Restoring lives with Kupu
Posted on Apr 24, 2018 in Featured
GOING GREEN: Governor and Mrs. Ige with Kupu CEO John Leong and students at the Green Jobs and Community Center groundbreaking.
Governor Ige and first lady Dawn Amano-Ige joined leaders from non-profit Kupu and its community partners at a groundbreaking last month for a Green Jobs and Community Center at Kewalo Harbor. The $6 milllion project will transform the former state-owned “net shed” into classroom space, meeting rooms and a commercial kitchen.
“We are not just restoring a building, we are restoring lives,” said Kupu CEO John Leong. He praised Kupu’s team that has served “nearly 4,000 youths across the state, put millions of plants in the ground and removed over 100,000 invasive species.” The organization, established in 2007, combines vocational training, conservation and environmental stewardship at 150 partner sites statewide and across the Pacific region.
Gov. Ige with Kupu CEO John Leong and community partners.
Governor Ige said Kupu’s programs support many of his administration’s priorities in education, preserving the environment and spurring the economy. “Kupu’s program participants are contributing to the future of our state and strengthening Hawai‘i’s much-needed green jobs workforce. They’re also teaching other young people about the importance of taking care of our environment and culture,” he added.