Cultivating the Next Generation of ʻĀina Stewards

Hui o Koʻolaupoko (HOK) seeks to continue our successful programs that protect watershed health and invasive species management at HOK’s oldest restoration site, Kaha Garden, developed in 2007, in partnership with the City & County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation, at Kawainui Neighborhood Park. This proposal will support the environmental education and community engagement programs offered at Kaha Garden and other in-school educational visits. In 2023, HOK worked to develop a Hawai‘i Department of Education standards and STEAM aligned curriculum for K-12th grade that utilizes a series of indoor and outdoor lessons. The curriculum incorporates place-based environmental education on topics such as Hawaiʻi’s water cycle, watershed management, pollution prevention, benefits and uses of native Hawaiian plants, paired with hands-on environmental stewardship and action planning.