About Us
Inspired by Mālama Hawai‘i and the Global Island Partnership, Hawai‘i Green Growth was established in advance of the 2011 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to identify green growth policy priorities for Hawai‘i. HGG public-private partners worked together to launch the Aloha+ Challenge; the HGG network develops shared metrics and joint policy priorities, and identifies concrete actions to help steward Hawai‘i’s statewide sustainability commitment.
Our Work
HGG seeks to develop innovative and collaborative solutions to pressing sustainability, resilience, and development challenges facing Hawai‘i and the world. The first multi-sector collaboration of its kind, HGG built a diverse public-private network of over 100 partners, launched a high-level statewide sustainability framework with six time-bound goals, built a data-based accountability mechanism, and developed a robust process to facilitate shared action on policy outcomes, cross-sector initiatives and innovative finance. The HGG partnership serves as the backbone organization for the Aloha+ Challenge, and coordinates a broad stakeholder base of both high-level institutional leadership and community partners to accelerate statewide action on Hawai‘i’s 2030 goals.
HGG takes a collaborative approach to achieve environmental, social and economic prosperity for future generations. Hawai‘i’s history of systems thinking and traditional knowledge are the bedrock of the partnership, providing a trust-based framework to promote system-level change across Hawai‘i. HGG members commit to work together valuing respect; collaboration; action-oriented priorities; honor of both the outcome and process; and cross-sector support for joint priorities. Serving as a forum to find common ground and advance shared priorities, the partnership coordinates across diverse stakeholders to:
- Integrate cross-sector sustainability priorities into long-term policy and planning.
- Catalyze public-private actions to advance Hawai‘i’s 2030 goals.
- Support and amplify partner priorities through a shared statewide framework.
- Build capacity for community action and next generation leadership.
- Provide a platform for knowledge exchange, partnership building, and collaboration through an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust.
Global Context
As one of the planet’s most isolated populations, the urgent need for action on climate change and a green growth strategy is exemplified more than ever. Like many islands and regions around the world, Hawai‘i is facing extreme biodiversity loss, invasive species threats, pressure on freshwater resources, dependence on energy and food imports, and is increasingly vulnerable to catastrophic natural disasters like hurricanes and floods, which could have devastating long-term economic impacts. Against the backdrop of the Paris Agreement on climate change and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Hawai‘i’s unique approach to sustainability has global relevance. The Aloha+ Challenge is recognized as a place-based model that can be scaled to support locally appropriate implementation of the 2030 global agenda.