By Staff Reports
(WAILUKU) — The 2019 Hawaii State Association of Counties Annual Conference will be held June 9-12 at the Wailea Beach Resort around the theme of “Hot Topics in Sustainability,” Maui County Council Chair Kelly T. King announced today.
HSAC is a professional association whose membership consists of the legislative bodies and mayors of each county. Hosting the annual conference rotates among the four counties. The HSAC Conference kicks off June 9 with a welcome reception featuring George Kahumoku Jr., an award-winning musician and a leader in sustainable agriculture, King said.
The HSAC Conference will also feature experts from the public and private sectors, educational workshops and well-known speakers, including former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hanneman, Hawaii Lt. Gov. Josh Green and San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox, President of the National Association of Counties. Conference sessions will address a wide range of issues relevant to Hawaii’s counties, including:
• housing affordability demands,
• transit hubs and corridors,
• regional food security,
• invasive species mitigation,
• traditional land stewardship, and
• sea-level rise and climate change.
Maui County joined the County Climate Coalition, an international project affiliated with the Climate Reality Project, by the Council’s adoption of Resolution 19-98 on Friday. In a related action, the HSAC Conference is expected to include the launch of Climate Reality: Hawaii Chapter on June 11.
“As hosts of this year’s conference, Maui County Councilmembers will be showcasing the many talents and new ideas that have been circulating throughout communities of each county,” King said. “This is an opportunity to put Maui County and the State of Hawaii at the global forefront of combatting climate change.”
The conference will also include musical performances by environmentally conscious musicians Henry Kapono and Pat Simmons Jr., as well as a special commemoration on King Kamehameha Day. An exclusive screening of the documentary Beyond Climate will close the conference on June 12 – the first night of this year’s Maui Film Festival, which is making the timely and compelling film available to the HSAC Conference.
Registration is open to all. For more information, please visit the HSAC Conference webpage: http://mauicounty.us/
Conference attendees also have access to exclusive HSAC room rates at the Wailea Beach Resort by booking at https://book.passkey.com/e/