It’s Official, the Holidays are Here!

As you prepare to Simplify the Holidays we wanted to give you a few Steps to Being a Green Consumer:

1. 1. Remember your first R - REDUCE. Think before you buy something new: Do I really need this? Is there something I already have that I can use first?
2. 2. Choose locally produced and minimally packaged products that have the least environmental impact.
3. 3. Support businesses and products that are environmentally friendly. Check out www.onepercentfortheplanet.org and www.Climatecounts.org to find businesses doing good.
4. 4. ALWAYS take your reusable cloth bags for shopping!

Check out our Calendar for holiday themed events happening throughout the month! We highly encourage you to visit local Craft Fairs at your neighborhood school or community center, attend Do-It-Yourself workshops and focus on family time, creativity and community service during this time of the year.

Here is one of our favorite events that allows Hawai’i keiki to practice the 3R’s: Keiki Swap Meet at the Hawai’i Children’s Discovery Center from 10:00am - 1:00pm. There are two ways to participate.  Children can register to sell items which costs $3 to register, or families can come and shop.  There is no charge to shop. Click here for more information.

How to Throw a Zero Waste Party

• Choose Reusable: dinnerware, cups and linens. Shop at thrift stores for an assortment of vintage dinnerware and fun fabrics to reuse as napkins and table clothes. Reuse jars for cups and have guest write their names in sharpie.
• Shop at your local farmers market for farm fresh produce and cook up a close-to-the-source holiday meal!  Or better yet, make it a pot-luck with an Eat Local theme. 
• Serve water and holiday punch in pitchers or coolers instead of serving bottled water, juices and spirits.  Spice it up with some fun and refreshing infused water recipes! 
• After your party, compost your food waste and recycle any bottles and cans.

For more Simplify the Holiday tips visit kokuahawaiifoundation.org/holidays.

We Can Be Plastic Free!

Over 100 educators gathered last week for the Punahou School Service Learning Teacher Institute presented by Luke Center for Public Service and Kokua Hawaii Foundation. “Can You Be Plastic Free? Schools Reducing Single-use Plastic for Hawai’i's Health,” featured classroom teachers from elementary, middle and high schools sharing classroom curriculum and real-life stories of the impact learning about plastic is having on their students. Attendees participated in a hands-on marine debris sorting activity and sent plastic waste to be upcycled by Method into new packaging products. Lianne Morita shared 1st grade student letters to parents. One student wrote, “Please use less plastic utensils. None would be better.” In keeping with the theme of the evening, dinner was served on ti leaves instead of plates and finger foods made utensils obsolete.

Key-note speakers included Joel Paschal, from Sea of Change who in 2009 sailed a boat made of plastic bottles from California to Hawaii, and Aulani Wilhelm, Superintendent of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, who shared in-depth the effects of plastic and marine debris on the animals who live on and around the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. Closing out the evening was high school senior Kylie Courtney who shared how “plastic water bottles have become a ridiculous pandemic” on her school campus and that we are all responsible to make the change.  Civil Beat was also in the house and wrote a very nice recap of the evening. All who attended walked away with an packet of information, lesson plans and resources that can be used to incorporate plastic free education into their teaching immediately.

A special thanks to Susan Scott, whose one-of-a-kind, marine debris art added a special touch to the event.

In case you missed this wonderful workshop, check out Kokua Hawaii Foundation’s Plastic Free Schools program for resources, tips and action plans.

FREE “Bag It” film screenings happening this month:

• November 17, 5:30PM at Sunset Beach Elementary School
• November 29, 6:00PM at Farrington High School Auditorium

If your school is interested in hosting a screening, reach out to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to set it up!

Also of note is the new book by Captain Charles Moore, “Plastic Ocean”.  Captain Moore, founder of Algalita Marine Research Foundation, is the first scientist to document what has became known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a vast area of marine debris and plastic pollution located in the Pacific Ocean northeast of Hawaii.

School Basic Gardens Workshops for Educators

Kokua Hawai’i Foundation and the O’ahu Master Gardeners recently presented a series of two School Garden Basics Workshops for Educators at the UH Urban Garden Center in Pearl City. Topics covered included: Introduction to School Garden Programs, Soils and Composting, Common Insects and Diseases, Hawai’i's Natural Environment, Basic Botany, and Crops for School Gardens.

Twenty-five students attended the workshop, which included teachers, parents, community volunteers, and even a librarian, a sustainability coordinator, and a vice principal. Participants came from public, private, and charter schools across O’ahu, representing preschool through 12th grade education. The response to the workshop was overwhelmingly positive! We look forward to a continued partnership with the O’ahu Master Gardeners in bringing garden-based learning to Hawai’i's schools, youth, and communities. Mahalo to the many dedicated staff, volunteers, and participants who made this event possible!

Please sign up for the ‘AINA In Schools newsletter for notifications regarding future workshops and other events.