Take a tip on island growth from Hawaii
“Green Growth” might put people off, but it can teach us, says Leanne Minshull
ISPENT
four days in Honolulu at the Hawaii Green Growth annual partnership meeting recently. Hawaii Green Growth has risen from a deeply held belief that islander knowledge can find answers for multiple challenges Hawaii is facing.
Hawaii is similar to Tasmania in many ways. A developed state economy in a federated national structure. A place of incredible physical beauty and a traditional culture that was dominated by but survived colonisation. Settler Hawaiians like Tasmanians, are connected to their landscape and their community.
Like Tasmania, Hawaii is experiencing growing pains. Housing affordability and cost of living pressures are increasing. Tourism is a major driver of the economy. Nature is what draws tourists but the impacts are being felt from ridge to reef.
Unlike Tasmania, Hawaii has taken a different path in trying to respond to these challenges. Instead of fracturing along politically divisive fault lines, they have drawn upon the aloha spirit to chart a different course.
In Hawaii, Aloha is not just a greeting of welcome, it’s a way of being. Children are taught they are not just individuals but a part of a greater whole. Much like our Australian indigenous culture, Aloha teaches that the earth, sky and sea need to be cared for, cherished and protected.
The Hawaii Green Growth network built on this ethos and in 2011 identified sustainable growth priorities for Hawaii’s island economy. Led by Celeste Connors, a decades-long veteran of the US diplomatic corps and chief energy adviser to then president Obama, Hawaii Green Growth took the global sustainable development goals and made them locally relevant and implementable. This was done over a year via consultation with business, community and government.
This result is an inclusive and inspiring partnership. At the meeting I attended Conservation International sat side by side with Hawaiian Electric. A local conservation group sat with Hawaiian airlines. Officials from the Mayor’s office were there alongside representatives of the Governor. Nobody agreed on everything, but everyone agreed on one thing — collaboration is powerful and required.
Ongoing collaboration means the work is engaging and relevant. Having the process well-resourced and inclusive means it continuously improves itself. A live dashboard, hosted by the government but owned collectively, keeps track of achievements. The dashboard is also a great engagement tool. An app about to be launched will allow schools producing their own food to feed it into the statewide goal of doubling local food production by 2020.
Community groups can upload their efforts on reducing waste and see how that helps the state as a whole.
During a reception at the Governors’ residence for Hawaii Green Growth, representatives from both sides of the political spectrum were there to show support for the project. A few days later, the Governor signed an executive order that wherever practicable, all state departments would incorporate the 17 sustainable development goals to their budgets and operations.
All of this hasn’t fixed all of Hawaii’s problems but the possibilities feel more tangible. There is still plenty of space for parliamentarians to partake in the gladiatorial sport of politics — it just happens in a more constructive colosseum. Tasmania isn’t going to have a project called green growth. “Green” would alienate 50 per cent of our community and “Growth” the other half. I do think we can do this our own way — the Tasmanian Way. Like Hawaiians, I think our islander community understands we need to work together to prosper together.