ART CONTEST: 2010-2011 Kokua Calendar

Be Energy and Water Wise
In ancient times, Native Hawaiians drew their water supplies from fresh water springs, streams and shallow wells. Incredibly, a population that may have reached a million people thrived on the Hawaiian islands through wise management of their lands and water resources.

In the United States, generating power consumes 3 percent of our nation’s water annually and 13 percent of the energy produced in this country is used to treat, transport and heat our water. Conserving water saves energy, and vice versa. The water-energy connection is complex, but it provides an excellent opportunity to get students thinking about the interconnection of ecological and environmental concerns.

This year’s Kokua Hawai’i Foundation calendar contest theme is Be Water and Energy Wise. While exploring the topics of water and energy conservation, we also encourage you and your students/children to reflect on the important connections between water and energy.

Think about your home, school, office building, neighborhood, garden, farm, park, etc. Reflect on traditional Native Hawaiian knowledge, practices, and innovations to visualize what it means to Be Water and Energy Wise. Use paint, crayons, pastels, fabric, collage, or mixed media to put your vision on paper. The possibilities are endless!

Who can participate? Hawai’i school-aged children grades K-12. (May be submitted by a Teacher, Parent, or Organization). Click here for more info. and complete guidelines.

Green Fundraising Ideas for Schools

Many schools continue to profit from healthy and environmentally friendly fundraising activities. In January, we compiled a list of some of our favorite ideas and passed them on to Hawai’i school administrators and PCNC staff. Here’s what one enthusiastic school staff had to say, “I just received your flyer in the mail today on different ideas on ‘green’ fundraising.  Thank you very much for considering our school and sending this very informative flyer to us…I hope that there will be some programs to use the different ideas you have in the flyer as they are all excellent ideas.”

Click here to see the complete flyer.

Art auctions are a a fun and creative way to raise funds! This month, Sunset Beach Elementary School is having their 1st annual Celebrating the Arts Day and Auction. Parent and community volunteers are organizing this event to raise funds for the Art and Music programs for the school. Attendees will enjoy an evening of live music, food & drinks, silent & live auction, and raffle. In conjunction with the auction, students of Sunset Beach Elementary will be enriched by the visual art of local artists who will visit each class and lead an art project. The Art Day and Auction is on Friday, 2.26 from 6-10 pm at Waimea Valley Pikake Pavilion, $10 at the door. For more info, or if you’d like to make a donation, please call 638-8777.

Another fundraising idea worth mentioning is the Honu Guide. The Honu Guide features well written articles on sustainability issues in Hawaii, and has a coupon book and resource directory that links people to green goods, services and organizations. Organizations, including schools can sell the guide to raise funds.

‘AINA In Schools Garden Party Report

For ‘AINA In Schools, January is a time of renewal for school gardens. In preparation for the ‘AINA IS spring garden lessons, school, family, and community volunteers reinvigorated garden soils with compost donated by Kokua Kalihi Valley and made with schools’ own green waste. Children added vermicast tea to each garden bed to add extra nutrients, and the fruit trees on campus benefitted from the weed preventing and moisture retaining properties of mulch.

Waikiki Elementary school hosted over 200 Kaiser Permanente staff who, in celebration of the Hawai’i Permanente Medical Group’s 50 year anniversary, turned out in force to create new garden areas at the school and erect a shade house to protect the school’s heirloom tomato crop from birds.

Ala Wai, Sunset and Wai’alae elementary schools utilized the enthusiastic help of 4th and 5th graders during their after school programs. Volunteers from HIHO (Hands in Helping Out), a community volunteer group that regularly supports ‘AINA IS garden projects, and Leeward Community College students also prepared gardens and fruit orchards for new growth.

Thank you to the parents, teachers, and community members who showed up for our weekend and afterschool ‘AINA IS garden parties this month.

February Highlights

World Wetlands Day 2010
Sat, 2.6
8:30 am -2:00 pm
Guided tours by Chuck “Doc” Burrows and Dr. Paul Brennan of the marsh complex.
Walking tours of the Hamakua wetland every hour from 9-1. Meet at the Division of Forestry and Wildlife booth.
This event is free and open to the public
For more information please contact: Nicole Galase at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call 586-0915.

Raised Bed Gardening Workshop
Sat, 2.20
9:30am-12
at Kapolei High School
Cost: $7
Join the Malama Learning Center and Olomana Gardens to be part of nature’s miracle, and become more self-sufficient by growing your own food. To register and for further information, please contact Janice Staab at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call 542-9107.

4th Annual Hawai’i Avocado Festival
Sat, 2.20
9 am - 5 pm
at Amy B.H. Greenwell Garden
More info at ManakeaSanctuary.org or call (808) 936-5233

Sunset Beach Elementary School Kids Art Day & Auction Fundraiser
Fri, 2.26
6 - 10 pm
at Waimea Valley Pikake Pavilion
$10 at the door

Prize for Young Heroes
The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes seeks nominations for its 2010 awards. The Barron Prize honors young people between the ages of 8 and 18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and our planet.

Kokua Festival Important Dates

• 2.12 & 2.13 - Kokua Hawai’i Foundation Members Pre-sale
• 2.13 - Kokua Festival and STAR 101.9 Beach Clean-Ups
• 2.14 & 2.15 - Beach Clean-Ups Pre-Sale
• 2.20 - Hawai’i Residents ONLY Kokua Festival Tickets On Sale
• 2.21 - General Kokua Festival Tickets On Sale
• 4.23 & 4.24 -2010 KOKUA FESTIVAL!

If you are only a subscriber to our e-newsletter, we invite you to become a KHF Member.

Happy New Year

We 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.
 

Community Programs and Campaigns:
• 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.