Highlights:
- Currently serving as Education Director of Blue Planet Foundation, since 2017
- Try Think facilitator for the Hawaii Council for the Humanities at the Women’s Community Correctional Center, since 2019
- Executive Partner at 808 Gaming and co-creator of Dugout Dice, since 2017
- Co-founder, lead singer, and guitarist for the band The Maneki Nekos, since 2013
- Griff’s owner is Eddie, a three-legged cat (@tripod_eddie)
Describe your journey to where you are today.
I’m an educator at heart and taught in the public, private, and charter school systems for 12 years. But towards the later part of my teaching career, as I continued to learn more about clean energy and sustainability, the passion for taking more direct, impactful action was too much to ignore. As the Education Director at Blue Planet, it allows me to truly focus on providing the tools and opportunities for youth voice to be heard for the next generation of climate activists.
What does your company do, for who, and how does it fit into the bigger picture of solving global issues with clean tech?
At Blue Planet, we believe Hawaii is a model of clean energy progress that can inspire and catalyze climate solutions globally. We’re a local nonprofit powering the transition to 100% clean energy in Hawaii by finding creative ways to remove the obstacles that stand between us and a future free from fossil fuels.
Who are the clean techies you follow and / or who you think are making real things happen, and why?
Honestly, the first people who come to mind are three people I work with: Jeff Mikulina, Melissa Miyashiro, and Lauren Reichelt. These three are deeply committed to eliminating our fossil fuel dependency through creative storytelling, powerful and equitable policy, and clean transportation. I feel very blessed to be able to work alongside such a dedicated team.
Do you have a motto or personal quote you love? Something you feel is so powerful and yet simple you’d use it in your email signature?
“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”
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