An environmental group is using Sen. Mazie Hirono as an example for others thinking of running for Congress that green candidates can get elected.

The political group, the National Resources Defense Council Action Fund, shot a video with Hirono that it will distribute through social media, to supporters and congressional campaign committees, said Action Fund spokeswoman Melissa Harrison.

In the video, Hirono, one of a number of environmental supporters who won office last year, said building support around environmental issues is sometimes about phrasing. She noted that the military is at the forefront of using renewable sources of energy.  “If you talk about energy security as a national security issue maybe you get people to buy in,” she said.

Hirono also told the story about how her mother began making guava jelly from the fruits that fall from the guava tree in her backyard. She apparently tells the story as she gives other members of Congress her mother’s guava jelly. The jars have a tag, she said, “ often we don’t see the resources right in front of our faces.”

The video will be released as part of a report by the Action Fund on how environmental candidates did in the 2012 elections.

— Kery Murakami