Theme: Local Insights Grow Global Solutions

On October 31 to November 12, in Glasgow, Scotland, the UK will be hosting the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26). The COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Simultaneously, TED will be hosting The Countdown Summit-Countdown to a better future, which will bring together 1,000 leaders in Edinburgh, Scotland, in October, as TED speakers share a blueprint for a beautiful net-zero future. This plan – along with inspiring stories of local action – will be amplified by hundreds of TEDx Countdown events around the world and through a special global livestream event on October 30.

In March 2021, through the leadership of Mayor Mitch Roth, the County of Hawaiʻi hosted its first-ever, Sustainability Summit. The Summit garnered international attention and has put a spotlight on our island as a global leader for sustainability. To continue Mayor Roth's commitment to a sustainable future, the County of Hawaiʻi will be participating in the TEDx Countdown Summit in its presentation TEDxCountyofHawaiʻi - "Local Insights Grow Global Solutions”. It will provide an opportunity for inspiring change-makers and visionaries to share stories and efforts at addressing climate change and nurturing sustainability and resilience.

Through TED, millions of potential viewers around the world will have the opportunity to understand the unique approach embraced on Hawaiʻi Island using both scientific and traditional knowledge to mitigate climate change. We have a group of 11 inspiring individuals committed to speaking, each of whom will focus on unique innovations and traditional knowledge that will set us apart from the thousands of Countdown events happening around the globe.

Mauna Lani Resort, Auberge Resorts Collection
68-1400 Mauna Lani Drive
Waimea, Hawaii, 96743
United States

Brandon Jirō Hayashi

Business Development Manager for the Pacific Islands with Terraformation

Brandon is the Business Development Manager for the Pacific Islands with Terraformation, a global forestry accelerator, working with mission-driven experts to collaboratively plant one trillion native trees by 2030 to sequester carbon dioxide emissions, increase biodiversity, and restore natural ecosystem services. Born and raised in Kāne‘ohe, O‘ahu awakened him to the significant challenges that many islanders face, stemming from climate crisis impacts, food and water security issues, native ecosystem destruction, non-diversified economies, high costs of living, limited educational opportunities, and overall lack of island infrastructure resilience. Brandon is focused on taking action on the climate crisis through carbon-neutral, culturally-appropriate, and cost-effective solutions.

Celeste Connors

CEO of Hawaii Local2030 Hub

Celeste Connors brings 20 years of experience working at the intersection of economic, environment, energy, and international development policy. Celeste is the Executive Director of Hawai’i Green Growth, a United Nations Local2030 hub that brings together diverse stakeholders committed to economic, social and environmental priorities. She previously served as CEO and co-founder of cdots Development LLC, working to build resilient infrastructure systems and services in vulnerable communities and as the Director for Environment and Climate Change at the National Security Council and National Economic Council in the White House where she helped shape the Obama Administration’s climate and energy policies, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Celeste currently lives in Kailua, O‘ahu.

Dr. Cliff Kapono

Professional Surfer & Chemist

Dr. Cliff Kapono is a professional surfer, chemist and journalist. Born on the eastern shores of Hawai‘i, his life involves equal parts science as it does surf. While contributing several peer-reviewed publications to the fields of molecular bioscience, he has also produced a handful award-winning films that discuss indigenous activism, ocean conservation, global food security and virtual reality. He has been profiled in publications such as The New York Times, NBC, CBS, Surfer Magazine, and more. Cliff is currently based in Hilo, Hawai‘i and can be found tinkering in the lab when not chasing the best waves on the planet.

Dr. Greg Asner

Director of the ASU Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science

Greg Asner is the Director of the ASU Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, and Tempe, Arizona. He holds Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral degrees in engineering, ecology, and biology, respectively, from the University of Colorado. Dr. Asner has lived and worked in the Hawaiian Islands since 1987. He previously worked for the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, The Nature Conservancy of Hawaiʻi, Stanford University, and the Carnegie Institution for Science. He has published more than 600 scientific articles and is one of the highest-cited ecologists in the world on tropical ecology, coral reefs, land-use change, and conservation science. Dr. Asner and his staff combine fieldwork and community engagement, aerial and satellite-based mapping, and computer modeling to improve conservation and management options in the Hawaiian Islands and around the world.

Dr. Katie Kamelamela

Bio-Cultural Researcher, Akaka Foundation for Tropical Forests

Dr. Katie Kamelamela is passionate about the relationships people cultivate with Hawaii's forests. She helps communities, governing agencies, and non-profits clarify their vision to develop a strategy to achieve long-term practice-based dreams through partnerships. Local climate action first starts with our relationship with ourselves and our landscapes. Born and raised on Oahu Dr. Kamelamela graduated from the University of Hawaii Botany Department with a vision of "Hawaii practices on Hawaii landscapes". With diverse climate and soil types across the islands, she brings together place and practice-based community needs with policy. Her intent is to support understanding and management of forest-gathered resources for cultural and economic value to empower cultivators, managers, and consumers. Gathering practices are intertwined with policy at all levels.

John De Fries

President & CEO, Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority

Born and raised in Waikīkī, John De Fries grew up steeped in the traditional practices of Hawaiian culture. At the time, Waikīkī Beach was well on its way to becoming a global visitor destination. This childhood setting embedded in him a life-long awareness and respect for the symbiotic relationships that exist between community and culture, nature and commerce, and led him to serve the community as a thought leader in economic development, sustainable living, human rights, and embracing native intelligence. John has over 40 years of experience in one of Hawaiʻi’s most cherished traditions that has become its largest industry – hospitality. He was appointed President and CEO of the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority in September 2020, to navigate Hawaiʻi’s visitor industry and community through post-pandemic economic recovery and reinvention toward a regenerative model. For the past three decades, John and his wife Ginny have lived in Kona on Hawaiʻi Island.

Kekuhi Kealiikanakaoleohaililani

Kumu Hula, Educator, Cultural Practitioner

Kekuhi is an educator trained in the tradition of Hula ʻAihaʻa & Hula Pele, chant & ritual under Hālau O Kekuhi, named for her grandmother, Edith Kekuhi Kanakaʻole, and ritually elevated to the status of Kumu Hula (hula master) of Hālau O Kekuhi by her mother, Kumu Hula Pualani Kanahele, and aunt, Kumu Hula Nalani Kanakaole. She has co-produced some of Hālau O Kekuhi’s most significant contributions to oral and ritual arts stage performances. One of Kekuhiʻs passions is strengthening the relationship between Hawaiʻi ecological wisdom and scientific wisdom. Kekuhi served as the Senior Scholar at the Kohala Center for 20 years and has the honor of working with some of Hawaii's most passionate committed conservation and restoration organizations, individuals, and initiatives. Kekuhi continues to facilitate ways of improving how Hawaiʻi consciousness and science & technology can work in harmony. Kekuhiʻs message in this effort is: "I Ola ʻOe, I Ola Mākou Nei."

Mahina Paishon-Duarte

Co-founder & CEO of Waiwai Collective

Mahina Paishon-Duarte is co-founder and chief executive officer of Waiwai Collective, a regenerative urban oasis, a kīpuka, for creatively growing community, culture, and commerce. As a social entrepreneur who has also led several educational and cultural organizations, her vision and mission are one and the same––to catalyze positive, lasting change for Hawaiʻi in one generation. Mahina is the founding executive director of Paepae o Heʻeia, the first modern Hawaiian fishpond that created ground-breaking ʻāina-based education programming for students from preschool through post-doctoral levels. She is co-author of the ʻĀina Aloha Economic Futures Declaration, taking action to bring to life a resilient economy through the core value of ʻāina aloha—a deep and abiding love for Hawaiʻi’s communities and natural environments.

Nicole Lautze

Full Professor/Director, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii Geothermal and Groundwater Resources Center

Nicole is a Professor at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa and Director of the Hawai’i Geothermal and Groundwater Resources Center. Nicole’s passion for geothermal is based on her concern for the planet. With climate change threatening our Earth, she advocates geothermal energy, a renewable resource that does not emit planet-warming greenhouse gases. Nicole believes that we need to unite to solve climate change and preserve our planet for future generations. Nicole earned a Bachelor of Science in Geology from UCLA and a Ph.D. in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Her Ph.D. focused on eruptive processes at active volcanoes in Italy. Nicole was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area and has lived around the globe: Barbados, Italy, Argentina, Peru, and Mexico. She loves rocks, volcanoes, the outdoors, planet earth, and the people on Earth, especially her little ones - Alex, who's 5, and Gabi, who's 4.

Robert K. Iopa

Chairman, WCIT Architecture

Specializing in planning, entitlements, and design, Rob Iopa is founder and owner of WCIT Architecture. A native Hawaiian born and raised in Hilo, Rob continues to discover and embrace the depths and traditions of the island’s heritage. He is a respected advocate and creative interpreter of culture, most notably that of the host Hawaiian culture, but also that of the diverse ethnicities of Hawaii. Through this appreciation and passion for culture and a keen understanding of the nuances of local sensibilities, Rob has developed into one of the most sought-after designers in the islands and one of the leading and most successful planning and entitlement professionals in Hawaii. Through this skill set, Rob demonstrates a unique ability to plan, design, and implement sophisticated and complex development proposals and sustainable strategies – proposals and strategies that strive to create uniquely special places and environments that are rooted in the Hawaiian way of life.

Yishan Wong

Founder of Terraformation

Yishan Wong founded Terraformation with a vision to bring Silicon Valley’s expertise in rapid growth to the climate movement. He recently completed construction of the world’s largest fully off-grid, 100% solar-powered desalination system to alleviate water shortages that slow arid ecosystem restoration. This technology relieves a key bottleneck that has hindered mass reforestation as a climate solution. Yishan previously served as CEO of Reddit and Director of Engineering at Facebook, and was an early engineer at PayPal. He lives in Waimea with his family and dogs.