In April, Jonathan Merage visited the Hawaii Nature Center (HNC) for the first time and discovered the wonderful work they were doing with Hawaiian residents to foster a greater understanding and responsibility to the islands’ environment. Since the initial visit, the Jonathan Merage Foundation has collaborated with HNC Executive Director Jeeyun Lee and Hawaii Pacific Solar President Bob Johnston to install a photovoltaic (PV) solar array at HNC.
The solar installation was successfully completed at HNC in early July and quickly demonstrated a positive impact on the environment. Since the installation of the PV system, the center has saved 65 trees, equaling over 5,600Ibs of carbon offset.
Due to a massive flood that overtook the island in September, the center had to temporarily close its doors and host their programs off-site. HNC is anticipating to re-open for programming in January 2017 and will begin teaching how beneficial the solar panel system is to their community and the ecosystem. Youth that visit the center will be able to visibly see the solar panels and discuss the number of trees saved each month, greatly reducing the center’s carbon footprint.
Additionally, HNC will be able to increase their internal capacities due to utility-use savings from the solar panels, allowing them to re-invest in their organization and their mission to connect Hawaiian families to nature.
December 27, 2016
As the Presenting Sponsor of the National Business Leaders in Action Summit, the David and Laura Merage Foundation led the way for this critical national...
