LIHUE — Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. was ecstatic after arriving at the Moikeha Building Monday morning. “I made it,” Carvalho said. “I rode my bike all the way from Kapaa High School to my office!” Carvalho was joined by more
LIHUE — Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. was ecstatic after arriving at the Moikeha Building Monday morning.
“I made it,” Carvalho said. “I rode my bike all the way from Kapaa High School to my office!”
Carvalho was joined by more than a handful of county workers, including Lee Steinmetz and bicycling enthusiasts Tommy Noyes and Dr. Randy Blake on a ride to work from the Kapaa Neighborhood Center to Lihue.
“There are new sections of Ke Ala Hele Makalae where people can ride,” said Noyes, during a conversation at the Festival of Lights, Saturday night. “We’re doing this as part of the Green Government Challenge by the County of Kauai.”
The Green Government Challenge is an opportunity for county employees to share knowledge with each other about going green and sustainability, said Mary Daubert, county spokeswoman. Monday’s Green the Commute day ride is putting all of those things talked about into action, and having people participate while having fun.
This is the second year the county is doing the challenge, Daubert said. Last year’s program was called the Green Office.
Under the Challenge, there is a different challenge each month. Points can be earned by accomplishing various tasks relating to the month’s challenge. These points add up toward the final total which earn team prizes and bragging rights for the following year.
“As an example, last month dealt with energy,” Daubert said. “The month before that was on climate change.”
Currently, the county is in the Drive Less/Drive Clean segment of the challenge. The segment runs through Dec. 18 before taking a holiday until Jan. 4 when it resumes with a Save Water theme followed by Reduce Waste, Build and Buy Green, and wrapping up with Green Operations.
