UH Manoa staffer selling her “sole” for energy savings

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Linda Day, 956-9346
Sustainability Communications Coordinator
Posted: Oct 9, 2007

This Saturday, Oct. 13, UH Mānoa staffer Olwen Huxley will swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run a 26.2-mile marathon — all to SAVE energy! Huxley will race in the legendary Ironman World Championships at Kailua-Kona on the Big Island, and upon completing the event, will cash in more than $2,000 in pledges she has solicited for a campus energy-efficiency fund.

"Many athletes take the opportunity of a crowning event in their careers to raise money for a good cause," says Huxley. "I have decided to raise money for a UH Mānoa Campus Energy/Sustainability Fund.

"UH Mānoa has a $19 million electric bill, and has set the ambitious goal of reducing its use of electricity by 30% by 2012. Although much of this will be accomplished through large-scale mechanical projects, a significant part of this goal will involve work by students, faculty, and staff on small-scale changes that will increase campus energy efficiency — replacing light bulbs, treating windows with heat-blocking film, purchasing energy-efficient small appliances, and installing energy-generating and conserving technologies.

"My modest goal was to raise $1,500, which just to give you an idea, would pay for enough compact fluorescent light bulbs to save about $10,000 a year. I am accepting pledges of any amount. Please do not send any money until I have crossed the finish line!" she says.

Donations to the UHM Campus Energy/Sustainability Fund are tax-deductible. Proceeds will be awarded to applicants through a reviewed competition to ensure the quality and effectiveness of funded projects.

Huxley works at the Sea Grant College Program‘s Center for Smart Building and Community Design, supporting projects to enhance energy efficiency, green design, community-based planning, and transit-oriented development.

Prior to working at the University of Hawaii, she was a professional staffer on the Subcommittee on Environment, Technology, and Standards of the Science Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. Her work there included overseeing the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and developing policy on innovation and competitiveness. Before that, she was the Legislative Director of the House Northeast-Midwest Coalition, a bi-partisan informal congressional organization focusing on the economic prosperity and environmental quality of that region of the United States.

Huxley also has worked for the non-profit Northeast Midwest Institute, and as a policy analyst at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in NOAA‘s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research.

She has a BA in history of science from Harvard Radcliffe College, and an MA in environmental analysis from Boston University. She is a former member of the U.S. national rowing squad and now does triathlons "for fun."

Huxley qualified for Hawaii's Ironman World Championships by finishing fifth in her age group at the Florida Ironman in November, 2006, "successfully training through my wedding, moving to Hawaii with my new husband Ted, changing jobs, and numerous other impediments," she says. She has been competing in triathlons since 2000 and coaching triathletes since 2006. In 2003, she finished her first Ironman (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run) at Lake Placid, and immediately was hooked. The Ironman World Championships will be her fifth Ironman distance race.

Huxley can be tracked on race day at www.ironmanlive.com.

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