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Along with the installation of solar panels, the group also learned about energy efficiency and helped replace outdated and less efficient lighting fixtures throughout the campus.
RECAP: Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps week fourteen and fifteen
PLUG IT IN: Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps member Jackie Jones works to re-wire a lighting fixture at John F Kennedy High School. The Group spent the past two weeks replacing fixtures and installing solar panels after lessons on renewable energy.
WEEK IN REVIEW: WEEK 14-15
For the last two weeks, our G3 Conservation Corps has been hard at work at JFK High School!
They installed 420 solar panels on the gym rooftop and upgraded the fluorescent lighting in some of the classrooms to efficient LED lighting with the JFK maintenance team.
In Week 14, the Corps did an island beautification cleanup in Hagåt with the Mayor’s employees and then cleaned and bush cut areas in Humåtak alongside the Mayor’s team at the end of Week 15.
Conservation Corps assists with energy audit to help cut costs at GAIN animal shelter
Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps members Joseph Certeza and Alana Chargulauf inspect lighting fixtures while conducting an energy audit at the Guam Animals In Need facility in Yigo.
The University of Guam’s Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps participated in a hands-on energy survey of the Guam Animals in Need facility in Yigo under the guidance of Guam Power Authority staff.
After completing a basic orientation in September, the G3 Conservation Corps members conducted the energy assessment alongside GPA energy auditors at the Northern facility.
The energy survey involved an evaluation of the energy needs and efficiency of the facility, with the end goal of being able to recommend measures to improve energy efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and promote energy savings for the nonprofit organization.
Alison Hadley, GAIN executive director, emphasized the need for nonprofits to invest in sustainability, and one way to do that is to manage their overall energy consumption.
The UOG Green Growth Conservation Corps participated in a hands-on energy survey under the guidance of Guam Power Authority staff at the GAIN facility in Yigo.
“For the shelter, our form of sustainability is dealing with spaying and neutering of animals. But we still operate a facility and we still utilize utilities, so we have a responsibility to the community to demonstrate that type of responsibility as a nonprofit, especially since we are the ones that tend to struggle quite a bit financially,” she said.
As part of the energy survey, G3 Conservation Corps members participated in a walkthrough of the facility and conducted interviews with the GAIN team. The interview questions ranged from energy consumption patterns to the operations and functions of each room at the facility. Corps members also looked at interior and exterior lighting for wattage size and checked windows and doors for possible air leaks. The team also looked at the air conditioning units and located areas that may cause energy wastage.
According to Phil Cruz, sustainability coordinator at the UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant, the survey data will be compiled into a report and forwarded to GPA for review. Then, the corps will send a final version of the report to GAIN, outlining the final list of recommendations.
“We also hope to reach out to GAIN a few months down the line and see if there are reductions to their power consumption based on the changes,” Cruz said.
Cruz stated that working with the nonprofit group was a win-win situation.
“We are so glad that we got the chance to learn about energy efficiency with GPA this week and had the chance to apply what we learned to help a group like GAIN that does so much for Guam. We are so glad to help them out in any way that we can,” he said.
Check out GPA’s website for more information on do-it-yourself and professional energy audits.
About the G3 Conservation Corps
The G3 Conservation Corps program prepares the community for the emerging green economy. The program is aligned with the island-wide efforts to achieve sustainability and other United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It is a joint program of the UOG Center for Island Sustainability, the Office of the Governor, and Guam NSF EPSCoR’s Education & Workforce Development objective.
RECAP: Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps week thirteen
OUT IN THE FIELD: Kiko Palacios takes the team on a tour of GCC as he taught the team about LEED buildings
WEEK IN REVIEW: WEEK 13
Last week was an energy auditing and professional development week for the G3 Conservation Corps!
Our friends Victor Torres, Francis Iriarte, and Jaime Pinaula at Guam Power Authority taught the Corps about energy conservation measures, gave an introduction to energy auditing, and guided the Corps in performing an official energy survey with Guam Animals in Need (GAIN), one of our community partners. From there, the Corps developed low-cost and no-cost recommendations to improve efficiency and reduce utility consumption at the GAIN buildings.
Additionally, Executive Director of GAIN, Alison Hadley, gave a lecture on stray animals and their intersectional impact on sustainability.
The Corps then took a trip to Guam Community College, where Francisco “Kiko” Palacios, GCC Sustainability and Project Coordinator, gave a lecture on LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) buildings. They then toured GCC’s three LEED certified buildings, two of which are GOLD certifications and one basic.
Our very own Kyle Mandapat and Myracle Mugol then hosted Professional Development sessions centered on professional communications and midterm reflections, respectively.
The Corps hosted Hawai`i Sea Grant at the G3 Makerspace and Innovation Hub, where they upcycled collected marine debris.
Finally, the week ended with a cleanup at the Fouha Trail in Humåtak with volunteers from UOG Student Government Association.
UOG G3 Conservation Corps members dig up a portion of land near the Togcha cemetery to remove chain of love tubers from the soil.
A member of the UOG G3 Conservation Corps holds a chain of love tendril with pink flowers. The vine was introduced as an ornamental and was first recorded on Guam as early as 1905 by botanist William Safford.
As part of their training with the University of Guam’s Guam Green Growth initiative, the G3 Conservation Corps members recently participated in an activity from Sept 7 to 10 to clear portions of land overrun by an invasive vine —- the chain of love (kadena de amor) — and repurposed parts of the plant into viable products for the circular economy.
In partnership with the Guam Department of Agriculture, the corps members harvested the vine from a patch of Yona land near the entrance of the Togcha cemetery, an area with a heavy overgrowth of the invasive creeper. The vine reproduces by tubers and creates a canopy cover that prevents underlying plants and trees from receiving sunlight and photosynthesizing food. According to a publication from the UOG College of Natural and Applied Sciences, the vine was introduced as an ornamental and was first recorded on Guam as early as 1905 by botanist William Safford.
At the site, Christine Camacho Fejeran, Forestry Division Chief, Forestry and Soil Resources Division at the department provided an orientation on the removal of the invasive plant species. She said the G3 Conservation Corps chose one of the most challenging conservation and clean-up sites on island. “We at the department appreciate the efforts of the G3 Conservation Corps,” Fejeran said, adding that the removal process could guide landowners on how to harvest the invasive vine from their properties.
Alana Chargualaf, G3 Conservation Corps member, said that they must ensure the chain of love tubers and root system are removed completely from the ground to prevent the plant from repropagating. “If it stays in the dirt, it will grow again. It is the type of plant that can survive droughts,” she said.
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero and Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio also visited the site on Wednesday to commend the efforts of the group.
The G3 Conservation Corps members were also tasked to find other uses for the invasive vine, following the circular economy framework. The circular economy system promotes the regeneration of natural systems, reuse or recycling of materials to extend their life cycle and divert waste from the landfill.
Jackie Jones, another G3 Conservation Corps member, said, “We are still in the experimental stage and trying to figure out what can we do with this — to take something that has been such a problem and turn it into a part of a solution.”
The G3 Conservation Corps program prepares the community for the emerging green economy. The program is aligned with the current island-wide efforts to achieve sustainability and other UN SDGs. It is a joint program of the UOG Center for Island Sustainability, the Office of the Governor, and Guam NSF EPSCoR’s Education and Workforce Development objective.
Recap: Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps week twelve
WEEK IN REVIEW: WEEK 12
It was harvest week for the Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps! On the collection list: The Chain of Love. The Corps spent the week with the Department of Agriculture Forestry team in Togcha tackling the invasive vine that is known to smother our native plants and trees.
The Corps started the week in training and learning the proper way to pull and remove the introduced species. They learned all about the roots and tubers and how to make sure the vine did not grow back after being removed.
The team spent the rest of the week putting their new knowledge into action, even getting a visit from the Governor and Lt. Governor who heard about their efforts to protect our indigenous plants.
The harvest was only the beginning as the group took part in a circular economy workshop that posed the question, “What happens to the chain of love after they’ve been harvested?”
The group was joined by entrepreneurs and business enthusiasts including Jasmine from Numa’lo Zero Waste Refillery for the circular economy workshop.
During the workshop, the Corps discussed and shared recipes and re-uses for the Chain of Love. Some of the products included Numa’lo bath bombs, clothing dye, furikaki and even a COL pesto.
Recipes and instructions will be shared soon. Stay tuned!
