Tetris Hero Hank Rogers Is Building a Better, Greener World—One Island at a Time
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Meet one of the most fascinating climate-change activist out there today.
Determined. If there’s one word that comes to mind to describe Henk Rogers, that’s it. It was true when he was a mover and shaker in the video game industry and it’s true now as he works to make Hawaii—and the world—fully reliant on renewable energy.
If the name sounds familiar, think Tetris. After creating 1984’s The Black Onyx game in Japan, where he lived at the time, Dutch-born Rogers came across Tetris, designed in the Soviet Union by software engineer Alexey Pajitnov. Rogers thought the addictive block-stacking game would be a perfect accompaniment to Nintendo’s soon-to-be-a-hit Game Boy personal gaming device. He worked tirelessly to secure the rights and did, with Pajitnov’s help, in such dramatic fashion that their adventure in the Soviet Union was turned into a fun action-thriller starring Taron Egerton (Tetris, streaming now on Apple TV+). “It's crazy. It's cool,” Rogers, 69, says about seeing part of his life story go Hollywood. “I've cried several times and seen the movie a bunch of times now, so it emotionally impacted me,” he says.
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What makes Rogers even more emotional? His mission to end the use of carbon-based fuel. His Blue Planet Foundation helped pass legislation to make Hawaii the first U.S. state to use 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. And his Blue Planet Energy company makes earth-friendly energy storage systems (i.e., batteries).
“In Hawaii, we already hit our 2030 goal of 40 percent renewable energy. Two territories and 21 other states have copied our legislation. But the rest of the world also needs to be done, so I started the Blue Planet Alliance based in New York,” Rogers tells Parade. “We're trying to do the same thing for island countries—because they’re similar to Hawaii—and eventually all countries in the world. So our goal is to have 100 percent renewable energy by 2045 and stop climate change—and we are completely confident that we're going to do this.”
Why the year 2045? “It’s the 100th anniversary of the United Nations,” Rogers says. “What’s better for the United Nations in their first 100 years than to fix climate change, an existential threat for humanity?”
What can Parade readers do? What’s happening in Hawaii is going to happen everywhere, Rogers believes, so be prepared to embrace alternative forms of energy—from solar and wind to geothermal. Don’t buy another internal combustion car. Ride your bike or take public transportation. But above all: open your mind. “I want people to have the mindset that it is going to happen,” Rogers says. Instead of thinking that you won’t be around when these climate-focused efforts really kick in, decide to be on the right side of history, he urges. “You have children and you have grandchildren. Can you please think about them? It's just not fair to bring them into the world and then trash the world.”
