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Climathon

First Ever Honolulu Climathon WINNER Announced!

This last weekend we hosted the first ever Honolulu Climathon. The event was a BLAST, and we’d like to extend a big thank you to all of those that attended, as well as our community that helped make the event happen. This includes our list of esteemed judges: Chelsea Harder of Hawaiʻi Green Growth, June Matsumoto of Pacific Islands Institute, and Chris Barzman from Sustainable Tourism Association of Hawaii.

June Matsumoto, Chris Barzman, and Chelsea Harder, our judges for the first Climathon.

Another special thanks to Dr. Darragh O’Carroll for being our guest for the Saturday night film discussion and screening of his new series about climate change and public health. More mahalos also to Molly Pierce from the Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency, Lauren Wantanabe from Sierra Club, and the local chapter of Project Drawdown, all of whom hosted workshops and shared information for our attendees and for the public.

Dr. Darragh O’Carroll presenting his climate change and public health documentary on October 26.

Finally, many thanks to our financial and food sponsors that make the event happen, including Hawaii Energy, Maui Brewing Company, Down to Earth, and Whole Foods Market!

Climathon Honolulu, as part of the global Climathon day of action, proves that local action can have global impact. Earlier in 2019, we convened a diverse group of stakeholders to design the first Climathon for Honolulu. The group determined that reducing the human impact of tourism in Honolulu would be a great focus for the first Climathon. So this weekend, this was the guiding question for our participants: How do we reduce the human impact of tourism in Honolulu?

When we saw the final pitches on Sunday, it was awesome to see how the various groups approached the question. Some teams looked at policy solutions, some offered technology solutions, and others were “surprisingly analog,” according to Honolulu Civil Beat reporter Brittany Lyte in her feature story about the event.

The winning team, named Get Zero Wasted, created a solution to reduce waste from all the goods that tourists purchase for their holiday. This business idea is to deliver gently used (and cleaned) items like snorkels, masks, boogie boards, beach mats, and other items to hotel rooms, so that tourists don’t need to purchase these items new (and throw away when they are done). The team featured Severine Busquet, Engineer & Product Design, Miranda Gallegos, BSW, Community Organizer, Jake Roberts, MBA, BD, Sarah Daigle, and Scott Cooney, seriel eco-entrepreneur and advisor to the group.

Team Get Zero Wasted

Watch their winning pitch in the video below:

This team is eligible to head to Paris, France, for the Global Climathon event to be held in January 2020. They also receive membership to Impact Hub HNL and 15 hours of mentorship from local business leaders, like Alec Wagner from Purple Maia, Lisa Kleisner, an impact investor and founder of Hawaii Investment Ready, and the founders of the Impact Hub Honolulu (Nam Vu, George Yarbrough, Anne Weber).

Some of the other proposed solutions we saw from our hackers during the pitches include:

  • A policy solution that creates an ‘eco-pass’ that gives visitors passes to all city and state parks, and additional regulation for tour operators to educate guests about sunscreen and single-use plastic;
  • Videos and education to inform tourists about the importance of the Ohi’a plants, which are facing an extinction crisis due to a fungus;
  • The Global Green Energy Hospitality Initiative that will monitor energy use in the hospitality sector;
  • And a crowd-sourced composting company to reduce waste in our favorite neighborhoods.

And if you missed our other discussions about the Climathon, here’s some background: Climathon, a project of Climate-KIC and under the auspice of the European Union, has the official mission of empowering a global wave  of  change-makers and innovators to help humanity achieve zero emissions in 20 to 30 years. Last year the Global Climathon included 113 cities with over 5000 participants and 400+ solutions – and this year will be bigger than ever. This year, the Climathon team connected with Impact Hub Global, joining together these two organizations to build ongoing climate solutions.

 

Final Schedule & FAQs for Climathon Honolulu this Saturday!

Honolulu Climathon 2019 is just a few days away, and we’re so excited! For those participating in the Hackathon portion on Saturday, or for those wishing to watch the pitch competition on Sunday, we’ve created a detailed schedule so that you can prepare for the big day.

Individuals and teams participating in the competition are allowed to work all day (and all night) Saturday at Impact Hub to refine your project. Please see our FAQs below for more details about prizes, food, parking, and access on Saturday and Sunday.

For those pitching in our competition, the final contest will be Sunday, 12pm to 1:30pm. You will pitch your idea in 3 minutes or less to a team of 3 judges. The judges are Chelsea Harder of Hawaiʻi Green Growth, Kalani Kaʻanāʻanā from Hawaii Tourism Authority, and Chris Barzman from Hawaii Ecotourism Authority.

 

Not pitching an idea for Climathon? No problem, there is still a lot of fun activities: you can join us at the following times for these public (non-Hackathon) events:

Saturday Public Events:

  • 1pm WORKSHOP: Project Drawdown- Stopping global warming is possible, with solutions that exist today. In order to do this, we must work together to achieve Drawdown, the point when greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere start to decline.
  • 4:30pm: WORKSHOP: Sierra Club: Lauren Watanabe- Discussing the intersection of Climate Action and Social Justice.
  • 6:15pm- 8pm: Double Feature Film Night & Pizza Party. Dr. Darragh O’Carroll just returned from emergency response in Abaco Island in the Bahamas where Hurricane Dorian devastated the islands and will talk about his TV documentary series. The Human Element film will show after.

Sunday Public Events:

  • 12pm-1pm: Final Pitches! Everyone is WELCOME!
  • 1pm: Lunch & Judge’s Deliberation Time
  • 1:30: Final Winners Announced

Many thanks to Hawaii Energy for being the lead sponsor for the event. Hawai‘i Energy’s mission is to empower island families and businesses to make smart energy choices that reduce energy consumption, save money and pursue a 100% clean energy future. Additional sponsors include Maui Brewing Company, Down to Earth, and Whole Foods Market. Our media partner for the event is Hawaii Business Magazine.

Climathon Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

+ What is a Climathon?
Climathon is a global event bringing together nearly 1 million participants from 300 cities around the world. This is a global event with inspired local action. Learn more in our blog post here.

+ Why should I pitch and what are the prizes?
Winners of the Hackathon are decided by a team of esteemed local judges on Sunday. The winning person/team for the Hackathon will win some great prizes, including 4 months of Unlimited Membership at Impact Hub HNL, 15 hours of mentorship from a group of mentors in Hawaii. The list includes Alec Wagner from Purple Maia, Lisa Kleisner, an impact investor and founder of Hawaii Investment Ready, and the founders of the Impact Hub Honolulu (Nam Vu, George Yarbrough, Anne Weber). The winner also receives an opportunity to pitch their solution at the Global Climathon finals in Paris, France, in early 2020.

+ What will the judges be looking for in the pitches? 

Our esteemed judges have a set of criteria that they will follow to evaluate all the pitches from the Hackathon:

  1. FIT: Does the product address the prompt – will this reduce the impact of tourism in Honolulu?
  2. INNOVATION: Does the product introduce a new approach or perspective, technical, analytical, or visual?
  3. FEASIBILITY: Does the concept hold water and can it be reasonably carried out in Honolulu over the next 5 years?
  4. POTENTIAL FOR IMPACT: Will this project mitigate the impact of tourism in Honolulu and take climate action?” Team Are the right people involved or identified to help bring this idea to fruition?

+ What if I don’t have an idea but I want to participate?
That’s the beauty of Hackathons. People come with ideas, willingness to get involved, their own skills, and sometimes a team. The Hackathon is designed so that there will be an opportunity for people to join forces, and recruit new team members. Team formation happens early Saturday, so be sure to join early to find your people.

+ Do I need to bring food and drinks?
Just bring what you can’t live without. We have organized great food with the help of our sponsors Hawaii Energy, Down to Earth, Whole Foods, and Maui Brewing Co., we’ll provide lunch and dinner on Saturday, and baked goods for breakfast and lunch on Sunday. We’ll have water, coffee, and drinks available all day. We also have all the cups, plates, and utensils you’ll need. Just bring your reusable water bottle and your energy! All foods are vegan/vegetarian friendly! If you do get hungry or snacky, Whole Foods is just across the street, along with dozens of other restaurants in the Kakaako neighborhood.

+ Do I have to stay overnight? What about access?
If you and your team wish to stay overnight at Impact Hub HNL to work on your idea, you are welcome to do so. However, for security reasons, both the outside/building door and our door will be locked after the film event, and your team members will have to let you in. If you don’t wish to spend the night, please return on Sunday at 9am for breakfast and pitch practice.

+ Do I have to be there all day (24hrs)?
Nope! The Climathon is an optional 24-hour event. If you and your team refine your idea on Saturday during the day, there is no need to stay overnight. Please return for breakfast and pitch practice on Sunday at 9am. Molly Pierce from the Office of Climate Change, Sustainability, and Resiliency will be presenting on how to best communicate your ideas, so you don’t want to miss that key talk.

+ What is the Parking Situation?
Our parking garage is closed on the weekend. Do not enter the parking garage or you will get locked in! Please see our parking map here.

+ What do I need to bring?
Bring your ENERGY, IDEAS, and your TEAM! Otherwise, bring your favorite device, chargers, (phone, tablet, computer, notepad) that you need to brainstorm. We have super fast wifi, printers, pens, markers, and poster paper (and white boards) for creative drawing.

Any other questions: please contact us and we’ll respond right away!

What’s a Hackathon – and How Can we Create Climate Solutions with our Climathon?

Last week we kicked off our Honolulu Climathon with a Climate Action Talk Story event featuring local experts, activists, and business leaders to share their vision for a cleaner, greener future. If you missed the event, see the slideshow here to get all the great tips from our presenters about climate action you can take NOW.

At the event, we realized that people don’t know what hackathons are, so we’re going to share a bit more about why this event is so cool, and how you can get involved!

Perhaps some of you are familiar with the term hackathon? A hackathon is a sprint-like event (of various duration) that allows people to work together for a common goal. The hackathon concept comes from the world of coding and programming, where groups of programmers would gather to build a new app or software program. This one’s a bit different, as we’re focused on climate solutions, which can be high tech, low tech, or public policy hacks.

hackathon

hackathon

The Climathon (climate + hackathon) goal is to hack solutions to our designated question: how we can reduce the human impact of tourism in Honolulu. At the Honolulu Climathon, we’re gathering together in an all-day event featuring films, workshops, and the Hackathon to encourage out-of-the-box thinking about these important subjects. Together the community can collectively find the solutions we need to mitigate the effects of tourism on the island.

To do this we need to work together on all levels: consumers, students, government, policy-makers, non-profits, educators, businesses, and families need to be engaged in this work. Please join us on Saturday, October 26 for an all-day event [final event details forthcoming].

We’re hosting one more Climathon event this week Thursday. Join us for the Sustainability Marketplace, with many of the same businesses and experts that were featured in the previous event. Come meet the experts and companies making a difference here in Hawaii, and shop locally owned and operated (and zero-waste) products. See some of the vendors here in our Instagram post.

 

Climathon Talk Story Tonight + This Week’s Newsletter

Check out this week’s newsletter with event updates and community news!

TONIGHT, September 19, 5:30PM – 8PM. Come learn from local activists, experts, and business owners about how to make sustainable choices as a consumer and get involved in climate action! The time is now and change starts with you! This is the KICKOFF event for CLIMATHON HONOLULU! 🌎Learn more and register here.

✨UPCOMING EVENTS✨

Freelancer’s Network: IP & Trademarks for Small Business

TODAY, September 19, 2019 at 12 PM – 1:30 PM. Dick Mosher of Denton’s Law Firm will share his decades of experience with intellectual property (IP) and trademark law. This is a free event, register here.

 

HI Tech Talk Story Sessions with Central Pacific Bank

Friday, September 20, 2019 at 12 PM – 1:30 PM. HITech Story is a speaker series in partnership with Central Pacific Bank, Entrepreneurs Sandbox & Chaminade University. Learn more here.

How to Find and Use Government Data

Monday, September 23, 2019 at 1 PM – 4 PM. This workshop, with a lead data specialist from the US Census Bureau, is intended to enable nonprofit organizations to find and better use census data to improve their effectiveness and outreach. Limited seating, please register.

Climathon Sustainability Marketplace

Thursday, September 26, 2019 at 5:30PM. Vote with your dollars for local businesses making zero-waste, sustainable products. You’ll find food, gifts, activist booths and MORE! Potluck pau hana after. BYO utensils, plates, and bags. Learn more here.

✨COMMUNITY NEWS✨

Meet our team behind The Creative Co. in our newest Member Spotlight! They run a Honolulu-based digital marketing firm based out of our upstairs offices..

Read more about this cool team in our most recent blog on our site.

Anne is this month’s Thrive Global Charity Challenger! For every $150 raised for deserving students to participate in a service travel experience, Anne will dress up all day in a ridiculous costume!

Donate here! 100% proceeds fund local students in a Summer of Service trip.  Click here to follow ridiculous costume updates! on Facebook!

The good folks at Reuse Hawaii, a sustainability-focused deconstruction non-profit + warehouse, are looking to hire a Project Developer.

Check out the job description here to learn more.

 

 

Updated Member Discount: we now have discounted Notary (mobile + on-site). Peek at our Member Discount program to save money on services, money, locally made products and services, website design, yoga, and MORE. See all your Discounts HERE!

Climathon Kicks Off! Join Local Events for Global Action

Join us this week for the✨first ever✨

Honolulu Climathon !

There are ~250,000 tourists in Hawaii every single day. Tourism is a vital part of our economy. Yet we know it’s possible to make the impacts of tourism more sustainable on our island.

To make these big changes, we need to work together on all levels: consumers, students, government and policy-makers, non-profits, educators, businesses, and families need to be engaged in this work!

We are kicking off a month of climate events at Impact Hub HNL as part of the Climate-KIC Global CLIMATHON. This is a global community: 300 cities, 1M participants, and YOU have the opportunity to show up locally to contribute to this collective action.

We have two kick-off events in September: see below for more details.

Climate Action Starts with YOU! Join us September 19 from 5:30PM – 8PM for a talk story session with local experts, activists, and business owners. They will share actionable steps you can take today to reduce your impact throughout your life, covering topics like food, lifestyle, body care, civic action, and more.

Learn more and register for this event here

Sustainability Marketplace + Pau Hana. On Thursday, September 26, join us for our Sustainability Marketplace a farmer’s market style marketplace with a potluck pau hana. BYO utensils, plates, and shopping bags to stock up with local food and goods.

Learn more and register for this event here.

And there’s MORE! Here’s some other ideas to get involved locally: