Summits aim at sharing city's urban expertise
By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Science Writer
Mayor Jeremy Harris hopes his series of environmental summits for leaders of Asia-Pacific cities will establish Honolulu as a center for expertise in solving urban environmental problems.
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"Our goal is to have Honolulu be recognized as a center for technology transfer, so people will come to us to get the technology and the training in dealing with urban infrastructure problems," Harris said.
"It will provide an opportunity to further establish Honolulu as a leader that Asian cities can turn to for environmental expertise," Mayor Jeremy Harris said.
The third biennial Mayors' Asia-Pacific Environmental Summit is scheduled Sept. 22-24 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Each of the previous two meetings drew more than 400 delegates from 100 cities in 29 countries, including Cambodia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, India, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
Harris established the summits as a way for leaders of Pacific cities to learn about solutions to municipal environmental problems, and to expose Hawai'i firms to new markets.
"It will provide an opportunity to further establish Honolulu as a leader that Asian cities can turn to for environmental expertise," Harris said.
Speakers and participants discuss problems with air pollution, traffic, sewage, drinking water and trash, and link government with private industry and nongovernmental organizations to develop and enact solutions.
In past years, Harris sought financial assistance from local businesses for the summits, which generated considerable controversy.
Many of the firms also had donated heavily to his campaign committee as he sought re-election and considered a run for governor. Some of those campaign contributions were found to be illegal.
Investigators last year interviewed City Council members and people associated with earlier environmental conferences as part of a wide-ranging probe of campaign contributions to Harris.
No one was charged with wrongdoing in relation to the summits, and the 19-month probe has since moved in other directions.
This year's summit is expected to cost $275,000. The city provided $90,000, and the rest came from environmental groups and foundations. No local business solicitation was required, according to Harris, who is not running for public office.
Groups providing the rest of the $275,000 include Japan's AEON Group Environmental Foundation, the Asian Development Bank and The Environmental Foundation, a city spokeswoman said.
Other groups are covering the additional costs, including the transportation of invited speakers, sponsors and participants. Those groups include the Global Environment and Technology Foundation, International City/County Management Association, Pacific International Center for High Technology Research, several United Nations programs, the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S.-Asia Environmental Partnership, and Region 9 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
One focus of this year's sessions is the Geographic Information System, commonly known by its initials, GIS.
It is a computerized mapping technique that allows users to overlay immense amounts of information in an accessible format.
For example, in a particular neighborhood, the GIS system might indicate locations of water, power, gas and sewer lines, and might include house numbers and other data for use by firefighters, police and ambulance services. It could include data on tsunami and flood danger areas, possible fire and chemical spill risk areas, critical traffic routes, locations of historic sites and any number of other features.
"I think in Honolulu we have about 120 different overlays in our GIS system," Harris said. "It is virtually impossible to manage the infrastructure of the city without the GIS, and if these cities are going to attack their infrastructure deficiencies, they need to use it."
To register or for details, call (808) 864-9812, e-mail info@environmentalsummit.com or visit www.environmentalsummit.com.
Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 245-3074.
