The Voice of Kapolei

Setting a Standard for Green Building

In January, our administration announced that environmentally-friendly construction would be a central feature of a new affordable-housing subdivision in Kapolei. The plans call for each of the 403 units at the proposed Kanehili subdivision to be built in a way to save new homeowners anywhere from 30 percent to 50 percent on their energy bills.

Meaning, the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and its partner, developer Gentry Kapolei Development LLC, will equip each home with such green-energy features as fluorescent lights, water-saving plumbing fixtures, and solar water heaters.

That is in addition to energy-efficient central air conditioning as well as garages with the ability to power electric cars at homes whose prices will range from $221,300 to $295,300. The planned Kanehili subdivision is about more than building homes; it is about responsible and sustainable construction in Kapolei.

These energy-efficient homes show tremendous vision by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and Gentry Kapolei Development. It will be their first "green-energy" subdivision, designed to not only save families money on their utility bills, but also to increase their quality of life.

Kanehili also helps build on the progress of the Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative, a priority for our administration during the 2009 legislative session as we continue to push for energy security to become a statewide imperative. In addition, the new energy-efficient homes at Kanehili are part of a broader vision for the Kapolei region.

Other state government projects in the region include the University of Hawai`i's West Oahu campus and the East-West Road, which will carry traffic to the state's largest multi-purpose community facility-the Salvation Army's Kroc Community Center-when it opens in 2010. The area will also become home to the largest commercial development in Hawai`i since Ala Moana Center, a 1.6-million-square-foot mall deemed Kapolei Commons.

Together, these projects will pave the way for hope and opportunities by creating jobs, helping to fulfill our goal of energy security, and contributing to the larger vision for the Kapolei region.

Lt. Governor Aiona is a resident of Kapolei.

---

Social Bookmarks:

Comments (1)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

President
written by Dana Jones, Saturday, Mar 14, 2009 @ 03:02 PM

As a resident of this beautiful State and a supplier of floor covering products I want to make sure people are aware of what goes into the home to maintain a "green" presence. Building a home with green programs in place is the first step, but to have as green as you can get there are other things to consider. I was quite disappointed to hear all the State offices scream green, but when we redo something that speaks to the public in a non-green petroleum based synthetic fiber for floor coverings I only can think it is politics as usual. I was recently involved in specifying carpet for the Hawaii Convention Center renovation project. Not only did the convention center insist on a solution dyed nylon product, they replaced a 11 year old wool product with the inferior synthetic. The old carpet looked good, even after 11 years. In the carpet industry there are lots of claims about being green, we call it "green-washing". Just because someone says it's a recycled material does not make it as green as it could be. Not only does a synthetic petroleum based product not biodegrade, it does not maintain it's looks as long as a natural wool product. Our landfill is already in big trouble, why add 10,000 yards of carpet to it that we know will not bio-degrade, will eventually break down into toxic powder and end up in our ocean. In this situation with the Hawaii Convention Center, wool replacement carpet was also a less expensive cost due to the high price of oil.

So, please, when looking to build anything in Hawaii, make sure that inside and outside are built to offer a safe environmental product that will last for years, comes from a sustainable resource, is bio-degradeable, and is as green as you can get for interior AND exterior spaces. I would love to see our islands set an example for the world.

report abuse

vote down

vote up

Votes: +0