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NEWSLETTER
2015-2016
Schools Compost Their Way to Zero Waste
‘ĀINA schools are doubling down on going “Zero Waste” by upping sustainability
efforts around campus. From composting cafeteria leftovers to sorting recycling, school
communities are learning how they can most effectively steward the land and reduce
waste around food consumption. At Lanikai Elementary Public Charter School (PCS),
students and staff work closely with Mindy Jaffe of Waikiki Worm Company to compost
school lunch waste via hot compost, worm pipelines, and tumbling compost. Inspired
by the pipeline model, Kainalu Elementary worked with local partners to construct
their own commercial scale worm bin. Kainalu, Kahala, and Sunset Beach Elementary
Schools are piloting projects to have students divert school lunch waste once per
week to the worms. At Waialua Elementary, 3rd graders learning the ‘ĀINA composting
curriculum are sharing their ‘ike (knowledge) with other grade levels so that the whole
Waialua ‘ohana can work together towards a sustainable community.
Lanikai Elementary students show off the lunch
waste they have collected for composting.
Lanikai Compost College Three Ways to
In October 2015, 47 teachers representing
Compost
28 schools and organizations around
Vermicomposting ma
Ke Kula ‘O Kamakau
E nānā mai, he vikiō na Hiʻilani
Shibata, ke Kumu Nā Pualei ma
Ke Kula ʻo Samuel M. Kamakau:
kokuahawaiifoundation.org/video
• Aerobic (compost pile): fruit and veggie scraps,
grass, leaves, cardboard, shredded paper
• Bokashi (fermentation with microorganisms): all
types of food waste (including bones, meat, dairy)
• Vermicomposting (worms): fruit & veggie scraps,
eggshells, coffee grinds, shredded paper
Teachers sort through vermicast at Waialua.
≠
Oʻahu attended the school year’s first
‘ĀINA In Schools Farm to School Field
Trip for Educators. Lanikai Elementary
PCS hosted a “Compost College” sharing
their waste recovery and composting
curricula efforts toward becoming a
zero waste school. Educators gained
hands-on experience in Bokashi, aerobic
composting, vermicomposting, biochar,
and aquaponics.
Instead of throwing out food
and yard waste, your family
can compost it. You’ll also
be creating healthier soil for
gardens and even potted plants! ʻĀINA 3rd graders practice
three methods of composting over the school year:
Kainalu receives their 20’ worm pipeline.
Student Entrepreneurs Compost for Cash
Recycling cans and bottles has a long history as a school fundraiser
and recently schools have turned to composting to recycle food
waste into products they can sell. At Lanikai Elementary PCS,
students are making vermicompost tea and selling it to their school
community. The “tea” is rich in beneficial microbes that bring life
to a garden’s soil. Lanikai students also launched Kaʻōhao potting
soil, which Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation will be purchasing as we
propagate plants for ʻĀINA school gardens.
Above: Lanikai PCS students designed the labels for
Sunset Beach Elementary’s Sustainability Club members recently
their vermicast tea bottles.
made vermicomposting bins and sold them to community members. Left: SBES Sustainability
In addition to making money Club members prepare their
worm bins for pickup.
for their school, this project
empowered several families to start composting with
worms at home.
You can find directions to create a DIY bin, more
composting How-To sheets, as well as a “Green
Fundraising for Schools” resource guide with more
ideas at www.kokuahawaiifoundation.org/resources.
www.kokuahawaiifoundation.org/aina
Copyright © 2016 Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
Page 1 of 4
Like ʻĀINA In Schools on Facebook
2015-2016 NEWSLETTER
Mahalo to our ‘ĀINA Chefs
Mahalo to our partner chefs for sharing their passion for cooking healthy with
locally sourced ingredients at ʻĀINA Chef Visits! These talented chefs provided
students the experience of seeing locally sourced ingredients, often from their
very own school garden, turned into a healthy snack or meal. Our ‘ĀINA Chef
partners shared an abundance of creativity and flavors that were a hit with the
students!
This year ʻAikahi, Kainalu, Lanikai, and Sunset Beach Elementary students
participated in Kuʻi ʻAi Demonstrations and were treated with the fresh flavorful
result of their hard work of pounding fresh kalo into paʻi ʻai.
Counter clockwise from top left: Kainalu Elementary made
Fresh Local Kale Salad with Ginger Miso Vinaigrette with
Chef Sean Congdon. Chef Ed Kenney of TOWN and Mud
Hen Water Restaurants made Fresh Pasta and Pesto with
Waiʻalae K students. Waikīkī keiki made Fresh Pumpkin
Pancakes with a Tangerine (from the food farm!) & Honey
Yogurt Sauce. Chef Kathy Maddux of Mohala Farms
made Homemade Hummus with Garden Fresh Veggies
with Waialua third graders. Chef Gigi Miranda whipped
up ʻUlu Cinnamon Bread Pudding with Kaʻaʻawa 4th-6th grades. Waikīkī students
pounded kalo for Cocoa Pa’i ‘ai Truffles with Chef Mark Noguchi of Pili Group.
Lāʻie Kindergartners made Colorful Quinoa Salad with Chef Andrea Caltado
of Beet Box Cafe and Kai’s Famous Curry Fried Rice with Chef Kai of Kaiulani
Spice. Chef Spencer Tan, Executive Chef at BYUH Food Services, shared the
table with Kahuku 2nd graders making Mac Nut Shoyu Chicken. KHF Education
Specialist Summer Maunakea made ʻono paʻi ʻai with multiple ʻĀINA schools.
‘Uala (Sweet Potato) Hummus by Chef Nina Beatty
Ingredients:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Chef Elisabeth Beagle of
Holoholo Farms made this
delicious snack with keiki
from Lāʻie and Sunset Beach
Elementary.
2 1/2 cups steamed sweet potato
1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed butter)
1/4 cup lemon or lime juice
5 cloves roasted garlic, or 1 clove raw garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
pinch of fresh ground black pepper
1- 2 cups water (less if you like your hummus thick)
Directions:
1.Put all the ingredients (except the water) in the food processor and mix until smooth.
2.Add one cup of water at a time to the hummus mixture to desired thickness.
3.Serve with fresh veggies, pita or crackers.
4.Clean up!
www.kokuahawaiifoundation.org/aina
Twitter/Instagram: @kokua
Page 2 of 4
Copyright © 2016 Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
2015-2016 NEWSLETTER
Field Trips Connect Keiki to their Food System Field Trips for Educators
ʻĀINA Farm Field Trips introduce students to where their food
comes from, who grows their food, and the relationship between
their own health, food, agriculture, and the environment.
Kaʻaʻawa Elementary has built an innovative relationship with
Kualoa Ranch. Staff visit the school with their chickens and
students visit the ranch during the spring. Kaʻaʻawa also visited
Waimānalo Country Farms’ pumpkin patch along with Lāʻie
and Kahuku students.
ʻĀINA Farm to School Field Trips for
Educators are fun and educational
opportunities for educators, docents,
and parents to visit ʻĀINA schools and
field trip destinations that promote
Agricultural Literacy.
Our first ʻĀINA Field Trip for Educators
took us to Kapalai Farms in Maunawili.
The Wilhelm ʻOhana shared their
experience of transforming overgrown
brush back into thriving loʻi kalo.
Other field trip sites ʻĀINA schools visited include: Holoholo
Farms, Tin Roof Ranch, Kahuku Farms, Mari’s Garden, Ka
Papa Loʻi O Kanewai, and Whole Foods Market.
For tips on planning a farm field trip, visit the resources
at kokuahawaiifoundation.org/fieldtrips. Kōkua Hawaiʻi
Foundation Field Trip Grants support farm and environmental
field trips and all Hawaiʻi schools are eligible to apply.
Applications for both KHF’s Field Trip and Mini-Grant
programs are being accepted on a first-come, firstserved basis now through March 1, 2017 for funding
up to $1,000 per school for each grant program.
Max and Dean Wilhelm demonstrate
pounding kalo into paʻi ʻai.
Our next trip took teachers to Waikīkī
Elementary and Mud Hen Water, where
Chefs Ed Kenney and Dave Caldiero
shared the importance of sourcing
local, sustainably grown ingredients at
their restaurant.
From top: Waikīkī keiki see the aquaculture operation
and get up close with the animals at Kualoa Ranch.
SBES Kindergartners walk the fields of Holoholo Farms
in Haleʻiwa. Holoholo Farms also sells CSA baskets as a
fundraiser for SBES and Waiʻalae PCS.
Fresh Fruits & Veggies Promote Student Health
With increasing public concern over childhood obesity, juvenile diabetes, and other dietrelated health risks, it is more important than ever to establish and promote a nourishing
food environment for our keiki. Initiatives like the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program
(FFVP), a national grant program which awards funding to help bring healthy snacks
to school, are part of the equation in bridging the access gap. At Lāʻie and Kaʻaʻawa,
students enjoy two weekly fruit or veggie samplings with nutrition information delivered
by their teachers. Some Hawaiʻi schools are taking matters into their own hands,
establishing Farmers’ Markets, volunteer-run snack programs, and Wellness Committees.
Kahuku Elementary hosts a student farmers’ market as does Sunset Beach Elementary
School, where the Sustainability Club sells their garden produce once a month. Liholiho
Elementary promotes healthy snacks in nutrition lessons and at a large Food Day
celebration the school hosts each October.
Left: KHF FoodCorps fellow
Steph (center) and the
Windward Wellness
Committee served nearly
800 pounds of fresh fruits
and veggies at the Windward Fitness Meet in March.
Right: The fresh bounty sold
at student farmers’ markets.
Led by Chef Elisabeth Beagle, Educators
teamed up to prepare a delicious healthy lunch
featuring locally grown produce.
In February 2016, educators embarked
on a Farm to School field trip to
Waialua Elementary to experience the
school’s ‘ĀINA Gardens and a handson vermicompost workshop.
Educators gave back to Loko Ea by building a
composting system at the fishpond.
www.kokuahawaiifoundation.org/aina
Copyright © 2016 Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
Page 3 of 4
Like ʻĀINA In Schools on Facebook
2015-2016 NEWSLETTER
‘ĀINA Docent & Educator Trainings
Join us in the garden or cooking up healthy snacks as an ‘ĀINA In
Schools Garden, Compost, or Nutrition Docent! Sign up now for the
Fall 2016 ‘ĀINA Docent Orientation and Training. Parent and community
volunteers are welcome and no experience is necessary!
Nutrition Docent Trainings*
Garden/Compost Docent Trainings*
North Shore: Tuesday, August 23
Windward: Wednesday, August 24
Honolulu: Thursday, August 25
Koʻolauloa: Friday, August 26
North Shore: Tuesday, August 30
Windward: Wednesday, August 31
Honolulu: Thursday, September 1
Koʻolauloa: Friday, September 2
To become a volunteer and for more information, contact: [email protected].
*Dates subject to change. Confirm
by registering as a volunteer.
Fun with ‘ĀINA Garden Clubs
Save the Dates
Back to School Garden Parties
Garden Party workdays at all ʻĀINA schools
throughout August.
[email protected]
Docent and Educator Trainings
The first round of ʻĀINA curriculum trainings will
begin in August and continue through the school
year. Educator trainings are held on Oʻahu,
Maui, Kauaʻi, and Hawaiʻi Island.
September 22 & 23:
North Shore Food Summit
Oʻahu students will gather for a day of farm
field trips and community food system action
planning at the Youth Food Summit (9/23).
www.northshoreland.org
October is Farm to School Month
www.farmtoschoolmonth.org
October 24: Food Day
Several schools and community groups
are hosting Food Day events on 10/24 and
throughout October.
www.foodday.org
Stay up to date with ʻĀINA In Schools by
subscribing to our newsletters and checking out
www.kokuahawaiifoundation.org/aina.
We had a very exciting year in ʻĀINA Garden
Clubs! ʻAikahi, Ahuimanu, and Mililani Uka garden
clubs grew pumpkin, ʻipu, lettuce, tomato, herbs,
cucumbers and sweet potatoes. Waikīkī, Kahala,
and Liholiho garden clubs focused on caring for
their vermicompost systems. SBES
garden club enjoyed mulching, weeding,
pruning, and sprouting kabocha squash.
Lāʻie and Kainalu club members enjoyed
garden arts and crafts. Kaʻaʻawa Earth
Club had fun going on a garden scavenger
hunt to create nature masks. Kahuku
garden club did a lot of cooking lessons and
Lanikai focused on their waste
management and garden care
efforts.
Mahalo to all the Garden Club
Advisors for providing fun
garden activities for students!
Hooray for School Staff!
While family and community volunteers give
thousands of hours to the ʻĀINA program each year,
school staff are just as vital. Each school has an
ʻĀINA Team that oversees all ʻĀINA activities. Some
school staff also serve as ʻĀINA Team Coordinators
and Garden Club Advisors. Many more support ʻĀINA
lessons in gardens and classrooms, field trips, snacks,
family nights in a variety of ways. Mahalo to all of you!
Teachers at Ala Wai are now leading garden lessons with K
students (above) and Waiʻalae Gr. 1 teachers do the same.
Kahuku custodians have been instrumental in building and
growing the school’s gardens.
www.kokuahawaiifoundation.org/aina
Twitter/Instagram: @kokua
Page 4 of 4
Copyright © 2016 Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation. All Rights Reserved.