Mayor promotes city's environmental efforts

By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

A Honolulu-sponsored environmental summit that brings together mayors from all over the Asia-Pacific region could become a model for other regions to follow and set Honolulu up as the technological center for environmental initiatives, Mayor Jeremy Harris said.

"The whole idea is this is where Asia and the world turn for expertise," Harris said.

Harris returned last week from trips to Greece and Washington, D.C., where he met with world leaders to explain what the city has done to promote sustainability at home and throughout the region.

In Greece, he attended the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives conference where he spoke about efforts the city has made in empowering, educating and involving the community on environmental issues.

In an address to the World Congress of Cities, he described the Mayors' Asia-Pacific Environmental Summit, which was held in Honolulu in 2001 and 2003. This year, representatives from 28 cities across the region came to Honolulu to get connected with technology and education to bring back to their cities.

In Washington, Harris spoke with government leaders at the U.S. Department of Energy and private sector financiers about the environmental summit process and the city's efforts in energy conservation and renewable energy resources.

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.