How ENV 490 II Sparked My Passion for Sustainable Innovation (by John Barayuga)

During my junior year at Chaminade University, I took advantage of the opportunity to take Professor Uehara’s course, ENV 490: Sustainability and Innovation II. Prior to taking this class, I was in the process of developing an interest in philanthropy, and I was able to build upon this interest by attending an on-campus app development workshop hosted by Professor Uehara herself. Afterwards, I bumped into her at the Sullivan Library and she told me about her intriguing course. Feeling an inclination to learn more about sustainability, I decided to dedicate my time to it, and I am glad I did!

Visit to fishcake

left to right: Mini Holz, Professor Junko Funashi, Lavelle White, Conor Mcmahon, Professor Mariane Uehara, John Barayuga

I was not sure what to expect going into this class, but I knew it would be worthwhile because of Professor Uehara’s passion towards it. She taught me about the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and how organizations around the globe refer to it as a guide for their efforts. Additionally, I had the opportunity to work with other students in the class to develop a sustainable business project which focused on addressing some of these established goals.

Launching Pua Collective and partnership with Hawaiiverse at CUH Open Market

Collectively agreeing to name our initiative Pua Collective, we aimed to elevate student-run businesses which created sustainable products. To do this, we educated and positioned student-run businesses to move towards sustainable business practices if we identified their potential to do so. More so, Professor Uehara connected us with Hawaiiverse, a local ecommerce platform, to create a segway for student business owners to sell their products with. Though we only had one semester to work on this project together, I hope to see it develop further as I believe it has the potential to highlight students who have the entrepreneurial and sustainability spirit. 

ENV490 II Sustainability Innovation Class

It was a privilege for me to take this course, as I not only had the opportunity to learn about sustainability but also to work with other students to promote it. Understanding the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and global efforts to achieve them built my confidence to do my part in tackling them during my future career.