The homeless “sweeps” such as what occurred Tuesday at Waianae’s Kea‘au Beach Park require more than a few brooms — and more than a few people. Outreach to those living in the encampments will be a long-term undertaking. More immediately, the nonprofit Protectors of Paradise as well as the area’s state Rep. Cedric Gates are planning a volunteer cleanup.

The group’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/groups/ProtectorsofParadise) is worth a visit. A video showing some collected trash there is stunning.

UH expands clean energy efforts

The University of Hawaii at Manoa has completed installation of 1 megawatt of solar photovoltaic panels — the first phase of a PV canopy project — on the rooftop of its main campus parking structure. The panels, expected to save UH about $100,000 yearly, are a commendable tapping of clean energy.

In 2015, the Legislature established a goal for the UH system to be “net-zero” by 2035, meaning the system would produce as much renewable energy as it consumes. Leading the way is UH-Maui College, which aims to soon be among the first colleges in the U.S. to generate 100% of its energy from on-site PV coupled with battery storage.