A Solution to a More Sustainable Climate Future? My Q &A With Climate Hawai’i

As a way to understand more about different organizations helping Hawaii’s climate, I reached out to Climate Hawai’i. I think you’ll find Climate & Energy Lead Nicolai (Nico) Phocas‘ answers not only insightful, but inspiring. Personally, I learned not only what Climate Hawai’i does but it also validated the importance of local connections as a solution to the climate crisis.

Could you tell me about Climate Hawai’i? When was it started and what was the purpose of starting it?

At Climate Hawai‘i, our mission is to foster transformative collaboration among diverse groups in pursuit of a more sustainable climate future for Hawai‘i and the world. We firmly believe that the climate crisis demands uncommon partnerships between groups and individuals. This ethos is embodied in our logo, which incorporates the pewa (butterfly joint), a symbol of joining and repair. Climate Hawai‘i was originally founded in 2022 as an initiative of the Hawai‘i Executive Collaborative (HEC). After an inspiring panel at the HEC conference about the need for ambitious climate action, Chris Benjamin (who at the time was CEO of Alexander & Baldwin) agreed to chair the initiative. Chris asked Prof. Chip Fletcher, a respected climate scientist at the University of Hawaii, to join him as co-chair. Climate Hawai‘i remains an initiative of HEC, aiming to leverage its network of cross-sector partners to foster the unconventional relationships needed to drive progress in the climate space.

Could you share what Climate Hawai’i does?

One of our goals at Climate Hawai‘i is to connect organizations with success stories within our network. We aim to serve as a network for resources and contacts to accelerate our pledge signers’ climate journeys. Our Climate In work looks to help organizations calculate, track, and develop carbon emissions reduction goals. Through this process it helps organizations to identify areas of improvement which pushes them to seek resources and engage in the legislature to aid their progress with sustainability initiatives, feeding into our Climate Out work.

An example of this is Alexander & Baldwin’s (A&B) active support for legislation aimed at expediting the permitting process of EV chargers and solar installations. This would allow them to install EV chargers on their properties faster and offset the emissions produced from the increased electricity consumption. This sort of thinking not only allows us to leverage the influence of large businesses like A&B to take a stake in local climate issues. Similarly, when Hawai‘i’s Green Bank sought additional funding to expand its successful work in bringing low-cost solar energy to lower income households, a diverse coalition of Climate Hawai‘i partners–including Zippy’s, Young Brothers, The Nature Conservancy, and others–jointly submitted testimony in support. The successful push showed the power of an “all hands” approach to climate action.

What are your organization’s goals for 2025?

Our goals for 2025 focus on transformative collaboration to advance climate resilience and energy self-sufficiency in Hawai‘i.

Key initiatives include:

• Collaboration among a diversity of participants to shape key climate policy during the 2025 legislative session. We do this by channeling testimony to widely supported measures as well as hosting “brave space” facilitated conversations to help reach understanding and consensus on the thornier climate policy issues.
• Highlighting and amplifying the positive climate work of local organizations, leaders, and individuals through our Climate Leadership Awards.
• Launching a new shared learning platform where organizations can easily share their best practices, case studies, and other solutions to help build resilience and reduce carbon emissions.
• Increasing awareness and understanding through regular “brownbag” educational seminars.
• Expanding outreach and partnerships to encourage more organizations to adopt and integrate climate resilience practices, ensuring Hawai‘i can thrive in the face of growing climate risks.

{Please join me for Part II of my Q & A with Climate Hawa’ii in the next post.}

New here? You might want to read about other local organizations like Sierra Club and Re-Use Hawai’i.