Committee History
Under then-Chancellor Erika Lacro, an Administrative Committee to address sustainability issues on campus was formed in Fall 2013, made up of volunteers responding to call for those interested. The first meeting was held on January 2014; the committee was chaired by Norman Takeya who was the campus’s first and founding leader in sustainability efforts. He led sustainability efforts as Chair for a number of years. This first committee established goals that included: creation of student club, fostering integration of sustainability in curriculum, promoting sustainability in operations and campus practices, ensuring close alignment with system sustainability efforts, and educating the campus community on sustainability issues.
In later years, committee membership was determined by the Committee on Committees based on expressed interest, which guaranteed a committed membership throughout the years, with many members serving several years in a row. The most recent iteration of the committee charter was approved in Spring 2021. The Chair is elected by the membership at the start of the academic year. The committee early on established and has maintained the practice of working sub committees to pursue goals in the area of operations, curriculum, education and best practices, and communication. The first website was posted Spring 2016 and it has undergone several iterations and revisions since then. Working with students and Professor Sandy Sanpei of the Commercial Arts department, a unique logo was created that is used on campus sustainability communications and flyers.
Curriculum
An early emphasis was institutionalizing sustainability emphases in curriculum. In Spring 2016, the Charter for a Sustainability Designation Review Committee was approved by the FSEC. The first Sustainability-Related and Sustainability-Focused courses were approved in Fall 2016. In Fall 2020, the Academic Subject Certificate in Sustainability was approved. Currently there are XX classes with a sustainability designation.
Student Club
The first Sustainability Student Club was formed Fall 2017. There have been a number of officers over the years; membership has fluctuated and the club was moribund during the Covid years. Important achievements by past club officers and members included participating and representing the campus at system sustainability summits, presenting information for students at Sustainability Showcase booths and movie presentations, and in 2018, the club carried out and publicized the findings from a success campus-wide waste audit.
Strategic Plans
The first work in creating a planning document for the committee was carried out in 2016-2017, resulting in the HonCC Sustainability Implementation Plan, with Professor Bill Becker taking the lead on this compilation of HonCC achievements and goals.
A second planning process was carried out by a Sustainability Committee subcommittee which created the Honolulu Community College Sustainability Plan, 2021 – 2026. This was reviewed and approved by the Planning Council in Fall 2021.
Leadership
In Fall 2017, the Chancellor approved the creation of the position of Sustainability Coordinator. Cynthia Smith served as the first coordinator. This position has changed over time. While at first receiving release time, this is no longer given to the Coordinator position. In later years, two, and then three, people shared the duties of Coordinator, working in close coordination with the Sustainability Committee Chair.
Campus Education and Events
Over the years, different sub committees have organized and offered numerous talks, workshops and movie showings to provide educational opportunities for faculty, staff, administrators and especially students. These have included guest speakers, hands on presentations, and virtual/Zoom sessions. Topics have included climate change and its impacts, repurposing projects to recycle and upcycle materials, gardening sustainably, and presentations by community environmental organizations.
The first campus wide sustainability event – termed the Sustainability Showcase – was held in April 2015. What began as a few tents with plant giveaways and informational booths grew to include several community and campus presentations informing students and campus faculty and staff about sustainability issues and best practices. The first event included demonstration of student repurposing projects, which evolved into the very popular Trash to Treasures competition that showcases repurposing projects done by students, faculty and staff. In 2017, the Sustainability Showcase became incorporated as part of the larger college Ho’olaule’a celebration and over the years (barring Covid years), this April event has been very successful, with over 400 attendees learning about both Hawaiian culture and environmental issues.
Beginning in Fall 2017, a weekly email was sent out informing the campus of sustainability best practices, teaching resources for use in class instruction and assignments, and links to news articles on a variety of environmental topics. This has evolved into a newsletter that is now distributed on a monthly basis.
Operations and Facilities
The campus has adopted a number of sustainable practices including recycling bins, composting, refill-friendly water stations, and adopting more environmentally friendly cleaning products. In coordination with Johnson Controls, several major projects reducing the campus emissions and energy footprint were funded and carried out.
Other Achievements
AASHE – Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
HonCC joined as campus member in Fall 2014. In Fall 2020, the campus joined as a campus co-sponsor for the AASHE Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education: Mobilizing for a Just Transition which enabled promoting the campus as well as opening up all virtual events and sessions to the entire campus, including students.
In 2023, after years of hard work, the campus earned the Bronze level of the AASHE STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System).
2018 Institutional Self Evaluation Report
The campus achievements in areas of sustainability were explicitly commended by the ACCJC-WASC team and included in the final accrediting letter (PDF).
2018 President’s Green Initiative Awards
The University of Hawaii Office of Sustainability sought nominations for UH President Lassner’s Green Initiative Awards and HonCC faculty and staff were among those recognized.
– Winning Project: Hahai nō ka Ua i ka Ululāʻau – Rain Always Follows the Forests (Castiglione A. Casauria Foundation Green Project Implementation Award) (coordinated by HonCC faculty members: Kalani Flores, Isaiah Smith, and Alapaki Luke
– Student winner: Boysie Burdett, Honolulu CC—Johnson Controls Green Leader Award
(for campus waste reduction and student sustainability initiatives)
– Faculty winner: Robert Silva, Honolulu CC (for restoring ʻāina momona (abundant land) and commitment to teaching sustainability in the trades.
