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Reading over the desired qualifications listed in the job descriptions, it strikes me that job descriptions in general are largely perfunctory. They don't mention some of the most important, albeit most basic, skills--the kind you don't earn a degree for. (Like: Must be not lazy enough to google "perfunctory" if you weren't sure exactly what that means.)

Thinking of my fellow staff, such unspoken qualifications come to mind: willingness to start work very early or end work very late (the mean between the median start time and the median quit time would be somewhere around 1 am or 1 pm), a predisposition to fuzzy math, a cheeky sense of humor, and a certain je ne sais quoi... let's call it lust for life. Oh, and ...

you pretend like you're not nervous in front of the camera.

On Friday, Becky Dunning, our director of operations and advancement--often referred to as the glue that holds Blue Planet together--bids us farewell. She will be the new managing director at Honolulu Theatre For Youth, and we wish her all the best. (And we promise not to call her when we can't find or figure out something. Unless we're desperate. No more than once an hour, Becky.)

Becky lends the perfect example of that intangible qualification that often means more than all the others. Maybe it's thoughtfulness. Or kindness. Or compassion. Or... I know! It's big feet. At the end of a very long day (and week and month) yesterday, she returned from the florist with a fresh bouquet of gardenias for me and Ivory. Let me tell you, the sweet fragrance of gardenias has a miraculous way of stifling the stink produced by work indigestion. Thanks, Becky. Those are some big shoes to fill.

The lightning and thunder is going off outside the office. A little spooky because it's dark and otherwise silent.

Jeff just emailed the staff the following message, subject "Because you wanted to know...": The average lightning bolt contains about 250 kilowatt-hours of electricity.

Huh. That didn't mean too much to me. I asked him to put that number into perspective.

J: Enough to power 800 CFL bulbs for a full day.

Me: Is it fair to say, then, enough to power 60 homes for 24 hours?

J: Or to keep an average Hawai‘i house running for about 12 days. But I'm no Ben Franklin.

Me: OK, Mr. Kilowatt-saved-is-a-penny-earned.

J: Actually, 29 pennies.

Now back to your regularly scheduled browsing.

Dear Blue Planet Friends,

Thanks to your actions, House Bill 1520, the measure for on-bill financing passed through the legislature and will become law.

Blue Planet Foundation lobbied aggressively for on-bill financing because of its potential to benefit the many residents who want to install solar or buy energy-saving appliances, but simply can’t afford to. An on-bill program would eliminate the restrictive upfront cost of these upgrades by integrating the purchase as a line item on residents' electric bills. The purchase would be paid off over time using the money saved directly from the household’s reduced energy use.

Remember what I was saying about that Hail Mary? Hail Mary, hell yeah! HB 1520 received a unanimous “aye” from the conferees in attendance at this afternoon’s hearing. This was a completely different ending than that portrayed by news stories that reported it dead two days prior.

How did this come about? We must give credit where credit is due...

Thanks to Rep. Coffman, chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection, who chose not to give up on this bill. Thanks to Sen. Gabbard, chair of the Senate Energy Committee, who championed on-bill financing from the beginning. Thanks to the local media for raising awareness about the bill because they recognized how much it could benefit Hawai‘i residents. Thanks to Blue Planet’s legislative affairs team, who lobbied aggressively for this and other critical policies that will make it possible for Hawai‘i to become energy self-sufficient. Thanks to Neenz, who’s like the coconut wireless on steroids.

But most of all, thanks to all of our friends who took the time to voice their support. This would not have happened without all the calls and letters and emails you sent to legislators telling them how important this bill was to you. Believe me when I say it made a difference—I heard it from the legislators, themselves. You spoke, they listened; in essence, you directed the course of our future. After more than a decade of being cynical and disillusioned about the political process, this exercise actually restored my faith in our democratic system of government. At least for now.

HB 1520. So much drama! It lived. It died. It was resurrected. Repeat. The last mile was the longest, but you ran with us all the way. Thanks for helping us get to the finish line! We’re eager to see the PUC establish an on-bill program that will bring clean energy into people’s homes, lower our electric bills, and reduce Hawai‘i’s dependency on foreign oil.

I am pleased to report that this afternoon Rep. Denny Coffman scheduled HB 1520 to be heard tomorrow, April 28, at 3:20 pm in room 225 at the Capitol. We commend him for his willingness to not give up on a measure that he recognizes is a critical policy for accelerating Hawaii's transition to clean energy. Households across the state will look forward to having clean power at home and enjoying the energy and cost savings afforded by on-bill financing, especially as the price of oil continues to pinch our wallets. He had a choice, and his action demonstrates his level of commitment to energy security and sustainability for Hawaii.

The journey of this bill, from life to death to resurrection, has been down a long and bumpy road. It would not have happened without the support of all of Blue Planet's friends and friends of friends who want to end Hawaii's dependence on foreign oil. Thank you all so much for speaking up, for taking action at a critical time, and for telling our legislators how much this bill will benefit Hawaii residents.

More to come tomorrow. Keeping our (cramped) fingers crossed!

The 19th century social reformer Henry Ward Beecher believed: "The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one often comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won't." According to media reports, Rep. Denny Coffman, expressing his reservations about the bill, told reporters that he plans to kill HB 1520. The disheartening news does not change the reality that there is still time for him to change his mind, as unlikely as that may sound. But it does leave us in the fourth quarter, third down at the 50 with no time-outs remaining. What to do?

Sometimes I wish life was like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure. (Does that give away my age?) If HB 1520 is passed, turn to page 218. If HB 1520 dies in committee, turn to page 66. In this case, perseverance may get us to page 218. Obstinacy sends us to page 66. Denny Coffman has the book in his hand... I'm holding out hope that, as the leader who says he is committed to Hawaii's clean energy future and presides over energy and environmental policy, he'll exercise a strong will and not settle for an easy won't.

Please continue to call Rep. Coffman's office at (808) 586-9605 or email him at repcoffman@capitol.hawaii.gov and urge him not to give up on HB 1520. After all, it's not over until the menehune disappear...  Ready for a Hail Mary?

This is what Rep. Denny Coffman told Civil Beat reporter Michael Levine this afternoon. It was really disheartening—and downright astonishing—to hear. A rally led by 200 students who voiced their desire for a clean energy future was held in support of HB 1520. This measure for on-bill financing has numerous valuable benefits. And these benefits have been expressed by scores of Hawaii residents to Representative Coffman...

Hi gang, The past few weeks have been super-hectic. Lots of Earth Day events (pictures coming soon), launching our Hui Up project on Molokai (ditto), and organizing our youth-driven clean energy rally in support of HB 1520. Now, the fate of that bill rests in the hands of the conference committee chairman, Rep. Denny Coffman. If he doesn't schedule the bill for a vote by Wednesday, April 27, the public loses in a big way. There's no reason this bill doesn't deserve the chance to be considered. We don't work that hard to make it possible for Hawaii to have a clean energy future only to have a key opportunity squashed by one person's decision. Please call Rep. Coffman at 808-586-9605. There's a small window of time to do something about it. We don't ask that often (do we?). Please act now!

Sent to us from our friend Kim Svetin on Moloka‘i. Ready to end our oil addiction yet?

Blue Planet Earth Day Events 2011

Friday / April 15   Hawaii Community College Earth Day Fair

9:00am - 4:00pm

Hilo Campus, Upper Campus Library Lanai 

http://blog.hawaii.edu/kauhale/2011/02/28/earth-fair-2011/

It’s the biggest event Haw CC puts on each year. The EARTH FAIR is our largest outreach to the people of the Big Island where we host them for a day of fun, frolic and education.

This year there will be 50 + exhibits and more giveaways. Hawaii Community College's 23 rd ANNIVERSARY Earth Fair will feature environmental presentations, but the presenters are still to be finalized. This year the event goes from 9AM to 4:00 PM. The morning from 9 to 12 is for the school field trips. The public should come at noon. There will be: 50 BOOTHS AND EXHIBITS. Plus: ENTERTAINMENT and ACTIVTIES ALL DAY including Hula, Trash Fashion, ethnic dancers, Music, drumming, FACE PAINTING, CRAFTS and more. ENVIRONMENTAL VIDEOS will be available for the kids and for the general public. The event is FREE and there will be many surprises and giveaways for school participants and the general public with bags full of gifts, plants, goodies, and tons of informational brochures. Forest Team and other native plant growers will donate over 1,000 FREE NATIVE TREE SEEDLINGS and plants. There will be FREE LEMONADE, FREE POPCORN, FREE FRUIT, COOKIES and many other giveaways available for fair attendees.