Jeff Mikulina is a climate and social impact strategist who has led sustainability organizations for over 25 years in Hawaii. He is currently the executive director of the Climate Hawaii, an initiative which seeks to leverage the collective influence of organizations statewide to accelerate equitable climate solutions. Jeff also hosts “Empowered Hawaii,” a monthly TV show on Hawaii’s sustainability journey, serves as senior advisor at Blue Planet Alliance, and writes on climate issues for a variety of outlets. He previously served as the executive director of the Blue Planet Foundation for 13 years. In that role he led the effort to establish Hawaii’s 100% renewable energy mandate—the first such law in the nation.
Jeff was recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as an “Environmental Hero” and has received numerous other awards for his advocacy work. He has served as an appointed member of the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority, the Honolulu Planning Commission, and the Honolulu Charter Commission. Jeff is an Omidyar Fellow and serves on a number of nonprofit boards in Hawaii. Jeff’s writing has appeared in Esquire, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, Backpacker Magazine, and other publications.
Jeff received a Master’s of Science degree in General Engineering (now Industrial and Systems Engineering) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a focus on sustainable product design and decision theory.