 I'm Joshua Cooper and welcome to Aloha Sustainability in Hawaii in peace in our Pacific, the UN SDG movement in Moana, New York. Today, we're looking at the exciting work around Sustainable Development Goals 17, positive proactive partnerships in our planet to make sure the Pacific is great. The UN Sustainable Development Goals provide and accomplish and actualize the 2030 agenda around the world. And UN SDG strengthens the means of implementation revitalization around the global partnership for sustainable development. Global Goals 17 calls for knowledge sharing and cooperation for access to science, technology, innovation, and how we can really cooperate at the grassroots and the global level. Today, we're meeting with an exciting group who's doing just that here in Hawaii. Chris, can you share with me a bit how and why the climate coalition was born and created? Sure. Thanks, Josh. Well, you know, first of all, I fully agree with SDG 17 and its importance because solving these problems that we have to solve really is going to require partnership and collaboration like we've never seen it before. And so it was in that spirit that I got involved with the Hawaii Executive Collaborative that Dwayne Kurisu sort of re-envisioned and reshaped probably five or six years ago to bring in a diverse group of Hawaii's business, government, nonprofit, and educational leaders to convene and talk about how we can solve Hawaii's problems. And at the 2021 conference, actually it was really 2022 conference, there was a panel on climate and it was included a number of very impressive climate experts. And it inspired me to talk to Dwayne and see if I could help out with the climate coalition with forming a climate coalition under HEC and he said, yes. And so I reached out to Chip Fletcher at the University of Hawaii to be my co-chair and we formed it. And the reason that we did it under the auspices of HEC is because already with HEC we had a built-in group of diverse leaders, including all four mayors, the governor, heads of most of the biggest businesses in town, heads of the largest educational institutions, key nonprofit leaders. And so we already had an audience and a group of people to get together and work on these climate issues. And I think that consistent with SDG 17, we are going to have to have unconventional partnerships and collaboration if we're going to solve some of these big problems. And so I was thrilled that Dwayne was willing to have us form the coalition under HEC. I've been thrilled with the engagement of many members of HEC and people outside HEC in including yourself in your work with Maui County in getting engaged in this work and trying to help us figure out how to address some of these big climate challenges. It's true. Global Goal 17 calls for knowledge sharing and cooperation in our communities. And the Hawaii Executive Collaborative Climate Coalition does unite holistic movement combining public-private partnerships for positive change and climate justice. Jeff, can you share with us a bit why you decided to participate in this role as director of the coalition? We know you've been very active in many ways leading Hawaii with the 100% renewable and other important landmarks. Can you share with us what inspired you to get involved with this important HEC climate coalition? Thanks, Josh. And thanks for having us on the show today. First, let me just build off a little bit what you just shared about the partnerships and SDG 17 and how important is that sharing of information. Chris is going to talk a bit in a second I think about kind of our approach. But a big part of our approach is really kind of fostering that sharing among organizations. We have a diversity of organizations involved. We're challenging all of them to decarbonize their operations. And that's something that it's easier to do it together than to go it alone. And we hope to develop some case studies and a lot of lessons to help others sort of accelerate their decarbonization process in a unique Hawaii way. But to your question, I spent about 25 years doing non-profit work in the sustainability space in Hawaii. And I think we made some good progress. You mentioned 100% law. We've set some great goals in Hawaii. But we have a long way to go to be that model that we hope to be for the globe. So when the opportunity to work with Chris and Chip came up in the Hawaii executive collaborative, I was really excited because it's really a fresh approach. And that's exactly what we need if we hope to get our arms around this challenge. Having credible, respected leaders like Chris, experts in the field like Chip, and then that network of organizational leaders who are really wanting to take climate seriously. We need to work together to get there. The approach that I'm accustomed to is we go hard, we adopt policy, we kind of call out the folks that are laggards. This is really calling them in and saying, we're all in this canoe together. How can we really work together to go at the speed and scale we need to solve our climate crisis? That has been one of the most refreshing aspects of being involved is really HEC recognizes severity of the climate change and its impact on our island home. But HEC also understands that climate change is a time bound challenge. And as you said, the faster we act, the greater opportunity to create a resilient and thriving future. Chris, could you go a little bit more in depth about this unique approach and what's been able to be accomplished so far? Yeah, Josh. So we have a construct that we call climate in and climate out. And climate in is getting our member organizations to focus internally on the things that they can do within their organizations to have a better impact on our climate response, whether it's lowering their carbon emissions, lowering their use of single-use plastics, looking at ways to generate power through their facilities, overall just improving their climate impact and lowering the carbon footprint. And we have a staff member, an intern through the KUPU INA program, through KUPU that is helping our member organizations with their carbon inventories. And we're trying to find other ways to support our, and we're also connecting our members to other resources to help them with their climate in work. But the other half is climate out. And that is encouraging and really expecting our members to engage externally to help identify ways that we can work together to advance climate initiatives and promote favorable climate policy. Back to what Jeff was saying about this historic pattern of how there have been certain people working on climate and then a lot of laggards that get called out for not working on climate. One of the very first meetings that Chip and I had with a number of climate and environmental leaders back in the spring of 2022 when we were first getting started, even before Jeff got involved, revealed to us just how fatigued those people were by this lather rinse repeat that they go through every year with drafting legislation that is favorable to the climate and then having it killed in the legislative session because there wasn't that pre-session engagement to identify what could work. And so one of our biggest goals with climate out is to bring these organizations together. And Jeff is great at facilitating these discussions because of his extensive experience in policy work over the years, engaging these folks and talking about the policy that we need to advance in some cases, identifying relatively non-controversial policy that we can push forward. But increasingly, we're looking at how we can tackle some of the gnarlier, stickier issues around policy, getting people in the room before the legislative session, before the council meetings to agree on what is acceptable to all parties, maybe not loved by all parties. In fact, almost guaranteed it's not going to be loved by all parties. But with that recognition that we have to make progress, we have to work together identifying policy that we can advocate, that we can get through the legislative process. And so that's something that we've been working on. We've had some good success early on and we will be tackling, and we can talk more about this later, but we'll be tackling tougher and tougher issues. The other aspect of climate out is working together on not just policy issues. We don't want to be only a lobbying or policy guidance initiative. We also want to work together on projects that are going to directly impact our community. And that includes both mitigation projects and adaptation and resilience projects. And so we are looking at ways that we can coalesce businesses and other groups around supporting a wide range of initiatives, not just in the policy sphere. Hello, Chris. Really covering a lot there and so many directions we could head in. One of those aspects of the gnarly and the good around the legislature is absolutely crucial and let's maybe look at some of those bills, Jeff. But first, before we get into some of the most important legislation that we should encourage people to get behind and take action before the closing of this session, how many organizations have heeded this call to be part of this movement for the greater good? Can you share a little bit about some of those organizations and how they've been getting involved so far? Sure. Thanks, Josh. We have a really big tent and that's the goal. That's the idea is to engage as many organizations, large, small, nonprofit, for-profit, government, otherwise, as possible in the climate conversation. And we're doing that with what we're calling the climate pledge. And let me tell you, I'd be the first to say these pledges, these declarations, in my mind, are sometimes just worthless. And it's really not the goal at all. But we've tailored our pledge to be really clear that this is essentially you're telegraphing your support, that you're committed to taking action on a climate. And then we're actually asking you to do things, as Chris said, both internally in your organization. So measuring, taking a snapshot of where you are with your carbon emissions, setting goals to reduce that, and then putting together an action plan to achieve your goals and ideally the state's goals of 100%. And then asking you to engage constructively in the climate conversation. So it's not just a sort of feel the good kind of, we all, Malama Aina, this is, we're committed to do this as an organization. And we are going to take these steps internally and systemically to address the challenge. Today, we've had about 42 organizations sign the pledge. And these are names that folks would recognize. I mean, it's some of the, honestly, the largest contributors to climate change in Hawaii, as well as some grassroots organizations that are more community focused. So, you know, part of Hawaii, Hawaiian Airlines, Hawaiian Electric, Young Brothers, Alexander and Baldwin, and then, you know, folks like a Blue Planet Foundation, all four counties as the, as Chris shared and the governor. So really an eclectic mix, Kaiser, you know, some folks from the hospitality industry, Outrigger, some restaurants. And again, this is our goal to really get a good cross section of folks. Everyone, this is a, you know, all in sort of challenge. So, there are also folks who are participating in our conversations that have yet to sign the pledge. And that's perfectly fine. You know, when they're ready, we hope that they do, but their voices matter. And again, we want to engage as many people as possible. So, we've had some, you know, organizations that have signed testimony, participated in conversations, come to some of the brown bags that we do. All of this in the interest of just moving forward on climate. Hopefully, we'll have, you know, 100 of the largest organizations signing the pledge, but we're happy with the group that we have, and the door is open to anyone to join. It's absolutely crucial as we look at transforming at the speed and scales necessary is essential as we move forward. And it does require a fresh approach and a new kind of collaboration. And HEC Climate Coalition really does embody the spirit of SDG partnerships. Chris, can you share with us and characterize some of the keys of success in a coalition such as HEC Climate Coalition? Yeah, Josh, you know, I think I first have to acknowledge that we're still, we're still figuring that out. We're still finding our way through this process. But some things that I think are key that I think we've done a good job of so far, and hopefully we'll continue to do, is first of all, you have to start with a group of people that have a shared commitment to the goal of making Hawaii better. And again, I want to acknowledge the role that HEC has played in that because the folks that come to, that are involved in the Hawaii Executive Collaborative and come to the conference each year, are coming there for the specific purpose of trying to figure out how the role that they can play in making Hawaii better and addressing a wide range of issues that are facing Hawaii. So that was a tremendous foundation to start with, because everybody that walks in the door has that perspective. And then of course, the organizations that may not be involved in HEC but have jumped on our bandwagon are similarly motivated, including a lot of the NGOs that are already doing great work. The second thing is, speaking of that great work, is don't duplicate what others are doing. We're not trying to do things that are already being done by other organizations. We're trying to make connections. We're trying to help facilitate groups that may not have the resources, the attention, the policies that they need to do their work effectively. So we're trying to help leverage all the tremendous work that's being done in Hawaii on climate. And as an example, as you know, working with one of the counties, is that we're not coming to the counties and the mayor is saying, here, you need to do this. What we're doing is we're saying, we know you have plans. How can we help support you? How can the business community? How can HEC help support what you're doing? And so we're trying to make sure that we're not supplanting the work that anyone else is doing or duplicating the work that anyone else is doing, but supplementing and helping them be effective. I think another key is building trust. And this is still very much a work in progress. We've got many participants that not only have not worked together in the past, but some of them have been on opposite sides of critical issues. And I think it's important that we move at a pace that allows us to, we know eventually we need to move fast, but we cannot move too fast until we've built that trust. And so I'd say we're still in the trust-building mode. And some of the things that we've been doing on policy and some of the low-hanging fruit that we've been picking has been specifically for the purpose of building those relationships, building that trust so that we can accelerate the work as we go forward. And so, yeah, there are other things we've had tried to keep barriers to entry low so that there's not a $10,000 or $20,000 price of admission. Anybody who wants to come and be part of the coalition is welcome. There's no financial commitment. The only thing we're asking for is a commitment to act, as Jeff said earlier. And we think those are all part of making it work. And I can talk about this more later time permitting. I think that we acknowledge, as I said, that we are picking a little bit of the low-hanging fruit right now. We're going to have to move into some tougher issues because the long-term success of this coalition and of our climate response is going to depend on people making more sacrifices and taking on some of the tougher challenges. And we're really trying to set the lay the groundwork for that. And so, it's far too early to declare success, but we feel like it's moving in the right direction. Hello, Kristen. Jeff, can you get into some of those aspects of those low-hanging mangoes that we see at the legislature in ways that we can build the trust so that we can have more transformative change? Could you share some of those measures that even our listeners should get involved with and contact their officials? Because we know we're heading into the last month and how important it is to hear from people. What do we see as HEC and the climate coalition? What are some of those measures that we think should be adopted that are there at the legislative session? Sure. And just because we call them low-hanging fruit doesn't mean that they're not very impactful. Last year, the coalition put its shoulder behind a measure to appropriate funds for Hawaii's green bank. And most folks are kind of aware of the green bank, but it's a real success story in Hawaii where we're providing essentially low interest loans, largely for low-income families to do solar plus storage. They had received a bond 10 years ago. That funding was drying up, so this was a new appropriation to let them continue that good work. And let's set you past the $100 million appropriation last year that's going to be a revolving fund that's going to come back to the state. So really exciting, but it's one of those, you know, I call these things inertiatives because they're really good ideas, but sometimes they just don't have momentum to get across the finish line. So that's where the climate coalition can come in, bring together again a really diverse, you know, array of organizations who might not otherwise be engaged in the climate conversation. So when a lawmaker sees testimony that has Alexander Baldwin, young brothers, zippies, a blue planet foundation all in the same, you know, letterhead, we think it kind of carries a bit of a different weight than the typical, you know, voices that you'd hear at the legislature. So our goal with these, what we call low hanging fruit or kind of motherhood and apple pie measures where there's not a lot of controversy, but there might not be the support to get over the finish line is to channel that support and make sure that these really good policies can pass and get enacted. This year at the legislature, we're continuing that support for the Green Bank. An innovative proposal called Solar Huey has been introduced. And the idea is, you know, folks who live in condos or multi-family who can't put solar on the roof, this would provide a vehicle for them to do that by enabling them to invest some funds in the Green Bank. And those funds would be deployed to put solar on, you know, low income homes. The folks who are getting that solar would benefit because their bill would go down immediately. And then the individuals in the condos would receive some return on that investment. That's a very safe, secure return and feel good about helping us, you know, reach our climate goals. So we think it's, you know, one of these perfect programs that can be innovated here in Hawaii. And the legislature, I mean, folks are busy there. There's a lot of attention given to, you know, various matters. So we want to keep the focus on a measure like this to make sure it gets over that finish line. We're also jointly supporting another bill to streamline permitting. This has been discussed for a few years now, but again, we just want to get over the finish line. It'll help the counties and solar developers, you know, quickly get these things permitted using a online application process and cuts in that red tape that's holding back our transition. So those are the sorts of things, you know, we hope to just kind of channel support and importantly start that engagement and trust building with some of these organizations who don't necessarily do climate day in and day out, but they can start to see themselves as, oh, you know, this is important beyond just my business. This is important to the state. And it's worthwhile for me to put my name and my company's logo on this testimony to support it. But as Chris said, you know, our real value is going to be tackling those difficult issues, getting people in the room together, kind of creating that brave space where people can be vulnerable and agree to, you know, moving forward with a shared understanding of what it's going to take to really decarbonize our economy and build resilience in Hawaii. Definitely understand it and see that as well. And that's that aspect that the legislature, it's always the same people who are always there and people already know who's for what. So shaking it up a bit, getting people to collaborate together for the greater good to make sure climate justice is a priority for Hawaii, as well as Moana New York and the Pacific and the world is absolutely crucial. And HEC's multi-sector climate coalition does support the creation of a favorable environment for climate progress. And what I do appreciate too is addressing the systemic barriers that have impeded progress so far. And by leveraging the influence and these collective capabilities, there's really a strong foundation now on which these climate initiatives can succeed. Chris, would you like to share a bit about some of the success that you've experienced so far and how you decide the next steps of what could be positive going forward? Yeah, I think that, thanks, Josh. I think that I'm most encouraged by the level of engagement and that includes the engagement, as Jeff said, in the testimony, the support that we've been able to provide for critical initiatives. And as Jeff said, just because we were able to reach broad agreement on these issues doesn't make them any less important. They've been very important and very impactful and the support for the Green Bank last year in particular and some other things that we've taken on. That said, I think that we have to get into some of the stickier issues, as Jeff has indicated. And there are a handful of them that we've identified and we are soliciting interest from our participants to get involved in these discussions and that's where we're moving next. In fact, we're going to be convening in the next week or two some discussions around some of these more challenging issues. And we certainly need to do that. But we also need to find ways to draw more businesses in. I'm proud of the numbers of businesses. And as Jeff said, we've got some of the largest businesses, some of the businesses that are most significant in the decarbonization movement involved. But we really need to get everybody involved over time. And so we're looking at ways that we can do that. We're looking at the possibility of forming some industry specific groups where folks in the same industry can get together and talk in a safe space about how they can tackle some climate issues in their industry without interference from outside, but sort of comparing notes about what they can be doing, whether it's in the development space or the restaurants or hotels or other transportation businesses. And so that's something that we're going to be moving into soon. We have to continue to build trust and more and more in person engagement. Keep in mind, it was still pretty tough to convene when we first formed this coalition. We did have an all hands in person engagement or convening last year. But most of our meetings are virtual and we need to begin to spend more time in person and building that trust. The last thing that I'll say, and I'll actually hand it off to Jeff to elaborate on this, is that we need to celebrate the successes that we've had. And one of the things I think we need to realize is that we have achieved a great amount. And we've also got a lot of partners and participants that are doing some amazing things in the climate space. Some that clearly predate our involvement and some that I think we can maybe take a little bit of credit for inspiring and motivating to take these actions. And Jeff has some thoughts about how we can more proactively, not only recognize what we as a coalition have done, but try to recognize the great work that's being done by a lot of companies and other organizations in our community. Oh, and it reminds me of all the important work that Jeff had done with various NGOs here in Hawaii at the state legislature. But then also I think we're both at the UN Framework Commission on Climate Change, Conference of Parties in Glasgow, where I'm assisting Tuvalu government and you were doing some amazing articles as well, because that's always in our mind of what impacts us, but also our Pacific neighbors. And Tuvalu, of course, is just right down the Pacific Highway down there. And you could go there with Hokulea just straight down. And it's an important space with no high mountains, with very little aspect of being above sea level. And that's always weighing on our mind of what we do. How does that impact you as well as you think about the successes of what we're doing so far with HEC, Jeff? You know, I know we're short for time. So I'll just say that I mean, it's actually critical with what he does. We can be that vanguard and that model for our Pacific neighbors, but also for the globe. And I think just to build off what Chris shared, to me, I mean, climate is a it's a technical challenge, economic challenge, policy business challenge, but ultimately it's a social challenge. And we really hope to provide that sort of social framework for new norms around how we need to behave in this climate era that we're living in, how we can reduce our carbon emissions, build resilience, and essentially provide that social proof that we can go together to solve our climate challenge. Very true. And if we look at the HEC Climate Coalition, it does ensure an equitable transition to a climate-resilient economy, society, and environment for all of Hawaii's people. And what's so important is that really taking action on climate isn't just a commitment. We appreciate how HEC Climate Coalition understands it's our collective kuleana for what we can do and how we can go forward together. So thank you both for joining us. And more importantly, for all that you do daily to make sure that we can see Hawaii as a leader. I know, Chris, you've done amazing things with the Unitar Seafol that aspect of bringing together universities. And Jeff as well, the Residency Hub meetings and other aspects just show some of the beginning seeds that have been planted, but the roots are running deep about how we can make Hawaii a leader and make sure that we continue our collective kuleana for a better planet. Mahalo, Nui, and thank you both.