a few people come over to the table and langston guides them through the second half of their surveys; she sifts through a 6-inch tall stack of papers trying to match people to their original surveys and periodically answering clarifying questions. langston’s surveys are designed to capture the change in people’s perspectives on marine debris before and after their participation in a beach clean-up event, such as this one hosted by the surfrider foundation on the north shore of oahu. the scale of the event is impressive, and i admire the ability of langston and other members of the surfrider foundation to organize the community, including numerous newcomers, to remove so much of the debris that was covering the beach just hours before.

as we stand there, langston explains the full process of her study to me. along with the surveys she distributes at beach cleaning events, she similarly conducts these surveys using only written educational materials presented to people who have not participated in these events. in these cases, she approaches beachgoers lounging beneath their umbrellas and asks them to participate in her simplified survey that includes an educational brochure for folks in lieu of actual beach clean-up participation.

for the final piece of her study, langston conducts the surveys online, distributing them via email blasts and newspaper articles. the goal here being to reach individuals who are not actively on a beach tangibly connected to the environment but are rather sitting in their offices or living rooms. the comparison between these three surveys, she points out, is useful for showing the disconnect that is growing between people and the natural world. this approach helps address the psycho-social side of the marine debris problem by utilizing a human-centric approach for understanding the perspectives of people exposed differentially to marine debris. langston’s research targets the environmental psychology associated with marine debris, an often understudied aspect, which guides our ability to conserve the environment and has world-changing potential.

the specific goal of this project is to address the growing lack of connection between people and place that has allowed the marine debris problem to become unmanageable. langston is hopeful that her study will present a potential solution towards curtailing these issues. bringing social science into the natural science laden world of environmental conservation is a growing field and, one that is gaining progressively more steam as people like langston prove that community engagement is a crucial piece to conservation narratives. it is not hard for people directly involved in conservation to recognize that we are losing sight of the world around us and getting sucked into an increasingly technological era of mass production.

“getting personally involved is a great way to improve one’s personal connection to the place and the issues,” langston says. “it can really open your eyes.”

langston’s novel approach to addressing marine debris does just that. it reaches people on an individual level through education and awareness to reduce their contributions to plastic pollution. this is an important distinction because, rather than fixating on simply removing plastics from the ocean (an issue not to be overlooked), she is actually trying to curtail the use of plastics and minimize the future impacts of this debris entering our waterways. this approach is also accessible to people from all walks of life, regardless of their education or background.

with looming environmental issues including climate change, the depletion of the earth’s natural resources, and mile-wide gyres of trash floating in our oceans, one of the simplest way for people to individually help improve the state of the environment is to implement changes in their own plastic consumption. avoiding single-use plastics like straws and take-out containers is an easy way to reduce personal inputs to marine debris; helping to spread awareness about marine debris issues, and voting for legislation that limits the use of plastics are other ways for people to help. perhaps even you, the reader, will now consider your individual choices, the impacts you have on the environment you love, and how even the smallest personal changes can have huge benefits.

operated by the natural energy laboratory of hawai’i authority (nelha), the park is home to about 40 individual businesses involved in sustainable development projects that benefit both the hawaiian and global economies. there is a great diversity of research and industry, including renewable energy development, aquaculture, and biofuel development with microalgae. all are supported by this park, which is appropriately nicknamed host.

unlike a normal technology park, in which industries function independently of each other and of the environment around them, this park is more of a cohesive natural system. in the vein of biomimicry, the industries function like members of an ecosystem, bound by their commitment to sustainable economic development and their reliance on the water and power provided by nelha’s unique energy systems.

powering a technology park with sustainable energy is a challenge, but the park has found a solution using the world’s first successful ocean thermal energy conversion (otec) plant. by harnessing the temperature difference between cold deep and warm shallow ocean water, the plant produces electricity with a series of onshore and offshore systems. pipelines transport water to each business site, as well, so that they can have warm water for their operations at a fraction of the normal cost and energy.  

with low emissions and a very efficient heating and cooling system, otec is a sustainable energy system of the future. it provides constant, steady power around the clock and requires no energy storage. electricity is produced at a cost of $0.20/kw-hr and could power all of hawai’i with the construction of more plants. according to makai ocean engineering, the group that maintains host’s plant, otec is a global resource that has the potential to meet the planet’s electricity needs four times over.

electricity not delivered to the park by otec comes from on-site concentrated solar power (csp) and photovoltaic (pv) solar panels. extensive use of solar energy is possible because the site has high insolation and a warm climate year-round. many clients in the park are able to take advantage of these ideal conditions and the 1.5 megawatts of commercial pv currently installed.

hawai’i forged a bold and forward-thinking path by creating a park that takes advantage of the island’s exceptional resources but causes the island itself very little harm. as the nelha website proudly announces, the host park grows “sustainable industries using sunshine, seawater and ingenuity.”

there is no one-size-fits-all form of sustainable development; instead, people and institutions in every unique corner of the world should follow the example of hawai’i and fit their sustainable development goals to their location and their resources. what works for hawai’i may not work somewhere else, and vice versa, but we can learn from examples of ingenuity and adapt technologies to our own situations.

host was the first site able to produce net energy using otec technology, and for good reason. located on the cliffs of hawai’i’s western coast, this plant is in a niche spot. in locations where the water off the coast is shallow and warm, the energy expended to reach deep waters would be greater than the energy to be gained in the eventual conversion. but on the edge of this island, the swift drop-off of land allows the plant to easily access cold, deep water.

while otec is not replicable everywhere, it is still an option for many locations besides hawai’i. this plant is the largest operational otec plant in the world and the first to connect to a u.s. energy grid. if other plants can learn from this example, there may be many more success stories to come.

innovative enterprises come to the host park specifically because it matches their vision and has the qualities they need, like year-round sunshine or easy access to warm sea water. with blue and green logos featuring waves and sea creatures, businesses like blueocean mariculture and kona deep would seem out of place anywhere else. the spirit of hawai’i is even in the company names- one business, moana marine biotech, shares its name with the young polynesian star of the recent animated disney film moana.

education is another important aspect of nelha and the host park. middle and high school students interested in science can attend a public charter school in the park called west hawaii exploration academy. a nonprofit called friends of nelha provides daily tours of the otec plant and various other farms and facilities. by giving tours to school groups, educators, and tourists, the friends of nelha ensure that the park’s impacts reach beyond the coasts of hawai’i.

on my tour in august 2016, i visited the marine mammal center, where hawai’i’s endangered monk seals are rehabilitated, and the kanaloa octopus farm, the world’s first octopus farm. the brilliance of what i was seeing became very real to me as i drank kona deep mineral water and spoke with lead otec engineers. when i was squirted with water by a farm-raised octopus, it felt like i could reach out and touch the future with both hands.

as much as we may want to find one, the future of the planet can not depend on one solution. instead, our sustainable future will be characterized by systems of brilliant innovations that rely on and work with each other. one microalgae farm or solar energy laboratory can not do it alone, but the hawai’i ocean science and technology park is proof that great feats of sustainability can be accomplished together.

thanks to students tim palmieri and megan varner for the inspiration for our premiere green screen. do you have a great story to tell about the environment or sustainable cities? share it and maybe you’ll launch our next green screen. and by the way, if you haven’t heard of storyfest, make sure you read about how to enter your piece in that, too.

for most people, hawaii’s idyllic beaches and underwater kingdom have always represented a natural paradise. while my home state’s jersey shore holds a special spot in my heart, in reality, it pales in comparison to hawaii’s tropical offerings.

however, most do not realize the reliance of hawaii’s economy on preserving this beautiful landscape for the fulfillment of vacation goers.

tourism accounts for more than a quarter of hawaii’s entire economy. without the 8 million tourists hawaii receives each year, the state would lose $14 billion, revenue which helps pay for many of the services maintaining this paradise.

however, hawaii is threatened by a climate recession that might replace its well-known beauty with a much uglier image. as an island, sea level rise and intense volatile storms could severely weaken hawaii’s economy.

about half of hawaii’s bridges are “structurally deficient” and 77 of hawaii’s dams are “highly hazardous.” these climate conditions can uproot this faulty infrastructure and cause significant deaths and property damage. 

as for jobs, all of the 6,000 workers in the hotel industry would be jobless from projected beach erosion by the end of century.

and there is no easy fix. it could cost around $6 billion to protect hawaiian beaches about 10 percent of hawaii’s total gdp.

these are just some of the huge economic problems hawaii faces from climate change.

as for my home state, new jersey faces similar climate threats to its coastline but may not suffer as adverse consequences due to its bustling industries and nexus as a transportation corridor.

it is more difficult for hawaii to protect its coastline. policy makers might have to finance expensive adaptations that could drive the cost of visiting hawaii too high for vacation goers. tourists may also be less willing to visit a vulnerable, environmentally unstable region.  as less people visit, less money is invested – a cycle that may very well end up slowing a resilient response.

but this does not have to be so. as part of the united states, hawaii has the resources to defend itself against climate change. hawaii is the most oil-dependent state, getting 90 percent of its energy from imported oil. but hawaii has made strides to rid its oil dependence. it recently imposed a $1 surcharge on oil barrels and enacted an energy bill mandating 25 percent of electricity come from renewable sources by 2020.

however, it needs help. to save this beautiful, ecologically diverse landscape we need cleaner energy investments on a global scale. otherwise a tropical paradise today, may be an island wasteland tomorrow. learn more about your future hawaii vacation.