Aloha and welcome to Honolulu Community College’s sustainability page! Here you will find information on HonCC campus initiatives and activities related to sustainability, along with links to other sites useful and interesting to those committed to sustainability.
Our goal is to make this an informative resource for the entire HonCC community as we focus on our campus commitment to sustainability in educational offerings and operations.
If you have any questions, information to share, or suggestions for how the campus can improve, please get in touch with either of the HonCC Sustainability Coordinators, Michelle Nathan (mhw@hawaii.edu), Robert Silva (rsilva1@hawaii.edu), or Hsin-I Tong (hsini@hawaii.edu).
Together, we can make a difference.
View Upcoming Spring 2023 Hoʻolaulea and Sustainability Showcase Website
View Trash to Treasure PDF Flyer
Sustainability Courses
Honolulu Community college offers Sustainability Related and Sustainability Focused classes across multiple disciplines.
Sustainability Related (SR) – Some portion of the course content addresses sustainability terminology, knowledge, issues, and concerns.
Sustainability Focused (SF) – A course includes sustainability as a major theme of the course. A significant portion of course content is directly and explicitly related to addressing concepts of sustainability such as the social, economic and environmental dimensions, or examining an issue or topic using sustainability as a lens.
See list of Courses with S-Designation certified at Honolulu Community College
What We Do / What Can You Do
Celebrating mālama ‘āina at Honolulu Community College
Sustainability at Honolulu CC
- Ka Māla o Niuhelewai
- Solar Arrays at Automotive Technology, METC and Shade Structure sites.
- Meteorological Station
- Reductions in Electricity Usage and CO2 Emissionss (PDF)
- Sustainability Colloquia (Workshops and Presentations)
Perpetuating Sustainability at Honolulu CC
- Student Sustainability Club
- Take a Sustainability Related or Sustainability Focused class!
- Participate in the Annual Sustainability Showcase
- Sustainability Newsletters
Perpetuate Sustainability at Home and in the Community
Community Service
Educate Yourself and Take Action
- Workshop Slides – “Dynamic Teaching with Sustainability” (Presentation for 2022 Ho’olaule’a)
- Workshop Slides – “Sustainable Origami” (Presentation for 2022 Ho’olaule’a)
- Workshop Slides – “T-Shirt Bag” (Presentation for 2022 Ho’olaule’a)
- Consumption Habits – Tips for Being a More Conscientious Consumer
- Best Practices to Reduce Use of Paper
- HonCC Library Guide on Water-related Resources
- Resources Related to Recycling
- Sustainability in the Office and Classroom
- Recommended Documentaries
- Restoration and Clean Up Projects
- HonCC Blogs on Sustainable Living
- Sustainable Homeownership
- Hawaiʻi Residential Rain Garden Manual
- Hawaiʻi Backyard Conservation – Ideas for Every Homeowner
- A Handbook for Stormwater Reclamation and Reuse Best Management Practices in Hawaiʻi
- Landscape Irrigation Conservation Management Practices
Degrees, Programs, Professions in Sustainability
Why Pursue a Career in Sustainability?
Individuals passionate about the environment and creating a better future should consider a career in sustainability. Professionals must also possess heightened research, analytical, and communication skills. An associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral program can help students develop and hone these skills, while also introducing learners to the latest research related to sustainability. Although an associate degree in sustainability prepares graduates for some jobs, positions with better wages require a bachelor’s or master’s degree. More advanced degrees may also qualify a professional for a managerial position. As a manager, they can influence their company’s direction significantly. Excerpts taken from ‘Best Colleges’ website.
Degree Programs
Sustainability Degree And Certificate Programs In Hawai’i
Associates Degrees And Certificates
- Academic Subject Certificate in Sustainability – Honolulu Community College
- Academic Subject Certificate in Sustainable Agriculture – Windward Community College
- Academic Subject Certificate in Sustainability – Kapiʻolani Community College
- Certificate of Competence: Sustainability Science – Kauaʻi Community College
- Certificate of Achievement: Automotive Green Technology – Kauaʻi Community College
- Environmental Science Certificate – UH Hilo
- Environmental Studies Certificate – UH Mānoa
- Certificate in Sustainable Tourism – UH Mānoa
- Sustainability and Resilience Courses Description and List
Bachelor’s Degree
- Bachelors of Applied Science: Sustainable Community Food Systems – UH West Oʻahu
- Bachelor of Applied Science: Sustainable Science Management – UH Maui College
- Bachelor of Science: Environmental Science – UH Hilo
- Bachelor of Arts: Environmental Sciences – UH Mānoa
- Bachelor of Science: Global Environmental Science – UH Mānoa
- Bachelor of Science: Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences
- Bachelor of Arts: Sustainability – UH Mānoa
- Bachelor of Science: Environmental Studies – Chaminade University
Masters Degree
- M.S. in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science – UH Hilo
- Masters in Natural Resources and Environmental Management (CTAR) – UH Mānoa
- Masters of Arts in Global Leadership and Sustainable Development – Hawaiʻi Paific University
University of Hawai’i Environmental Research Grants and Centers
- Institute for Sustainability and Resilience at Mānoa
- Sea Grant Hawaiʻi
- Hawaiʻi Natural Energy Institute (HNEI)
- Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology
Online Sustainability Degree and Certificate Programs
Arizona State University: ASU has several online sustainability degrees. See link
- BA; BS in Sustainability; Business Sustainability; Sustainable Food Systems
- Graduate Degrees: Sustainability Leadership; Sustainable Tourism; Sustainable Engineering; Biomimicry; Sustainable Food Systems
- Certificates: Sustainable Tourism; Social Entrepreneurship and Community Development; Biomimicry; Food Policy and Sustainability Leadership; Sustainability
Sustainability Degree and Certificate Programs on the Mainland
Bachelors Degree
- BA in Anthropology – Environmental Sustainability – Southern New Hampshire University
- BS in Environmental Science– Southern New Hampshire University
- BS in Environmental Science – Data Analytics in Science– Southern New Hampshire University
- BS in Environmental Science – Natural Resources & Conservation– Southern New Hampshire University
Masters Degree
- Master of Environmental Studies – UPenn
- Master of Liberal Arts, Extension Studies. Field: Sustainability – Harvard University
- Masters in Business Administration – Sustainability and Environmental Compliance – Southern New Hampshire University
- Master of Science in Energy Policy and Climate – John Hopkins University
- Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Policy – John Hopkins University
- Master of Science in Green Technologies – USC Viterbi
- Master of Arts and Master of Science in Sustainability – Stanford University
- Master of Science in Environmental Science and Management – UC Santa Barbara
Internship and Employment Opportunities
Kupu: Building A Brighter Future for Hawaiʻi’s Youth – Offers paid internships such as Conservation Leadership Development Progra
Sustainability Professions
Links Careers in Sustainability and Green Jobs (source: Environmental Science.org)
See Descriptions – Sustainability Careers – BestColleges
Ancestral Connections
MAUŌ: “The perpetuation of well-being.”
The Hawaiian word mauō, for sustainability, is made up of two basic words; mau, stability, unbroken continuity, and o, enduring in a heathy state. This new Hawaiian word was coined by the Hawaiian Lexicon Committee in 2016. Formerly, there was no need for the word mauō because it was a normal part of Hawaiian life. Today, it is critical that we distinguish between what is sustainable and what is not.
The Mamaka Kaiao New Words entry is: mau.ō common noun Sustainability. Comb., mau + ō.
University of Hawai’i System Commitments
- Mauō: The perpetuation of well-being
- Hawaiʻi: Sustainability as a Lived Practice – UH Office of Sustainability Resources
Resources
Where Culture and Sustainability Meet
- Ola Ka ʻŌlelo: A Hawaiian Language Session On Language And Culture In Conservation – Part 1
- Ola Ka ʻŌlelo: A Hawaiian Language Session On Language And Culture In Conservation – Part 2
Articles
- “Ancient Hawaiian Farmers Offer Lessons in Sustainability“, Heidi Chang, VOX, September 1, 2016.
- “A Hawaiian Renaissance That Could Save the World. This archipelago’s society before Western contact developed a large, self-sufficient population, yet imposed a remarkably small ecological footprint.“, Sam ‘Ohu Gon, Kawika Winter, American Scientist.
- “A New Emphasis On Models Of Ancient Hawaiian Sustainability. International conservation leaders and the State of Hawaii are looking at what our islands’ pre-contact heritage may have to teach us.“, Mahesh Cleveland, Honolulu Civil Beat, October 31, 2016.
Books
- Thinking Like an Island: Navigating a Sustainable Future in Hawaiʻi edited by Jennifer Chirico and Gregory S. Farley
- Food and Power in Hawaiʻi: Visions of Food Democracy edited by Aya Hirata Kimura, Krisnawati Suryanata, Christine R. Yano, and Robert Ji-Song Ku
‘Ōlelo No’eau
ʻŌlelo Noʻeau – Hawaiian Traditional Saying Related to the Environment
State & System Strategic Plans, Policies & Measures
Several system policies and plans direct HonCC efforts to create a more sustainable campus and integrate sustainability into the curriculum. There are also dashboards and measures presented by the State and campus that indicate how we are doing in meeting goals.
State & System Strategic Plans, Policies and Measures
State of Hawai’i
- Board of Regents Policy RP 4.208, Sustainability Policy [PDF]
- Executive Policy 4.202, System Sustainability [PDF]
- Department of Labor and Industrial Relations – Hawaiʻi Green Jobs Initiative
- Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resilience
UH System Office of Sustainability
Honolulu Community College
State, System and Campus Measures
State of Hawai’i Measures
- Aloha Challenge
- State Dashboard Measures
State of Hawai’i Sustainability Development Goals & Measures
- Clean Energy Transformation
- Green Workforce and Education
- Natural Resource Management
- Local Food Production and Consumption
- Solid Waste Production
- Smart Sustainable Communities
Open Data – State Datasets
- Total Pounds of Food Produced Locally
- Hawaii Cumulative Hybrid And Electric Vehicles Registered 2000-2010
- Hawaii Energy Star Buildings 2003-2011
- Green Business Program
- Hawaii Electricity Consumption 1970-2010
- Cumulative Installed Photovoltaic Capacity Per Capita
University of Hawai’i Projects and Measures
HonCC Measurements
- Solar Arrays – view how much power is being generated as well as how solar works
- HonCC Campus: Electricity Usage/CO2 Emissions
- Niuhelewai Meteorological Station – Part of multi-campus PAGE grant, Halau Ola Honua (Our living world, living laboratory) housed at HonCC’s ʻIke Wai Ka Mala o Niuhelewai on campus