Ulupono Initiative
- The Ulupono Initiative is a mission-based corporation that supports sustainability work in Hawaii.
- Created by the founder of eBay, it's provided $81.5 million in investments and grants to companies.
- Its SVP shared a look at their projects in renewable energy, transportation, and water management.
- This article is part of a series focused on American cities building a better tomorrow called "Advancing Cities."
From helping to address hunger in Hawaii to researching the climate impact and hidden costs of parking to helping utility companies reduce energy, the past year has been busy for the Ulupono Initiative.
Based in Honolulu, Hawaii, the Ulupono Initiative is a mission-based limited liability corporation that provides grants, investments, advocacy, and education to support projects focusing on locally produced food, renewable energy, clean transportation, waste, and water management. In 2020, the group contributed $3.2 million to these initiatives and $5.3 million in 2019.
Promoting sustainability and addressing climate change have been priorities for the city of Honolulu, which plans to adopt a Climate Action Plan this year, and the state of Hawaii in recent years. Through its mission, the Ulupono Initiative strives to help meet these sustainability goals more quickly, Amy Hennessey, the organization's senior vice president of communications and external affairs, told Insider.
"The more we can have brain power around the table and manpower out in the field working to tackle these solutions, the closer we're going to get to those goals," she said. "From a climate perspective, time is running out. We need all hands on deck, and if we can support that work and help move toward a better future, that's where we want to be."
Here are some of Ulupono Initiative's recent projects, and how the organization hopes to improve the quality of life for Hawaii's residents.
It's investing in sustainability
The Ulupono Initiative is a venture of The Omidyar Group, a philanthropic investment firm founded by Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay, and Pam Omidyar.
The Omidyars spent part of their childhoods in Hawaii. When they returned to the state in 2006, they began looking for ways to help boost the economy and support sustainability. In 2009, the Ulupono Initiative was founded.
"They really wanted to try to help use some of their resources to focus on how we can make the community more self-sufficient and resilient and just more sustainable overall," Hennessey said.
Originally, the Ulupono Initiative focused on local food production, renewable energy, and waste reduction, but she said they've expanded to include freshwater resources and clean transportation.
Since the beginning, the organization has provided $81.5 million in investments and grants to companies and nonprofits making a positive impact in these areas. Investments are funding for for-profit entities, such as farmers expanding their operations, while grants are provided to nonprofits, Hennessey explained.
It's helping fight hunger and encourage local food production
Last year, 53% of Ulupono Initiative's contributions went toward local food production, which Hennessey said reduces the state's dependence on imports and lowers fuel emissions.
The organization contributed $200,000 to the DA BUX Double Up Food Bucks program to help fight hunger during the pandemic. The program encourages food retailers to make Hawaii-grown fruits and vegetables more affordable and doubles the amount of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, previously known as food stamps, that are spent on locally produced foods.
Ulupono Initiative
Including Ulupono Initiative's funding, $500,000 was secured through the private sector, which the state of Hawaii matched to provide $1 million for the program.
It's providing renewable-energy research and advocacy to become carbon neutral
Easing the energy burden is another focus for the Ulupono Initiative. Energy costs in Hawaii are among the highest in the nation, and the state has a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2045.
"We want to reduce our dependence on imported oils through the renewable energy projects that we fund," Hennessey said.
The organization conducted research that led to Hawaii's Public Utilities Commission adopting a new performance-based regulation framework in December. The framework will make the utility company Hawaii Electric more efficient, lower electricity rates, enhance services, and reach the state's clean energy objectives.
Hennessey called the new framework "groundbreaking" and said it positions the state as a leader in renewable energy actions.
Clean transportation is a key part of the renewable energy conversation, she said, and the organization recently released a report showing Hawaii's vehicle transportation system amounts to $21.8 billion a year in direct and indirect costs, such as road congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.
The group helped get a new law passed in Honolulu last year that updates the city's mandatory parking requirements for new building developments. Developers can now decide how much parking to build based on need, freeing up the land for other developments like affordable housing. It will promote more walkable neighborhoods and cleaner transportation, like biking and public transportation.
An Ulupono Initiative analysis found the law could also make housing more affordable. The report revealed that building and maintaining parking is often a hidden cost for renters, with Honolulu renters paying up to 37% of their rent for parking that's sometimes unnecessary.
"It helps right-size parking policy in Honolulu," Hennessey said. "It removed the parking minimums, which opens up the opportunity for development that doesn't put cars before people."
It's focusing locally to make the biggest impact
Water is another area where Ulupono Initiative strives to make a difference. The organization provided support for the Hawaii Community Foundation's freshwater initiative, which is working on ideas and projects for strengthening the local freshwater supply.
Whether it's freshwater, sustainable energy, or Hawaiian-grown food, Hennessey said Ulupono Initiative is able to make an impact because its focus is local.
"There are folks who are looking globally at these issues, and that is amazing and we're happy to partner with them and learn from them," she said. "But Hawaii is a unique and special place, and there are nuances to living here and working here."
In the coming year, Hennessey said Ulupono Initiative is continuing its focus on local food systems, transportation, and just making a positive impact on the community overall.
"As one of the most geographically isolated places in the world, Hawaii feels in more immediate ways the impacts of climate change and sudden disruptions to supply chains," she said. "We have much to gain by becoming a more self-sufficient, resilient community, and Hawaii can serve as a model to other communities in meeting these challenges."