WAILUA — The Healthy Hawai‘i Coalition presented its elementary-school program, “The Hawai‘i Watershed Experience,” on Kaua‘i last week. A villain known only as “Oily Al” was caught committing the offenses of pouring oil from his car down the storm drain,
WAILUA — The Healthy Hawai‘i Coalition presented its elementary-school program, “The Hawai‘i Watershed Experience,” on Kaua‘i last week.
A villain known only as “Oily Al” was caught committing the offenses of pouring oil from his car down the storm drain, throwing rubbish in the fishpond, and several other crimes against the ‘aina, a news release states. Luckily the students from Kapa‘a Elementary School were there to witness the misdeeds and a heroine known as “WaterWoman” was able to correct Oily Al’s mistakes.
Around 136 fourth-grade students from Kapa‘a Elementary were treated to a humorous skit starring Oily Al and WaterWoman and their confrontations over pollution in their watershed, at the Lydgate Park main pavilion. The keiki also participated in hands-on activities on the special field trip. They learned about water testing, erosion, non-point source pollution, and cleaning up rubbish that could have ended up polluting the fishponds or ocean, the release says.
State Sen. Mike Gabbard, HHC’s co-founder and president, said, “It was exciting to have such a large group of students learning about protecting Hawai‘i’s ‘aina and water. I think that they will remember what they learned and, hopefully, we can keep the rubbish out of our watersheds.”
HHC has presented this specialized curriculum, “The Hawai‘i Watershed Experience,” to over 4,500 students on O‘ahu, Maui, Moloka‘i and Kaua‘i, in public and private schools. The focus of the program is to teach students about watersheds, the Hawaiian concept of ahupua‘a, preventing water pollution and encouraging land and water stewardship, the release says.
