For the City and County of Honolulu, sustainability and attainability are two sides of the same coin. That's to say, while lofty
20-year plans help us chart our direction and long-term goals, the challenges facing our island, state, nation, and the world demand immediate attention and action. Sustainability must be attainable.
It all starts, of course, with "aloha aina," the love and care of this land we call home. We led the effort to save Waimea Valley, bringing together the likes of OHA, the State, the Trust for Public Land and the U.S Army to successfully acquire that most precious natural and culturally significant resource. Working with some of the same partners, we also contributed to the preservation and permanent protection of the property at Pupukea-Paumalu, the natural backdrop of Oahu's famed North Shore.
The goals and actions contained in the City's 21st Century Ahupua'a reflect the work we're doing now to make Honolulu a better place than we found it. On the pages of this publication, you'll read in more detail about what we are doing every day to "live green."
That work comes in many forms. In transportation, we're poised to break ground for a long-awaited fixed guideway system that will reduce the time commuters spend in their cars and away from their families, not to mention give us relief from pollution and costly, imported fuel. We have TheBus, consistently ranked one of the best in the nation, and TheBoat, a new means of linking West Oahu with downtown Honolulu, both of which operate together to reduce the use of personal vehicles. And a growing number of those buses in our fleet are hybrids to reduce consumption of imported oil. Our City vehicles use biofuels. Air-conditioning and energy-saving improvements in City facilities are slashing consumption of electricity.
We have a very aggressive solid waste program that includes scheduled island-wide bulky item pickup, green waste pickup, and curbside recycling. We have recycling bins in schools and community centers. Our H-Power plant burns our waste to produce electricity, another way we recycle.
We're investing hundreds of millions of dollars to improve and upgrade our sewage collection system and wastewater treatment plants, thereby building an infrastructure that will benefit future generations.
Oahu is, quite literally, green - if our tree-lined boulevards, grassy parks and playgrounds, and public grounds are any indication. The City continues to plant and maintain more trees and is investing money in maintaining the condition of our parks and beaches to ensure a quality of life second to none. If fact, Monocle magazine just named Honolulu as one of the best cities in the world for our quality of life. Honolulu was ranked the top city among the handful of U.S. cities to make the grade, and we can attribute our status, in large part, to our environmental leadership and commitment
Yes, there's more work to be done. But we're making tremendous strides in "living green," and the reports by the City and County of Honolulu in this publication of the Honolulu Advertiser will not only inform you, but be a source of pride for anyone who considers calls Honolulu home.
Mufi Hannemann, Mayor, City & County of Honolulu
