Mahalo for Your Support!

Posted On: Jul 01, 09

With the support of over 2000 members and 505 volunteers, we were able to reach over 20,000 Hawai’i students and countless families during the last year. Here are just a few numbers from our school and community programs:

Environmental Education Field Trip Assistance: 5,904 students at 56 schools participated in field trips supported by Kokua. Field trip sites include Hoa ‘Aina O Makaha, Hawai’i Nature Center Iao Valley, Mokupapapa Discovery Center in Hilo, and many others.

Environmental Education Mini-Grants: 2,470 students and 58 teachers at 15 schools have benefited from assistance for environmental education supplies, curricula, and workshops.

‘AINA In Schools: 10 elementary schools representing 4,700 students participate in ‘AINA IS programs. This year 800 students participated in garden lessons, while 600 took part in nutrition lessons. 116 educators from over 60 public and private schools in Hawai’i attended school garden workshops presented by ‘AINA IS. Get more updates by downloading our ‘AINA IS newsletters.

3R’s Program: 13,000 students at 30 participating schools reduced, reused, and recycled on campus. Several of these schools have started composting and vermicomposting food and green waste on campus. In Fall 2008, 6,300 students saw “The Trash Heap,” a play co-produced by Kokua and the Department of Health.

Kokua Earth Action Projects: Over 800 students from 14 schools across the state developed KEAP environmental service learning projects. School gardens, energy conservation, and waste reduction were some of the issues students addressed with their projects.

Plastic Free Haleiwa: 52 businesses have pledged to minimize their use of single-use plastic such as plastic bags and styrofoam containers. Several other communities have been inspired to start similar programs.

Simplify the Holidays: Nearly 900 KHF members and friends pledged to give back to their environment and communities during the 2008 holiday season.

We’re excited to be moving into another year of supporting environmental education in Hawai’i. In the next few months we’ll be announcing a few of our newest initiatives as well as plans for our current programs. To help us, please become a member (or renew!), make a donation, or find out how you can volunteer for Kokua.