HONOLULU, HAWAII – Senator Mike Gabbard, chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment, in partnership with the Department of Accounting and General Services (DIGS) , Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, and NORESCO announced the launch of the Capital 10 Energy Challenge today.
Gabbard said, “Back in June, Governor Abercrombie held his iConserve Rally at the State Capitol to encourage state workers to conserve energy in the workplace. I was driving in from Kapolei for the event and was inspired. Being a former tennis pro and athlete, I thought why not have state buildings here in Hawai‘i compete with each other to see who could reduce their electricity usage the most. But we can also do better than competing with one another on energy. Nobody loses if we all work towards a common purpose. That’s why a challenge makes the most sense for Hawai‘i.”
The Capital 10 Energy Challenge is patterned after last year’s “Battle of the Buildings”, sponsored by the EPA, which featured 245 buildings around the country competing to reduce energy use and cost. The goal is to have the 10 Capitol District buildings reduce their combined energy consumption by $100,000 primarily through behavior change during the next calendar year starting this month.
The Capital 10 District includes: the Kalanimoku Building, the Kekauluohi Building (State Archives), the Kekuanaoa Building, the Keoni Ana Building, the Kinau Hale Building, Leiopapa-A-Kamehameha (State Office Tower), No. 1 Capitol District (Hemmeter Building), the Princess Ruth Keelikolani Building, the Queen Liliuokalani Building, and the State Capitol Building.
Gabbard continued, “The key to the success of our Challenge will definitely be our 50 Green Champions. They are dedicated volunteers committed to helping state employees do their part to keep the focus on energy conversation for the whole year.”
The Green Champions will be encouraging energy efficiency by convincing people to change their behavior by turning off the lights, hibernating/shutting down PCs, unplugging/removing personal devices (coffee makers, space heaters), and keeping exterior doors shut. DAGS will be posting monthly progress reports on the web at www.hawaii.gov/green. For more information, contact Senator Gabbard’s Office at 586-6830.