The sharing movement has made its way to University of Hawaii at Manoa’s campus in the form of ShareFest Honolulu. Inspired by Shareable, this event brings the idea of sharing, upcycling, exchanging, reusing and sustainability to campus. Shareable is a nonprofit trying to reduce the environmental impact, educate and empower communities to move towards a sustainable and “green economy”. The sharing transformation is a response to the challenges of poverty, global warming and depletion of the world’s resources.
Local groups like Positive Media Hawaii, Transition Oahu and SustainableUH are working together to educate and spread the word about a sharing economy and alternative lifestyle options to overconsumption of new resources. As the community comes together to pass on talents and knowledge and exchange resources with each other, a more eco-friendly and less corporation-dependent society emerges.
Positive Media Hawaii’s Facebook describes the organization as a group that, “educates and inspires the community towards productive social action by: producing videos for web distribution, teaching workshops on how to use video to communicate effectively, and consulting services on media strategy and message creation.” These skills are used to help spread the word about green solutions. The group will be helping people re-purpose old t-shirts into things like bags and pillows at the Trash-to-Treasure Sewing Studio at ShareFest.
According to the their website, Transition Oahu is, “part of a worldwide movement working to meet the challenges of peak oil, climate change, financial crises, and natural and man-made disasters while creating a better quality of life in the process.” The organization helps people re-think their transportation methods, re-purpose and better meet the community’s needs.
SustainableUH holds lectures and events featuring leading educators and specialists in sustainability and environmental science and provides donation-based yoga on campus every Tuesday. Recently, the group has implemented the program “Show Me Your Cans” which will bring recycling stands to UH tailgates. However, funding is needed to help expand the possibilities for future projects, like water bottle refill stations and campus gardens. To help create sustainability funding at UHM, visit SustainableUH’s Facebook page and fill out the survey.
The ShareFest event will be taking place Saturday, September 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the UHM Sustainability Courtyard. Booths will include Permablitz Hawaii’s Seed and Plant Exchange, Cycle Manoa’s Free Bike Repair, and live painting done by Maria Cristina Guerriero. Come by to learn more about how UH can become a more sustainable campus.
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