For many, the thought of being able to go out to your backyard and grab a fresh fish for dinner seems absurd, but it is a reality for members of the first cohort of the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant’s (UOG CIS&SG) Community Based Aquaponics Systems (CBAS) program.
At the 17th Conference on Island Sustainability, marine biologist Mafalda Gentil Martins Seiz de Freitas delivered a presentation grounded in urgency and innovation, drawing directly from her work addressing marine debris across the Pacific.
“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.
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.
(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.
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