Empowered Hawaii: Rethinking Our Rubbish
Seven pounds. That's how much trash the average Hawai'i resident tosses out every single day. But what if we stopped thinking of waste as something to throw away and started seeing it as a resource with untapped potential?
In this episode of Empowered, we dive into the innovative, community-powered solutions rethinking the way we handle our opala.
Jeff heads to the west side of O'ahu to meet Michelle 'Kumu' Pieper and the student leaders behind Scrappahz Union 96792 at Nānākuli High and Intermediate. With cardboard, creativity, and community pride, these young changemakers are crafting compostable pots and bedding for houseless neighbors—showing that even school projects can reshape mindsets and lives.
Kelly talks with Henry Gabriel of the City & County of Honolulu's Refuse Division, who demystifies how to safely dispose of e-waste—like old laptops and broken phones—and why it's so crucial to keep toxic electronics out of our landfills and out of our environment.
Finally, we visit Full Circle Farm in Waimānalo, where Farm Manager Sean Butterbaugh walks us through a scalable, containerized composting system that's turning local food scraps and yard waste into rich soil for farmers and gardeners. It's a model for circular systems that feed both the 'āina and our future.
Together, these stories remind us that waste isn't just something to manage—it's something we can reimagine. Whether it's composting, crafting, or conscious recycling, Hawai'i's path to sustainability begins by seeing value in what we once overlooked.
Watch the full episode to learn more, and be sure to check out Zero Waste O'ahu (zerowasteoahu.org) and Opala.org to rethink your rubbish.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘A quiet hero': Mass. department mourning unexpected death of active-duty firefighter
A fire department in the Bay State's Merrimack Valley is mourning the unexpected death of an active-duty firefighter. Firefighter Jeffrey Deschenes died this week at a local hospital after experiencing a medical emergency, North Andover Fire Chief John Weir and Deputy Chief Graham Rowe announced Friday. He was 54. Deschenes was named North Andover's first EMS Coordinator in 2019 and is credited with bringing the fire department to the forefront of pre-hospital care. 'Jeff Deschenes brought the North Andover Fire Department into the modern era of emergency medicine and treatment, and his life's work undoubtedly saved and improved the lives of countless people,' Chief Weir said in a statement. 'He was a quiet hero in our community and a true brother in the fire service. He will be missed. I speak on behalf of all the men and women of the North Andover Fire Department in extending my heartfelt sympathies to Jeff's wife, children, and his entire family. We mourn this loss with you.' Deschenes was also named a Firefighter of the Year by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2019 for his response to the 2018 Merrimack Valley natural gas disaster, in addition to earning an array of other accolades. 'Jeff's impact reached far beyond his firefighting duties, touching the lives of many in the Merrimack Valley and the region,' Deputy Chief Rowe said in a statement. 'He was always willing to lend a helping hand in any way possible, looking out for his fellow firefighters, friends, family, and the community.' Deschenes began his career with the Lawrence Fire Department in 2000 and served 12 years there before transferring to North Andover in 2012. Town Manager Melissa Rodrigues added, 'The Town of North Andover mourns the loss of a good and dedicated firefighter, friend, and a true professional. Our community offers its unwavering support to his family at home and his family in the firehouse during their time of need.' Deschenes is survived by his wife and two children. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Yahoo
Empowered Hawaii: Rethinking Our Rubbish
Seven pounds. That's how much trash the average Hawai'i resident tosses out every single day. But what if we stopped thinking of waste as something to throw away and started seeing it as a resource with untapped potential? In this episode of Empowered, we dive into the innovative, community-powered solutions rethinking the way we handle our opala. Jeff heads to the west side of O'ahu to meet Michelle 'Kumu' Pieper and the student leaders behind Scrappahz Union 96792 at Nānākuli High and Intermediate. With cardboard, creativity, and community pride, these young changemakers are crafting compostable pots and bedding for houseless neighbors—showing that even school projects can reshape mindsets and lives. Kelly talks with Henry Gabriel of the City & County of Honolulu's Refuse Division, who demystifies how to safely dispose of e-waste—like old laptops and broken phones—and why it's so crucial to keep toxic electronics out of our landfills and out of our environment. Finally, we visit Full Circle Farm in Waimānalo, where Farm Manager Sean Butterbaugh walks us through a scalable, containerized composting system that's turning local food scraps and yard waste into rich soil for farmers and gardeners. It's a model for circular systems that feed both the 'āina and our future. Together, these stories remind us that waste isn't just something to manage—it's something we can reimagine. Whether it's composting, crafting, or conscious recycling, Hawai'i's path to sustainability begins by seeing value in what we once overlooked. Watch the full episode to learn more, and be sure to check out Zero Waste O'ahu ( and to rethink your rubbish. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
Skyline Roofing Partners Expands the Leadership Team, Appointing Jeff Freeman as Vice President, Sales & Marketing
ATLANTA, May 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Skyline Roofing Partners ("Skyline"), an Imperial Capital ("Imperial") portfolio company, is pleased to announce that we have added Jeff Freeman to our leadership team as Vice President, Sales & Marketing. Jeff joins Skyline with a proven track record of sales leadership and strategic marketing, with a career spanning over 20 years both as an entrepreneur and, most recently, having spent 14 years at Comcast culminating in his role as Executive Director of Branded Retail. "We're delighted to welcome Jeff to the Skyline team," said Mike Midgett, CEO of Skyline. "Jeff's valuable experience in building sales channels, along with his deep-rooted commitment to customer-focused growth strategies, make him the ideal leader to drive our strategy and accelerate growth alongside our partners in our branches. I am confident in the strong value proposition our branches and future partners will find in Jeff and his expertise as well as the direct execution support for which he will be responsible." Jeff Freeman commented, "Skyline has an exciting vision and a unique opportunity to shape the future of residential roofing. I'm eager to collaborate with our team and incredible brands to continue building a platform defined by brand reputation, operational excellence and providing best-in-class customer service." About Skyline Roofing Partners Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, Skyline Roofing Partners is a residential roofing and exterior services platform backed by Imperial Capital and founded in 2023. Skyline aims to create a world-class platform of premier residential roofing and exterior services brands by partnering with local and regional leaders serving growing geographies across the U.S. We are focused on driving value by leveraging enhanced scale, operational improvements and sharing of best practices collaboratively alongside the founders and management teams of acquired brands. With an unwavering commitment to excellence, Skyline is driven by a people-first approach and will always act in the best interest of our partners, employees and customers. For further information on Skyline Roofing Partners, visit About Imperial Capital Imperial Capital is a leading mid-market private equity firm focused on North American opportunities to build or acquire growth-oriented platform investments in targeted industry niches within consumer services, business services, and healthcare services industries. Based in Toronto, Imperial Capital combines its deep industry focus, active portfolio management and strong partnerships with experienced industry executives and entrepreneurs to offer a differentiated approach to investing. With assets under management of over US$3.5 billion, Imperial is currently investing from its US$800 million Fund VIII. For further information on Imperial, visit Contact Information Skyline Roofing PartnersName: Mike Midgett, Chief Executive OfficerEmail: mmidgett@ Imperial Capital Name: Adina Notto, Partner Email: anotto@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Skyline Roofing Partners Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
