IUCN World Conservation Congress: Planet at a Crossroads

Hosted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the oldest and largest environmental organization on earth, this year’s World Conservation Congress will be held in Honolulu from September 1-10 at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center. The IUCN Congress occurs once every four years and has been called the “Olympics of Conservation”. The IUCN Congress theme this year is Planet at a Crossroads.           ​                   

The IUCN’s Event Greening Efforts:

Check out the IUCN’s efforts to make the 2016 Congress a more sustainable event, including the goal to make the event plastic-free http://www.iucnworldconservationcongress.org=”“> and composting food wastehttp://www.iucnworldconservationcongress.org=”“> K&#33.3;kua Hawaiʻi Foundation is pleased to be a part of these efforts. Please refer to the IUCN Congress Green Guidebook to see how attendees can minimize their environmental footprint while at the Congress. 

http://www.iucnworldconservationcongress.org=”“>http://www.iucnworldconservationcongress.org=”“>To support the IUCN Congress in being a plastic-free and zero-waste event, Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation will have a Plastic Free Hawaiʻi booth at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center on the ground floor lobby and will also be offering reusable water bottles, cups, tote bags, utensil sets, and bamboo sporks for sale to attendees. We are also seeking volunteers to assist with our efforts. Please e-mail [email protected] to volunteer on one or more of the days below. Shifts can be between 2-4 hours:

• Wednesday 8/31: 12pm - 6pm
• http://www.iucnworldconservationcongress.org=”“>http://www.iucnworldconservationcongress.org=”“>Thursday 9/1: 12pm - 6pm
• http://www.iucnworldconservationcongress.org=”“>http://www.iucnworldconservationcongress.org=”“>Friday 9/2: 8am - 5pm Saturday 9/3: 8am-5pm

For Educators: 

Educators, visit the Hawaiʻi Department of Education Educator Resources for the 2016 World Conservation Congress website http://www.hawaiipublicschools.org=”“> which provides teachers with a starting point for locating resources relevant to the themes of the IUCN Congress, including biodiversity, food and water security, and climate change. 

http://www.hawaiipublicschools.org=”“>Student Opportunities:

http://www.hawaiipublicschools.org=”“>The Youth Symposiumhttp://www.wccyouthsymposium.org=”“> is a special opportunity for youth to create tangible action steps to take back to their communities around the issues of sustainable food systems, zero waste, biodiversity and more. This event is open to IUCN registered youth as well as high school and college students. It will take place on Saturday, September 10, from 8:30am - 12:00pm at Le Jardin Academy in Kailua. Buses are available to and from Le Jardin Academy, and attendees will make it back to the Hawaiʻi Convention Center before the 2:00pm Closing Ceremony. Click herehttp://www.wccyouthsymposium.org=”“> for details and registration.