Author: Louella Losinio

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.”

“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.

Guam reaffirmed its push toward a cleaner, more resilient energy future this week with a renewed commitment to the Blue Planet Alliance’s 100 x 100 campaign, reinforcing the island’s long-term goal of reaching 100% renewable energy by 2045.

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.

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.

At the 17th University of Guam Conference on Island Sustainability (CIS2026), leaders and representatives from across Micronesia and Hawaiʻi gathered for a Green Growth session sharing the progress, partnerships, and shared vision driving sustainability efforts across island communities. The discussion illustrated how these initiatives are advancing solutions rooted in both traditional knowledge and modern innovation.

The stark assessment from Marianas Press founder and journalist Thomas Manglona opened the recovery panel at the 17th University of Guam Conference on Island Sustainability (CIS 2026). In his live update from Saipan, Manglona described widespread power outages, limited access to running water, and hundreds of residents still taking shelter as recovery efforts continued across the CNMI (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands).