BUILDING A GREENER FUTURE: CYRUS HOWE MA IN SUSTAINABILITY ’14

Cyrus Howe, a 2014 graduate of Hawaiʻi Pacific University's (HPU) Global Leadership and Sustainable Development Program, has built a career in the field of sustainability that was inspired by experiences growing up in Seattle and traveling and working in Southeast Asia. Now serving as the Operations Manager at Hawaiʻi Green Growth, Howe leads initiatives that address some of Hawaiʻi's most pressing environmental challenges.

Early Influences

As a child, Howe was shaped by a blend of diverse cultural experiences and early life lessons in responsibility, including the importance of being a good steward of the environment.

His father, an oceanographer, and his Thai mother, a talented cook and first generation American, encouraged Howe to pursue different interests including sports. An avid soccer player, Howe noted two distinct memories relating to his favorite sport and the wellbeing of the world around him which would later tie into his developing passion for sustainability.

"I was 15 or 16 at the time, and my teammates and I arrived at practice one day to find trash blowing all over the field. Being teenagers, our initial response was to start complaining to our coach about it," he explained. "But our coach said, 'alright guys, let's get this place cleaned up,' so of course we start complaining about that too. Coach then said, 'gentlemen, it's a matter of leaving the place better than we found it.' That has always stuck with me throughout my life."

Howe's other distinct memory happened not too long after that at a game. Instead of bringing bananas or orange slices for the team at halftime, a parent instead brought doughnuts for the players.

"Our coach yelled at them which we all found entertaining, but he had a point. We needed healthier foods to fuel our bodies," Howe said. "It wasn't until I took systems thinking at HPU years later that I realized the connection between that experience and the environment. The body is a system with inputs and outputs, just like different environmental systems we find in the world."

Howe went on to major in political science at the University of Washington where he met his wife, Jenny, in a Thai language class. Upon graduating, the couple moved to Hawaiʻi where they spent a few months working in different jobs, uncertain how to apply their degrees.

Then, Jenny proposed the idea of teaching English in Thailand. "So, we went!" Howe said.

In between semesters, they toured Laos and Cambodia, and it was on that trip that Howe was exposed to the realities of unsustainable development. "Their waste management system is to burn the trash in their front yard," he said.

Witnessing the environmental degradation in the region sparked a deep interest in sustainability as a career, so when they moved back to Hawaiʻi, Howe decided to enroll in HPU's master's program in Global Leadership and Sustainable Development.

Gaining Ground at HPU

At HPU, Howe found himself engaged in every aspect of his coursework-what he described as a "stark contrast to my undergraduate experience." The program's focus on systems thinking, ecological economics, and energy systems, combined with hands-on experiences through volunteer work, laid a strong foundation for his future career.

"Every class was interesting, and every member of the faculty prompted us to ask questions about why we are doing things a certain way and how could we do things better when it comes to building a more resilient and sustainable environment," he said.

Howe was particularly influenced by the program's emphasis on understanding complex systems, a skill that has become invaluable in his professional life.

"Systems thinking has been very beneficial to help me understand more about the projects I work on today," he said. "I'll ask my interns questions like, "How does A affect C?" I make them think about the bigger picture and teach them how to navigate the macroscopic and microscopic aspects of the project."

During his time at HPU, Howe also contributed to, and, at one point was president of, the Leaders for a Sustainable Future club. He participated in local environmental initiatives such as fishpond cleanups, which deepened his connection to Hawaiʻi's unique ecological and cultural landscapes.

"It was my first exposure to the different parts of the island and the cultural and technological methods of systems management," he explained.

Impacting Hawaiʻi's Sustainable Future

After graduating from HPU, Howe joined the Blue Zones Project, where he spent nearly nine years working on public health initiatives aimed at promoting longevity and well-being in Hawaiʻi's communities. But while his work was fulfilling, he sought out a role more directly aligned with his passion for sustainability.

"During that time, I also earned an MBA," he said. "My parents' neighbor knew my contract was about to expire with Blue Zones Project so she proposed an opportunity to me that she thought would be a good fit for both of my degrees."

That opportunity was the Operations Manager at Hawaiʻi Green Growth, an organization focused on advancing sustainable development in Hawaiʻi. In this role, Howe leads the "Follow the Drop" project, which develops distributed green stormwater infrastructure across Honolulu's Ala Wai watershed. This initiative not only helps to manage stormwater runoff but also plays a critical role in replenishing the local aquifer, a vital resource for the island's water supply.;

"Our team visits people who sign up for a free rainwater assessment. Using satellite maps, we go out and draw polygons on people's rooftops using an app called Follow the Drop to calculate the surface area. Knowing the average rainfall data for the property tells us the number of gallons of water coming down each of the roof's downspouts, and then that tells us the optimal size rain barrel or rain garden to use to capture the rain where it falls rather than letting it get into the street to create brown water runoff," he explained.

But working in sustainability in Hawaiʻi comes with unique challenges. While the state is progressive in its approach to environmental issues, Howe noted that widespread adoption of sustainable practices often requires economic incentives or policy changes.

"The benefits of this approach include recharging the area's natural aquifer and mitigating flood risk. Many participants in this project are early adopters and are people who are already using environmental best practices," he said. "But it also costs money. We are working with private and state entities to make it more accessible."

Despite these challenges, Howe finds his work immensely rewarding, particularly as it aligns with his personal values and his desire to contribute to a more resilient future for Hawaiʻi.

"My wife and I have a child who is almost two years old so now the stakes are really high. There is an additional sense of urgency that I feel about the type of work we're doing," he said.

Howe's journey to leave a lasting impact on the future of Hawaiʻi's environment would not have been possible without the combination of a focused education and real-world experience. However, he feels that it was the importance he placed on networking early in his career that contributed the most to his success.

"Connections made through school or volunteering opportunities are invaluable. Once you're outside doing actual sustainability work, you're able to meet new people and talk with others who share your values and are passionate about sustainability," Howe concluded.