Mayor Announces “Opalavision” premiere on The Green Channel

(Honolulu, Hawai‘i — October 7, 2009) — Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann announced today the premiere of an interactive digital television show about the City’s recycling and waste management programs on Oceanic Time Warner Cable’s new channel, The Green Channel.

Called “Opalavision,” the series of short educational and entertaining episodes are produced by Oceanic for the City & County of Honolulu Department of Environmental Services (ENV).  Opalavision and The Green Channel debut at The Green Aloha Concert at Sunset on the Beach in Waikiki on Friday, Oct. 23, 2009. 

Opalavision will launch on The Green Channel, 332, on Oceanic at the same time as the concert.  Episodes can also be viewed online on www.opala.org.

Opalavision is a play on “opala,” the Hawaiian word for garbage, which has been the focus of many ENV public awareness campaigns.

“Opalavision is another smart way to bring our island residents the information they need to embrace recycling and solid waste management,” said Mayor Hannemann. “Hawaii’s first digital interactive channel for the environment makes it easy, simple and even fun for people to learn about the City’s environmental services.”

Informative messages about recycling programs on Oahu are covered in Opalavision’s entertaining three-minute episodes. The hosts are young, local actors, who take viewers on journeys about how refuse travels from home to the processing centers or how schools make a difference through recycling projects such as food waste composting with worms.

The Green Aloha Concert at Queen’s Beach in Waikiki will feature the music of popular entertainer and environmentalist Henry Kapono. Opalavision will have a big-screen debut, and the program’s actors will be featured.  The cast includes Ari Dalbert, Brandi Taylor, Cody Gomes, Darah Dung, Jonah Hookano and Tamara Rapp.

Opalavision reflects the City’s continued commitment to expanding recycling programs in our communities.  The new curbside recycling program is rolling out to another 23,000 homes in November 2009 bringing the total engagement to 120,000 households, and ENV continues to expand its initiatives to reduce waste in landfills and reuse it in other ways.  For more information about City recycling programs and The Making of Opalavision, visit www.opala.org.

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