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June 21, 2004
HONOLULU -The State Environmental Council recently awarded its
annual "State Environmental Awards." This year’s winners include:
State Department of Defense, State Department of Hawaiian Home Lands,
City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services, and
County of Kauai Office of Economic Development.
Dr. Chiyome Fukino, Director of Health, presented the awards to the
agencies for achieving excellent progress in meeting their ecological
goals as well as protecting the environment. Winning efforts
included:
- The State Department of Defense implemented 28 field projects to
recover endangered species and eradicate noxious weeds.
- The State Department of Hawaiian Home Lands improved trust lands by
eradicating invasive plants, protecting endangered species, and
re-establishing the forest in degraded pastures.
- The City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation
Services reduced the dependence on the use of automobiles by
establishing the Kapolei Transit Center, constructing 87 bus shelters
and installing 300 new bus stop benches.
- The County of Kauai Office of Economic Development increased energy
efficiency in county facilities and provided seed funding to the Kaua`i
Invasive Species Committee in their effort to eradicate invasive
species.
The Environmental Council is a fifteen-member citizen board
appointed by the Governor. The Council is responsible for monitoring
agency progress in meeting environmental goals, making the
environmental impact statement rules, reviewing agency lists of actions
exempt from the environmental review process, and preparing an annual
report with recommendations for improvement to the Governor and
Legislature.
The State Environmental Council awards two state and two county
agencies each year for their environmental contributions. Last
year, the State Environmental Award went to the Department of Defense,
Department of Education, Maui County Public Works and the City &
County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services.
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For more information contact:
Genevieve Salmonson
Office of Environmental Quality Control
Department of Health
Phone: (808) 5864185
Darcie Yukimura
Public Information Specialist
Department of Health
Phone: (808) 586-4402
Email: dayukimura@mail.health.state.hi.us
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