Thank you for your support!
In the first semester of the 2008-2009 school year we have been able to reach thousands of children through our programs:
3R’s School Recycling - 13,000 students at 25 participating schools reduce, reuse, and recycle on campus. Several of these schools have started composting and vermicomposting food and green waste on campus. This fall, 6300 students will see “The Trash Heap,” a play co-produced by the Kokua Hawaii Foundation.
‘AINA In Schools - 10 elementary schools participate in our ‘AINA IS programs. This semester 800 students participated in garden lessons, while 600 took part in nutrition lessons. Parent and community volunteers supported the program by giving 887 hours from August to October. 116 educators from over 60 public and private schools in Hawai’i attended school garden workshops presented by ‘AINA IS.
Environmental Education Mini-Grants - 330 students and 20 teachers have received assistance for environmental education supplies, curricula, and workshops. One school has raised enough worms to start a commercial-scale vermicomposting bin for their campus food waste!
Environmental Education Field Trip Assistance Program - In the Fall of 2008, 2,363 students at 25 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.
Kokua Earth Action Projects (KEAP) - During the 2007-2008 school year 1450 students from across the state developed KEAP projects. For the 2008-2009 school year, over 1400 students will participate. Sustainable agriculture, energy conservation, and waste reduction are some of the issues students address with their projects.
Community Programs and Campaigns:
Plastic Free Hale’iwa - Since the coalition launched last January, over 55 businesses have become members and pledged to stop disbursing single-use plastics such as plastic bags and Styrofoam containers.
Film Screenings: Over 400 community members have attended our film screenings and discussions.
Simplify the Holidays - Hundreds of KHF members have pledged to give back to their environment and communities this holiday season.
Check out the Green Market Gift Fair on December 6 for something extra special for your Secret Santa! The Green Market offers alternatives for your holiday shopping; from native plants to the culinary swap meet, to buying a Gift of Service in your loved ones name. There will also be keiki activities and greening demonstrations throughout the day. The Kokua Hawaii Foundation will be selling reusable water bottles, reusable tote bags, seeds, and Gifts of Service in the form of garden lessons. Bring a white shirt for a tie-dye gift! Come join us! 
For the ‘AINA In Schools program, hosting a family cooking demo is another great way to shine a light on healthy, local, fresh food, and how good it can taste. A key ingredient to a superb cooking demo is a fun and talented chef, and we knew just the one.
Ed is inspired by the Stone Soup story and likes to refer to his version as Pohaku Soup. The ‘AINA In Schools Family Night attendees included families from several of the ‘AINA IS Schools on O’ahu, community and parent volunteers, and steering committee members. Kids also enjoyed making crafts from recycled materials, and got some tips on how to “Simplify the Holidays” too.
To keep our friends up-to-date on all of the latest happenings and opportunities with the Kokua Hawai’i Foundation, we’ve started three new mailing lists to complement our regular newsletter and Kokua Festival list. Sign up to get specific information about Kokua programs and tell your friends, too!