The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s Green Revolving Fund has received $50,000 through the Ulupono Fund at the Hawai‘i Community Foundation.
UH Mānoa’s Green Revolving Fund is an internal investment fund created to reinvest cost savings and rebates from energy efficiency projects. The Green Revolving Fund is an important part of the university’s effort to move toward its “Net Zero” goal by 2035 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To date, the UH System has achieved 9.02% toward Net Zero, leaving 90.98% to be done in less than 13 years.
Universities across the U.S. use revolving funds to provide financing upfront for energy efficiency upgrades and use the savings from the lower operating expenses, as well as rebates and other philanthropic sources, to replenish the fund.
The grant provided through the Ulupono Fund will help accelerate projects planned at the Mānoa campus, which is currently going through an exterior lighting retrofit with energy-efficient LED lighting that will use 64% less energy than the current High-Intensity Discharge light fixtures and have a longer lifespan and require less maintenance. Another recently completed project installed a solar PV shade structure atop the lower-campus parking structure.
“This support from the Ulupono Fund at the Hawai‘i Community Foundation will help us complete even more efficiency projects, such as the LED light installations, while adding to the fund for future projects” said Miles Topping, director of Energy Management at UH Mānoa. “We’re grateful for their support.”
“We are pleased to support UH Mānoa and its energy-efficient projects, which have the potential to save the university millions of dollars each year in energy costs by embracing energy efficiency,” said Murray Clay, Ulupono Initiative president. “This is one of many examples where we work with our partners by supporting sustainable solutions to positively help transform our community and the lives of our neighbors.”
The campus is closing a second phase of its Strategic Energy Management Master Plan, and entering a third phase, which will involve installing more solar photovoltaic panels on buildings around the campus. Other energy efficiency projects include LED lighting replacements, HVAC efficiency improvements, battery storage, water efficiency measures and waste management.
Read more: Reinvesting in sustainability
Questions? / More Information
If you would like to learn how you can support UH students and programs like this, please contact us at 808 376-7800 or send us a message.
# # #
The University of Hawai‘i Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawai‘i System. The mission of the University of Hawai‘i Foundation is to unite donors’ passions with the University of Hawai‘i’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawai‘i and our future generations. uhfoundation.org
A mission-driven venture of The Omidyar Group, Ulupono Initiative was founded in 2009 and strives to improve the quality of life for the people of Hawai‘i by working toward sustainable solutions that support and promote locally produced food, renewable energy, clean transportation choices, and better management of freshwater resources. For more information, visit www.ulupono.com or connect with Ulupono on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
