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fact sheet

Did you know...

• The University of Hawaii (UH) spends over $50 million per year on electricity.
• UH is the second highest energy bill in the state after the military.
• UH Manoa (UHM) pays $30 million per year for electricity.
• UC Santa Barbara spends 3 times less energy per square foot compared to UHM.
• UHM pays $121,000 in waste disposal fees every year.
• A multidisciplinary group of students called the HUB (Help Us Bridge) passionate about sustainability
  got together at UHM in 2006.
• The HUB motto of live, connect, create represents their goal of bridging with the campus and extended community.
• The HUB logo is an ancient symbol for energy.
• Inspired to created tangible change, the HUB’s first initiative, sustainable saunders, strove to transform one building, Saunders Hall,
  into a model of sustainability for the campus, Hawaii and beyond.

The Sustainable Saunders initiative found...

• $146,000 in annual energy savings at Saunders Hall and $700,000 in annual energy savings at Hamilton Library
  without any capital expenditures
• The reported number of head aches and eye strain reduced dramatically when excessive lighting was removed from Saunders Hall.
• People who dress in aloha wear rather than suits prefer their air conditioning at 76 degrees rather than the national standard of
  72 degrees.
• For every 2-3 degrees deviance out of your comfort zone, you lose 20% of your mental ability.
• As the air conditioning gets colder, the humidity levels increase, breaking the myth that air conditioning is needed to avoid mildew.
• Since 8 out of every 10 visitors to the bathroom use the first stall they encounter, changing out at least those
  specific fixtures to low-flow options creates a magnified impact on water savings.
• The waste in UHM’s food service dumpsters is 55% organic waste and 30% food containers.
• If all food containers were made with bio degradable materials, 85% of UHM’s food service waste could be composted

The HUB also…

• Hosts hundreds of participants at campus-wide workshops, BBQ’s and prestigious speaking events every semester.
• Throws the largest annual Earth Day celebration on O‘ahu with over 100 community vendors, 100 student volunteers
  and over 3,000 guests.
• Performs energy and waste audits for clients including, Whole Foods and the U.S. Coast Guard.
• Has designed a Sustainability 101 curriculum for KCC Outreach College, UH Mnoa Outreach College,
  and the DOE Construction Academy so far.
• Enables students to earn academic credit through a Community Internship course taught by our Coordinator.

Sustainable UH…

• A new initiative launched by the HUB in 2009.
• Strives to be in service of those establishing the University of Hawaii as a world leader in sustainable practices,
  education and research.
• Plans to roll out the successes of the their first initiative, Sustainable Saunders, to those throughout the
  UH System requesting their services.
• Is currently fulfilling the first requests for their services from Honolulu Community College (HCC) and the Student Bar Association
  at the University of Hawaii at Manoa who intend to make the Richardson School of Law
  the greenest Law School in America. 
• Aims to replicate the success of sustainable saunders by achieving $150,00 in energy saving over the
  2009-2010 academic year, all while training students for Hawaii’s green work force.