7th Edition, March 2014
ON
A newsletter for the MA in Global Leadership and Sustainable Development program at Hawaii Pacific University
Message from Professor Art Whatley
Educating global lead-
ers is a rewarding and
humbling activity!
Each new GLSD cohort
come to campus ready
to help lead the world
off the suicidal path of
endless growth found
in modern day capital-
ism. This past fall and
spring semesters, co-
horts arrived largely
aware that by changing their minds they actual-
ly change the world. Many have already made
the change and now indeed are changing the
world. Roy Haskins is involved in a rooftop gar-
dening business committed to local food produc-
tion; Ave Lambert is a local freelance chef who
uses only locally grown organic produce in her
creations; James Harris is interning on an organ-
ic farm aspiring to reconnect the young to the
land; Aka Assoumou, our Fulbright student from
the Ivory Coast, will lead environmental change
in his country when he returns; Evelina Tcholok-
ova remains committed to environmental policy
improvements in her home country of Bulgaria,
Nate Albritton is fervently committed to com-
munity building by innovating social networking,
and this 7th edition of SOS exemplifies his pas-
sion to lead effective change. There simply is
not room enough here to mention the many oth-
ers who are changing the world. To be sure, all
are pursuing a path aimed at creating a sustain-
able future. I know of no better way to be
spending my time than working with this vision-
ary and committed group of students. I am filled
with gratitude for the opportunity.
Going Collaborative: A Note from the Editor By Nathan Albritton
A big part of sustainability is that of relationships. Many
great sustainability and resilience thinkers have pointed out
that one of the key underlying problems with our world is
that much of it is run through centrally-
controlled, hierarchies. Flat, collabora-
tive structures are significantly more sus-
tainable, and they are the wave of the
future. With this in mind, we have rede-
fined the SOS newsletter. It is no longer a
static document created by one person as
A Note from the MA/GLSD Chair
Dr. Regina Ostergaard-Klem
Aloha and welcome to the 7th edition of
Spotlight on Sustainability (SOS). It
seems like it was only yesterday that the
first issue was published. Time certainly
flies when youre having fun, and Ive
enjoyed every minute of the five years
since I started teaching in the GLSD pro-
gram! Now in my second semester as
GLSD program chair, I am honored to
write this welcome message for the cur-
rent SOS. I invite you to peruse the sto-
ries, take in the photos, and follow the
QR codes to see where they lead you!
Every year, I am impressed by the dedication and commitment of
our GLSD students. I applaud the entrepreneurial spirit that com-
pels them to research new topics, travel to new places, connect
with new people, and tackle innovative projects. Every year, I
marvel at how the students cultural and professional diversity - as
well as the breadth of ideas and interests they share with one an-
other - forms into a cohesive group. No doubt, this is a network
that will last well after the graduates have left Ft. Street Mall be-
hind. This edition of SOS captures all these fantastic characteris-
tics happening right now. Thanks to Nate Albritton for all his hard
work and social networking that have not only made this edition
possible, but also will continue to capture these great stories on
TheSustainableLeader.org well into the future. Also, Id like to say
a special thank you to Dr. Art Whatley, the father of the GLSD pro-
gram. Without his vision, drive, and leadership, the GLSD program
would not be what it is today.
it was in the past. Now, it is a living system which anyone
can contribute to. Each of the articles were pulled from
The Sustainable Leader, a multi-author blog
built for YOU to share your passions, discuss
your ideas, and build your professional
portfolio. As you read the SOS, you will no-
tice these red QR codes. Use them to find
even more great content on
.org
SOS p.1

Rain Garden at Hawai'i Loa
By Sarah Dephillips
These days we hear a lot of talk about
sustainability from organizations such as
government, businesses, and countless
other institutions. This is wonderful and
sorely needed, but eventually this talk
must turn to action. Otherwise its just
talk. So how is sustainability being lived
out and implemented at Hawaii Pacific
University (HPU)? February 13, 2014 ob-
served the one-year anniversary of one of
HPUs most tangible sustainability proj-
ects. Just a year ago on the Hawaii Loa
campus in Kaneohe, students and profes-
sors rolled up their sleeves to break
ground on HPUs very own rain garden.
Rain gardens pro-
vide a simple way
to protect water
sheds by reducing
the pollution that
inevitably travels
with urban and
residential area
storm water run-
off. Without
proper manage-
ment, the rain that falls on our roofs ends
up washing over yards and streets, taking
with it fertilizers, pesticides, tar, rubber
and other pollutants from road surfaces.
The runoff eventually ends up in our
streams, bays, and oceans, wreaking hav-
oc on the delicate ecosystems there.
Rain gardens help to mitigate this runoff
pollution problem. A flat-bottomed de-
pressions dug at the outflow of roof run-
off and planted with native Hawaiian
vegetation provides a place for the water
to pool. The roof runoff is then retained
in the rain garden where the plants and
soil help to reintegrate the water into the
immediate local ecosystem. This pre-
vents the water from trav-
elling its course to the
ocean and taking with it all
the pollutants along the
way
Read the whole story here
Sustainability at HPU
A Tour of Sustainability on Campus
By Josh Prigge
Amidst the many chang-
es that have occurred at
Hawaii Pacific Universi-
ty over the past several
months, sustainability
continues to move for-
ward with strong sup-
port from students,
faculty, and administra-
Photo by Chris Aguinaldo
tion at all levels. With
the university facing
budget problems due to a decrease in student enrollment,
HPU was forced to make the difficult decision to downsize
and eliminate some staff positions. The fact that HPUs sus-
tainability staff made it through this transition
demonstrates that this is a valued position,
and will play a role in helping the university
achieve the objectives of its new strategic
plan. I would like to take this opportunity to
update the HPU community about the numer-
ous advances in sustainability that have oc-
curred, are underway, or being planned for
the future.
Last spring Hawaii Pacific University was rec-
ognized by Governor Neil Abercrombie, along
with twelve other organizations across the state of Hawai'i, as
a Hawai'i Green Business. This was an acknowledgement of
the hard work and dedication to sustainability of several HPU
staff, faculty, and stu-
dents that have helped
implement sustainable
practices at the Hawai'i
Loa Campus, and has
helped build the mo-
mentum to reach the
point we are at today.
Since receiving this
award last spring, HPU
Photo by Chris Aguinaldo
has also received local
and national recognition
for our food waste reduction practices by joining
the EPA Food Recovery Challenge. We have also
implemented another successful HPU Kukui Cup
energy competition for Hawaii Loa Campus resi-
dents
Read the whole story here
SOS p.2

Aka Assoumou
My Ride on the Elephants Back
Hi, everyone! Im Aka, from Yamoussoukro, the
lovely capital city of Cte dIvoire (a West
African French-speaking country). I just joined
the MA/GLSD program in Fall 2013. Before
coming to Hawaii, I completed a postgraduate
program in community development at the
Technology and Business Institute in
Yamoussoukro called ISCAE, focusing on tools for
basic management and harnessing local
resources for effective decision-making.
I have a strong curiosity for sustainability. I
started to dig more into the realm of
sustainability because there is a poor
understanding of the term in my home-region.
You see sustainability appear in most of the
public speeches and texts, but they generally
tend to be connected with environmental
awareness and agricultural development.
Sometimes, the diverse interpretations led to
confusion and chaos, and the ordinary citizen
would look on sustainable development as just
another fashionable term! As I am aiming at both
making a clearer sense of what sustainable
development is and contributing to
disseminating informed knowledge about it
locally, I have been given the opportunity by the
Fulbright program to come here
to Hawaii, one of the reputed
shrines of sustainability...
Read the whole story here
New Students
Aaron McDonald
A Natural Progression
Live, travel, adventure, bless, and dont be
sorry. Jack Kerouac. Thats me except I
occasionally apologize.
My name is Aaron McDonald and my road, the
one that has lead me to my Global Leadership
and Sustainable Development studies, had me
finishing my BS in Engineering at Tennessee
Technological University in 2003. I was ready to
be in the real world and felt life beckoning, so I
answered the way my passionate, yet broke and
pragmatic, twenty-two year-old self knew how. I
moved to Chicago and took a corporate job in
technical sales. With a few dollars in my pocket
and a traveling job I was able to see most of the
US from the big cities to the back country
industrial towns that reminded me of my
childhood in the rural mountains of Tennessee.
A couple trips to Europe, a promotion to product
manager, and three winters later I was ready to
move again. A product marketing position with a
large semiconductor company brought me to
Austin, TX the city where no one forces you to
grow up. I spent two years indulging in Austins
social graces of live music, festivals, and a
constant flow of new people. I also, advanced
my career, was promoted to business
development, learned an
incredible amount about global
business, traveled a lot more,
and took my first trip to Asia
Read the whole story here
Ave Lambert
There and Back Again
Aloha and Malama Aina! Ive been working in
sustainability here on Oahu since 2008. I was
drawn to the islands, after being a chef in San
Francisco and learning about Slow Food in Italy.
I had an epiphany after being awarded the
Chefs Collaborative Scholarship for an organic
farm & goat cheese dairy retreat. We learned
how to grow and harvest produce, milk cows,
make cheese, mill grain, bake breads, humanely
slaughter ducks and goats, and even use a
barter system. Afterwards, I studied
permaculture and built an off-the-grid
subsistence farm in Central America to show
how easily it can be done and replicated.
My BA is from the University of Washington,
Seattle, in International Studies: Comparative
Religion which took me abroad to Italy and all
over Western Europe where I learned the
preciousness of conviviality and sharing time
with friends and family around the table. I
believe this is what our culture is missing:
healthy, shared meals.
Hawaii is the perfect microcosm for local food
systems. We import so much of our food (92%)
that changing our production, distribution and
eating habits will make an
immediate and extensive
impact...
Read the whole story here
SOS p.3
 The Value of MA/GLSD

A Solid Business Basis Using Business to Reach Sustainability

By Erwin Hudelist By Kelly Williams

I graduated in 2007 from the HPU Awhile back Nate Albritton wrote a really good article on the business case for sustainability. If
MAGLSD program. I was already in youre reading this, its a pretty good assumption you agree with Nate. It makes sense for Business
business for over 20 years in Hawaii
(the big, aggregated version) to embrace sustainability. It decreases costs on energy, materials, and
and operated a printing and
waste disposal. It also reduces risks, such as a loss of resource access and damage to brand
publishing company. As this business
generated much waste I was looking reputation. It even gives individual businesses first-mover advantage over their competition. All that
for a plan to do it makes perfect sense to meand probably to you as well. Id like to look at things from
better. I signed up with the other direction though, and ask is there a sustainability case for business?
HPU and this changed the
way I did business and my
What exactly does a sustainability case for business mean? To me the older phrase
entire future. Making our
world and the businesses business case for sustainability means business people should be looking at how to use
that hold up our economy sustainability to improve Business. A sustainability case for business on the other
sustainable started to hand means people in sustainability should be looking at how to use business to improve
make more sense. The
Sustainability. This street can easily run both ways, but we all have to be willing to
core was to find how to
challenge our assumptions.
make this process
profitable because the
majority of businesses I came to Sustainable Development through the MBA program at Hawaii Pacific
would not change unless University. When I joined HPUs GLSD program I heard my fellow students talking about
money is made in the process of
doing research on natural processes, running non-profits, and helping government develop better
change. In our operation in Honolulu
regulations to keep business in check. I dont recall ever hearing anyone say anything about working
we implemented many changes from
simple recycling to the more complex in the business community. With my background in the military and business I found this a little
social sustainability program. After shocking. What was their problem with business?
the first year we saw a solid impact in
quality improvements, happy
employees and waste reduction
equivalent of 5 40 containers a Give me a place to stand, and
month. Besides waste reduction,
waste was sold for profit to be reused
(cradle to cradle). I shall move the Earth with it.
I am no longer in the
printing and publishing -Archimedes
business but in the
sustainability business Now dont get me wrong, I highly value the contributions of such research. If it wasnt
which is very rewarding. for the research our predecessors undertook we wouldnt have the understanding of the
We have now offices in
natural world that we do. This understanding has allowed us to see the effects of the
Germany, USA, West
global environmental system and develop visions of how humans (and our economies)
Africa and South
America. There are should fit into that system. These are critical if we are to make the needed changes.
many projects to talk The problem (as I see it) with pure research is that while we have a solid idea of what
about but there is one we need to do, further research only seeks to refine those answers. Im not saying we
we are very proud of. We
shouldnt refine what is needed, but I believe it is more important to get more people
have a plantation in
onto the sustainability movement and acting on those ideas.
Togo, West Africa which is a picture
book example of sustainability. This
project gives work to hundreds of Im constantly amazed at what non-profits have been able to accomplish. The level of dedication
local people, generates oil from oil people bring to the sector is incredible. Ive seen volunteers and low-paid staff
nuts to run equipment
help so much in everything from feeding the hungry to healing the sick to
and wiped out conflicts
rehabilitating and protecting the environment. There is definitely a lot of great
due to the fact that
people have work work going on...
Read the whole story here Read the whole story here

SOS p.4
 Alumni

Matt Hughes Stephanie Samaniego Linh Do

I was raised in San Antonio, Texas, and spent
my weekends working on a beef cattle ranch.
My appreciation for nature, mother earth and
all of that good stuff was
fostered by these experiences...
Read the whole story here
My decision to apply to GLSD came from a
nurturing I developed inside myself during
my four years at Soka University of America
where I earned a B.A. in Liberal
Arts in 2009...
Read the whole story here
I am originally from California. My respect
and interest in the environment sprouted
through my childhood years and have stayed
with me today
Read the whole story here

David Bennemann James Cogswell Katie Fisk

Environmental Education Wildlife Biologist Federal Emergency Management
Entrepreneur DLNR/Division of Agency (FEMA)
Forestry and Wildlife

Lauren Ballou
Environmental Planner
VHB (consulting firm)
Paula Lombardo
PhD Candidate (Sustainability Education) Rachel James
Prescott College Constituent Services Liaison
US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard's Office

Charlene Felkley
Marine Operations Coordinator
National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa
Read more alumni stories here

Past Professional Paper Topics

Analysis of the Global Medical Diplomacy Policies of Selected Countries and Their Effect on the Millennium Develop-
ment Health Goals (Terry Brady)
Contribution of North Shore Oahu Direct-Sale Farms to the Economic Prosperity of Hawaii Pacific University (Nick Tras)
Identifying the Factors of Climate Change Denial and Their Use in Policy Making (Charlene Felkley)
Rivers of Resilience Information flow within the Socio-Ecological Systems of Hawaii (Nathan Albritton)

Each of these can be accessed via the links above or at http://research.hpu.edu/ppapers.htm when on campus.
SOS p.5
 Careers in Sustainable Development

Sustainable Careers: Creating a Winning Combo Skills Gained in GLSD

By Nitasha Baker
By Nathan Albritton
The transition from the academic to the real world is rarely easy, but you
would think that by the time you are halfway through grad school that you Rather than leaving graduate school
with a fancy piece of paper and a
would have a decent grip on what you would like to do with your degree. This heaping pile of debt, you should walk
is rarely the case given how clouded our minds can get with with concerns confidently into the world armed with
about the job market, making a decent living, getting ahead of the
a set of marketable skills and strong
connections to put you ahead of the
competition, doing something worthwhile, or the worst one of all being pack.
unhappy in a career after spending some of your prime years sitting in a
You can hone some of these skills in
classroom to achieve that very end. In any case, you will have to compromise
your classes, such as:
something, right? Not at all!
Public speaking and presentation
(all classes)
For those in the sustainability field anyway, it is Critical thinking (all classes)
within your reach to pretty much have it all. Professional writing (all classes)
Sure, theres not much agreement regarding the Systems thinking (GLSD 6000)
Stakeholder analysis (GLSD 6005,
meaning of sustainability, (although this is a 6330, 7100)
fresh spin on it!) but many organizations are Qualitative / Quantitative research
nonetheless seeking out sustainability leaders
methods (GLSD 6005, 7100, 7200)
Life-Cycle Analysis (GLSD 6330)
and experts in many different capacities! It may ISO 14001 toolsets (GLSD 6330)
still seem like sustainability jobs are few and far ArcGIS mapping software skills
(GLSD 4700)
between, or limited to third sector jobs (such as
NGOs, non-profits, public-private partnerships), Others through internships &
but in reality they are more abundant than most would think. This is because certification courses, such as:
sustainability can literally be nested into just about any sector. Picture it this Grant writing
way: You have a set of dice. On one die, all faces reads sustainability. On Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
the other die each face has a different career field ( i.e. education, fashion, certification
healthcare, marketing, food & beverage,agricultural, etc). You not only have And even some in the local
options several options that interest you, but you will be making a positive community, such as:
difference in the world.
Permaculture design
Beekeeping
In some instances, it may be necessary for you to properly pitch yourself and Aquaponics
create a need for your expertise within an organization. Simply put,
organizations are looking for leaders and experts that are able to identify Learning how to clearly articulate
and find holistic solutions to the complex challenges they are facing. complex thoughts to a wide audience
is a truly valuable skill in todays
Fittingly, most sustainability degree programs, especially at the graduate world. A good way to do this is to
level (such as HPUs MA/GLSD program) take this exact write. Build your skills and your port-
approach, but they also allow students to tailor courses to folio, and start writing now on

the area of sustainability the students are most interested in

pursuing... .org
Read the whole story here
SOS p.6

The Power of Networking
Mondy Jamshidi an alumna of
Hawaii Pacific Universitys (HPU)
Master of Global Leadership and
Sustainable Development program
(MA/GLSD) is now the first
executive director of Envision
Hawaii a non-profit with 10 years
of social entrepreneurship in
Hawaii. We recently sat down with
Ms. Jamshidi and asked her how she
came to find herself in the position
as a social entrepreneurship leader
in Hawaii. Networking was her
answer.
Networks to Tap Into
Envision Hawaii
Leaders for a Sustainable Future
Student Sustainability Coalition
of Hawaii
Sustainabilityility Association of
Hawaii
Green Drinks Honolulu
Transition Oahu
Networking
You have to think entrepreneurial-
ly in a new economy. Going to
school is one thing, but I find there
is excitement in going out and
creating your own path. Theres
someone out there looking for your
help who is just waiting to connect
with you, and there are many
opportunities to be discovered.
In an effort that predates the 2011
Universities for Sustainability
conference at HPU, and the First
Annual First Annual Hawaii
Sustainability in Higher Education
Summit held in 2013, she had looked
to partner with University of Hawaii
Manoa and attended their green
club then called Sustainable
UH. There is no one brand of
sustainability, Jamshidi says. I
just wanted to learn everything
there is, specifically how to make
green jobs accessible to all people.
Networking led her to her first job
opportunity in becoming the first
Rewarding Internships for
Sustainable Employment (RISE)
intern from HPU after her internship
with the Department of Business,
Economic Development and Tourism
(DBEDT), where she worked in the
Energy Efficiency Branch with fellow
MA/GLSD alumna Jon Chin.
We asked Jamshidi to describe her
experience with networking in the
Key Events of 2014
March 13-15: Sustainability in
Higher Education Summit
July 15-17: Hawaii Conservation
Conference
Fall 2014 (TBD): HPU Conferce
for a Sustainabile Future
For more events, head
over to the always up-
to-date calendar on
The Sustaianble Leader
MA/GLSD program, which she
joined in 2009.
We were all excited about what
we could do and we inspired one
another about the possibilities.
Through networking, I was able to
quickly learn about whos doing
what. My peers and I now fill
several positions in the community
jobs which didnt exist before. This
is a part of a new economy we
have helped to build.
After getting hands-on experience
in performing sustainability audits
of area schools, Jamshidi employed
these skills (including her
networking skills) when she was
hired as the Program Coordinator
for Smart Sustainability Consulting
a local
sustainability
consulting firm...
Read the whole story here
SOS p.7
 Leaders for a Sustainable Future

Local Buzz: A Visit to an Apiary

Read Aaron McDonalds article about our trip to Rainbow Rainbow Bees here

The Leaders for a Sustainable Future

(LSF) is an official student organization -
made up of MA/GLSD students and many
others - which is committed to promoting
environmental awareness and sustainabil-
ity. LSF is often involved in community
outreach programs, beach cleanups,
sustainable agriculture initiatives, and
much more - all of which is combined
with good food, good friends,and great
times. Join LSF today by sending an
email to Lsf.hpu@my.hpu.edu or join-
ing the LSF Facebook page.

Join us in the MA/GLSD program!

For more information on how to get start-
ed, head over to:
http://www.hpu.edu/CHSS/SocialScience
s/GLSD/

or email HPU Admissions at grad@hpu.edu

SOS p.8