Linda Lingle, former governor of Hawai'i

Linda Lingle, former governor of Hawai’i, will be speaking on Hawai’i’s clean energy initiatives at Cornell University on Thursday, October 23 at 5pm in Warren Hall Auditorium.

Gov. Lingle will explain how the Aloha State’s geography, regulatory regime and dire need to end its first-in-the-nation reliance on imported oil coincided with bipartisan political leadership, community enthusiasm for change, and help from the Federal Government to transform itself from the most oil-dependent state in America to a national and international leader and test bed for sustainable, renewable energy and energy efficiency measures.  She will also share her thoughts on how Hawai’i will reach its goal of 70% clean energy by 2030.

“As a former resident of the Aloha State, I’m no stranger to the work that Governor Lingle was able to accomplish during her tenure,” stated Dr. Christopher Dunn, the E. N. Wilds director of Cornell Plantations. “The work she spearheaded in Hawai’i can serve as a primer for the rest of the United States, and it’s my distinct pleasure to bring her to Cornell to share her visionary ideas on environmental stewardship.”

Linda Lingle is a founding member and currently serves on the Governors’ Council at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington DC think tank whose policy initiatives are respected by national leaders of both political parties.

She served two terms as Governor of Hawai’i between 2002 and 2010 and prior to that was twice elected Mayor of Maui County. She was Hawaii’s first woman governor, and the first Republican elected in 40 years.

As Governor, Lingle became intensely focused on energy security and sustainability issues while examining chokepoints that had the potential to wreak havoc on Hawaii’s economy and way of life.  She currently serves as a member of the U.S. Energy Security Council whose mission is to diminish the inordinate strategic importance of oil, which stems from its virtual monopoly over transportation fuels.

Governor Lingle became Professor Lingle earlier this year when she returned to her alma mater, Cal State Northridge, to teach a seminar in public policy. She will return to Northridge for the 2015 Spring Semester.

Lingle’s lecture is sponsored by Cornell Plantations, and co-sponsored by the David Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future at Cornell University.