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Honolulu Weekly
Green in Hawaii
Grow Hawaiian Festival
Celebrate Hawaii's cultural heritage, native plants, and sustainable lifestyles at the Grow Hawaiian Festival, on Saturday, April 28, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Bishop Museum. Presented by Hawaiian Electric Company, this free event offers a day filled with activities, crafts, music, plus access to all of the museum's exhibits. [Read more]
* Get details on the event and presenters at [growhawaiian.heco.com] or call 543-7511
Sustainability 2012
Our yearly roundup of living green in Hawaii (released last week) is on the web. This year we document the business, schools and organizations that are working on sustainable change, and how the state is doing.
Publisher's Letter: In her annual letter, Publisher Laurie Carlson looks at the State's fit and starts for the past 20 years and says, "Despite widespread public support and testimony for many forward looking bills, our elected officials seem hellbent on continuing down the 'treadmill to oblivion.'" Outside the legislative branch there are many encouraging bright spots though. [Read more]
Recognizing Green Schools: From Hokulani Elementary to Kalani High School, schools all over Hawaii are incorporating environmental education and practices into their curriculum. The collective impact can bring huge savings, as our schools are the state's third largest energy consumer and produce heaps of waste. More than that, schools of course grow future citizens, and can provide children's best resource for learning to malama 'aina and our natural resources. [Read more]
Greening Your Child's School: Of course, this doesn't mean literally painting your kid's school green. But it does beg the question: What really is a green school? Is it a school that recycles, has an organic garden, or does it also need to have buildings that are LEED (US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified? What about providing an environmental education and models for carrying it through into behaviors in life? [Read more]
Kamehameha and Punahou Schools go Deep Green: With the still-verdant Koolau watershed at their backs, and facing sea views spliced by skyscrapers, both campuses provide ideal platforms for contemplating what damage we have done to our island environment–and how we might still save it. [Read more]
How we rank: An insight into how Hawai'i ranka among other island communities around the world. To get a handle on island sustainability, a UH study group developed a database of 52 islands with populations in excess of 50,000 (Spoiler: we should be doing better). [Read more]
Not All Business: Going green as a business doesn't just mean you've met all the requirements on the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) State Energy Office's checklist. In reality, it means these businesses have made a commitment to Hawaii, and to themselves, to make a difference–to stop polluting our 'aina and over-exhausting our resources. [Read more]
Sustainability 101: Even institutions of higher education are hard at work to secure our sustainable future, by offering curriculum and degrees in sustainability. The University of Hawaii at Manoa and Hawaii Pacific Univeristy are no longer just preparing students to be proficient in one discipline, but rather teaching them to be environmentally responsible citizens who can make a difference in most any field he or she may choose. Because there's really no clear track for sustainability, except that it's our future. [Read more]
Landfill Site
The mayor's committee has released its top 11 recommended sites for Honolulu's new landfill. The idea of trucking HPOWER ash from one side of the island to the other raises some concerns, but putting a landfill upland of anywhere doesn't sound great, either. [Read more]
Is Ho'opili Hopeless?
On the 'Ewa Plain of Central O'ahu, 1,600 acres of rich productive farmland are poised for housing development. In hearings before the state Land Use Commission proponents citing jobs and affordable housing are jousting with environmentalists and backers of food sustainability. But both parties agree: The future of O'ahu hangs in the balance.
The controversy's been in the news for months, but what's largely been missing is a sense of the land itself. The Weekly went and got a first hand look at the controversy. [Read more]
Wild Wisdom
A successful return of native vegetation and a significant increase in nesting seabird populations at Ka'ena Point Natural Area Reserve is being celebrated by the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DLNR/DOFAW), due to a predator-proof fence that was installed just a year ago. [Read more]
From Do One Green Thing -- Underarm Armor
Because the underarm is close to the breast, the estrogen-like behavior of some conventional ingredients in deodorants has given rise to concern. Parabens (a class of chemicals used as preservatives by pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies) have caused growth of breast cancer cells in lab tests.
So which brands are the best deodorant picks? [Read more]
* Visit [Greenerpenny.com]
Outside Events
Photography Hike Capture native plants, tree snails and scenic panoramas at this easy slow-paced hike through Lyon Arboretum. Call 429-9814 for details. Sun., 4/29, (9am) $5 suggested donation for Lyon Arboretum.
Manana Trail Hike Bring along closed-toe shoes with good traction and some snacks for this nice and easy beginner hike around Manana Ridge. Meet at Church of the Crossroads, 1212 University Avenue, Honolulu: Sun., 4/29, (9am) 942-0145
Green Events
Earth Month Celebrate Earth Month with Hui o Ko'olaupoko. He'eia State Park, 46-465 Kamehameha Hwy., Kane'ohe: Sat., 4/28, (11am–2pm) 381-7202
Manoa Sustainability Meeting Attend a meeting, led by The Manoa Sustainability Corps, that will highlight education and action related to sustainability. Open to public. Geophysics Auditorium, Rm. 210, UH-Manoa: Wed., 5/2, (3:30–5:30pm) [manoa.edu], 956-9181
GMO Meeting Special guests give presentation on Genetically Modified Organisms. Join the push for the right to know what weird things are being placed inside of our food. Kapolei Middle School, 91-5335 Kapolei Parkway: Sat., 4/28, (12–2:30pm) [councilmanberg.com]
Botanical
1000 Tree Giveaway Kukui nuts, mountain apples, Surinam cherrys, plumerias, sea grapes, monkey pods, spider lilies, taro—any tree or plant of your wildest imagination will be given away for free to keep our Island beautiful and healthy. Manoa District Park, Multipurpose Room: Sun., 4/29, (8am–12pm) Free. [malamaomanoa.org], 220-5008
'Ohana
Voices of the Rainforest Dive into the deep Hawaiian rainforest and delight in enjoyable stories, music and puppetry that will highlight fascinating native plants. Stevenson Intermediate School, 1202 Prospect St.: Sat., 4/28, (4–7pm) [ohia.org], 943-0456 |
