Authors: J. Hartman, C. Pamarang, S. Salley Description: This project is about cleaning up the aina. They present a flexible and all-inclusive project to simply cleaning within your community. Each member contributed to their community whether cleaning their local park, cleaning along highways, and even planting native kalo with keiki.

1. The Community Service Crew

2. Brief introduction to our project
Hawai’i is so beautifully diverse, but something that the majority of the people who live here share is the pride that is taken to
preserve this wonderful island. Our group has chosen to take action by taking part in local community service activities
around the island, in doing so we hope to spread the love for our island with our children and family. The reason that we
chose to do an act of community service was driven by the passion to learn more about the services that we could individually
provide in our communities. In doing so we hope to make our home cleaner and a more sustainable place for ourselves,
family, and future generations. Adding to the cultural aspect of our community service, will be teaching children about Kalo,
how it is used, and how we can create sustainability by consuming Kalo and continuously growing it.
The flexibility that this type of project provides is a valuable resource that we can seamlessly integrate into our daily lives. By
removing waste from coastlines, parks and roadways, as well as teaching our future generation about locally grown produce
and sustainability, we hope to aid in the protection of our islands biosphere, vegetation, and overall health.
Introduction to our project
Hawai’i is so beautifully diverse, and the majority of the people who live here share one
common thing, which is the pride that is taken to preserve this wonderful island and its
culture. Our group has chosen to take action by taking part in local community service
activities around the island, in doing so we hope to spread the love for our island with our
children and family. The reason that we chose to do an act of community service was
driven by the passion to learn more about the services that we could individually provide in
our communities. In doing so we hope to make our home cleaner and a more sustainable
place for ourselves, family, and future generations. Adding to the cultural aspect of our
community service, will be teaching children about Kalo, the importance it held in the
Hawaiian culture, how it is used, and how we can create sustainability by consuming Kalo
and continuously growing it.
The flexibility that this type of project provides is a valuable resource that we can
seamlessly integrate into our daily lives. By removing waste from coastlines, parks and
roadways, as well as teaching our future generation about locally grown produce and
sustainability, we hope to aid in the protection of our islands biosphere, vegetation, and
overall health.

3. Joy
Joy and her daughter go for walks around their neighborhood, and pick up
rubbish that they find along the way. Their favorite thing that they have learned
throughout this process is that we can all help clean up our community by
simply contributing a little effort everyday.

4. When Joy goes to parks, such
as Liliuokalani park and Bayfront
park. They pick up the waste,
fishing line, recyclables, etc.
Then separate the plastic bottles
and bring them to the recycling
center. Joys daughter has been
so eager to help collect trash
and recyclables because that
means that she gets to keep the
money that they give you for
recycling the plastic.

5. The day after Thanksgiving Joy
and her family decided to work off
all those extra calories while
picking up rubbish along Bayfront
beach. All together throughout
Joys 8 hours of community service
she collected about 10 lbs of waste
around the Island.

6. During roadside clean-up on Daniel K. Inouye Highway, I covered about a miles worth of
cleaning when I filled two large trash bags, the most that my red wagon could carry. I believe
the weight of the garbage was more than 15lbs (approx 25-30 lbs). I found a lot of styrofoam,
broken beer bottles, cans, and plastic containers (as if people were eating on the go and
discarding their trash out the window).

7. As I incorporated sustainability and culture
into our community service project, I
introduced keiki to our native Hawaiian
plant, Kalo. First, I read them the story of
Haloa, the Little Huli, written by Kananikala
Bishaw-Juario. We then discussed the parts
of the Kalo, different ways it is eaten, as well
as how to care for the Kalo. Keiki cleaned
the garden as they pulled weeds, the lau
(leaves) that was not useable, and we
checked the Kalo to see if there were young
shoots that were being produced that could
be separated from the Kalo (corm) and
replanted. My lessons ran for about 2
weeks, each teaching moment running
between 30-45 minutes long.

8. When we were done cleaning our Kalo patch, keiki were able to go through the lau (leaves)
and check to see what could be used and what needed to be disposed of. We shared the lau with
the other classrooms that were on site. According to Professor Manu Meyer’s, “outdoor education
is more observable knowledge, less textbook, but implementing knowledge of what you learned”.
That is what I believe I was able to do with this group of keiki. I thought them about their Hawaiian
culture, by sharing mo’olelo, making connections within their families as Hawaiian people, and how
to care for and sustain the Kalo plant. Each keiki also took a Kalo (huli) home to start their own
mala.

9. ● 1st clean up was in a town named Waimea the location is called the Waimea Center! The Waimea Center
consist of a shopping mall/center that has many shops and multiple restaurants that reach the need of the
consumers. This is where locals and tourist come to shop, look at the statues and the stream that runs parallel
behind the shopping center when it rains. The stream is a very popular attraction and according to the property
manager its cleaned once a month. So i decided to do my part.
● Cleaned up the stream for 2 hours and gathered around 3-4 lbs of trash that consist of bottles, cans and various
fast food materials (wrappers, fry boxes, cups, paper bags and straws)
● The importance of cleaning this stream is because it leads to another stream that flows all the way down to
Kawaihae. The stream was filled with trash and up top is the aftermath of the cleaning.

10. ● Was able to do a roadside
clean up next to my home in
Kawaihae Highway 19, this
road is used daily and tons
of trash is left here from
people who come to lookout
and see the oceans. With the
amount of wind we get up
here it takes the trash
straight to our surrounding
beaches. (Hapuna, Mauna
Kea, Spencers and ect.)
● I was able to do about 4
hours and clean up 2 miles
worth of trash (bottles, cans
and paper materials). This
was 6lbs and the time says
8:20 pm but it was 8:20 am!
App was giving me trouble
but stayed positive.

11. ● Last cleanup was in Kawaihae near my home, the
last 2 hours and collected total 11bss of trash.
● Took all the trash, cans and bottles and begin to
separate them according to item.
● Photo to the left is me and all the bottles from
previous cleans up with Kule’a Landscaping.
● The photo to the right shows all the cleanups and the
verification of my hours.
● Overall this was a great time to bond with family
and friends, while cleaning up the aina and letting
the keiki see how they can make a change.
● The bottles and cans when turned in came out to be
$50. Gave them $25 each.

12. 808 Cleanups App- Keeping Hawai’i Clean from Mauka to Makai
As we started to have our group meetings, Joy came across this cool app called 808
Cleanups. This app is downloadable via the app store and it is compatible for android and
iphone. More information about them and their organization can also be found online. According
to their website, “808 Cleanups is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting and empowering volunteers
and inspiring communities to restore the Islands of Hawaiʻi from Mauka to Makai”.
Through this app you able to log your data in different ways, anywhere from your location,
debris removed, and hours served. They also have an events calendar of scheduled cleanups
and its locations (most noticeably on O’ahu). It provides you with most recent cleanups near
your location and who did it.
It is a community App/ website, which shows the total of cleanups, pounds of rubbish
removed, and volunteer engagements. Making this a great community service group and app to
be connected with as you, your group, and other groups documents their work.
Please check out the website when you get a chance: https://808cleanups.org

13. Why Is It Important to Keep Hawaii Clean?
● Doing these cleanups keep our environment and ocean clean.
● Pollution of trash and bottles are killing our reefs. Keeping it clean lessens the chance of
diseases.
● “Cleaning up previously contaminated properties for reuse can reinvigorate
communities, protect natural resources, and prevent sprawl.” (EPA, 2016)
● “The health of our natural resources is critical to our way of life, our economy and our
culture” (David Y. Ige, 2017)
● By maintaining pollution and cleaning up in Hawaii we can help lessen the likelihood of
toxins and bacteria entering into our locally grown produce, and water supplies..

14. The reason that our group chose to partake in community service acts around the
island, was to gain a greater appreciation for the beauty of our surroundings and the
opportunity to learn and implement our knowledge about the environment that we are
living in and surrounded by. We found it very eye opening to see just how much waste can
be collected from one area. As well as reassuring knowing that there are others out there
taking the steps of keeping our community clean.
We hope by sharing our journey of community service with roadside clean ups,
teaching keiki about Kalo, maintaining a clean garden, and sustainability will inspire you, our
families, and those who we reached out to, to make a change and a difference in their
communities by picking up that one piece of trash or planting their own garden to feed their
family. We hope to find everyone working together to creating a more healthy, sustainable
environment for us now and for our future generations.
Conclusion

15. Citations
1. 808 cleanups.org. (2019). [online] Available at: https://808cleanups.org [Accessed 8 Nov. 2019].
2. ThinkTech Hawaii. (2016,July 5). Mobilizing Sustainability in Education, Policy, & Practice- Dr. Manulani Aluli
Meyer. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwOnv-rr9Aw [Accessed 9 Nov. 2019]
3. West Hawaii Today. (2019). Volunteers cleanup trash on the highway near encampment - West Hawaii Today.
[online] Available at: https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2019/06/15/hawaii-news/volunteers-cleanup-trash-on-
highway-near-encampment/ [Accessed 8 Nov. 2019].
4. Bishaw--Juario, K. (2016). Haloa the Little Huli. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
5. Ehawaii.gov. (2017, February 14). Sustainable Hawaii Initiative. Retrieved from URL
https://governor.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sustainable-Hawai27i-Initiative-Brochure.pdf
6. EPA, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2016, February, 21). Strategic Plan- Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.
Retrieved from URL https://archive.epa.gov/region9/strategicplan/web/html/islands.html