Green Fee Advisory Council to give update about project evaluation, recommendations
Kauaʻi conservation groups hope money raised from Hawaiʻi’s new Green Fee can be used for environmental initiatives to protect places such as Wainiha. (Photo File: Courtesy of The Nature Conservancy)
By Kauaʻi Now
The Green Fee Advisory Council will host a webinar next week via Zoom to update the public about its ongoing evaluation criteria along with timelines and next steps in its recommendation process for possible Green Fee projects.
Participants in the Nov. 20 webinar also will have the opportunity to submit questions. The meeting is scheduled for 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
The council is now reviewing possible Green Fee projects it received from individuals, community groups, nonprofits, local businesses, counties, state departments and agencies.
Projects were submitted via the council’s Public Ideas Portal — which was open from Oct. 15 to Nov. 1 — as well as from state departments through the Hawaiʻi Department of Budget and Finance.
“We’ve seen an incredible response, with nearly 500 ideas from the public and more than 100 project proposals from state departments,” said Green Fee Advisory Council Chairman Jeff Mikulina in a state release. “It’s clear there’s no shortage of good ideas for using these funds to protect Hawaiʻi’s environment, strengthen communities and support sustainable tourism.”
Act 96 outlines that Green Fee funds can only be used for three purposes:
Natural resource enhancement (environmental stewardship).
Infrastructure resilience and hazard mitigation.
Visitor impact mitigation and experience (sustainable tourism).
Funds must be appropriated to state agencies or counties that can then partner with other local organizations to execute projects.
