GOVERNOR IGE AND TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS HELP COOL TWO WEST O‘AHU SCHOOLS

Hawaii 3R’s and DOE Facilities Maintenance fund effort

News Release from Office of the Governor, Sep 17, 2016

HONOLULU – Gov. David Ige led a team of about 180 volunteers in a heat-abatement service project at James Campbell High School and Ewa Beach Elementary School today. The group included volunteers from Gov. Ige’s cabinet and staff, the Hawai‘i State department of defense, the department of education (DOE), and others.

Funded by Hawaii 3R’s and monies from the department of education’s facilities maintenance budget, the group tackled a series of passive cooling measures that will also help keep the state’s overall costs down.

• At James Campbell High School the volunteers planted trees, shrubs and sod around Saber Hall and Building O to reduce sunlight on buildings, absorb heat, and limit glare and reflected heat into classrooms. The cost of this project is $36,500, and the funding is from Hawaii 3R’s.

• At Ewa Beach Elementary School the crew installed 3,500 LED bulbs to increase energy efficiency, a move that will reduce lighting costs by more than 20 percent. The LED bulbs are long lasting, will require less maintenance and will reduce overall lighting costs. At $9 per LED bulb, the project is valued at $32,000. This project is funded from the DOE facilities maintenance budget.

“I’m grateful to Hawaii 3R’s, the department of education, and the volunteers who worked hard today to help make the learning experience at these schools better. The department is making progress in cooling classrooms, and we wanted to boost their efforts by participating in this work day. It was a way to let our public school students, teachers and staff know we value them,” said Gov. Ige.

“This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to improving the environment for the students at the largest school in the state,” said Linda Chu Takayama, Secretary and Treasurer of Hawaii 3R’s.

“We are grateful to have the participation of our government leaders and community partners in service to improve our schools,” Deputy Superintendent Stephen Schatz said. “When we come together we can accomplish our goals.”

Although our Guard members have full time jobs and train one weekend each month, our department had absolutely no problem getting volunteers to sacrifice personal time to support this vital heat abatement project,” said Brigadier General Kenneth Hara, deputy adjutant general, State of Hawai‘i department of defense.

For the latest on the department of education’s heat abatement project, click here.

About Hawaii 3R’s: Hawaii 3R’s (Repair, Remodel, Restore our Schools) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2001 by the late U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye.  The organization has completed more than 500 projects at schools across the state, resulting in a savings to the state of more than $40 million in repair and maintenance costs. Hawaii 3R’s leverages “sweat equity” provided by volunteer help with cash donations to address the repair and maintenance backlog facing Hawaii’s public schools.

Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/govhawaii/albums/72157672851092572