Uncategorized - Guam Green Growth

March 30, 2022March 30, 2022

G3 Conservation Corps starts village beautification projects

The second cohort of the Guam Green Growth (G3) Conservation Corps program headed to Yigo on Friday, March 18, to participate in their first island beautification event.

G3 launched the second cohort of the conservation corps program in partnership with the University of Guam, the Office of the Governor and the 36th Guam Legislature.

The G3 Conservation Corps is workforce development program preparing our community for the emerging green economy. For the next five months, the 12 new members are expected to train full-time on various sustainability topics, such as agriculture and aquaculture, invasive species removal, reforestation, circular economy, recycling, renewable energy and island beautification.

At the Yigo beautification site, the G3CC members picked up trash along Marine Corps drive and sorted recyclables with the Yigo Mayors’ Office.

Yigo resident and G3CC member Tre Starr said while he is disappointed to see the amount of trash at the site, he is excited to go back to the village and help with the cleanup.

Christopher Quichocho, another G3CC member, said that activity allowed them to serve the community in their own way.

“The cleanup is great. We are helping the community and able to give back and assist with beautification. It is one of the things that we should look forward to —- where we take the initiative and assisting the community as much as we can,“ said Quichocho.

For the two new members, the G3CC program allowed them to explore other opportunities or to expand their current interests.

Starr said, “I have always wanted to go into farming, but I have to work. You must make money. Before this, I was in construction. Working here gives me the opportunity to be able to get into the things that I want to do and be able to provide for myself and learn. With the knowledge that I gain from here, I am looking forward to applying it to my life so I can put myself in a better position to do the things that I want with farming and agriculture.”

Quichocho, a former teacher at Inalahan Middle School, said, “It is a different lifestyle. I was always in the classroom and assisting (students). So, coming out here and being part of the community and assisting the community gives a different perspective, a different view of life in general. I am forever thankful for the fact that I have joined the Guam Green Growth conservation corps.”

For the first time, the island wide village cleanups will be tied to another G3 program: the “Guam Green Growth Waste and Recycling Bin Initiative.”

“The initiative is a project under Guam Green Growth which is facilitated by the University of Guam’s Center for Island Sustainability and supported by the Office of the Governor of Guam,” said Phil Cruz, UOG Center for Island Sustainability coordinator.

“At each village where the conservation corps conducts the island beautification event, not only will we pick up trash at the village, but we will also be assisting with sorting and painting the G3 bins. There will be preliminary training on site and another more comprehensive training for the Conservation Corps,” Cruz added.

Meanwhile, Yigo Mayor Anthony “Tony” Sanchez commended the overall goal of the beautification program. “It is a good program for getting people involved in what’s going on around the island.”

He added that the program raises awareness and spurs the community to act on issues such as illegal dumping. “It does not only affect one village. It affects the whole island,” he said.

For the next three weeks, the G3CC members will be at the following villages for the beautification program:

Tamuning: March 31
Barrigada: April 15
Mongmong-Toto-Maite: April 22

WHAT IS G3? 

Guam Green Growth or G3 is the island’s most comprehensive public-private partnership created to achieve a sustainable future. Aligned with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, G3 cultivates an ecosystem for transformative action to achieve our island’s sustainable, prosperous, and equitable future. UOG facilitates the island-wide initiative in cooperation with the Office of the Governor of Guam and the 99 members of the G3 Working Group representing all sectors of our society.   

March 20, 2022March 20, 2022

New G3 Conservation Corps members in motion

Members of the second Guam Green Growth (G3) Conservation Corps cohort display the U.N.’s 17 Sustainable Development goals during their program orientation, March 14, 2022, at the University of Guam in Mangilao. The G3 Conservation Corps is a five-month workforce development program that will prepare 12 selected applicants for Guam’s emerging green economy.

Austin Shelton, University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability (CIS) director and Guam Green Growth (G3) Steering Committee co-chairperson, delivers remarks during an orientation for the second G3 Conservation Corps cohort, March 14, 2022, at UOG in Mangilao. G3 Conservation Corps members, in cooperation with CIS and the Office of the Governor of Guam, will develop skills in the areas of agriculture and aquaculture, circular economy and zero waste, ocean conservation, invasive species management, energy conservation and renewable energy, watershed restoration and reforestation, and island beautification to support Guam’s emerging green economy.

Guam Gov. Lourdes Leon Guerrero delivers remarks during an orientation for the second Guam Green Growth (G3) Conservation Corps cohort, March 14, 2022, at the University of Guam in Mangilao. The 12 selected applicants for the G3 Conservation Corps will develop skills in the areas of agriculture and aquaculture, circular economy and zero waste, ocean conservation, invasive species management, energy conservation and renewable energy, watershed restoration and reforestation, and island beautification during the five-month workforce development program.

A second cycle of sustainability leaders kicked off their first week under one of the Guam Green Growth (G3) Initiative’s most highly mobilized programs on March 14 at the University of Guam.

Out of over 100 applicants, 12 members were selected to participate in the G3 Conservation Corps, entering a five-month workforce development program preparing our community for the emerging green economy. This week started with an orientation offering key program guidelines, remarks from G3 leadership, team building exercises, tips from a panel of inaugural cohort members, and the recitation of the new Conservation Corps pledge.

The G3 Conservation Corps completed their first island beautification project – gardening at UOG’s colorful cliffside planter boxes highlighting the U.N.’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The following new members will partake in various conservation activities to support the resilience of our island community and natural resources: Jenelle Aguilar, Rejean Benavente, Johnny Borja, Jacob Concepcion, Remilou Hannigan, Dulce Imbo, Wade Kitalong, Andrea Murer, Ryan Perez, Christopher Quichocho, Hila’an San Nicolas, and Tre Starr.

“The Corps will bring together hundreds of different members from our community… to do amazing things to move our island forward toward a sustainable future,” Austin Shelton, UOG Center for Island Sustainability (CIS) director and G3 Steering Committee co-chairperson, said to the members. “At the same time, the Corps will receive valuable workforce training to join the green workforce when they complete the program.”

“Growing up on this island, we really get a lot of love for our culture and our environment. Seeing some of it deteriorate in our young lives, I feel like it’s really good to be able to set the foundation for the future, to teach better ways, so our island stays beautiful, and we can share it with everyone,” Borja said.

Imbo, who is also a UOG graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in counseling, plans to incorporate the knowledge she’ll gain from the program into her guidance for future clients.

“We see that the SDGs are intersectional, I want to be there to pay it forward in terms of mental health and how that relates to our environment, as well as how that relates to our sustainable development and our sustainable community here in Guam,” she said.

“One of the things the lieutenant governor and I always talked about is how we can sustain our island, how we can provide the resources for our island, so that there’s food sustainability, so that our environment is protected, so that our culture is protected, so that our practices continue. I want you to learn as much as you can and send that knowledge out and apply that knowledge out to the community. This pandemic has shown us how necessary it is for us to sustain ourselves within our resources, and we have a lot of resources. Our island is very fragile. I love our island. I’m sure you all do. We live here. No one else is going to do it, but ourselves, and I really appreciate your commitment and your efforts,” Gov. Lourdes Leon Guerrero, G3 Steering Committee chairperson, said.

“Thank you for choosing to be change agents. The whole spirit of Guam Green Growth, especially the Conservation Corps, is to try and enable people to do what they can individually, collectively as a cohort, then collaboratively with the CIS, with the government of Guam, and with the people of Guam,” Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio, G3 Steering Committee co-chairperson, said. “When I was going to college, people would tell us we don’t have any resources, that we can’t survive on our own, and the governor was always one of those that (said) ‘No, that’s not true.’ We have been here for thousands of years. We just have to calibrate what’s out here and make sure we share the knowledge.”

In their first few weeks, the members are scheduled to assist with the expansion of the community garden in Hagåtña, familiarize with Guam’s waste management and zero waste operations, and partake in regular village revitalization projects.

The G3 Conservation Corps is supported by Guam’s Recycling Revolving Fund with approval from the Guam Environmental Protection Agency Board of Directors.

About G3
Aligned with the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, the Guam Green Growth Initiative, or G3, cultivates an ecosystem for transformative action to achieve a sustainable, prosperous, and equitable future for Guam. The University of Guam facilitates the island-wide initiative in cooperation with the Office of the Governor of Guam and the 100 members of the G3 Working Groups, representing all sectors of society.

March 5, 2022March 30, 2022

UOG CIS director at TEDx Malaysia: ‘Islands are reclaiming its sustainable past’

Colonialism changed the sustainable and self-sufficient ways of the islands. But islanders are now taking action to build resilience against climate impacts by reducing local environmental stressors and taking action to become more sustainable,” according to Austin Shelton, University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant director, who told the virtual audience at TEDxJA Malaysia. 

Shelton, a Junior Achievement Guam alumnus, discussed the concept of “circular economy” as it applies to Guam and the other islands at the “TEDxJAMalaysia Virtual Webinar Countdown: Youth Action for Sphere Sustainability (YASS).” JA Malaysia hosted the event.

Shelton said transforming waste into resources is how islands give back to the circular economy. He added that looping back into the circular economy is also a meaningful way to build resilience against climate change. 

 The circular economy closes the loop by prolonging the product life cycle and finding another purpose for waste that would otherwise end up in the landfill. Doing so keeps materials in use and, eventually, lessens the burden on natural resources and regenerates natural systems. 

Shelton said, “Today, we are working on blending our island wisdom with modern innovations to loop back to the circular economy. We now have a Guam Green Growth circular economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub.”

“At the beginning of 2020, over a hundred people represented all sectors of our society. Together we committed to achieving the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals — in locally and culturally effective ways — through the Guam Green Growth initiative. Guam Green Growth now serves as an engine of solutions to sustainability challenges and contributes to the emerging green economy for our island. We were sustainable before, and we can be again,” he said.

The implementation of a circular economy on the island contribute to achieving multiple UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), including # 6 (clean water and sanitation), # 8 (economic growth), # 12 (sustainable consumption and production), # 13 (climate change), among others.

Junior Achievement Malaysia hosted the TEDx virtual event as part of its commitment to promoting youth-led action to address climate change. 

JA Malaysia is part of the global network of youth organizations that allow students to participate in experiential programs that focus on topics such as work readiness and entrepreneurship.

Asheesh Advani, President and CEO at JA Worldwide said that the event is focused on the most pressing issues of the day: climate change. “Entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial solutions are critical to the future of addressing sustainability and the issue of climate change for our world,” he said.

“I see the struggles that policymakers and world leaders have in cooperating across boundaries (to address climate change),” Advani said, but he saw the strengths of entrepreneurs who are moving past these barriers through creativity and innovation.

February 16, 2022March 24, 2022

Guam Green Growth Makerspace and Innovation Hub now open at CHamoru Village

Entrepreneurs and creators can now transform waste material into marketable products through the Guam Green Growth Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub.

Guam Green Growth and its partners celebrated the grand opening of its G3 Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub on Tuesday, Feb. 15, in three houses at the CHamoru Village in Hagatña.

Designed to support Guam’s emerging green economy, the spaces will allow entrepreneurs to upcycle discarded materials into marketable products using a variety of tools and resources. These spaces also support the island’s effort to rely less on imported goods and create less waste.

“What we are doing is moving forward with our vision of helping people become successful in business. Small businesses are the backbone of our community and government,” said Governor Lou Leon Guerrero. “This concept is a win-win for our business, academia, our island’s environment, and all of Guam.”

Equipped with 3D printers, a laser cutter, computer numerical control router, vinyl cutter, and power tools, the industrial makerspace can process materials such as wood, metal, and plastic.

“This is an effort to diversify the economy and to do things to benefit multiple parts of our community,” said University of Guam President Thomas Krise. “We have this opportunity to think of a new kind of economy and a new way of dealing with visitors and to be attractive to visitors. I think this is a really great opportunity.”

The second makerspace house has equipment from Precious Plastic, a plastic recycling project that uses machines to grind, melt, and mold recycled plastic into new products such as furniture, jewelry, and more.

“What this G3 Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub will be is a beacon to tell everybody on our island that we do not have scarcity – in fact, we have lots of resources. The problem is that we’ve been calling it waste this whole time,” said Austin Shelton, director of the UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant. “The circular economy is about changing this linear economy where all of our products come in from our ports and waste products end up at the landfill. We can bend that line into a loop, regenerate natural systems, and design out waste and pollution to keep our materials in use. We can then create new green economic activity and this is where we can do it together.”

Once entrepreneurs create products in the makerspace, they can sell them on consignment at the G3 Green Store to test the market.

The innovation hub supports part of the G3 initiative’s mission to establish sustainable and profitable cottage industries and support regional economic development. Business advisement seminars, creative workshops, and training sessions for the makerspace’s equipment will be held at the facility.

Creators can access the space and tools available for $50 a month or $500 per year, with a 20% discount applicable for yearly memberships.

The facility’s hours will be Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The G3 Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub was made possible by funding from Guam NSF EPSCoR, the Guam Economic Development Authority, Office of the Governor of Guam, 36th Guam Legislature, and partnerships with the UOG Center for Island Sustainability, UOG Sea Grant, the School of Business and Public Administration, and Guam Unique Merchandise and Arts.

For more information about the G3 Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub, please contact G3 Circular Economy Coordinator Myracle Mugol at mugolm@triton.uog.edu.

February 3, 2022February 3, 2022

Rotary Club of Tumon Bay makes donation in support of Guam Green Growth initiative

Bonnie and Austin pose with donation — *RCTB President Bonnie Alig presents UOG CIS Director Austin Shelton with a donation towards CIS’ Guam Green Growth initiative.*

The Rotary Club of Tumon Bay made a donation to the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability in support of the Guam Green Growth imitative at their members meeting earlier this month.

President Bonnie Alig presented Center director Austin Shelton with the donation after he served as the club’s featured speaker.

“Supporting the environment and fostering in sustainability is one of the areas of focus for the Rotary Club of Tumon Bay,” explained Alig. “This distinct area of focus to support the environment will give our Rotary members even more ways to bring out positive change for our island and increase our impact. Our contribution to CIS and Guam Green Growth will assist them in this effort to continue in the path toward a sustainable future for our island.”

Highlights of Shelton’s presentation included a recap of accomplishments of the first cohort of the Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps and updates on other implementation projects including island-wide recycling bin distribution which began in January.

“Guam Green Growth is our island’s most comprehensive public-private partnership ever created to achieve a sustainable future for Guam,” We thank the Rotary Club of Tumon Guam from joining the movement and supporting action on sustainability.”

The club donated one-thousand dollars to the initiative.

Donations to the UOG Center for Island Sustainability can be made through the University of Guam Endowment Foundation.

February 3, 2022October 25, 2023

Seeds sewn, service praised in new Talo’fo’fo community garden

Empowered by Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, Guam’s leaders and volunteers at the forefront of community service came together to raise ground in a new community garden, Jan. 17, at the Jeromy Newby Community Center in Talo’fo’fo’.

Gov. Lourdes Leon Guerrero, Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio, representatives from the Serve Guam Commission (SGC), 36th Guam Legislature, University of Guam (UOG), Guam Department of Education, and military took to the soil to plant some of the first crops in the garden, bolstering the Guam Green Growth (G3) initiative.

This was the second community garden established in partnership with G3, as the SGC’s AmeriCorps VETCORPS team answered the call to promote food security, healthy food choices, and increased island sustainability through education and community involvement, with a particular focus on veterans.

“This is the idea of placemaking; going to where all the conversations, of what makes a community, occurs,” said Peter Barcinas, SGC board chairperson and Associate Director for UOG Cooperative Extension & Outreach. “Today, this significant ushering of new programs and focusing more on our military community is an important milestone to guide the work we do.”

“Service, as we know, is such a sacred, sacred action that we give as a people. You will see how a community will come out and work with each other to promote food sustainability on our island to continue with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). As we raise another community garden for our people, let us shine the love of our souls upon all those who need our help and need our heart,” said Gov. Leon Guerrero.

The community garden supports SDG Goal 2, Zero Hunger; Goal 3, Good Health and Well-being; and Goal 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Present on site were a newly erected aquaculture system and set of recycling bins, also brought forth through collaboration with G3 and UOG Sea Grant.

“‘We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late,’” said Austin Shelton, UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant director, quoting a speech by Martin Luther King Jr. “I am confident, and I am hopeful that we are not too late. We are in the right place, and we are doing the things that need to be done. This is the last decade that we have to act, to treat a future that is sustainable, prosperous, and equitable.”

UOG President Thomas Krise spoke on the strength of communities uniting for change and prosperity.

“The persistence of this demonstration of people showing what they care about and doing it peacefully is incredibly powerful. We need to do what we can with our neighbors, friends, and people who can make a difference, who can demonstrate that it’s possible to be upbeat, to be positive, to be an example to other people. It’s especially nice that we’re here in Talo’fo’fo’ to celebrate an example of a community that shows us all how to live as a community. Keep up the peaceful fight for positive change in our environment,” he said.

“All of the programs are in place. They are ready to serve our constituents. Our future is very promising. We have good people behind us. I have faith in them,” said Vicente Taitague, Talo’fo’fo’ mayor.

AmeriCorps Guahan Sustainable Culture member, Ysa Mercado, emphasized the program’s purpose of educating, influencing, and inspiring without profit.

“With everything that we’ve already done, and with this new startup, it just encourages sustainability for the island. The most important part is to want the island to continue to progress, so we stay safe and healthy, and, overall, sustainable and beautiful,” she said.

Residents are encouraged to collaborate with VETCORPS to work toward a successful garden and aquaculture system.

January 27, 2022March 24, 2022

#InTheNews – Guam Green Growth gives creators innovative, collaborative venue to transform waste into value

January 24, 2022February 3, 2022

#InTheNews – Guam Green Growth focusing on food security initiatives

January 24, 2022February 3, 2022

#InTheNews – Island sustainability director lays out G3 achievements

#InTheNews - Island sustainability director lays out G3 achievements

By Isaiah Aguon
KUAM.COM

Guam Green Growth, also known as G3, provided an update on its latest initiatives at its recent steering committee meeting.

It develops tangible solutions to sustainability challenges and contributes to a green economy for the island region.

Dr. Austin Shelton, the director of the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability gave an update on their food security projects.

“We have our extension associate David Crisosotomo leading these efforts from our team here at UOG SeaGrant,” he said. “We’ve announced in the past that we were setting up this community aquaponics system, so we have a couple of them in place. Now, this is our system at Island Girl Power up in Dededo and there are some fish inside getting stabilized Crisostomo will be going back up there to Dededo shortly to add 200 fish to the tank and keep those growing and we have the community volunteers to have this up and running and it will serve as an education tank so that others in the community and the village can set up there own aquaponic systems for their back yards or for their small businesses.”

January 23, 2022February 3, 2022

#InTheNews – Our View: The move toward greater sustainability will create more ‘green’ jobs

Our View: The move toward greater sustainability will create more 'green' jobs

Sustainability has become ever more important in today’s world, and Guam is striving to ensure that it meets the 17 Sustainable Development Goals developed by the United Nations.

The goals are an urgent call for action by all countries to end poverty, improve health and education, reduce inequality and spur economic growth while also tackling climate change and working to preserve the environment, according to the UN.

The University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Guam Green Growth have been leading the charge here and have been making good headway.

Austin Shelton, director of the Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant, said the island is moving forward with aquaculture and aquaponics projects, as well as community gardens. Both will help reduce the need for imported food, improving the island’s food security.