Community Spotlight: Layla Kilolu and Sebastien Selarque
Growing a movement towards a justice-centered energy democracy requires many hearts, minds and hands coming together. Hawaiʻi is at the precipice of the transition away from fossil-fuel reliance and decision-makers are putting the pressure on Hawaiian Electric as 2022 approaches, making 2030 feel right around the corner. Since they are so far behind on their goals, it presents an opportunity for communities and energy professionals to come together to take power back from corporate control.
This month’s spotlight is on Layla Kilolu and Sebastien Selarque, two energy professionals that represent the best of what allyship means for frontline communities. Their academic work has helped communities, like Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative on Molokaʻi, make strides toward community-led and owned energy systems in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning.
I had the pleasure of meeting Layla Kilolu as a member of the Energy Equity hui, which is a consortium of energy professionals interested in equity issues. Since then I have grown in my appreciation of how she navigates academic spaces and grassroots power building- ultimately using her intellectual powers to empower community. She is a Ph.D. student in urban and regional planning (DURP) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her graduate research was focused on climate change and resilience planning from a social equity perspective. Layla, inspired by the work with Ho’āhu, is now focusing her Ph.D. research on community benefits packages. She is also an economist at the Public Utilities Commission. Truly a maverick of many talents and passions- Layla is creating solutions to reduce the enormous carbon footprint of fast fashion and has started her own company Circular Fashion Hawaii that envisions hosting clothing swaps throughout the islands. In her (very) spare time, she likes to write songs and is working on an album to raise awareness about climate change. The movement is fortunate to have such a breathtakingly dedicated mana wahine like Layla!
I met Sebastien Selarque as a student participant in one of our energy justice colloquiums. Soon after that we had a one-on-one where he shared his story from engineer to peace corp volunteer to entering the renewable energy sector with a passion for equity in the cultural, social, and technical aspects of energy. Sebastien is currently a research assistant at the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, who is now working with Sustainable Molokai and the Molokai Clean Energy Hui on the community-driven development of the Molokai Clean Energy Resilience Action Plan. This comprehensive plan will map out possible clean energy futures for the island that are aligned with community values and priorities, such as improved energy equity, affordability, and reliability. Sebastien also works part-time as a community energy planner for the Shake Energy Collaborative. In this role, he is working to empower communities and advance renewable energy deployment through innovative ownership models and community co-design development practices. Listen to Sebastien share his perspective on holistic energy project evaluation with the President of Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative!
What is most impressive about these two is their sincere passion for using their knowledge to investigate root causes, identify systemic solutions, and develop solutions that bolster societal, economical, and environmental resilience. That’s Layla and Sebastien separately, which is already impressive. Want to hear more about them and their work together? Of course you do.
Layla Kilolu and Sebastien Selarque combine forces as “Team Nēnē,” for their graduate work in UH Mānoa’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning. In their “Smart Grids and Renewable Energy Integration” class, they decided to push the envelope on what academic research looks like when it comes to advancing a just and clean energy transition here in Hawaiʻi. They were also inspired by the “Feminist Energy Systems” work of scholars at Virginia Tech, which created an energy framework centered on feminist principles. Team Nēnē connected with the recently-formed Ho’ahu Energy Cooperative in Molokai and asked the Co-op how they could help in a renewable energy-related topic. Layla and Sebastien - along with their teammate Ryan Neville, who recently graduated with his Masters in Electrical Engineering - helped the Co-op develop a scorecard to help them assess renewable energy projects based on indigenous values.
While the project ultimately did not have all of the quantitative elements that their engineering class was accustomed to, Team Nēnē designed both quantitative and qualitative metrics that were reflective of the community’s values and concerns. For example, quantifying important resources such as limu and assessing what meaningful public participation looks like were some metrics that Team Nēnē captured.
Layla and Sebastien are powerful allies with stellar personalities. Their work is truly transformative. I am fortunate to collaborate with them often and look forward to more in order to build a movement for meaningful public participation and pivoting towards a system that respects the rights of nature, culture, and communities!