Community Action and You
Reaching our sustainability and resilience goals requires bold government actions now and in the future, but governance is only one essential ingredient. The number one tool of resilience is you! We can’t do it without our community.
Click on the topics below to learn how you can take action to support our collective climate goals.
Food
- Buy local food at places like People’s Open Markets to improve food security and a healthy local economy that is less dependent on imports.
- Grow your own food, if possible. Apply for a Community Garden Plot or volunteer with a community garden.
- Don't waste food.
- Donate shelf-stable food to food banks and donate excess produce from your yard through a Community Harvest.
- Compost produce scraps via backyard composting, bokashi composting, or vermicomposting.
Disaster Preparedness
- Know your hazards. Create a disaster plan and kit, and download the HNL Info for real-time access to City disaster announcements.
- Improve the safety of your home—the Homeowner's Handbook to Prepare for Natural Hazards - Fourth Edition, is a free resource covering personal disaster resilience and retrofit measures.
- Get free disaster training or Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training.
Transportation
- Try walking or biking on short trips instead of driving, or hop on one of the City’s electric buses!
- In the market for a new or used car or motorcycle? Drive Electric Hawaiʻi can help you go electric.
- You don't need to own a vehicle to go electric—check out electric scooters, bikes and more; electric bike and moped rebates are now available!
Energy
- Reach out and learn what your school, business or organization is doing on clean energy and see how you can support it.
- Find money-saving tips, resources, and incentives to save energy at home or work with Conserve808.
- Learn how new tax credits, rebate programs and grants made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act can help residents, businesses and nonprofits advance our climate goals and save you money.
Policy
- If you're 18 or older, register to vote. Then use your vote to weigh in on what matters most to you!
- Get to know your City Council representatives. You can call, email, or submit testimony on active bills to let them know what you'd like to see in your community.
- Talk to other local leaders at the next Neighborhood Board meeting in your area.
Equity
- Utilize CCSR's equity toolbox and local resources.
- Advocate for equity in your workplace, school, government, and community.
- Join a community group and find a place to volunteer below.
Trees
- Plant trees in your yard or community and record them.
- Volunteer as a Citizen Forester to inventory existing City street and park trees.
- Care for established trees and plants in your backyard using the Hawaiʻi Backyard Conservation booklet.
Water
- Take advantage of rebates and tips from Board of Water Supply to conserve our limited freshwater resources.
- Get your home, business, and community Flood Ready!
- Build a rain garden, install permeable pavers and surfaces, and plant native plants, which help reduce erosion and often require less water.
Waste
- When buying products, aim for those that avoid plastics; are reusable and long-lasting; and have minimal, eco-friendly or recyclable packaging.
- Dispose of household hazardous waste at collection events and use fewer toxic products to help protect our environment, ʻohana and refuse workers.
- When disposing of goods, first ask yourself if it can be donated, repaired, or if there's existing recycling/disposal programs.
Learn and Engage
- Join the Oʻahu Aloha+ Challenge!
- Visit the Learning Center webpage for keiki resources, to learn about climate impacts in your community, and more.
- Check out City opportunities like Adopt A Park, Clean Water Honolulu, Honolulu Youth Commission, Neighborhood Boards, and Emergency Management Reserve Corps.
- Stay informed! Follow @ResilientOahu on social media and subscribe to the newsletter.
Volunteer Opportunities
Check out organizations with volunteer opportunities below, or visit Kanu Hawaiʻi’s website for specific events.
Mahalo to our friends who have generously granted us permission to share their work on this site. If your organization would like to be featured on this map, please contact resilientoahu@honolulu.gov.
‘A‘ohe hana nui ke alu ‘ia.
No task is too big when done together by all.
- ʻŌlelo Noʻeau 142