Hawai i's Green Workforce A Baseline Assessment December 2010

Green Practices by Industry
By major industry group, the Arts, Entertainment,
& Recreation and Accommodation & Food Services
industries report the highest average number of green
practices at 4.1 and 4.0, respectively (Table 20).
Accommodation & Food Services ranked first in the
overall use of energy saving light bulbs (69 percent)
and reducing energy usage (51 percent), and second in
cleaning with eco-friendly products (35 percent) and
water conservation (37 percent). The significance of
this finding is that Accommodation & Food Services is
the largest private industry employer in the State, and
these businesses generally require large amounts of
energy to operate.
Agriculture is another sector heavily dependent on
natural resources, with survey data reporting the
highest share for water conservation and usage of
solar and photovoltaic systems at 38 percent and 18
percent, respectively. Given the central role that water
plays in irrigation systems, there remain significant
opportunities for further conservation efforts among
the State’s farming sector.
Recycling is popular and widely practiced throughout
the State, with a majority of industries reporting
participation rates in excess of 80 percent. Ninety
percent of reporting worksites in the Health Care
& Social Assistance industry recycle compared
to just over 40 percent in Mining. Meanwhile,
Transportation & Warehousing had the highest share
of worksites utilizing recycled products (66 percent),
which is most likely due to the use of recycled
cardboard containers and other moving materials. At
least half of the remaining industries used recycled
products.
Finance & Insurance and Management of Companies
& Enterprises lead in the practice of subsidized bus
passes at 29 percent and 21 percent, respectively. This
relatively high participation rate is likely the result
of being located in the urban core. The Professional,
Scientific, and Technical Services industry reports the
highest rate of telecommuting (23 percent), which
is likely due to recent technological advances, lower
communication costs and the fact that many of these
46 Hawaiÿi’s Green Workforce: A Baseline Assessment
services can be efficiently performed from home
offices.
Diversity of Green Practices
In addition to the green practices listed on the survey
instrument, businesses were allowed to customize
their responses. These diverse and sometimes creative
practices include the use of chlorine-free paper from
sustainable forests, bio-degradable organic eating
utensils and containers made from vegetable matter,
rechargeable batteries, LEED-certified buildings,
low-sulfur diesel, heat reclamation from refrigeration
and air-conditioning for hot water supply, and locallysourced
procurements. Several companies report
providing reusable eating implements, including
dishes, silverware, water bottles, and coffee cups,
all of which eliminate or reduce waste byproducts.
Other businesses limit copier and printer use while
encouraging electronic communications and recordkeeping.
Interestingly, one company supports an
executive mandate requiring “paperless” meetings.
In the agriculture and landscaping sectors, green
practices include composting, use of native species
to preserve biodiversity, and the venerable practice of
“giving food scraps to the pigs.”
Opportunities to “go green” are abundant. Initiatives
to locate eco-friendly or eco-friendlier alternatives
may require creativity, but can be practical and lowcost
as well.