LIHU‘E — Hapai Ia Ka Hana Malama ‘Aina, the theme of Keep the Hawaiian Islands Beautiful, is a call to the state’s residents and visitors to love and care for the land by cleaning up and beautifying its parks, highways,
LIHU‘E — Hapai Ia Ka Hana Malama ‘Aina, the theme of Keep the Hawaiian Islands Beautiful, is a call to the state’s residents and visitors to love and care for the land by cleaning up and beautifying its parks, highways, scenic sites, beaches and neighborhoods.
That statement was made in a mayoral proclamation designating March 31 as Keep the Hawaiian Islands Beautiful Day.
Keep the Hawaiian Islands Beautiful is a chapter of the national Keep America Beautiful, Inc., a national nonprofit that implements public education programs about litter prevention, beautification, community improvement and ways to properly manage waste materials. It also conducts the Great American Cleanup, the nation’s largest annual community improvement program.
In accepting the mayoral proclamation Wednesday, Eddie Sarita, the county’s manager for the War Memorial Convention Hall and Ho‘olokai coordinator, presented Carvalho with a litter report for Kaua‘i, noting the roadside cleanups being conducted by Adopt-a-Highway participants and community groups.
Kaui Tanaka of the Mayor’s Office said as part of the Great American Cleanup, coordinated locally by the Kaua‘i affiliate of Keep the Hawaiian Islands Beautiful, there is a push for cleanup of beaches and streams, planting native trees and recycling initiatives with roadside litter control remaining a priority for the statewide network.
Keith Suga and Sarita are designated as the heads of the Kaua‘i affiliate, according to the Keep America Beautiful Web site. The pair were joined by Tori Ann Laranio of the Drug Court, another affiliate member.
The Kaua‘i Drug Court has “adopted” Hanama‘ulu Beach Park as one of its projects and through the year, participants in the program descend on the park to do cleanup and repainting.
In the proclamation, Sarita was recognized and acknowledged for his coordination of the program which includes residents and visitors volunteering to make a difference for the community.
From March 1 to May 31, thousands of volunteers from around the state will participate and contribute their time and effort for the signature cleanup. Tanaka said the county is pleased to assist any community cleanup effort by providing supplies and materials for use by volunteers during that time frame.
One annual project which falls within this period is the annual cleanup of Po‘ipu Beach Park and Nawiliwili Park by the staff and employees of the Marriott.
Billed as an Earth Day project, employees of the Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club are joined by some of their guests as they trim trees, repaint picnic tables and do sprucing up of the popular Po‘ipu Beach Park. Employees from the Kaua‘i Marriott Resort and Kaua‘i Lagoons properties spend a half-day doing the same for Nawiliwili Beach Park.
