Members of the Rotary Club of Kapa‘a are celebrating the 18th annual Taste of Hawai‘i by going green. “We’ve had so much fun doing this,” said the club’s president-elect Ken Stokes. “It’s an ethical thing. I think everybody supports going
Members of the Rotary Club of Kapa‘a are celebrating the 18th annual Taste of Hawai‘i by going green.
“We’ve had so much fun doing this,” said the club’s president-elect Ken Stokes. “It’s an ethical thing. I think everybody supports going green.”
Nearly half of everything that will be used for the event, from the spoons to the napkins and plates, is recyclable or made from recyclable material.
“The reason we went half (green) this year is there were simply things we needed that are not yet available,” he said. “Like, for instance, the skirts we’ll be using for the tables. (Green) skirts just are not available yet.”
What was available were spoons made from potatoes, glasses from corn oils and recyclable over-sized serving trays.
“The biggest thing is the trays,” Stokes said. “They’re all made from recycled fiber and are biodegradable.”
Chef and beverage manager Pam Brown said this will be their test-run with the recyclable items.
“We’re trying it out to see how it all holds up,” she said.
Issues that came up were the costs of these green products, as well as their availability.
“The green stuff, believe it or not, is not all that easy to get. It’s like a treasure hunt,” Stokes said. “Much of the rap is that green materials are more expensive. Luckily we were able to hook up with this company Worldcentric, who are based in Palo Alto, Calif., and they went the extra mile to get our shipping cost down.
“We’re already working on our orders for next year.”
Stokes said he hopes the club will be able to use more innovative green items in the future.
“The objective for next year is to be completely green,” he said.
• Lanaly Cabalo, lifestyle writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or lcabalo@kauaipubco.com.
