CLEAN ENERGY FAIR

Na Palapalai, Mailani to headline HECO fair

With renewable energy and sustainability the buzzwords du jour, it’s only fitting that Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) would take the lead by organizing its annual “Clean Energy Fair,” Saturday, Sep. 29, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pearlridge Center’s Uptown Center Court. In showing its commitment to a clean energy future, HECO has put on this yearly free event since 2004 as a way to kick off Energy Awareness Month.

Mailani will perform songs from her solo CD.

Na Hoku Hanohano award-winning group Na Palapalai and singer-songwriter Mailani will be the featured entertainers, along with DivOcean, 2012 Brown Bags to Stardom contest winners, featuring Pearl City High School seniors Kalei Aragosa and Keahi Oshiro. 

As a new feature, Hawaiian Electric will host a job booth to highlight available career opportunities that support the company’s clean energy goals, including positions in accounting and finance; information technology services; electrical, mechanical and environmental engineering; power plant maintenance; and support services. The company also is looking to hire women for non-traditional job roles, such as mechanic helper, lineman apprentice, pipe fitter machinist and other industrial positions. To help answer questions from interested job seekers, Human Resources specialists will be available throughout the day.

The festivities will open with a performance by DivOcean, followed by Mailani at 11:30 a.m., and Na Palapalai at 1:30 p.m. Energy games and contests will be held between the live music performances, including prize drawings for an Apple iPad™, e-bike and Energy Star appliance vouchers. To enter the drawings, interested participants may pick up an “Energy Passport” at any fair booth; visit all the booths — including the outdoor electric vehicle display — for a stamp, and drop the completed passport at the entry box at Hawaiian Electric’s booth. Participants must be 18 years or older to qualify.

As of press time, confirmed booth vendors include co-sponsors Malama Learning Center and the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, as well as Board of Water Supply, Hawaii Gas (formerly The Gas Company), Hawaii Energy, Hawaii Solar Energy Association and the PV Coalition. For more information on the Clean Energy Fair, call 543-7511 or visit heco.com.