The Kohala Center and the County of Hawaii Department of Research and Development will be sponsoring a free public talk entitled Options for a Sustainable Energy Future in Hawaii County  to be held in Hilo on May 22 at 6:30 p.m. at  Imiloa   Astronomy Center.

The preliminary results of the Hawaii Island Sustainable Energy Initiative will be presented to the public at these open meetings.  Over the past year, The Kohala Center and the County Department of Research and Development have been working to create an energy strategy for Hawaii Island that will improve energy self-sufficiency, reduce environmental impact, and insulate Hawaii residents from the wild fluctuations in oil price.  A wide variety of topics have been examined including residential energy efficiency, transportation fuel use, and renewable energy generation.  This meeting will provide the public an opportunity to give feedback on the preliminary results, discuss further integration with the Community Development Planning process, and shape the final energy plan that will be submitted to the County Council.

This talk will feature Marian Chertow, Ph.D., Director of the Industrial Environmental Management Program at Yale's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and Jeremiah Johnson, Ph.D. from Yale's Environmental Engineering Program. Both are members of the team of consultants assisting the County Department of Research and Development with the energy sustainability plan.