Kamehameha Schools, Kohala Center Launch Island Farming Initiative

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August 12, 2019 (BigIslandNow.com)—The vast majority of food consumed in Hawai‘i is grown elsewhere—a paradigm Kamehameha Schools (KS) and The Kohala Center (TKC) are aiming to alter.

KS and TKC have long sought farmers with whom to partner in an effort to increase local food production, as nearly 90% of the state’s food is imported. On Monday, Aug. 12, 2019, KS and TKC launched Mahi‘ai a Ola, a campaign to support local farmers, agricultural education and solutions to improve food security, according to a KS press release.

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OHA Awards Over $1M in Grants to 6 Hawaiʻi Island Programs

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May 31, 2019 (BigIslandNow.com)—The OHA Board of Trustees approved $6 million in grants to 24 programs on Thursday, May 30, 2019. The programs will provide critical services to Native Hawaiians in the key areas of housing, income, health, education and culture.

Among these grant awardees are six Hawaiʻi Island programs that will receive a total of $1,129,290. Hawaiʻi Island will also be served by two statewide grant awardees.

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Food For Thought: Hawai‘i’s Public School Lunches Are Changing in a Big Way

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May 30, 2019 (Honolulu Magazine)—Beef stew with ‘ulu, chicken burgers made from scratch and classic kālua pork with cabbage: These dishes sound like they came off the menus of local neighborhood restaurants. Instead, they’re winning students’ hearts (and stomachs) at Mililani High School, thanks to an ambitious initiative called the ‘Aina Pono: Farm to School Program.

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Sunscreen Swap Out Set For Kahaluʻu Bay This Saturday

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May 29, 2019 (Big Island Video News)—Kahaluʻu Bay beachgoers with sunscreens containing ingredients known to be harmful to corals will have the chance to swap out for a more environmentally-friendly product this weekend.

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Hawaii County Officials Close Bay to Assist Coral Spawning

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May 22, 2019 (New York Times)—A Hawaii county has closed a bay to prevent disruption of coral spawning that scientists predicted would occur over two days, officials said.

Hawaii County officials closed Kahaluu Bay to allow the spawning event on Monday through Tuesday on the Big Island, West Hawaii Today reported. The bay reopened on Wednesday.

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Is Food Sustainability Possible in Hawai‘i?

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May 21, 2019 (BigIslandNow.com)—Hilo (population 45,648) has the priciest groceries of any American city. Hawai‘i is known for having a high cost of living, but with such a great climate for agriculture, why don’t we produce enough food to affordably sustain our population?

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Kahaluu Bay closure intends to spark life beneath the surface

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May 21, 2019 (West Hawaii Today)—Coral submerged in the typically crowded Kahaluu Bay is amid a reprieve from human traffic, which began Monday morning and continues through today.

The purpose of the county-imposed closure is to allow for a coral spawning event scientists predicted was most likely to occur on those two days. West Hawaii reefs lost roughly 95% of their cauliflower coral in the mass bleaching event of 2015.

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Raw Elements Helps Found 1st World Reef Day

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May 20, 2019 (happi.com)—World Reef Day organizers have announce a series of activities to be held in and out of Hawai‘i on June 1, 2019, the inaugural event to that has been designed to engage individuals, organizations, and corporations alike to come together, raise awareness, and activate positive change for the long-term health of our world’s coral reefs.

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Testing finds extremely high oxybenzone levels at Kahaluu Bay

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April 28, 2019 (West Hawai‘i Today)—The Kahaluu Bay Education Center last April commissioned testing to measure bay waters for the presence of oxybenzone, a chemical compound found in sunscreens and known to be harmful to coral ecosystems.

The results returned last weekend were alarming.

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Sunscreen Ban May Come Too Late For Popular Snorkeling Spot

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April 22, 2019 (Honolulu Civil Beat)—Extremely high concentrations of oxybenzone have been found on Kona’s busiest snorkeling beach in water test results analyzed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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