Our Programs


kid drawing‘AINA In Schools Program
Launched in 2006, ‘AINA in Schools is aimed at connecting children to their land, waters and food in order to grow a healthier future for Hawai’i.  Our mission is to “Actively Integrate Nutrition and Agriculture In Schools. We do this through promotion of healthy school lunches featuring locally grown produce, nutrition education in the classroom, garden-based learning, agricultural field trips, waste reduction and management, and community outreach.  Click here for a list of resources schools and families can use in starting their own farm-to-school program.

3R’s School Recycling
With in-class recycling and school-wide collection led by student councils and service clubs, this hands-on program empowers students to engage and educate their school community about the 3R’s:  reducing, reusing, and recycling.  The Kokua Hawai’i Foundation provides educational resources, recycling bins, and program support for participating schools and partners with local recycling companies to achieve the schools waste reduction and fundraising goals.


Environmental Education Mini Grants
Teachers from Hawai’i public schools can apply for mini-grants to help advance their environmental education goals. Previous grantees have used KHF funds for garden supplies, eco-footprint workshops, vermicompost trainings, and more. One school has raised enough worms to start a commercial-scale vermicomposting bin for their campus food waste!


Environmental Field Trips Our field trip assistance program helps bring students to outdoor sites where they can experience hands-on learning about Hawai’i's environment.  The Kokua Hawai’i Foundation offers financial assistance to Hawai’i public schools which otherwise could not afford to participate in environmental field trips. See the list of environmental field trip opportunities and download the Environmental Field Trip Grant Application Form here.

KEAP - Kokua Earth Action Projects Kokua Earth Action Projects (KEAP) is a student led environmental service learning initiative aimed at taking care of our islands and encouraging long-lasting change in our classrooms, schools or community. Student groups from Hawai’i schools create and execute their own projects.  Some Kokua Earth Action Projects include: instituting a program to compost lunch waste, starting an on-campus garden, setting up a recycling or water catchment program, adopting a beach and more.




Plastic Free Schools Plastic Free Schools An offshoot of Plastic Free Hawaii, Plastic Free Schools was launched to create awareness for students, educators and parents about the environmental and health benefits of going plastic free in order to minimize the consumption of plastics in our islands. Kokua Hawai’i Foundation’s Plastic Free Schools program aims to reduce single-use plastics on school campuses. The program encourages students, faculty, and parents to make plastic free commitments to use waste free lunches, reusable bottles and tote bags and provides educational resources to make these commitments come to life.



Please visit the Educators section for a list of resources. If you have a new lesson or curriculum to share, please contact us.