PUHI —The public is invited to the free Kaua‘i Community College Celebrates Earth Day event from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Puhi campus. Three arenas of activity, discussions and entertainment will be the offering of the day
PUHI —The public is invited to the free Kaua‘i Community College Celebrates Earth Day event from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Puhi campus.
Three arenas of activity, discussions and entertainment will be the offering of the day starting with the welcoming ‘oli at 11 a.m. in the big tent set up behind the KCC Performing Arts Center.
“Starting at 11 a.m. and running throughout the day and into the evening, KCC will be hosting community groups and local vendors to create space on campus for the exchange of ideas, products and services related to environmental awareness, natural resource conservation, green economic development, alternative energy use, community and school gardens, and local produce and crafts,” said James Trujillo, KCC Earth Day planning chair, in an email. “The event promises to be a full day of entertainment, information, and an excellent opportunity to learn, share and participate in KCC’s green evolution.”
This arena will be offering an Eco Fashion Show with A.Ell Design, demonstrations of renewable energy and conservation, tours of the KCC farm, exhibits and information on recycling, solar energy, composting, a compact fluorescent lamp light bulb exchange with either old incandescent lamps or a food bank item, vermiculture and more.
People are encouraged to visit and learn how to reduce monthly energy bills, transform food scraps into compost, and grow food in their own back yards. Community groups will be available to share information on how to get active and stay involved in helping create a sustainable Kaua‘i.
The eco fashion show by A.Ell Design in Kapa‘a will feature local stylings and fashionable designs created locally and produced utilizing eco fabrics such as hemp and bamboo.
A discussion on sustainability, “Food Sovereignty – Sowing the Seeds of Sust-Aina-bility” will take place at the student lounge in the Campus Center starting at 11:45 a.m.
“This talk story session will feature local food producers and consumers discussing a range of issues surrounding food production on Kaua‘i,” Trujillo said. “A question and answer session will conclude the first forum.”
David Bissell, the Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative CEO, will offer “Energy Strategy for 2011” followed by a question and answer period starting at 2 p.m. in the student lounge.
Trujillo said both community forums will be captured live on the Internet and the discussions will also be broadcast live on KKCR.
The Campus Center stage will get life from 4 p.m. as the day makes its transition into night, the stage featuring live entertainment, and Open Mic, Free Speech and Poetry.
From 6:30 p.m., the public can enjoy two free movies — “Bag It-Is Your Life Too Plastic,” a documentary which examines the impact of plastics on marine life, human health and the environment, and Blue Planet’s “Showdown in Chinatown.”
Participating organizations include the Associated Students of the University of Hawai‘i-KCC, KCC Sustainability Committee, KIUC, Blue Planet, Malama Kaua‘i, Kaua‘i Beekeepers Association, Zero Waste Kaua‘i, The Surfrider Foundation, KKCR Community Radio, and others.
For more information, contact Taylor Stanton at tstanton@hawaii.edu, or Trujillo at jtrujillo@hawaii.edu.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
