Announcing 2012-13 Kokua Calendar Art Contest

This year’s Kokua Hawai’i Foundation calendar contest theme is How do you Kokua Hawai’i? The contest asks student artists to depict ways that they Kokua our island environment. Kokua is the Hawaiian word for help -  How do you help Hawai’i's environment and your community?

Students should reflect on the ways they kokua the environment and use paint, crayons, pastels, fabric, collage, or mixed media from reused materials (even plastic) to put your vision on paper or canvas. The possibilities are endless! Deadline is February 11, 2012. Winning entries will be included in the 2012-13 school year Kokua Calendar.

Who can participate? Hawai’i school-aged children grades K-12. (May be submitted by a Teacher, Parent, or Organization).

Mail entries to:
Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation
P.O. Box 866
Haleiwa, HI 96712

Click here for more information and complete guidelines.

Simplify the Holidays

The holidays are a time of celebration with family, friends, and the community. Every family celebrates the season in different ways and for different reasons, but there is a universal act in which most participate: Giving. This once-simple holiday tradition has led to consumption practices that can have serious impacts on our environment-and the family budget!

Our 12 Days of a Green Holiday Guide has great ideas to help simplify your season and make a commitment to start a new tradition today! Here are a few of our favorites:

• Give reusable or homemade gifts.
• Reuse wrapping paper and bows or try repurposing newspapers, brown paper bags, maps, or artwork to make your own unique, eco-friendly packages. Reusable grocery bags are also a good gift-wrapping option, and then it’s a gift inside a gift.
• Cut out pictures and messages from last year’s cards, and then put them together to create brand new cards for this year.
• Consider giving the gift of a Kokua Hawai’i Foundation membership or making a donation to Kokua Hawai’i Foundation in the name of your friends and loved ones.
• Give teachers, coworkers, and friends edible gifts, plants, or gift certificates instead of “stuff” that will get stuck in a drawer somewhere.
• When buying a Christmas tree, consider live potted trees that you can keep. If you do get a cut tree, try to find one that’s locally grown instead of imported. Helemano Farms on Oahu offers locally grown Norfolk Pines.  Sunset Beach Elementary School’s Student Farmer’s Market Club is selling Helemano Farms Christmas Tree vouchers to benefit their garden and snack program.  Stop by the school office or the Haleiwa Farmer’s Market this Sunday to purchase your voucher.  Remember to “treecycle” your tree with your green waste after Christmas.

School campuses are also abuzz preparing for the holidays. Classrooms filled with anxious children and teachers race to finish projects before the break. Check out KHF’s Green Holiday Educator Resource Guide full of tips and ideas that will help you green your classroom crafts and parties.
We would like to give The New American Dream credit for inspiring us to bring the Simplify the Holidays campaign to Hawai’i. Check out their website to take their Simplify The Holidays Challenge.

Kanu Hawaii’s No Waste Challenge

Kanu Hawai’i has launched the No Waste Challenge, running the entire month of December. The No Waste Challenge is a time to learn about the waste stream in Hawai’i and renew personal, household, and business commitments to reducing our waste footprint through out the year. Each week focuses on a different waste stream with the challenge culminating in a “One Week-One Bag” Challenge. Here’s the weekly run-down:

• Week 1 (Nov 27-Dec 3): The State of Rubbish in Hawai’i - learn how much waste we produce and where it goes; do a “trash check” to see what waste your household is currently producing
• Week 2 (Dec 4-10): The Dirt on Recycling - learn how/what to recycle, and why recycling should be a last resort when it comes to plastic
• Week 3 (Dec 11-17): Green Gold - learn how to turn green waste into a valuable local resource
• Week 4 (Dec 18-26): “One Week - One Bag” Challenge - limit your household waste to a single bag for the entire week (you determine the size of the bag, based on a significant reduction to your usual household waste)

Hawai’i to Participate in Green Ribbon Schools

Hawai’i will be among 34 states participating in the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools program, launched earlier this year to recognize schools taking a comprehensive approach to “greening” their school. The program recognizes public and private schools that show progress in minimizing greenhouse gas emissions, positively affecting student and staff health, and producing students who are environmentally and sustainability literate. The objective of the program is to identify and disseminate knowledge about best practices in these areas of environmental awareness.

The Hawai’i DOE will distribute application forms and other information to public and private schools interested in participating. Schools will apply to the Hawai’i DOE, which in turn will nominate four schools in the state for national recognition. The deadline for Hawai’i schools to submit applications is in February 2012. For more information visit the U.S. DOE website. To keep abreast of Green Ribbon Schools program information in Hawai’i, subscribe to KHF’s Hawai’i Educator’s Mailing List.

November ‘AINA In Schools Events

Kainalu Elementary and Sunset Beach Elementary in partnership with ‘AINA In Schools each hosted their own ‘AINA Family Nights highlighting ‘AINA IS practices at their schools. Kainalu students led their parents on garden tours, and Kainalu Parent Chef Rod Uyehara delighted families with a cooking demonstration for using Thanksgiving leftovers with his rendition of fresh garden spinach gnocchi and turkey bolognese.

Sunset Beach Elementary families munched on popcorn donated by North Shore Naturals while watching the thought provoking movie “Bag It”, followed by a presentation from the Method folks visiting from California, who upcycle marine debris plastics into soap bottles!  ‘AINA IS Family Night fun at Sunset Beach Elementary included herb bouquet making, garden tours, reusable bags sewn from old t-shirts, and some family-friendly informational displays on packing healthy and waste free lunches from Plastic Free Schools. Thank you to Turtle Bay and Chef Hector Morales for donating pupus.

Mahalo to all the parents and school staff who volunteered their time to host these ‘AINA IS family evening events at school. Part of the family and outreach component of the ‘AINA In Schools program, these events increase awareness of ‘AINA IS initiatives at schools and encourage families to bring ‘AINA lessons home.

On November 16, more than 500 students, teachers and volunteers participated in planting a Legacy Orchard at ‘Aikahi Elementary to commemorate the school’s focus on farm-to-school education. The Legacy Orchard is a partnership between Kaiser Permanente and Kokua Hawai’i Foundation’s ‘AINA in Schools program. Each grade level, K-6, at ‘Aikahi Elementary planted a tree to create the school’s Legacy Orchard, serving as a tangible symbol of the school community’s commitment to being a green school and providing a healthy, whole-child education that connects to the environment. The day’s activities also included a tour of the 16 on-campus ‘AINA in Schools garden beds, a Healthy Choice Salad Bar lunch, and a performance by KHF co-founder Jack Johnson.

‘AINA IS school, Wai’alae Elementary PCS 3rd graders visited Nalo Farms, a farm that has been stewarded by the Okimoto family for over 60 years. Students tasted an assortment of fresh veggies and herbs including a Morimoto tomato, corn sprouts, basil, and thyme, as well as samples of the 13 different varieties of micro greens used to make Nalo Greens. While students tasted the peppery Mizuna and mellow arugula, the farmers explained the importance of producing safe food, and why buying and eating local is important. Farm fresh produce is often harvested and put to market the same day, creating a product that is picked at its peak when it’s most nutritious and delicious. Mahalo to Nalo Farms for sharing a day in the life of a farmer with ‘AINA students showing them where their food comes from and what it takes to get it to their plates. Check out the ‘AINA In Schools Farm Field Trips Resource Guide and book a Farm Filed Trip for your students TODAY!

“School Chef’s Table” Culinary Training

On November 7, 2011, Grow Hawai’i and the Kokua Hawai’i Foundation brought a group of over 14 school food professionals from the Department of Education and the Hawai’i Association of Independent Schools together for the “School Chef’s Table.”  Held at the Culinary Institute of the Pacific on the Kapi’olani Community College campus, the school chefs were priviledged to sharpen their culinary skills while mixing in some creative ways to serve healthy, locally sourced food with Chef Instructor and award-winning culinary competition manager Chef Alan Tsuchiyama. The evening included a tasting menu created by Chef Alan, a reminder on the benefits of sourcing local (freshness and taste) and a hands-on meal creation exercise in teams of two.

Currently there is no active professional association for school food professionals. This event was also a way to test the waters on the viability of creating a “chef’s table” for all school food professionals to develop themselves and their teams, creating a place for problem solving, and sharing best practices. The evening ended with a challenge to all the School Chefs to implement what they just learned during the upcoming spring semester, sourcing as much local produce and meats as possible.