Residents of Maui looking for innovation in community sustainability will find insight at the Mayor’s Sustainability Speaker Series on Thursday. Kristin Baja, co-CEO of Embodied Ecosystem and the Resilience Hub Collaborative, is slated to address the role of resilience hubs in fostering sustainability and supporting the community. Her lecture titled "Comprehensive Community Action and Human Rights-Based Approach to Increase Resilience in Our Islands: Transformative & Trust Building Hubs" is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at the Kalana O Maui County building, as announced by the County of Maui.
The evening community forum, "Shaping & Shifting Power to Communities Through Action Centered Resilience Hub," will follow at 5 p.m at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College Open Air Hale. According to the County of Maui, resilience hubs are multi-faceted centers aimed at enhancing community resilience, emergency management capabilities, climate change mitigation, and promoting social equity. Baja, with her considerable experience in the domain, aims to empower communities to foster connections and better prepare for disruptions.
A veteran in the field of resilience planning, Baja has spent over a decade cultivating these hubs across various landscapes in North America, even extending her expertise internationally. In recognition of her noteworthy achievements in integrating racial and environmental justice into her work Baja was named a Champion of Change by the Obama Administration in 2016. Her unique approach intertwines her academic background in Urban Planning, Science, and Biomimicry with practical community coaching skills.
Now in its second year, the monthly Mayor’s Sustainability Speaker Series continues to bring together proactive voices in environmental stewardship, with the objective of nurturing a dialogue on sustainability and climate change that resonates within the greater Maui Nui community. This initiative operates under the County of Maui Office of Economic Development’s Office of Innovation & Sustainability, which is dedicated to steering societal and environmental advancement for present and future Maui residents.
For individuals interested in learning more about the initiatives and conversations sparked by these events or the long-term efforts of the Office of Innovation & Sustainability, more information is available by contacting the County of Maui Office of Economic Development at (808) 270-7710.
