Happy New Year
Posted On: Jan 04, 10We hope that all of you had a wonderful Holiday Season filled with fun, family and friends. It’s the start of the a new year and everyone here at the Kokua Hawai’i Foundation is excited about the events, projects and programs we are working on for 2010. We ask that you please consider the environment in your New Year resolutions. May you have a peaceful and healthy “green” year!
If you are only a subscriber to our e-newsletter, we invite you to become a KHF Member.
KEAP Students. Photo credit: Red Heart Photography
Thank you for your support!
In the first semester of the 2009-2010 school year we have been able to reach thousands through our programs:
- 3R’s School Recycling: 18,300 students at 35 participating schools reduce, reuse, and recycle on campus. Several of these schools have started composting and vermicomposting food and green waste on campus.
- ‘AINA In Schools: 10 elementary schools participate in our ‘AINA IS programs. This semester 1,200 students participated in garden lessons, while 1,000 took part in nutrition lessons. Over 400 parent and community volunteers supported the program by giving 863 hours from August to December.
- Environmental Education Mini-Grants: 1,300 students and 8 schools have received assistance for environmental education supplies, curricula, and workshops.
- Environmental Education Field Trip Assistance Program: In the Fall of 2009, 1,800 students at 23 schools participated in field trips supported by Kokua Hawaii Foundation. Field trip sites include Bishop Museum, Paepae O He’eia, Camp Erdman, Lyon Arboretum, Mokupapapa Discovery Center in Hilo, and many others.
- Kokua Earth Action Projects (KEAP): During the 2008-2009 school year 1400 students from across the state developed KEAP projects. For the 2009-2010 school year, over 600 students will participate. Greening Your Campus, Compost Start-Up on Campus, Renew and Reuse Clothing and Container Gardening are some of the projects students are working on.
- Plastic Free Hale’iwa: Over 55 businesses have become members and pledged to stop disbursing single-use plastics such as plastic bags and Styrofoam containers.
- Film Screenings: Over 600 community members have attended our film screenings and discussions.
- Simplify the Holidays: Over 1,300 people pledged to give back to their environment and communities this holiday season.
-
Community Programs and Campaigns:
Tired of the same old school fundraising drives—bake sales, car washes or wrapping paper offers? Fundraising does not have to involve buying high-calorie sweets, disposable junk you don’t need or want, or harm to our environment. We all know how desperate our schools are for funds, especially now, but how to raise funds without lowering our environmental standards? Many schools continue to rely on, and profit from, well-known efforts that are environmentally friendly. The array of better, greener fundraising options is actually astounding.