Sustainable Paradise

     Ahh the images of Hawaii: sandy beaches, blue skies, and-- what's this? Photovoltaics, wind turbines, and other renewable energy generators? Well, not so much yet, but hopefully in the years to come, Hawaii will not only be the epitome of paradise, but also of sustainable, renewable energy. For those who call Hawaii “home”, a less expensive, cleaner, sustainable source of energy is not only desirable for economic reasons but also for aesthetic reasons, because keeping Hawaii paradise-worthy is an important aspect of pride for us who are living here.
     I know what you're thinking-- “Hawaii is such a small and isolated place. Why should you guys care about renewable energy sources? The mainland and other bigger areas use more energy, so they should be the ones thinking about renewable energy.” Well, I agree that other areas should consider using more alternative energy sources, but just because Hawaii is small and isolated doesn't mean that renewable energy should be dismissed as an option. In fact, small places like Hawaii may have more reasons to transition towards alternative energy sources than larger areas, because here we face issues such as inefficient power generation, higher reliance on oil, and therefore higher price to pay for energy.
     Due to its small size and water-delimited major land masses, Hawaii does not have the large energy “supergrids” or even “grids” that the U.S. Mainland has to manage the power generation and distribution across the land. This results in having to rely on small, inefficient mini-grids in order to get power to all residents on all islands. Because of this, energy in Hawaii costs three to six times (or even more!) the amount that it does on the Mainland. Furthermore, over three-fourths of Hawaii's energy comes from high-cost oil, as opposed to the measly one percent that the U.S. Mainland relies on as their source of energy. If we do nothing to change our energy sources, Hawaii's expensive energy cost could continue to increase as time progresses.
     Another reason for Hawaii to look towards alternative energy sources is because of the high availability of many different sources of energy. Hawaii has easy access to solar, geothermal, wave, wind, hydroelectric, and many other natural sources due to its geography. In fact, there are so many options that would yield high energy output, that the entire state of Hawaii can run completely on its own generated clean energy. With such a promising possibility, what reason is there to not switch to these alternative energy solutions?
     Unfortunately, there are some negative aspects to converting to renewable energy sources, such as having to pay to set up the facilities and switch over to them. Taxes would increase, and therefore many people may oppose this, especially if they themselves aren't going to be reaping much of the benefits directly. Some organizations are actually against renewable energy sources, due to the cultural and environmental damage that the building of the structures causes to the surrounding area. But not switching to renewable energy sources will cause even more environmental damage in the end, as greenhouse gas pollution causes temperatures and sea levels to rise, greatly impacting Hawaii's landscape. And as for the cost issue, if we don't pay for cleaner energy now, we will certainly pay for it later, in the form of not only higher fuel and oil costs, but for everyday items as well, as prices will have to increase in order to compensate importing costs.
     So there are many reasons for Hawaii to really start getting its act together and really pushing for renewable energy sources. Everyone can and must do their part in order to make Hawaii a hospitable place that can be called home even decades into the future. Conservation of energy is something we can all do to help keep energy costs down, and supporting renewable energy can help us achieve the goal of a cleaner, sustainable paradise. This is our world-- our home. We should want to keep it a place where we can live free of worry, hazardous conditions, and high costs. It is our responsibility to take action and do what is right for our future.