RES 073 Draft 01 2022-2024 - Laserfiche WebLink

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WHEREAS, in 2020,the County of Hawaii released a draft Climate Action Plan that calls for the County to generate power and electricity from 100 percent renewable energy sources and to become carbon neutral through absorbing/sequestering more carbon than we are emitting by 2045; and WHEREAS, the draft Climate Action Plan calls for the following mitigation strategies. • Investing in more green buildings and infrastructure; • Incentivizing energy efficiency and conservation; • Promoting renewable energy generation; • Improving transportation infrastructure design and development; • Incentivizing alternative fuels, fuel cells, and electric vehicles; • Reducing solid waste; • Recycling; • Promoting green and biodegradable products; • Supporting waste-to-energy; • Reducing the amount of wastewater for treatment; • Promoting alternative agriculture and land use management; and • Expanding carbon sequestration potential; and WHEREAS, waste diversion is the prevention and reduction of generated waste through source reduction, recycling, reuse and composting, which creates a host of environmental, financial and social benefits, including conserving energy, reducing disposal costs, and reducing the burden on landfills and other waste disposal methods; and WHEREAS, the County of Hawai`i's on-island carbon footprint can be reduced by converting diverted waste into renewable energies or products such as (1) carbon-negative cement made from microalgae, which can reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, (2) biochar, a black carbon produced by burning agricultural and green waste in a controlled process that can be used to enhance soil quality and mitigate climate change, (3) green hydrogen, a clean energy source made by electrolyzing water using electricity from surplus renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, and (4) onsite non-potable water reuse system that captures and treats water to reclaim, recycle, and reuse for non-drinking purposes; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII that the County will work to divert, as appropriate, all municipal solid waste, including but not limited to, green waste, metals,plastics, paper,paperboard, and glass by 2026 to an on-island site that will sustainably process the waste into carbon-negative cement, biochar, green hydrogen, and reclaimed water to help achieve Hawaii County's goals related to climate resiliency, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and zero waste. 2