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RECAP: Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps week twenty

RECAP: Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps week twenty

Last week, our G3 Conservation Corps started off our Reusable Bag outreach!
 
They passed out our G3 reusable bags and waved at passersby at 7 Day Supermarket in Dededo, Håfa Adai Market in Yigo, and Gangnam Mart in Tamuning to promote the use of reusable bags before the distribution of single-use plastic carry out bags are prohibited in January 2022 (Public Law 35-130).
 
After the outreach on Monday, the Corps continued their Citizen Forestry Program tasks at Sagan Kotturan CHamoru.
 
They then continued the UOG beautification and started painting the planter boxes that they planted guasali in, built two planter boxes, and weeded the croton hedges.
 
Thursday was spent at the G3 Makerspace and Innovation Hub in CHamoru Village prepping the houses for the grand opening happening soon!
 
The Corps then took a tour of the UOG Marine Laboratory and received a chainsaw operation and safety training from Department of Agriculture for the following week’s invasive bamboo removal.
 
Finally, the end of the week was spent cleaning up Chorito Beach in Asan.
 
We’re now down to the final weeks of our first G3 Conservation Corps!
 
Stay tuned to see what they do next.
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RECAP: Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps week nineteen

RECAP: Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps week nineteen

Last week was all about island beautification for our G3 Conservation Corps!
 
Roland Quitugua, UOG’s Landscape Committee member and an Extension Agent with UOG’s Cooperative Extension and Outreach, taught the Corps how to properly plant and mulch guasåli and weed out the crotons lining UOG’s campus. 
 
The Corps then propagated the crotons that they pruned, which will be used for future campus beautification efforts. They also bush-cut along the entrance of UOG, water-blasted and painted the latte’ stone sculptures in the middle of the campus, and rebuilt the broken planter boxes overlooking Pago Bay. It was a busy week!
 
Finally, the Corps ended the week with island beautification in Inalåhan where they picked up trash on the roadsides and painted the long guardrail on the main road.
 
Si Yu’os ma’åse’ to UOG’s maintenance team for providing technical support and to Inalåhan Mayor’s Office for hosting us!
 
We’re now down to the final weeks of our first G3 Conservation Corps! Stay tuned to see what they do next.
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Recap: Island beautification in Yona

Island Beautification Recap: Yoña

ISLAND BEAUTIFICATION RECAP: YOÑA
 
Si Yu’os ma’åse to Mayor Quenga and his team in Yoña for hosting our G3 Conservation Corps and volunteers from the Naval Airborne Weapons Maintenance Unit 1!
 
Down at Tagå’chang Beach, the group picked up 12 large bags of trash and 3 large bags of aluminum cans. The Corps also cleared 3/4 of a mile of low-hanging trees and branches on the road down to the beach.
 
There are only a couple Fridays left to volunteer with us for our island beautification efforts. Stay tuned to find out where we’ll be next!
 
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RECAP: Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps week eighteen

RECAP: Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps week eighteen

It was a mix of sustainable activities for our G3 Conservation Corps last week!
 
To start the week off, the Corps went back to GAIN to assist with their energy efficiency projects that they surveyed for GAIN a few weeks ago. They installed and tinted more efficient windows and water-blasted the rooftops to reduce heat gain, cleaned the AC units to make them run more efficiently, and replaced CFLs with energy-efficient LED lights.
 
The Corps then went to Sagan Kotturan CHamoru to conduct a Citizen Forester Program inventory where they plotted 51 trees to track the benefits it provides to our land and our island community.
 
There were presentations on fisheries and sea turtles from our partners at DOAg, UOG Marine Lab, and UOG Sea Grant.
 
Mid-week was spent taking a tour of the Guam National Wildlife Refuge at Ritidian and removing the parasitic Dodder vine in the area. The Corps removed over 60 lbs. of the vine!
 
The Corps’ week ended with a cleanup at Tagå’chang Beach in Yona where volunteers from the village and from US Navy came by to help!
 
Si Yu’os ma’åse’ to all our partners for hosting us and to all our volunteers that came out to assist!
 
 
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RECAP: Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps week seventeen

RECAP: Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps week seventeen

It was a mix of business and fieldwork last week for our G3 Conservation Corps!
 
Our friends at GUMA (Guam Unique Merchandise and Art) took the Corps through their business incubator program for the first two days to show them the process of starting their own business.
 
Lorenzo Eduvala, UOG’s Student Academic Counseling Specialist with Enrollment Management & Student Services, performed a professional development training with the Corps on being proactive.
 
Franceska De Oro (@youngbiha), a yoga instructor and a coordinator for Micronesia Climate Change Alliance (MCCA), gave the Corps a lesson on self-sustainability and did a “Peace of Mind Square” activity on self-awareness.
 
Our partners at the Guam Department of Agriculture in the Agricultural Development Services (ADS) division, Chief John Borja and Ursula Herrera, gave the Corps a presentation on becoming a bonafide farmer.
 
Afterwards, our very own Kyle Mandapat presented on The Big 10 of Small Business Marketing and our G3 Coordinators, Lauren Swaddell and Rita Bernardo, shared an introduction on the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
 
On Wednesday, Island Girl Power hosted the Corps where they carried out the following activities:
– Transplanted 4 guava trees
– Replanted 1 avocado tree and 2 moringa trees
– Pruned banana circle (banana, pigeon pea, papaya, tapioca, suni)
– Mulched up to 4” in moringa plot
– Placed 2 layers of cardboard as weed suppression in moringa plot
– Transplanted 11 suni in moringa plot
– Transplanted 12 lemongrass around moringa plot as erosion control
– Transplanted 9 buttercup plants
– Dispersed marigold and white/yellow daisy seeds in bee corner
– Watered all individual gardens
– Transplanted 5 arrow root and two lemon grass plants as erosion control around guava/avocado circle
– Two members devoted 8 hours to organizing the thrift store
 
On Thursday, G3CC assisted with the renovation and beautification of the Guam Green Growth Makerspace and Innovation Hub at CHamoru Village opening soon!
 
Finally, the Corps ended the week in Talo’fo’fo’ with a cleanup and painted a few village bus shelters.
 
Si Yu’os ma’åse’ to all our partners for hosting us and to all our volunteers who came out to assist!
 
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RECAP: Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps week sixteen

RECAP: Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps week sixteen

Our G3 Conservation Corps was at the UOG Triton Farm last week! Here’s what they were up to:
– Cleaned and prepped 9 lbs. of lettuce for Triton Farm orders
– Harvested 2.5 pounds of basil for Triton Farm orders
– Planted 600 lettuce seeds, 72 basil seeds, 72 rosemary seeds, 72 tomato seeds, and 209 taro cuttings
– Cleared 300 ft. of weeds in lettuce/herb rows
– Cut, pruned, and mulched ~300 banana trees
– Transplanted 38 passion fruit plants
– Made 8 air layerings of lemmai
– Moved 3 truck loads of tree branches to piles
– Mulched 68 fruit trees with chicken manure and paper shreds good for 3-6 months
– Removed invasive toads from lettuce/herb rows
Si Yu’os ma’åse’ to our friends, Jessica Nangauta and her crew, at UOG Triton Farm for hosting our G3 Conservation Corps!
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G3 Conservation Corps installs solar panels on JFK to help with renewable energy

G3 Conservation Corps installs solar panels on JFK to help with renewable energy

SOAK IT IN: The Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps helped to install solar panels along roofs at John F. Kennedy High School in Tamuning in hopes of promoting renewable energy.

Alongside the maintenance contractors for the school, the Corps installed over four hundred twenty solar panels on the school’s gym, cafeteria, annex and classrooms.

“It gives me hope that there are alternatives for energy saving and renewable energy sources,” explained Corps member Drake Kemp. “It gives us a way to get away from using our ancient practices and do some good for the environment.”

The Corps spent two weeks assisting with the project which falls in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7, Affordable and Clean Energy, which aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

“Renewable energy is very important for Guam in that it will help with reducing costs that goes towards energy,” said Kemp. “That money can be used in other areas to help with other problems.”

The project led Conservation Corps members through the basics of solar power generation, panel installation and system maintenance.

“We learned that it is possible to power up a whole school with solar energy,” said Kemp. “It’s something they say, but you don’t really understand it until you see it in action.”

Along with the installation of solar panels, the group also learned about energy efficiency and helped replace outdated and less efficient lighting fixtures throughout the campus.
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New energy plan, other gains highlighted at G3 biannual meeting

New energy plan, other gains highlighted at G3 biannual meeting

Dr. Austin Shelton, Guam Green Growth Steering Committee Co-Chair gave updates on G3 projects and programs.

At the Guam Green Growth (G3) 2nd biannual meeting in September, committee co-chairs reported several program milestones and successes, including a new project that will create a renewal energy road map for Guam. 

The G3 working group leads presented their updates and reports to Governor Lou Leon Guerrero and UOG President Dr. Thomas Krise at the virtual event. The two serve as chairs of the G3 biannual meetings. 

Austin Shelton, UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant director and G3 steering committee co-chair, said the Department of Interior Office of Insular Affairs’ Energizing Insular Communities (EIC) program selected G3 to develop an updated Guam Strategy Energy & Action Plan in partnership with the Guam Energy Office. 

“Now we will be able to lead the development of a plan to create our island’s road map to one hundred percent renewal energy by 2045 to meet the ambitious mandate of Public Law 35-46 that Governor Lou Leon Guerrero signed into law in 2019,” he said. 

Aside from the OIA-funded project, working group leads also highlighted the following G3 initiatives: 

  • Community garden in Hagåtña: G3 kicked off a new partnership with Guåhan Sustainable Culture, Guam Legislature, and the Serve Guam Commission’ AmeriCorps to launch the community garden in August. The garden is now fully active and serves as a beacon of education and production to inspire local food security. 
  • Village aquaculture program: G3 held an aquaculture showcase and fish fry in Adelup to share the first harvest of tilapia from the UOG Sea Grant aquaponics system. The event kicks off a new community-based aquaculture and aquaponics program in partnership with the UOG and University of Hawaii Sea Grant programs. Training started with mayors’ offices and community groups in September. 
  • New recycling and waste bins: Guam’s mayors’ offices and public parks will soon receive 23 new recycling bins and 50 waste bins to support island beautification efforts. G3 partnered with the Micronesia Islands Nature Alliance (MINA) to coordinate the fabrication of the containers and Matson for shipping to Guam. i*Recycle will manage the bins to ensure local schools benefit from the aluminum and metal redemptions.  
G3 Coordinator Lauren Swaddell presented working group updates during the meeting after collaborating with the teams virtually through the pandemic.
  • Reusable bag campaign: All plastic bags will be banned in January 2022. And by July 2022, local retailers will phase out paper bags in compliance with government directives. G3 is preparing to launch an educational in-store and public service campaign to get the word out in partnership with the Guam EPA.  
  • Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub: The program offers local entrepreneurs, artists, and creators the tools to transform discarded lumber, plastics, metals into new marketable products. G3 partners with the National Science Foundation EPSCoR, Guam Economic Development Authority, the UOG School of Business and Public Administration, and the Guam Unique Merchandise and Art for the program.  
  • G3 Conservation Corps program: In June, G3 launched the conservation corps program in partnership with UOG Global Learning and Engagement. The workforce development program prepares the community for the emerging green economy. The corps members are training full time on various sustainability topics — agriculture, aquaculture, invasive species removal, reforestation, renewable energy, and energy efficiency.  

Lt. Gov Joshua Tenorio, the steering committee co-chair, said that G3 has transformed from an initiative into a movement through the community’s support.  

“Sustainable development has been garnering more support than ever before. We are working together here on our island. We are working together with the federal government. And we are working with islands throughout the globe and with the United Nations to truly make commitments and actions,” Tenorio said.  

 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.   

 

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Guam Green Growth Beautification Recap: Hågat

Guam Green Growth Beautification Recap: Hågat

Si Yu’os ma’åse to Mayor Susuico and his team in Hågat for hosting us and assisting.
 
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