An initiative to create a more prosperous and sustainable Hawaii is now officially underway with the support of hundreds of island residents. On Saturday, April 10, 2010 the Hawaii State Legislature’s Keiki Caucus and Children and Youth Month Planning Committee launched the Million Trees of Aloha and Caring For Our Beaches Project at the Honolulu Zoo.
Legislators, community leaders and supporters gathered inside the Keiki Zoo to share the project with visitors and caring citizens of Hawaii, and invited them to join the initiative. Those attending the ceremony were enchanted by a traditional Hawaiian Entry Protocol by the students of Kamaile Academy, and the children and youth who were present participated in the dedication of a native ‘Ohi’a Lehua tree. One by one, children as young as two years old filled a spade with soil and added it to the base of the tree.
Many who attended the event did not go home empty handed. Hundreds of people are now proud owners of an endangered, native Hawaiian gardenia called Na’u. A total of 400 Na’u were given away to those who pledged to care for it and also join the Million Trees of Aloha project. Half of the gardenias were distributed at the Honolulu Zoo, and half were given away at the annual Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii Teddy Bear Drive. The Honolulu Zoological Society also offered free compost and hands-on educational displays, Blue Planet offered ways to use clean energy, and the Bishop Museum joined the Oahu Invasive Species Committee to provide samples of plants and animals harmful to our state.
