Tour of PVT, Kalaeloa Solar Farm, and Hawaiian Earth Products
Today's field experience was packed with tours of three different places. The first place was PVT Landfill up Lualualei Naval road. We were guided around the site by Mr. Ben Yama, an employee at PVT. He taught us that PVT isn't just a landfill that buries municipal waste and pollutes the earth. PVT is a landfill that only accepts construction debris. They also check every piece of material to make sure the chemicals in them aren't harmful to the 'āina. Mr. Ben introduced us to the different machines that were part of an effort to start recycling materials at the landfill in order to be more active in helping the environment. He went on to talk about how they hire employees preferably from west coast because they feel it is a way for us to give back to the community. Learning how PVT is a local company that recycles and cares for the environment really astonished us.
The next stop was at a Solar Farm in Ewa Beach. We were shown around by Mr. Larry Greene who taught us that the farm was built around an old military runway that was also a key battlefield in the attacks of Dec. 7, 1941. It was important that before they developed on the land, they know the history of the place out of respect for the people who were once there. With that in mind, the company that built this farm spent extra money on cement blocks to drill every solar panel onto so they wouldn't make any holes in the ground. He went on to explain that this solar farm was a multi-million dollar plan that consisted of 5.91 megawatts of energy (a single megawatt can power 240-400 homes!). It was neat seeing rows and rows of these energy efficient devices that are so helpful to the environment.
Our last tour was at Hawaiian Earth Products in Kalaeloa. Hawaiian Earth Products is a facility that recycles organic materials to turn them into fertilizer for people to use. Two employees gave us the tour and taught us that they are partnered with the city and county and that all the green waste bins are delivered to them. They take green waste from anyone who is willing to give as well. They also explained that they allow people to purchase compost straight from their facility (it is also cheaper). We were educated on a brand of fertilizer that they produce called Menehune Magic. It is a mix of organic nutrients that they make there. We were all impressed at how smart they were in recycling materials and using them towards a purpose that would benefit our environment.
This experience really made us aware of all the different efforts people around us are making to help the environment. Being introduced to all these places help us connect what we are learning in class about being sustainable to the different jobs that require all of this knowledge. Jobs that are right in our community! Touring these places truly gave us an introduction to the different careers in environmental sciences.
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