Ziggy Marley and Taj Mahal join Jack Johnson at the 2010 Kokua Festival April 23rd- 24th

After taking a year off, the Kokua Festival is back in 2010. Hawaii’s own Jack Johnson is proud to host the 6th Kokua Festival and share the stage with Ziggy Marley and the legendary Taj Mahal on Earth Day weekend - Friday, April 23rd and Saturday, April 24th – at the Waikiki Shell in Honolulu, Hawai’i. In addition to full band performances by Jack Johnson and Taj Mahal, and a solo acoustic set by Ziggy Marley, this year’s incredible line-up will be rounded out by ukulele extraordinaire, Jake Shimabukuro, and Maui-based songstress, Anuhea.

                                                           
All proceeds from the Kokua Festival go to the Kokua Hawai’i Foundation and are used to further support school recycling on Oahu, sponsor field trips, and grow ‘AINA In Schools, a farm-to-school program. The foundation has also expanded its community outreach with their Simplify the Holidays campaign and the new Plastic Free Hawai’i coalition.

Back for its third consecutive year, the Keiki Kokua Day  will take place the day before the festival and will recognize Hawai’i school groups who have completed outstanding Kokua Earth Action Projects (KEAP). KEAP, another school program of the Kokua Hawai’i Foundation, guides environmental service learning initiatives lead by student groups to create long lasting change in classrooms, schools or communities. The Keiki Kokua Day event celebrates these student leaders who malama (care for) our islands with entertainment by Jack Johnson and other Kokua Festival artists, educational activities, videos and exchanges from participating KEAP school groups.

In addition to the eclectic mix of live music, the Kokua Village features over 50 booths including eco-friendly clothing from Patagonia, all natural food from Kashi, and organic yogurt from Stonyfield Farm. Kokua Festival attendees can try local food and beverages, learn about products and services from green companies, view alternative energy demonstrations, participate in interactive games and crafts for kids, and get information about environmentally active groups from around the islands.

Since its start in 2004, the Kokua Festival has raised the bar on environmentally friendly concert production both locally and globally. Some of the innovative greening measures include:

• Zero Waste collection sites where recyclables, food waste and compostables are separated by students from local schools
• A bike valet service, electric trolley, and carpool incentives
• Promoting the use of reusable water bottles and providing free water stations
• Running festival generators and vehicles on locally made biodiesel
• Using biodegradable concession-ware
• Offering eco-friendly merchandise such as reusable tote bags, bottles, and organic cotton clothing
• Offsetting the remaining emissions with clean energy development in Hawai’i

Tickets are $40 for general admission/lawn, $50 for reserved seats, $125 in the seated pit area, and $20 general admission for children 3-12. Children under 3 are free. Online ticket purchasers will also have the option to add on a $2 carbon credit to offset their personal travel to the show.

Tickets for Hawai’i residents will go on sale Saturday, February 20th at all Hawai’i Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 800-745-3000. Tickets for the general public will be available at all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 800-745-3000 starting on Sunday, February 21st. On February 13th, STAR 101.9 listeners will be offered pre-sale opportunities by participating in beach clean-ups around Oahu and on Maui. Visit www.star1019.com for more details on the beach clean-up locations and times.

The Kokua Hawai’i Foundation thanks Presenting Partners Kashi, Patagonia, and Stonyfield Farm as well as many other like-minded companies and organizations for their support! The Kokua Festival is produced locally by the Kokua Hawai’i Foundation, with additional coordination by MusicMatters, a division of Effect Partners, and Pau Hana Productions.

For more information please visit www.kokuafestival.com

ONO Teacher conference

ONO - Out-of-the-Box Nutritious Options: A sampling of innovative ways to bring healthy and locally grown foods into the classroom

Presented by Luke Center for Public Service and Kokua Hawai’i Foundation

Thursday, February 25, 2010
4 – 8 pm
Fee: $15.00
Dinner featuring locally grown food
Kuaihelani Learning Center, Case Middle School, Punahou School

This hands-on workshop will feature examples of lessons related to food that teachers can use in any classroom. It is an opportunity to learn and to share with other educators from Hawai’i.

Register online by February 16. Space will be reserved upon receipt of payment.

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.