Centering on People to Save the Environment

Hawaiian moorhen wades in a shallow marsh

Preserving natural environments by concentrating development helps protect habitats for endangered species, such as the Hawaiian Moorhen. Photo: US Fish and Wildlife Service

Can smart growth save species? These and similar questions are at the heart of a new center at the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program (UH Sea Grant) that seeks to reduce the impacts of the human footprint on our natural environment. Stephen Meder, Director of the new Center for Smart Building and Community Design explains, “This new approach builds on the traditional strengths of Sea Grant, while accepting that industry, commerce, recreation and development in coastal areas have profound ramifications on watersheds, coastlines, and ecosystems.” Moreover, Meder believes “…merging expertise from the marine sciences with the building and social sciences addresses the interconnectivity of the built, natural and human environments. Sea Grant is uniquely positioned to bring research, partnerships and strategic expertise to familiar communities that need help in new ways.”

From beachside lighting that disorients sea turtle hatchlings to the warming of the World's oceans from greenhouse gases, few marine resources remain beyond the affects of human development. As such, successful management must recognize and integrate the marine, biological, building and social sciences to prevent ecosystem degradation and promote healthy human communities. Marrying state-of-the-art science with comprehensive design principles improves our quality of life and our communities' economic vitality while maintaining or even restoring key coastal ecosystems. Identifying and transferring practices that epitomize this new paradigm to coastal communities are key objectives of the new Center.

The Center began by looking inward, at the University of Hawai‘i, with the goal of the University serving as both a model and inspiration for the greater community. To date the Center has identified energy conserving practices at the University's Hamilton Library that resulted in savings of US $350,000 per year. The Center also facilitated collaboration among UH Sea Grant, the UH School of Architecture and Honolulu Board of Water Supply which resulted in a comprehensive water conservation audit and retrofit for key University buildings. In spring 2005, the Hawai‘i State Legislature asked the Center to generate energy design standards for all new and existing University buildings. When implemented, the new guidelines are expected to save the University of Hawai‘i approximately US $3 million per year in energy savings. The Center has also provided Sustainable Design Guidelines for the Maui Montessori School; a series of sustainable design workshops for local architects, engineers and university personnel; and community design information to stakeholders active in addressing development on Oahu.

Public transit brings a mix of people to Chinatown to keep the community vibrant.

Mixed land use as seen in Chinatown, Honolulu, Hawaii, helps create vibrant communities. Photo: Craig Okumura

Administered by UH Sea Grant, within the prestigious School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, The Center for Smart Building and Community Design is uniquely positioned to address the challenges of coastal community development. As a not-for-profit organized research unit of the University, the Center serves as an honest broker, providing objective state-of-the-art information to all interested stakeholders from conservation biologists to developers. Part of the Sea Grant network, the Center draws from the expertise of coastal community development research and extension faculty at 32 institutions nationwide in addition to University of Hawai‘i.

Centering on people to save the environment