Posted On: Apr 01, 13
Recycle Your Change!
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From April 3 to April 31, Whole Foods Market Kailua will host the Recycle Your Change fundraiser to benefit Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation. Customers will be invited to “recycle” their change at the checkout counter and donate to Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation, to help support environmental education in Hawaiʻi's schools and communities. Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation representatives will also be at Whole Foods Market Kailua to meet customers and share information about our organization and programs: The ʻĀINA In Schools program will be on hand April 20 from 2 - 4pm and Plastic Free Hawaiʻi program April 30 from 6 - 8pm.
Bring Your Own Bag!
April is Earth Month! Help us celebrate by bringing your own bag every time you shop. Foodland Grocery Stores are offering a promotion March 27 – April 22. Shoppers with a reusable bag will receive DOUBLE bag credits. Customers have a choice of 6 Hawaiian Miles or 10¢ per each reusable bag used at checkout. Help us mahalo Foodland for fostering this practice!
Posted On: Apr 01, 13
Plastic Free Hawai‘i will host a beach cleanup on Saturday, April 20 from 9:30 to 11:30am in Kailua with many community partners. Volunteers can make their way to one of three sign-in stations: Kailua Beach Park across from Buzz’s, Kalama Beach Park, or the Kaiʻolena Drive beach access in Lanikai. Volunteers should bring a sifter, reusable gloves, hat, reusable water bottle, and sunscreen. The event is in partnership with Sustainable Coastlines Hawai‘i’s Earth Day Cleanup and Music Festival. Activities will follow at Sea Life Park in Waimanalo with a $5 entrance fee for cleanup participants. Click here for details.
For more information contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Posted On: Apr 01, 13
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Mahalo nui to our friends at Kaʻelepulu Elementary School. On March 9th, the Kōkua team along with our Aloha ʻĀina Recycling Partners shared in one of the largest recycling collections ever to take place on that campus. The Kaʻelepulu volunteers were made up of students, staff and a large representation from their PTSA ʻohana. Even though it was a rainy and wet morning, the collection was awesome! Kaʻelepulu Elementary collected over 5,000 lbs. of metal and over 1700 lbs. in plastic bottles, cans, cardboard, and paper. Many more items were collected as well including cooking oil, household goods, computers, electronics, printer cartridges and also confidential documents that will be processed and recycled too.
Please join us at our next Aloha ʻĀina Recycling Drive on April 6th at Moanalua Elementary & Middle School campus from 9-12 pm. Bring all your recyclables, our team will be ready to receive you. Hope to see you there!
Posted On: Apr 01, 13
SBES Family Night
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‘ĀINA School Sunset Beach Elementary hosted a fun ‘ĀINA Family Night with an “Eat Local” theme. Attendees enjoyed dinner from local vendors the Beet Box Cafe, Haleʻiwa Beachside Galley, VJ’s North Shore Dogs & Burgers, Hawaiʻi's Special, and Kahuku Farms. They also met local North Shore farmers and community partners from Divine Delights, Waihuena Farm, Hawaiʻi SEED, and participated in earth friendly activities like making a reusable bag, learning how to compost, tasting a healthy locally sourced ʻĀINA snack, refilling at the water station with naturally flavored water, touring the school garden, planting a seed, and tracking their food miles. The evening was topped off with a screening of “Ingredients Hawaiʻi” and a community conversation about local agriculture with friends from MAʻO Farms who were featured in the movie.
Waiʻalae Family Fun Fair
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At Waiʻalae Public Charter School’s Family Fun Fair, the ʻĀINA In Schools Garden Club taught families how to make a sprouting birdseed caterpillar and a water bottle planter with seedlings sprouted by the garden club members. The Waiʻalae ʻĀINA Garden Club meets once a week and cares for the school gardens, does garden art, and enjoys locally sourced fruit and veggie snacks. ʻĀINA In Schools nutrition and garden docents will be participating in the last round of trainings of the school year to prepare for their final ‘AINA lessons in April and May.
Nutrition Docent Training Aloha & Mahalo Deanna
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The final ʻĀINA Nutrition Docent Training of the school year gave KHF staff and ʻĀINA nutrition docents an opportunity to say Aloha and Mahalo to ʻĀINA In Schools Nutrition Educator Deanna Moncrief. Deanna has shared her passion and expertise for educating youth about eating close to the source, whole foods. She has worked with KHF staff since the program’s inception to develop the ʻĀINA In Schools Nutrition Curriculum and Docent Trainings. A very heartfelt mahalo to Deanna from the ʻĀINA In Schools Docents and KHF staff for her many years of dedication to ʻĀINA In Schools. We wish her all the best in her future pursuits, including utilizing her expertise in nutrition and corporate wellness to develop Salad Envy providing healthy, locally sourced salads to Honolulu businesses.
ʻĀINA School To Build Their Gardens!
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Lanikai Elementary Public Charter School will be installing 8 new garden beds designed by students for all grade levels and staff, plus a compost bin system, on Saturday, April 6 from 9:00am to 12:00pm! Individuals and community group volunteers are invited to participate in the garden building alongside families and teachers. Bring your reusable water bottle, a hat and sunscreen. Contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for more information and to RSVP!
Join Lanikai Elementary Public Charter School as they Celebrate their new school gardens with a ‘Concert in The Garden’ on Saturday April 27, 5:00pm-9:00pm. Festivities include farm to table food vendors, upcycling and garden crafts and activities, and music by Aiden James, Taimane, Erin Smith, Kenny Endo Taiko Drum Ensemble. Tickets $20 Adult $10 Keiki. For tickets and infomation visit www.concertinthegarden.org
Sow it Forward ʻĀINA Grant Recipients
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Congratulations to the 15 Hawai'i garden programs awarded Kitchen Gardeners International Sow It Forward Food Garden grants in 2013. Four of the 15 schools are ʻĀINA schools! Kahala Elementary received a full grant, while ‘Aikahi Elementary, Lanikai Elementary Public Charter, and Wai‘alae Elementary Public Charter Schools received partial grants. Mahalo to the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation and Ulupono Initiative for supporting the 2013 Sow It Forward Food Garden Grants to Hawaiʻi awardees. For a complete list of grantees visit Kitchen Gardeners International.
Statewide School Learning Garden Symposium
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This year’s annual gathering will take place June 7-8, 2013 in Waimea on Hawai‘i Island. Keynote Speaker Dilafruz Williams and the 2012-2013 Kū ‘Āina Pā Cohort will present on this year’s theme, "School Learning Gardens and Sustainability Education: Bringing Life to Schools and Schools to Life.” School garden teachers, classroom teachers, administrators, staff, volunteers, and interested community members from all islands are invited to attend! Click here for complete information and to register.
Kū ‘Āina Pā: School Learning Garden Teacher Training Program
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A School Garden Teacher Training and Certification Course has been created for Hawai‘i’s teachers under a USDA/SPECA “Ag in the Classroom K-12” grant to The Kohala Center’s Hawai‘i Island School Garden Network. Teachers from all islands are invited to apply for a week-long Summer Intensive, June 9-14, 2013 in Waimea on Hawai‘i Island. Hawai‘i Island teachers may also apply to be part of the second Cohort of a yearlong professional development program, June 9, 2013 to June 2014. Applications are due by April 15, 2013. Click here for complete information and to apply.
Posted On: Apr 01, 13
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Plastic Free Hawai‘i attended Go Green Night at Keone‘ula Elementary School on March 15. The 6th grade class organized the event to showcase current campus practices for waste reduction and sustainability including campus-wide recycling, vermicomposting, and a native plant garden. The talented students entertained with rousing skits and musical numbers all sending the Go Green message. Keoneʻula is planning a Plastic Free Hawaiʻi Schools initiative to keep the momentum going.
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Friday morning April 5, St. Anthony School in Kailua will take part in a microdebris challenge. Student will be sifting the sands of Kailua Bay to raise awareness for plastic pollution. They will collect and measure the smallest pieces of marine debris litter. Our community partners Ocean Devotion Hawai‘i, Kailua Sailboards and Kayaks, Whole Foods Market, and Sustainable Coastlines Hawai‘i will all be there to lend a hand and present to the students.