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Sustainable Start

At the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability & Sea Grant (UOG CIS & Sea Grant), we define sustainability as the balance between meeting current needs and safeguarding the resources of future generations. Established in 2009, UOG CIS & Sea Grant is the region’s lead institution for supporting the transition toward a sustainable, self-reliant, and prosperous island community.

Ocean of Reach

Since our founding, UOG CIS & Sea Grant has evolved into the region’s focal point for sustainability research and community outreach. We collaborate closely with government agencies, NGOs, and community groups to address critical island needs across four key pillars: Environment, Economy, Society, and Education.

A Green Future

With an expanding portfolio of implementation projects and strong community partnerships, UOG CIS & Sea Grant is moving the region toward a sustainable tomorrow. Our work is defined by action. Through transformative programs like Guam Green Growth, the SEAS Islands Alliance, and Navigating Home, we are turning sustainability plans into on-the-ground reality.

More Stories

William Castillo, wearing a red floral aloha shirt and a lei, speaks into a microphone behind a tropical-themed podium at the 17th UOG Conference on Island Sustainability.

CIS2026 FRIDAY: Featured speaker at sustainability conference turns waste into opportunity

“And I think a lot of us, across island communities, are standing in that same proverbial space, surrounded by opportunity, but calling it waste.”

That reflection from William Castillo anchored his presentation at the 17th UOG Conference on Island Sustainability, where he was featured as a speaker sharing perspectives on value-added agriculture and economic resilience for island communities. Castillo is an associate professor and director of workforce development at Leeward Community College, where he leads initiatives that link education, workforce training, and entrepreneurship.

Austin Shelton, Ph.D., wearing a yellow shirt and lei, speaks into a microphone on stage during the 17th UOG Conference on Island Sustainability.

CIS2026 THURSDAY: Investing in sustainability yields 30x return for Guam Green Growth

With approximately $1 million in annual local funding, the Guam Green Growth (G3) initiative generated more than $30 million in external funding last year—an over 30-fold return that underscores the value of investing in sustainability programs, according to UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant Director Austin Shelton, Ph.D.

GVB President Regine Biscoe Lee signs an MOU as UOG President Anita Borja Enriquez (left) and Governor Lourdes Leon Guerrero (right) observe.

GVB commits to strengthening sustainability efforts for Guam’s future

(Tumon, Guam) – Today, the Guam Visitors Bureau announced the signing of its memorandum of understanding with the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability (UOG CIS), Sea Grant, and Guam Green Growth (G3) at Hyatt Regency Guam in Tumon during UOG CIS’s weeklong Conference on Sustainability.

Sabrina Suluai-Mahuka speaks at the 17th UOG Conference on Island Sustainability.

CIS2026 THURSDAY: Educators call for reimagined prosperity rooted in Pacific Futures at Sustainability Conference

“Because for us in the Pacific, resilience is not a trend,” said Sabrina Suluai-Mahuka, Ph.D., founder and executive director of Finafinau, one of two educators at the forefront of Pacific scholarship and advocacy who served as featured speakers, framing the emotional and political weight of island resilience in the face of ongoing environmental and social challenges.

Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio, and Francois Rogers hold signed documents at the 17th UOG Conference on Island Sustainability.

CIS2026 THURSDAY: Guam reaffirms 100% renewable energy commitment

Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio, and Blue Planet Alliance Executive Director Francois Rogers sign a document reaffirming Guam’s commitment to the 100×100 renewable energy campaign during the 17th Conference on Island Sustainability on Thursday.

Speakers and community members pose with awards on stage during the CIS2026 SEED Talks at the 17th UOG Conference on Island Sustainability.

CIS2026 WEDNESDAY: Personal stories driving sustainability, community and action at SEED Talks

Stories—not just systems and statistics—defined the CIS2026 SEED Talks, where voices from across the island community transformed personal journeys into powerful calls for change. Framed as “ideas worth cultivating,” the speaker series invited participants to move beyond data and into lived experience, weaving together narratives of loss, identity, resilience, and hope. In an intimate, TED-style setting, each speaker offered a glimpse into how their own paths, shaped by culture, community, and connection to land and sea—continue to inform their work.

Video Spotlight

UOG CIS & Sea Grant Snapshots

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration logo

Contact Us 

303 University Drive

UOG Station

Mangilao, Guam 96913 

Phone: (671)735-5631 

 Email: cis@uog.edu  

seagrant@uog.edu    

©2026 University of Guam 

Sea Grant. All rights reserved.

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration logo
303 University Drive UOG Station
Mangilao, Guam 96913 
Phone: (671)-735-5631 
 Email: cis@uog.edu  
seagrant@uog.edu   
Contact Us  
©2026 University of Guam 
Sea Grant.
All rights reserved.
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration logo
303 University Drive
UOG Station
Mangilao, Guam 96913 
Phone: (671)735-5631 
 Email: cis@uog.edu  
seagrant@uog.edu   
Contact Us  
©2026 University of Guam 
Sea Grant. All rights reserved.

More Stories

A large group of youth conservation corps members and leadership pose indoors, holding up colorful square signs with various icons and Chamoru text representing local sustainability and conservation goals.

Guam Green Growth launches first-ever youth conservation corps

Guam Green Growth (G3) and the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant (UOG CIS and Sea Grant) launched the first G3 Youth Conservation Corps this week, a new initiative that introduces high school students to careers in sustainability and the green economy.

UOG’s REEF program grows more than just knowledge base of Guam and CNMI students

Small islands do not mean small impact.  Three undergraduate students born and raised on Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands stood before a room of researchers, renowned scientists, and administrators and presented their work, which they hope will have a significant impact on the Mariana Islands and beyond. 

Picture of the G3 Conservation Corps at the Island Beautification event in Tamuning.

A Closer Look: G3CC Beautification Tour – Tamuning

True leadership isn’t defined by the strategies we write on paper; it is proven by the work we are willing to do when our community needs us most. 🌍✨
Looking at these moments from our recent Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps Village Beautification, we are reminded that sustainable progress requires a profound willingness to get our hands dirty. True resilience isn’t passive. It’s an active, daily choice to show up, clear the debris, and build back stronger.

Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps members and volunteers pose with relief supplies at LBJ Elementary School during a Super Typhoon Sinlaku donation drive.

G3 Conservation Corps steps up for Sinlaku relief

As communities across Micronesia recover from the impacts of Super Typhoon Sinlaku, members of the Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps (G3CC) are proving that sustainability work goes far beyond environmental projects—it is also about showing up in times of crisis.

Video Spotlight

UOG CIS & Sea Grant Snapshots

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration logo

Contact Us 

303 University Drive

UOG Station

Mangilao, Guam 96913 

Phone: (671)735-5631 

 Email: cis@uog.edu  

seagrant@uog.edu    

©2026 University of Guam 

Sea Grant. All rights reserved.

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration logo
303 University Drive UOG Station
Mangilao, Guam 96913 
Phone: (671)-735-5631 
 Email: cis@uog.edu  
seagrant@uog.edu   
Contact Us  
©2026 University of Guam 
Sea Grant.
All rights reserved.
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration logo
303 University Drive
UOG Station
Mangilao, Guam 96913 
Phone: (671)735-5631 
 Email: cis@uog.edu  
seagrant@uog.edu   
Contact Us  
©2026 University of Guam 
Sea Grant. All rights reserved.
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration logo

Contact Us 

303 University Drive

UOG Station

Mangilao, Guam 96913 

Phone: (671)735-5631 

 Email: cis@uog.edu  

seagrant@uog.edu    

©2026 University of Guam 

Sea Grant. All rights reserved.

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration logo
303 University Drive UOG Station
Mangilao, Guam 96913 
Phone: (671)-735-5631 
 Email: cis@uog.edu  
seagrant@uog.edu   
Contact Us  
©2026 University of Guam 
Sea Grant.
All rights reserved.
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration logo
303 University Drive
UOG Station
Mangilao, Guam 96913 
Phone: (671)735-5631 
 Email: cis@uog.edu  
seagrant@uog.edu   
Contact Us  
©2026 University of Guam 
Sea Grant. All rights reserved.
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