A news article written TEN YEARS from now...
Ten years ago in 2009, a dynamic student group called the HUB (Help Us Bridge) at the University of Hawaii made history by launching Sustainable UH with the mission of serving those establishing the system as a world leader in sustainable research, practices and education.
Faculty and student leaders on each campus rallied the resources of their communities to replicate the proven successes of the Sustainable Saunders initiative, which reduced one building's 
energy use by $149,900 in one year -- without spending a cent -- simply by bringing the lighting and air conditioning into healthy levels. Each of the ten campuses implemented similar projects, saving Hawaii's taxpayers $1.5 million in the first year, creating enough energy savings to pay for the program and earn a significant return on investment.
UH also assigned an " S designation " for all sustainability-related courses and created undergraduate and graduate certificates, programs and degrees, leveraging the unique strength of each campus. A sustainability honors program was created with state-of-the-art eco-dorm, café, zero-energy gym, and student-life center. A system-wide internship program empowered students to perform energy, waste and water audits for organizations and businesses throughout Hawaii, propelling the state toward energy independence, while retaining our best and brightest for Hawaii's now prestigious green work force.
The engaging dynamic of the entire program that included Earth Day events, an online social networking, and extensive community outreach, created a ripple effect in the culture of the campuses and throughout Hawaii as the greater community experienced the ease and money-saving benefits of sustainable solutions.
Sustainable Saunders continued as the first of many living laboratories for pilot projects, beginning with a cutting-edge wind turbine and an energy competition experiment that were replicated throughout the system. Over the last decade, these and other efforts of Sustainable UH have created exponential growth in savings leading to the elimination of the system's electricity bill, with campuses now functioning as energy producers.
Thanks to a decade of money-saving and money-generating ventures, donations and sponsorships from the supportive friends of the University system, UH is known world-wide as the model for integrating sustainability into higher education, while evolving a campus into a net energy producer and sustainability showcase. Sustainable UH is an inspiring example of how a passionate and dedicated grassroots initiative can grow into local and global leadership by helping to bridge everyone in the community.
