In partnership with the Guam Department of Agriculture’s (DOAG) Division of Aquatic & Wildlife Resources (DAWR), the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability & Sea Grant (UOG CIS & Sea Grant) and ICF (a national leader in Habitat Conservation Plan consulting) held two public town hall meetings in Hågat and Dededo about the developing of the Guam Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP).

The HCP is being developed to balance the protection of Guam’s biodiversity and cultural heritage while still supporting sustainable infrastructure and building development. Work on the project began in 2020.

At the most recent HCP Town Hall meetings, the HCP Development Team asked members of the public to voice their concerns related to development and conservation.

“Some people expressed their concerns with the impacts on nature from unregulated development, which is a huge issue that DOAG continuously works toward addressing,” said UOG CIS & Sea Grant’s project associate and HCP Coordinator, Caley Jay Chargualaf. “That’s what makes the Guam HCP so important—it will ensure that DOAG can facilitate economic development on island and simultaneously prioritize the needs of our unique species.”

The town halls provided a platform for community members to speak to agency members working directly on developing the HCP.

“Through our outreach events, I’ve learned that many people wish our fanihi (Marianas Fruit Bat) were more abundant again” shares Chargualaf. “It’s a great opportunity to highlight how the HCP aims to directly benefit the fanihi, its habitat, and that of other plant and animal species on island.”

UOG CIS & Sea Grant’s Associate Director for Natural Resources, Else Demeulenaere Ph.D., highlights the importance of public input as the HCP continues to take shape.

“Community members are encouraged to participate in stakeholder groups, attend public meetings, and share their perspectives to help shape the plan,” said Demeulenaere. “Just as important, you can bring the conversation home, talk with friends and family about why the Guam HCP matters, and help build an understanding of how we can grow responsibly while safeguarding the species and habitats that make Guam unique.”

More information on the HCP can be found at http://www.guamhcp.com.

The University of Guam’s Guam Green Growth Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub has announced two workshops to be hosted at their CHamoru Village campus showcasing both cultural knowledge and high-tech innovation.

Fiber Laser Engraver Workshop

The fiber laser engraver workshop, to be held on Thursday, October 23rd from 5pm to 7:30pm, is geared toward the future of local entrepreneurship and design.

This modern, technical training will introduce attendees to the sophisticated world of fiber laser engraving, a process used for permanent marking and customization on materials like metals, plastics, and various industrial components. This skill is highly sought after in modern fabrication, manufacturing, and personalized gift industries.

“The workshop is perfect for designers, small business owners looking to expand their product offerings, or anyone interested in learning how to operate powerful, precision technology,” explained G3 Makerspace Coordinator Emily Wendte. “Mastering this tool provides a direct pathway into high-value, digitally driven production.”

Finanåguen Tinifok Katupat Weaving Workshop with Kadu

On the other end of the maker spectrum this weaving workshop, which will be held on Thursday, October 30th from 5pm to 7:30pm, focuses on the art of weaving the katupat, a diamond-shaped pouch traditionally woven from coconut leaves to hold rice. More than just a craft, tinifok (weaving) is a vital part of CHamoru heritage, blending sustainability with a functional art form.

Led by CHamoru weaver Martha Tenorio, the workshop provides hands-on instruction in this generational skill. It is a powerful chance for attendees to actively engage in cultural preservation, ensuring this traditional knowledge and the intricate, natural beauty of katupat continue to thrive.

According to Abby Crain the G3 Circular Economy Coordinator, along with the weaving showcase, participants will be treated to some kadu, or CHamoru Stew, to eat with the rice cooked in the katupat.

These two events highlight a strong community focus on holistic development. By valuing the knowledge passed down through generations—like the weaving of the katupat—while simultaneously developing modern digital manufacturing skills, the island community builds a resilient, prosperous, and culturally secure future.

Interested participants are encouraged to secure their spots soon as capacity is limited for these specialized sessions. Registration can be completed digitally at https://www.eventbrite.com/o/guam-green-growth-circular-economy-makerspace and more information about the G3 Makerspace is available at guamgreengrowth.org.

The partnership between the University of Guam’s Guam Green Growth (G3) and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Green Growth Initiative (CNMI GG) celebrated a major milestone last week with the official launch of the CNMI Green Growth Kupu Conservation Corps in Saipan. This regional expansion brings a proven model of environmental workforce development to the CNMI, aiming to train a new generation of leaders for the Pacific green economy.

The CNMI Green Growth Kupu Corps is a collaborative effort, facilitated by the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant (UOG CIS & Sea Grant), and is modeled after the highly successful Guam-based G3 Conservation Corps. 

According to UOG CIS and Sea Grant Director Austin Shelton Ph.D. the conservation corps programs have already trained over a hundred individuals in various sustainability sectors.

The new CNMI program will build capacity in critical areas across both Guam and the CNMI, emphasizing regional cooperation to address shared environmental challenges.

“You’ve heard that saying, ‘a rising tide floats all boats.’ The more of us that are doing this work together, the better it is for all of us. This is one small way that our people, even though we’re separated by land, we’re connected by water,” said Shelton.

The CNMI Green Growth Initiative is facilitated by the Northern Marianas College (NMC), the leading workforce development institution in the CNMI.   NMC President and Co-Chair of CNMI GG Galvin De Leon Guerrero Ed.D. welcomed the new members to the fold and encouraged them to look for the deeper meaning of the program.

“What I love about this program and what I love about CIS and Sea Grant and the Green Growth Initiative is that it really gets at the core of what we do in education and it’s something that as members of this inaugural cohort I hope you all take to heart, because to me, the point of education is to improve lives,” added De Leon Guerrero.

The CNMI GG Kupu Conservation Corps is supported by the long-standing partnership with Kupu Hawai‘I’s Conservation Leadership Development Program (CLDP), a paid program for early professionals interested in pursuing a career in conservation. The CLDP aims to prepare participants for careers in the rapidly growing green economy in Hawai’i, Guam, the CNMI and across the Pacific.

Cohort member Gabriel Arkoh explained what motivated him to join the corps.

“What inspired me to join is honestly being born and raised here you see a lot of our islands, our island needs us,” said Arkoh. “Being able to be a part of that and creating a better future for everyone, being able to create a better future for those coming up is something that inspires me.”

Members are stationed at two host sites on Saipan:

American Memorial Park

•       Joan Tomokane

•       John Paul Castro

•       Isaiah Joel Torre

•       David Quitugua

•       Gabriel Arkoh

•       Myles Techur

Department of Lands and Natural Resources CNMI Forestry

•       Kazuki Aguon

•       John Kintol

Throughout the workforce development program members receive a stipend and upon completion can also access an educational grant through the AmeriCorps program providing them with both financial and academic support as they transition into full-time environmental work.

Groups interested in hosting a Kupu Conservation Corps member can contact the program’s coordinator Annania Nauta-Kemp at annania.kemp@kupuhawaii.org.

Ever had surf and turf with a twist, featuring tilapia raised right here through the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant’s aquaculture program? That was on the table at this year’s Maila Ta Fan Chesa, where sustainability and food security weren’t just topics of discussion — they were part of the menu.

The event took place at the Hyatt Regency Guam, where the Micronesian Chefs Association, in partnership with the American Culinary Federation and for the first time, the UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant, hosted Maila Ta Fan Chesa as part of the island’s Sustainable September festivities.

Kyle Mandapat, UOG CIS & Sea Grant’s director for communications and community engagement, said the collaboration perfectly captured the spirit of Sustainable September. “It’s wonderful to be a part of a huge event like this, but most especially one that has history,” Mandapat said.

“This year we were able to come on board as sponsor and partner, mainly to help showcase the awesomeness of aquaculture fish,” he added. The teams featured tilapia grown in UOG CIS & Sea Grant’s aquaponics backyard system — a model of what local food security could look like, according to Mandapat.

UOG CIS & Sea Grant’s aquaculture team promotes recirculating aquaponics, a sustainable method that integrates fish, plants, and microorganisms in a balanced ecosystem.

Aside from UOG’s tilapia, this year, professional and student chefs transformed locally sourced ingredients — including mansanita, lemmai, donne pepper, coconuts and other tropical fruits and vegetables — into inventive dishes and even cocktails.

Chef Zion Manibusan, a senior from John F. Kennedy High School and culinary student at Guam Community College said his team created a dish using tilapia and chicken, paired with bananas, dinanche, and titiyas — a nod to both tradition and innovation.

Manibusan shared that while being a chef is challenging, it’s also deeply rewarding. He enjoys learning new skills and hopes to use his passion to support the island’s farmers — a value he grew up with, as his family’s restaurant sources ingredients from local flea markets and vendors.

“This is a really great competition using the local ingredients, it helps out our local farmers as well as everyone else. I get to get a lot of experience and learn from all the other chefs here,” Manibusan said.

At another station, Chef James Tamngug and the Tsubaki Tower team prepped dishes using cucumber. “This helps the local farmers,” Tamngug shared. “That’s why at Tsubaki, we are getting most of our local ingredients from the local farmers.”

According to Mandapat, the partnership for Maila Tan Fan Chesa highlights a growing movement across the island toward self-sufficiency, food security, and sustainable dining.

“We are here to tell people that this stuff is possible. We can grow our own food. We don’t need to import all the time. We can relieve some of the stress from our reefs by growing our own fish and using the nutrients to grow our own vegetables,” Mandapat said.

UOG CIS & Sea Grant’s partnership for Maila Tan Fan Chesa contributes to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including Life Below Water (Goal 14), Life on Land (Goal 15), Zero Hunger (Goal 2), and Decent Work and Economic Growth (Goal 8).

Focusing on an interdisciplinary approach to sustainability, the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant (UOG CIS & Sea Grant) has launched an undergraduate internship program that expands opportunities for participants from non-STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines.

Called the Research Education and Extension Fellowship (REEF) program, the first cohort was unveiled at an event at the UOG Robert F. Kennedy Library.

“This blend of students from different programs demonstrate that sustainable development is not the responsibility of one particular field,” said Austin Shelton, Ph.D., director of UOG CIS & Sea Grant who pointed out that the new internship program promotes the different aspects of sustainability in everyday life. “It’s not just about the environment and about science majors. It’s completely interdisciplinary. Everybody has a part to play in helping to grow the sustainable future for our island.”

He added, “The REEF internship program gives you a foundation to build your career on, whether it be in science, or human resources, accounting, business, engineering — anything that you want to do — you’re going to get experience and mentorship to help you find a role through your careers in creating a sustainable future.”

The 2025 REEF cohort includes students from Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and other islands in the region. The fellows represent a range of academic backgrounds, including psychology, engineering, and business administration, reflecting the program’s goal to integrate sustainability across all disciplines.

The 2025 REEF interns are:

Kaitylyn Punzalan (UOG)
Napu Blas (Dartmouth)
Faith David (UOG)
Tory Damien (UOG)
Zachary Keller (UOG)
Ian Gaza (GCC)
Alexa Taimanglo (UOG)
Janly Mohammed (UOG)
Janaja Edilyong-Reichhardt (UOG)
Oleander Kinere (UOG)
Sherri Kenty (UOG)
Lian Breechlyeen Carlos (UOG)
Janetta Danie (UOG)
Shawndee Rosario (UOG)
Zayon David (UOG)

Punzalan, a biology major from UOG, shared what she hopes to take away from the program. “To sort of have a clearer vision of how I want to contribute to my community overall because right now my goal is to come back to Saipan and contribute to my community, but I definitely want to find that further through this experience.”

Blas, who is studying at Dartmouth College, said he plans to major in environmental or any other engineering fields. “I’m really looking forward to learning just how to make stuff at the Makerspace and use a lot of the machines we have there to make products and prototype out of recycled materials and contribute to sustainability.”

Meanwhile, Gaza, a pre-engineering student taking classes at Guam Community College, said he wants to contribute to improving sustainability on Guam.

At the event, Sharleen Q. Santos-Bamba, Ph.D., senior vice president and provost of Academic and Student Affairs, said the program is an investment in the fellows. “Our goal is for you to take what you learn, share it with your families, share with your organizations, your classmates, whatever community you wish to be a part of and extend that and pay that forward. Because sustainability, coastal management, taking care of our environment, it takes more than just CIS and Sea Grant to do that.”

As part of the 20-week paid fellowship, students are matched with mentors working in the sustainability field to conduct either research or extension work addressing regional sustainability issues, including conservation and waste management.

The fellowship includes a monthly stipend, professional mentorship support, career development opportunities, and real industry work experience.

The University of Guam, Guam Green Growth (G3), and partners launched Sustainable September with a proclamation signing, highlighting the multi-sectoral efforts that laid the foundation for the islands’ progress in achieving the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Sustainable September’s month-long activities are organized by G3 and the UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant, including the proclamation signing at the Governor’s Complex in Adelup.

At the signing, UOG President Anita Borja Enriquez, DBA, lauded G3’s efforts in pioneering an initiative that promotes collaboration in attaining the UN SDGs, saying that sustainability is a collective responsibility.

“It is not just a concept but really it is a movement. We have seen this through the collective efforts of our partners across government, nonprofit, private sectors, and individuals, and how through the efforts of the Guam Green Growth initiative, we are building capacity in the workforce,” Borja Enriquez said.

Enriquez co-chairs the G3 initiative alongside Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, who also remarked on the momentum of the G3 movement in creating greater sustainability not only on Guam but in the region by partnering with other island jurisdictions. The Governor mentioned the recently created Green Growth initiatives in the Marshall Islands, Palau, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands as examples.

Meanwhile, UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant Director Austin Shelton, Ph.D., emphasized that sustainability has always been part of the way island communities lived and interacted with each other, “For 4,000 years, sustainability has been ingrained in island life. That’s why we are making a significant impact in everything we do; sustainability is interdisciplinary, and everyone has a role to play.”

UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant Associate Director for Communications and Community Engagement Kyle Mandapat, MBA, stated that in addition to the signing of the proclamation, Sustainable September’s month-long activities feature a lineup that highlights these multi-sectoral partnerships, including tree-planting events organized by the Guam Restoration of Watersheds (GROW) initiative at the Ugum watershed.

Other activities lined up for the month:

· Sept 17 – Maila Ta Fan Chesa, hosted by the Micronesian Chefs’ Association in partnership with the American Culinary Federation and the UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant. The event, which will be held at the Hyatt Regency Guam, will feature locally sourced ingredients and fish from UOG Sea Grant’s aquaculture systems, with proceeds supporting local culinary students.

· Sept 20 – Guam’s 31st International Coastal Cleanup, starting 6:30 AM. The Guam Coastal Management Program organized the event. G3 and the UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant. will be assisting at the cleanup sites in Adelup and Andersen Air Force Base.

· Sept 20– Sustainable Aquaculture Workshop, from 3–5 PM. Guåhan Sustainable Culture will host the workshop at the GSC Food Resiliency Hub in Yona (former Hamamoto Gardens).

· Makerspace Workshops for September:

o Sept 25 – 3D Modeling & Printing Workshop, from 5 to 7 PM, at the G3 Makerspace and Innovation Hub.

o Sept 25 – Printmaking workshop, from 5 to 7 PM, with Joey Certeza at the G3 Makerspace and Innovation.

Sustainable September activities support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by the UN in 2015. This plan highlights the urgent need to address key global sustainability challenges before the 2030 deadline for achieving the 17 UN SDGs.

Guam’s commitment to achieving the SDGs by 2030 was firmed up when it became a founding member of Local2030 Islands Network in 2019. This network provides an island-led, peer-to-peer platform to advance SDG progress, which eventually led to the launching of G3

The possibilities are abundant as the Micronesian Chef’s Association (MCA), the American Culinary Federation (ACF) and the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant (UOG CIS & SG) officially announced the team members and special ingredient assignments for this year’s Maila Ta Fan Chesa event to be held next Thursday, September 17, at the Hyatt Regency Guam.

The biggest culinary event on Guam, Maila Ta Fan Chesa, will showcase the work of local chefs, working with local ingredients grown by local farmers.

MCA President Chef Peter Duenas said that the goal of the event is always to bring awareness to the local culinary talent and the amazing agriculture producers on Guam.

“This is what Maila Ta Fan Chesa is all about,” said Duenas. “The community coming together from the farm to the table and showcasing the cuisine our island can produce every step of the way.”

According to Duenas, the teams will all prepare three courses including a special drink that will feature the special ingredient assigned to them.

This year’s slate of competitors is lined with experienced masters and budding up-and-comers from some of the most lauded establishments on the island.

The Official Line Up:

Team Dusit Thani Resort

Members: Chef Ron Villoria, Chef Kevin Sun, Chef Eliza Manacmul & Chef Craig Camacho

Special Ingredient: Limon CHamoru (CHamoru Lemon), grown by Frank Santos Jr. from Ordot-Chalan Pago

Team Meskla Restaurants

Members: Chef Peter Duenas, Chef Darwin Areolla, Chef Darren Duenas & Chef Lydia Castro

Special Ingredient: Niyok (Coconunt), grown by Joseph Paulino from Inalahan

Team Hyatt Regency Guam Resort

Members: Chef Xavier Mcentee, Chef Phillip Lopez & Chef Mina Aflague

Special Ingredient: Donne’ (Hot Pepper), grown by Glen Tamar from Talo’fo’fo

Team Tsubaki Tower

Members: Chef Marvin Nuezca, Chef Margelyn Birr & Chef James Tamngug

Special Ingredient: Lemmai (Breadfruit), grown by Bill McDonald from Agana Heights

Team GCC/Prostart

Members: Chef Dylan Borja, Chef Ashley Castaneda, Chef Zion Manibusan, Chef Ricamel Macaranas, Chef Jasmine Enriquez & Chef Rica Sarmiento

Special Ingredient: Aga’ (Cooking Banana), grown by Ken Aguon from Talo’fo’fo

Team Primo Pizzakaya

Members: Chef Dylan Saad, Chef Kelly Simmons & Chef Rob Rhoden

Special Ingredient: Mansanita (Local Cherry)

Along with the special ingredients, teams will also have a chance to incorporate aquaculture grown on Guam through the UOG CIS & Sea Grant aquaculture systems.

“We are excited to showcase a full range of locally grown fish, fruits and vegetables during this year’s Maila Ta Fan Chesa,” said Austin Shelton Ph.D., the director of the UOG CIS & Sea Grant. “The work the MCA is doing to help increase culinary capacity on our island through their mentorship and development programs also helps us to address food security through the inclusion of aquaculture in this process.”

The MCA and ACF work with various groups throughout the community to bring this experience to the island including the UOG Cooperative Extension team out of the College of Natural and Applied Science who work with and facilitate the connections with the local farmers from all around the island.

Tickets for the event are available now for $85 at IDI, Meskla, Tools of the Trade and from MCA members. Each ticket comes with entry, full access to the culinary offerings, special drinks, and a chance to win a free circulating aquaponics system. Doors will open at 6pm after a short welcoming ceremony and the event will last until 9pm.