The Wisdom of Youth
You’ll be amazed and feel positive about what this younger generation can accomplish at the insights expressed by Hawaii high schoolers in an APEC-sponsored essay contest that asked them to come up with ways of creating a sustainable future for the Islands.
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$111 billion.
Needless to say, such dire predictions are taken seriously in an island state.
“The difference between Hawaii and many other states is that we are not in denial anymore about climate change,” says Schatz. “What we are seeing throughout the Asia-Pacific region and all the APEC economies is that everyone has coastal cities, and so whether you are a small island nation or you are China, and whether you are worried about ecosystem health or the viability of your transportation infrastructure, everybody has to wrap their minds around sea level rise because it’s occurring and it’s going to have a tremendous economic impact.”
“I worry one day Hawaii will no longer have places like this, these pristine remnants of a world almost forgotten ... Will the Waihee Ridge become a wasteland? Where will the birds go?”
Matthew Matasci,
St.Anthony High School, 12th grade
While APEC is expected to create an immediate influx of $120 million in direct stimulus, Ho says the benefit to the state is much greater than a one-time shot of visitor spending.
“More important (than the spending) is the positioning opportunities, the marketing opportunities for the state,” says Ho. “It’s not just from a suntan, leisure and mai tai standpoint, but how do you position the state for business travel, how you position the state for other forms of business other than the visitor industry? When we think about ourselves economically in the future, how will the AsiaPacific region play into that? From my standpoint, Hawaii has a tremendous opportunity to be a participant in the AsiaPacific century.”
Though business and environmental stewardship have often been seen at odds with each other, Ho says the two are permanently connected.
“Energy conservation and savings is clearly an important issue for businesses in Hawaii simply because of the cost of energy,” he says. “There is a real profit and loss motive in there. But for retail businesses and consumer businesses like banking, it goes beyond that. People want to understand, ‘Is my bank or the product I am consuming in line with where the community is from a societal standpoint?’ So there is a dollars and cents element, and there is a branding and connection to the consumer that is important.”
“Earth has sustained civilization for millenia, and we have always taken that for granted. In return, we have irresponsibly exhausted the resources of our only home. Sustainability is not merely about preserving the environment. It is also about protecting the human legacy for future generations ... As the world confronts the global environmental crisis, it is important to recognize not only the risks, but the astonishing opportunities as well.”
Ben Chao
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In 2008, the Japanese town of Toyaku in Hokkaido prefecture played host to the G-8 Conference. Today, the small resort town bordering Lake Toya still beams with pride over the role it played in hosting the world’s most powerful leaders. Schatz hopes for the same.
“There is an important element of civic pride here. We think we’ve got the greatest place on Earth here, and we want to show everyone that is true from a hospitality standpoint, from an infrastructure standpoint, from a cultural standpoint, that we are leaders in the AP region, and that’s what APEC will show.”
“As Kanaka Maoli today, we have been taught through the Kumulipo and Wakea and Papa that we belong to the land. We are resourceful people who are willing to change with the times ... I believe with APEC’s vision and our kupuna’s ideology, we can build a better future for our children.”
Shane-Justin Nuuhiwa,
Kamehameha SchoolsKapalama Campus,11th grade
The five winners are Alexander Bitter, Waiakea High School; Ben Chao, Iolani School; Matthew Matasci, St. Anthony High School; Shane-Justin Nuuhiwa, Kamehameha School Kapalama Campus; and Zoe Sims, Hawaii Preparatory Academy.
Honorable mentions are Aloe Corry, Honolulu Waldorf School; Evan Chinn and Tiffany Yu, Iolani; Ashley Fuerst, Kapolei High School; Dan Ju, Kaiser High School; Kyle Jones, Konawaena High School; and Sean Ching, Jake Belding, Sarah Tyler and Sophie Johnson, Punahou School.
Winning essays can be viewed on the Hawaii Host Committee’s website at http://www.apec2011hawaii.com/get-involved/high-school-essay.
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