This past weekend, Hawaiʻi County Mayor Mitch Roth returned from the Our Ocean Conference in Palau.

Mayor Roth, who was invited as the personal guest of President Surangel Whipps Jr. of Palau, teamed up with Hawaiʻi Green Growth to provide updates on Hawaiʻi’s Aloha+ challenge and discuss the Roth Administration’s efforts to further sustainable actions statewide.

Notable presenters who spoke alongside Mayor Roth at the pre-event festivities included: Rick Spinrad, NOAA Administrator and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, Former Secretary of State John Kerry, United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, and Governor Lou Leon Guerrero of Guam.

In a press release Mayor Roth said, “It was an honor to be personally invited to the Our Ocean Conference by President Whipps to showcase all of the amazing things we are doing in Hawaiʻi to combat climate change and build a sustainable island chain where our keiki can thrive and succeed for generations to come.  We truly believe that we can be a classroom for the world when it comes to the vision and practice of sustainable actions, and creating global partnerships to ensure that happens will be paramount to our success. Fortunately, through the work of organizations like Hawaiʻi Green Growth, we were able to synthesize our approach and gain the attention of global leaders on the forefront of climate action.”

The Republic of Palau is the first small island developing state (SIDS) to host the Our Ocean Conference, with a theme of “Our Ocean, Our People, Our Prosperity,” which drew on Palau’s rich tradition as an ocean society.

Photo credit: Office of Mayor Mitch Roth