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Guam Green Growth invites volunteers to weekly roadside cleanups

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Guam Green Growth invites volunteers to weekly roadside cleanups 

The Guam Green Growth (G3) Conservation Corps continued its weekly island beautification schedule today with a roadside cleanup along Marine Corps Drive in Dededo. The community is invited every Friday to join the group’s cleanup effort, which will be in Barrigada next Friday and in a different village every week throughout the five-month program. 

 

The G3 Conservation Corps is a five-month workforce development program launched last month under the Guam Green Growth initiative, which is being facilitated by the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability in cooperation with the Office of the Governor.  

 

The cleanups, in a partnership with the Guam Mayors’ Council and the Island Beautification Task Force, involve picking up trash and appliances from the roadside and jungle and separating recyclable litter. 

 

“This cleanup is to beautify our island,” said G3 Conservation Corps member Kevin Wong. “A lot of these items are not biodegradable. If we do not dispose of them properly, they are going to end up completely trashing the side of the road.” 

 

Since the start of the program, the G3 Conservation Corps has collected more than 40 trash bags of waste along Marine Corps Drive in Mangilao, Tamuning, and Yigo.  

 

The cleanups are open to community volunteers every Friday. Interested volunteers can pre-register and see the updated schedule online at www.guamgreengrowth.org.  

Cleanup Schedule for July:  

  • July 16: Barrigada  
  • July 23: Mongmong-Toto-Maite  
  • July 30: Mangilao  

 

The G3 Conservation Corps program is made possible through the Recycling Revolving Fund following approval from the Guam Environmental Protection Agency Board of Directors. 

 

What is G3? 

Aligned with the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, the Guam Green Growth initiative, or G3, is an island-wide initiative to cultivate an ecosystem for transformative action to achieve a sustainable, prosperous, and equitable future for the island. G3 is facilitated by the University of Guam 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.  

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UOG CIS joins global islands partnership addressing climate change

UOG CIS joins global islands partnership addressing climate change

U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry says the US government supports the Local2030 Islands Network. 

The University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability (UOG CIS) is proud to support an initiative that links Guam and other small island communities and nations in a partnership focused on advancing climate action and other UN Sustainable Development Goals.  

Guam, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico are part of the Local2030 Islands Network — the world’s first global, island-led initiative of its kind. Other island members and partners include the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Bonaire, Ireland, and the UN Foundation. 

As part of the network, member-nations and communities commit to promote locally driven models and concrete actions toward achieving the 17 UN SDGs. Goal 13of the UN SDGs calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.  

U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry made the announcement of support in April, during an event hosted by President Joe Biden in support of the Leaders’ Summit on Climate Change. 

“The (U.S.) Department of State, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), and Department of Energy, are supporting the Local2030 Islands Network, an innovative and peer-to-peer network that connects U.S. islands with our fellow islands around the world on local solutions and common challenges,” Kerry said.  

On Guam, UOG CIS has been at the forefront of efforts to broaden partnerships across sectors for the Local2030 Islands Network initiative. 

Austin Shelton, UOG CIS director, said the statement of support from the US government is a boost to efforts to address climate change and other sustainability goals, “Guam and other islands are at the frontlines of this effort. The statement from the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry signifies that the national government recognizes local and regional action to address climate change.” 

The Local2030 Islands Network is managed by Hawaii Green Growth Local2030 Hub and the Global Island Partnership. At the event, Hawaii Governor David Ige discussed the leadership of islands globally on energy and climate, and highlighted the Aloha+ Challenge, Hawaii’s SDG framework grounded in local values. In his remarks, Ige also encouraged island leaders and island jurisdictions to become involved in the network.  

“American islands are stepping up together, with islands like Guam and Puerto Rico joining the Network in addition to the Marshall Islands and other island economies,” Hawaii Governor David Ige. 

For her part, Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero supported the Hawaii Governor’s call for broadening participation in the network. Leon Guerrero said, “As a founding member of the Local2030 Islands Network and an adopter of the concept of green growth, I implore other island leaders to join this undertaking to accelerate our progress for a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future.” 

A fact sheet  from the White House described U.S. government’s commitment to work with small islands in their efforts to combat the climate crisis in ways that reflect their unique cultures and development challenges by building resilience in the face of a changing climate.  

 The White House also said that the State Department, NOAA, DOE, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will launch a new partnership to advance the inclusion of locally generated climate information, knowledge, data and decision support tools in ongoing and emerging sustainability and resilience endeavors in island regions. 

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Guam Green Growth launches G3 Conservation Corps

Guam Green Growth launches G3 Conservation Corps

What do a retired corrections officer, a former journalist, a teacher, and an indigenous artist have in common? They are all part of the first cohort of G3 Conservation Corps members of the Guam Green Growth (G3) initiative.  

 

The University of Guam announced the 12 members of the G3 Conservation Corps at a program orientation last Wednesday at UOG. Following the orientation, the group participated in its first village cleanup in Mangilao. 

 

Last month, the university embarked on an island-wide recruitment process for the program. The program received hundreds of applicants, and 12 were selected through a comprehensive review process for the five-month program.  

 

From June to November, the G3 Conservation Corps members will participate in workforce development training and activities focused on island beautification, circular economy and recycling, invasive species removal, energy efficiency, and agriculture and aquaculture. 

 

At the orientation, UOG Center for Island Sustainability Director Austin Shelton said the program is aligned with the current island-wide efforts to achieve sustainability and other United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

 

“This is one of our implementation projects for the overall Guam Green Growth initiative, which was established in 2019 in partnership with the Office of the Governor and the University of Guam to implement — in locally and culturally effective ways — the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. This G3 Conservation Corps program is meant to prepare our community for the emerging green economy. Sustainability is an important component that we want to make sure is part of the conversation and the action for the economic diversification of our island,” Shelton said. 

 

Lusech Ngirakesau, a recent UOG business administration graduate and G3 Conservation Corps member, said the program would benefit Small-Island Developing States, or SIDS. Coming from Palau, a small island nation, he said he sees the importance of the program for participants to acquire skills and develop a sustainability mindset.  

 

Meanwhile, Madeline Bradley, the youngest G3 Conservation Corps member at age 18, said the program is an amazing start to promote sustainable action.  

 

“For the next nine years, we have to conserve our world, basically,” she said, speaking of the 2030 target date for the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. “But it is a great start for Guam to realize that we need to start doing things for Guam a lot faster. And we need to do things for Guam more efficiently. I feel that this is going to be a wakeup call for a lot of villages and a lot of village mayors — just people in general.” 

 

UOG President Thomas W. Krise, in the past, had described the program as an engine of innovation developing tangible solutions to sustainability challenges in our island region. He said growing the island’s skilled workforce is a solution to support the diversification of the island economy. 

 

At Wednesday’s launch, Krise emphasized the program’s importance as Guam transitions out of the pandemic and recovers its economy.  

 

“This is a great time to be pressing the kinds of things that the G3 initiative is pressing across the board in terms of economic activity, sustainability, education. It is really important to build that capacity in people to think about sustainability, the circular economy, and the Sustainable Development Goals,” he said.  

  

 

The G3 Conservation Corps program is made possible through the Recycling Revolving Fund following 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 99 members of the G3 Working Groups, representing all sectors of society.  

  

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Have You Met… Lauren?

Feature: Have You Met... Lauren?

Since its inception in 2019, Guam Green Growth has been an advocate for change and sustainability on Guam. Over the years, the initiative has expanded with the inclusion of innovative programs, new focuses, and numerous opportunities for people to do their part to help Guam get on the track to sustainability.  

 

Lauren Swaddell has been a big contributing member of the Guam Green Growth team and has huge hopes for what the group can accomplish in the years ahead.  

Armed with the knowledge and wisdom gained from working in sustainability for over a decade, and an unrivaled passion for her home island, Swaddell is poised to be a driving force in Guam’s future for years to come. 

 

Have You Met Lauren? 

After growing up and living on Guam her whole life, this island girl moved to New York City for college, a dream of hers since childhood, but it was not all it cracked up to be. While living it up in the Big Apple, Swaddell was on the receiving end of a bigger reality check. 

 

“I really missed Guam. I saw how important it was to preserve our environment,” explained Swaddell. “When I was in New York I saw this landscape that was paved, and all the urban sprawls. People did not want to swim in the rivers and were disconnected from the land. I had taken that for granted and I realized I took the environment for granted.”  

 

Following her epiphany, Swaddell changed her college major from psychology to environmental studies and realized her true calling.  

 

“I switched my whole life plan. I originally planned to stay in New York, but the whole realization of Guam’s natural resources being something I valued and appreciated, I decided I was going back to Guam, and I am going to try my hardest to protect our resources and make Guam more sustainable. I wanted to figure out ways to get the community more engaged in sustainability because I didn’t feel like I had that growing up,” added Swaddell. 

 

Focused and ready to make an impact, Lauren Swaddell returned home following her college graduation in NYC and pursued her master’s degree at the University of Guam, graduating in 2018. 

 

 

 

 

 

Keeping her goals in sight, Swaddell has contributed to the sustainability movement as a student, fellow, volunteer, employee, member, or supporter of several of the island’s most prominent sustainability groups.  

 

Her tenacity and passion landing her in a leadership role as the Coordinator of Guam Green Growth, a private-public partnership aimed at improving Guam’s sustainability on a local level while also connecting with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  

 

While Swaddell acknowledges that all the SDGs are especially important in the overall sustainability movement, she also notes that two are remarkably close to her heart.  

 

“Partnership for the Goals – SDG17 is vital because it really takes collective effort to make things happen, which is why the G3 movement and initiative is so important,” said Swaddell. “Another SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) that speaks to my heart is Reduced Inequalities, because there is such an interconnected relationship between the way we treat the environment and the way we treat other people.  Many of the reasons we have to work so hard on conserving our resources right now, is because there is a lot of greed and not enough thought and consideration given to other people and communities in so many ways.”  

 

At the end of the day, it all comes down to love for Swaddell. She has an obvious love for her environment, love for her island, and love for her people.  

 

“Guam is awesome, and it’s only awesome as long as we keep it awesome. How beautiful our oceans are, how interesting our jungles are, the local food and culture of our community – all these things are things we have to actively be a part of. These are all things we care for.”  

 

Swaddell continues her work as the Program Coordinator for Guam Green Growth and is currently preparing for a slate of events to kick off soon. Guam Green Growth recently launched its Conservation Corps, a five-month program aimed at environmental work, clean ups, aqua and agriculture and developing and educating members on the emerging sustainable economy.  

 

QUICK HIT: Q AND A

1. Favorite Guam Food?
Hagan suni on red rice 

2. Favorite Guam Hang out spot?
 Tumon Bay 

3. Hobbies?
Hiking, yoga, and now roller skating, also karaoke!  

4. If your life were a movie what would it be called? 
You ready? Let’s go! 

5. What is the one word, people would use to describe you?
Enthusiastic 

*Have You Met… is a feature with the Guam Green Growth digital platforms. It is a 3-part series that will introduce you to a different member of the G3 team every month and give you a glimpse into why they are passionate about Guam Green Growth and other things too. * 

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#InTheNews: OUR VIEW: Our View: Kudos to mayors who committed to fight poverty, hunger

Our View: Kudos to mayors who committed to fight poverty, hunger

From The Pacific Daily News

Guam is renowned for its generosity and hospitality, especially when it comes to the sharing of food. A common refrain is “come eat.” 

We encourage going back for seconds and thirds. We implore our guests to balutan, to take food home with them. We want to ensure everyone is well fed.

And yet it’s a sad reality on Guam that there are many people, including children, who don’t get enough to eat every day and often go hungry.

The G3 Commitment Badge Program, part of the islandwide Guam Green Growth initiative facilitated by the University of Guam’s Center for Island Sustainability, hopes to change that. And it has turned to our island’s mayors to make that happen.

 

 

 

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