financial statements? Shred them too. Confidential or for your eyes-only? Shred away.

Shredding your confidential documents before putting them in recycle bin will help you be confident your documents are safe.

So, whether it’s thousands of tiny shredded strips or full-size sheets of paper and old plans, we can recycle it all. But deciding what needs to be shredded first is up to you.

For more information about our recycling plans, visit this page or contact Shannon Hines directly at 441-4452 or Shines@honblue.com and she can walk you through our available services and answer questions.

Some of the thought behind the development was how quickly outdated building plans and outdated plan sets pile up after a project is complete. I know how my own office can start to feel like an episode of Hoarders when I get too busy to stay on top of it. I can only imagine what your office is like after a project is completed.

As our own operations started to become more and more efficient in our waste management, we realized the HONBLUE has the capacity to extend some of our resources to our clients. We recycle post production waste that is the same stock that is used to print your jobs. So why can’t we help you dispose of the materials that we help you create?

We’ve done our best to keep it simple for you. For a flat fee, we’ll work closely with you to figure out how much paper waste your office generates on a monthly basis. Then we’ll estimate how many bins you’ll need and how often we’ll swing by to empty them. That’s how we help you reclaim your office space with our re(CLAIM) Recycling Program.

If you have questions or are interested in talking about HONBLUE’s re(CLAIM) monthly recycling program, contact me directly at 441-4452 or shines@honblue.com.

On that note, I would like to encourage you to look around your communities – not just your ‘sustainable’ friends and colleagues – but for people who may be doing things that are worthy of recognition from Hawaii Energy.  And it doesn’t have to be a LEED Accredited Professional or someone affiliated with the USGBC.  Anyone in Hawaii can become an Energy Hero but it’s up to us to look out for those who are making an effort and nominate them.  Remember, that if we really hope to make a difference, we need to encourage everyone, not just those within our sustainable circle.

Looking to continue making a difference now? HONBLUE can help with your paper waste. We offer recycling services of all shapes and sizes. Read about our programs or contact Shannon Hines directly at 441-4452 or Shines@honblue.com and she’d be happy to walk you through our available services and answer any questions.

Instead of cutting out gift giving altogether (my siblings and I have lobbied for travel in lieu of gifts), several years ago a competition of sorts evolved – who can find the most innovative way to wrap gifts without using traditional disposable wrapping paper.  It started off simple – giving jewelry in a new jewelry box or my brother’s favorite – wrapping gifts in newspaper and sealing them with duct tape.  At least the newspaper was reclaimed.  I think the duct tape just added ‘flare’ to his presentation.

Over the years, we’ve learned to develop this basic idea.  Instead of just grabbing random articles and slathering duct tape around them, we use clippings that cater to the interest of the recipient.  My brother still gets the comics.  For my sister who’s really into film and music, the pages of Interview or Rolling Stone magazines work well to wrap a CD (there’s a little patching required in the back).  And my dad is still fond of hiding gifts on the tree for us to find – no wrapping required.

But we don’t like sticking to just one idea.  A few years ago, I started making cloth gift bags with drawstring or button closures.  Honestly, I think they’ve been as well received as the gifts I put inside them.  My grandmother has enjoyed watching my sewing skills improve and my aunt and uncle are always sure to wrap my gift in the bag they received the year before.  As a result, the bags are circulating through the family nicely.

My mum has also used dishtowels to wrap kitchen gadgets – two gifts under one bow!  I think I even received an oven mitt as my stocking one year.

One of my favorite examples of our competition that I think really exemplifies our devotion to the reduction of waste and our sense of humor took place back when I was in early high school.  We had a piece of wrapping paper that started out around a huge box.  I forget the gift, but it had to be a TV or stereo.  The same red and white striped paper was carefully trimmed and reused each year becoming smaller and smaller.  Finally, I believe it was my senior year in college; it was used to wrap a stocking stuffer.

Granted, these ideas are not going to offset the amount of waste that’s produced during the holidays but I thought it would at least give people something to think about.  I remember as a kid we’d have huge trash bags filled with wrapping paper from opening gifts on Christmas morning.  Now more often than not the wrapping itself can be used or worn and any paper that does make it into the mix, I squirrel away for reuse.  Doing a few small things like this can really make a huge difference.

For those of you in the AEC industry, you could always use old plan sets and decorate the unprinted side!  Or anyone can try learning Furoshiki.

Here are some other local organizations that are doing their best to promote reducing waste during the holidays:

http://www.kanuhawaii.org/campaigns/details/?id=12

http://www.kokuahawaiifoundation.org/

Do you or your family have any of your own trash reducing traditions?  Know of anyone else on Oahu that’s trying to help out with suggestions?  I would love to hear any and all of your thoughts.  Feel free to contact me at shines@honblue.com.

Reduce – Seems simple enough – use less. Reducing the amount of materials, electricity, gas etc… we use is the basic concept of conservation. Reducing and conserving how we use our resources will benefit both our current global society as well as future generations.

Reuse – When you reuse a material for its originally intended purpose. Similar to the water bottle and lunch bags I talked about in my Useful & Reusable post.  Consciously choosing reusable items helps keep the disposable versions of them out of the waste stream and our overstuffed landfills.

Reclaim – Along the lines of reuse, items can be reclaimed and used for alternate purposes. HONBLUE has some cool spiral or glue bound notebooks that we make by reclaiming outdated or unwanted plan sets from clients. It’s a great way to get one more use out of that paper before it’s recycled.

Recycling – This is by far the word I hear most widely used and broadly defined in this new industry of sustainability. My preference is to use it in the sense of a material being treated or reprocessed back into a ‘raw’ material to then be used in the production of a new item.

I’m not the only one clarifying terminology and how it’s used. There’s a new push from the Federal Trade Commission to gain public input on how to assist companies in marketing their products and services more in line with consumer expectations.

What do you think about my definitions? How do you define theses terms? Know anyone else talking about this? Feel free to contact me at shines@honblue.com.

I would love to hear your feedback.

I’ve been searching the USGBC website, but I know we have more projects here in the islands than are listed on the website. Were you or your company involved in sponsoring a LEED building project in Hawaii?  Do you have a killer photo that we can use to highlight the project? Let us know!

We’ll be collecting submissions until 10/20/10 and then we’ll notify those who were selected by 10/22/10.  After that our designer will go to work and your project might be memorialized in a HONBLUE wall calendar.

If you have questions or have a project we could highlight, contact me at shines@honblue.com.

What better way to give back to our island community than to help care for the local beaches and waterways?  The cleanup itself will be important but I believe the real benefit lies in educating people about the impact our everyday lives have on the ocean.  Even living on an island where we see the water daily, we tend to forget.  I don’t think about it every time I look out at the water – sometimes I don’t even think about it when I’m paddling on the suffering Ala Wai Canal with my canoe club.

It’s the work of photographer Chris Jordan (please note: these images can be graphic for sensitive viewers), which reminds me that it’s the little things we do that have the biggest impact.  In September of last year, Jordan documented the carcasses of albatross chicks who reside on Midway Atoll – a remote marine sanctuary more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent.  These chicks are fed plastic debris that their parents mistake for food.  What strikes me most about the images is how identifiable some of the items are – bottle caps and disposable lighters.  Holding these small generic items in my hand, I’m baffled by the amount of harm they’re causing by not being properly disposed.

Did you know the oceans make up more than 95% of our biosphere?  And in addition to providing habitat to the most abundantly populated parts of our planet, HALF of the world’s oxygen and 16% of the world’s animal protein comes from the ocean.  Not to mention the industries that depend on healthy, self-sustaining oceans.

On September 25^th, Ocean Conservancy will celebrate the beauty of our coasts and waterways.  Surfrider and HONBLUE will sponsor a cleanup at Sand Island State Recreation Area and we encourage you to join us.  You’ll help us restore the beach to it’s natural state, enjoy a buffet lunch and most importantly, learn the value of protecting these precious areas.

Our friends at Architects Hawaii Ltd. will also be there.  The local design firm has made Slipper Island their adopted site and according to Matt Bickel, AHL Associate/IT Manager, in 5 years they’ve collected and helped remove almost 20 tons of trash and debris.  My hat’s off to Matt for leading the charge and to all of their employees who put the time in to help make a difference.

If you want to attend the cleanup on 9/25, please fill out the fast contact form below or just shoot me an email at shine@honblue.com to RSVP.  If you know of any other beach cleanups on Oahu, I would love to hear about them.

Oil – A Non-Renewable Resource

It’s true – we won’t run out any time soon.  Combining new extraction methods with additional drilling, mining and refining sites is projected to fulfill the increased demands of developing nations and new technologies.  However, this won’t change the fact that what’s in the ground is what we have left.  Whether we open up new areas for drilling or not is a moot point because eventually, it will all be gone.  We need to start lowering our dependence on it now for the sake of future generations.

Other Factors

In addition to being a non-renewable resource, out of the countries with the top 10 largest proven oil reserves, most have vacillating governments.  This may not resonate with those of us who buy at the neighborhood pump, but larger consumers recognize this as a possible disruption in the supply chain.

Greener Pastures

The U.S. Navy has announced plans to shift 50% of their energy needs to non-fossil fuel sources within the next 10 years.  According to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus – “America and the Navy rely too much on fossil fuels.  It makes the military, in this case our Navy and Marine Corps, far too vulnerable to some sort of disruption.”  They’re looking to diversify and not limiting their options.  Possibilities include algae based jet fuel and sugar based biofuel grown on Maui.

Baby Steps

Change takes time and there’s inevitably going to be a period of transition.  It’s unrealistic to think that we’re going to stop filling up at the pump tomorrow.  So what can we do in the meantime to make things better?  The best answer – use less.  97% of those who responded to the poll indicated they’d be willing to find ways to use less.  Personally, I carpool or take the bus 3-4 days a week – 37% said they’d join me.  I carry reusable bags in my purse and my car – 61% would support changing how our community uses and distributes disposable plastic bags.  And an overwhelming 83% of respondents recognize Hawaii’s potential to become the premier ground for researching and developing alternate sources of energy.

But What Do I Do At The Pump??

Who should I be buying my gas from?  Is there one oil company in particular that’s more sustainable than the rest?  People ask me these questions on a regular basis and I’ve been referring them to Rachel Joy.  She has some good thoughts on the matter.

Do you guys know of any other “sustainable” oil companies?  Are there sacrifices you would be willing to make in your everyday lives that I didn’t touch on in my poll or my Blog?  I would love to hear any feedback you may have – good or bad.  Feel free to contact me at shines@honbue.com or 441-4452.

Goodwill:

What I like about Goodwill is their commitment to helping people get back on their feet so they become self-sufficient.  It’s a responsible, sustainable and long term vision for helping the community.  They’ve also started recycling bottle caps: “You can now recycle clean and dry #2, #4, and #5 plastic caps and lids at Goodwill’s Redemption Centers on Oahu!”

Savers:

Big promoters of the reuse concept. When materials aren’t selling in their marketplace, they don’t just haul them off to a local landfill.  “The majority of items that don’t sell are shipped to developing nations through both wholesale and philanthropic efforts. Individuals in developing countries can then create their own marketplaces that service citizens who rely on affordable, quality merchandise”.

Another great service is the YWCA’s Dress for Success® program.  It helps women who are transitioning back into the local workforce dress appropriately for the jobs they want.

Has anyone heard of any other local services or thrift stores that are helping people while keeping the environment in mind?  Feel free to contact me at shines@honbue.com or 441-4452.

I also found two furniture stores – Forward Thinking Furniture and Da Vinci Floors working with reclaimed materials and producing some stunning results.  I haven’t been to either location yet, but hope to sneak a tour of both soon.

Have you been to any of these stores?  Have some suggestions for me?  I’d love to hear them.  Contact me at shines@honbue.com or 441-4452.

This may come as a shock but Hawaii is no stranger to oil spills.  The 11th largest spill in the world took place 350 miles off the coast of Honolulu in 1977 when the Hawaiian Patriot lost a plate from its hull, exploded and sank.  More recent spills include the Exxon Houston debacle in 1989 and an accident in 2006 when 2,000 gallons spilled at Barber’s Point.

Despite the fact that we have no drilling platforms, we are still at risk for spills.  Hopefully we’ll never see another spill like the Hawaiian Patriot but our high demand for energy will continue to bring oil filled vessels into our harbors.  This not only puts our environment at risk, but additional spills could be devastating to our economy.  Hawaii gets approximately 90% of its energy from imported oil and petroleum products.  And according to the Hawaii Energy Biomas Master Plan Final Report – “While Hawaii’s economy is not necessarily energy intensive, its average per capita oil consumption is over 40 barrels per year compared to 24 for the U.S. mainland.  The per capita comparison between Hawaii and major growing world economies of China and India shows an even bigger discrepancy, since China’s per capita oil consumption is about 2.2 and India’s is close to 1.0.”

Fortunately The Clean Islands Council is on-call and prepared 24/7 365 with skilled personnel and cutting edge equipment.  It’s reassuring knowing that we have a disaster recovery team in place but wouldn’t we better off preventing spills instead of reacting to them?  Wouldn’t it be a safer and more sustainable approach to move to an energy supply model that incorporates multiple sources?  It appears that’s the direction we’re headed.  In 2008, the State of Hawaii started setting aggressive goals to reduce our dependency on imported oil.

This is great news for our community and I was particularly excited to read about the wind farm in Kahuku.  With a multi-source system in place we will be able to reduce our demand for imported oil.  And with less demand, there will be less oil filled vessels transferring their toxic contents to our refineries.  Only then will we be able to reduce future oil spills and keep our oceans clean and wildlife safe.

What else do you think will help decrease Hawaii’s dependence on foreign oil?  Please fill out our poll to the left of this Blog.  If you have other ideas, please feel free to post them in the comments section below.

Want more information or have questions about what we’re doing at HONBLUE? Drop me a line at shines@honbue.com or 441-4452.

Ultimate Pervious Pavement – With storm water playing such an important role in the LEED certification process, specifically Regional Priority Credits for Hawaii, finding reliable pervious paving products is vital to our community.  Unfortunately, last I heard there were still building code issues that were creating hurdles for using such products.  If you know of any updates to those codes, please share!

AQUS Greywater System – I was in San Francisco last year and stayed in a hotel with a great greywater toilet system.  The AQUS system separates the two just a little further making it more appealing and easier to use since you don’t have to lean over the toilet to wash your hands.

If you’ve heard of any other innovative green products either on the market or on the verge of being released, I would love to hear about them.

And feel free to give me a call at 441-4452 or shoot me an email at shines@honblue.com if you want to know what we’re up to.

But what if you don’t have that kind of space?  How can those of us with smaller units grow our own food?  I was at a loss until I read GOOD’s Blog this morning and came across an encouraging article.  Fortunately, we already have some New Yorkers working on it.

I’d love to try it, but I have the challenge of cats…they completely destroyed my spider plant.  So please share if you’ve seen anything like this locally…or something that might be ‘cat proof’. 

As always, if you have questions about what HONBLUE is doing don’t hesitate to give me a call at 441-4452 or drop me a line at shines@honblue.com.

The HONBLUE doors were open by 7:30 and Darcey Builders greeted us with coffee & pastries.  By 8 am we were joined by volunteers representing 9 other companies in the neighborhood, including:
 
1.    Darcey Builders
2.    Big Brothers, Big Sisters
3.    Austin, Tsutsumi & Associates
4.    Travel Plaza Transportation
5.    Local Motion
6.    Tesoro
7.    The IHS Group (a second group arrived shortly after – volunteers from the women & children’s shelter)
8.    Kmart
9.    Trade West

The volunteers were divided into five groups and assigned a different part of the neighborhood.  Everyone chipped in by either sweeping or removing weeds and trash from the sidewalks.  We finished up shortly after 10 am and the City sanitation truck arrived right on time to collect the trash.

It was a beautiful morning and great to watch the Iwilei workers come together with the help of C&C departments to make a difference in an area we spend so much of our time.  It’s been inspiring to watch this program grow over the past year and with momentum building in the neighborhood I hope to collectively start making a real difference.

One more thing – I would also like to give a shout out to the Honolulu Police Department.  They provided air tight security for us the entire time.  Keep up the good work officers.

Want to help out with our next Adopt-A-Block event on Saturday September 18th?  Read more about it here (http://www.cleanwaterhonolulu.com/storm/hero/adopt.html) or contact me at shines@honblue.com or 441-4452.

This has become my favorite travel mug.  Word of advice though – don’t put the lid in the dishwasher.

I keep this at my desk and refill it throughout the day.  Careful – made completely of glass, including the cap.

My mum sent me these for my birthday last year.  Blue Shark is my favorite.

Have you seen any cool ‘reusables’ out there? I’d love to hear about them – – shines@honbue.com or 441-4452.

Both are making differences in their own way.  Additionally, my friend who drives everywhere has a car that averages 33 MPG.  She’s looking into a hybrid for her next purchase.  And my friend over there on the bus, when she’s offered a biodegradable take out container, she always pays the difference to make the upgrade.  When presented with an affordable product that will help them reduce their impact – they take it.

What’s exciting is that because we make choices as consumers, producers are answering with improved products.  Along the way, producers are also discovering how they can save money.  (www.nytimes.com/2010/06/12/business/energy-environment/12sustain.html)  Some are even evaluating enterprise-wide improvements ahead of consumer demands.

Retailers and manufacturers will continue to adapt in order to meet our demands.  We just have to make sure that we’re asking for the right things.

If you would like to know more about HONBLUE sustainability efforts please contact me at shines@honbue.com or 441-4452.