KS Kapālama fourth graders champion sustainability

KS Kapālama grade 4 kumu Naomi Helenihi-Aweau KSK’86 and her haumāna teamed up with campus food provider FLIK and the KSK Operations team to implement a reusable container program for student and staff lunches, to decrease waste and save money.

May. 17, 2021

Contributed by Nadine Lagaso

Out of the many challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the increased use and disposal of single-use plastic containers has weighed heavily on the minds of sustainability advocates worldwide, including eco-conscious keiki right here at KS.

Inspired by the Hawaiian proverb – He ali‘i ka ‘āina, he kauwā ke kanaka: “The land is a chief, and man is its servant” – Kamehameha Schools Kapālama grade 4 kumu Naomi Helenihi-Aweau KSK’86 and the haumāna of Papa ʻŌmaʻo, teamed up with campus food provider FLIK and the KSK Operations team to decrease waste and inspire similar vigilance and adoption across the elementary school campus.

As part of school safety measures, student lunches were being served in single-use containers, increasing the amount of trash and waste generated. Kumu Helenihi-Aweau and her haumāna talked to the FLIK team about replacing lunch containers with reusable ones, which would not only reduce waste, but also possibly decrease the volume of food waste and overall costs.

The student-led effort was implemented in April and has grown to include all lunches served at the elementary school through the end of the school year!

“The lessons we tried to instill in our haumāna were to be mindful stewards of the natural resources around them, and to be the catalyst for positive change in their environment.

“We want them to know that their voice matters and that they should share their ‘ike (knowledge) and mana‘o (thoughts) and be part of the solution to present-day problems they see in the world. They need to be leaders today – alaka‘i lawelawe – and manage present day resources for a better and brighter future for the lāhui.”

In line with the school’s sustainability philosophy, FLIK recently featured an “eat local” lunch for the keiki featuring watercress beef stew. The watercress, beef, ‘uala (sweet potato), and poi were sourced from ‘Āina Pauahi.

The lessons we tried to instill in our haumāna were to be mindful stewards of the natural resources around them, and to be the catalyst for positive change in their environment.
KS Kapālama grade 4 kumu Naomi Helenihi-Aweau KSK’86

The students’ reusable container idea was eventually implemented across the elementary school campus.