Stream contest to reward understanding of pollution

By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer

Learning becomes meaningful when lessons are put into action.

That's the philosophy behind the Watershed Model Contest, a hands-on educational project that teaches students about the negative impact of non-point source pollution on Hawai'i's watersheds and ocean.

Participants will construct a working model of a stream as part of a watershed area where they live, showing an understanding of how pollution affects the environment and marine life.

The contest, in its second year, is open to grade-level teams from schools and youth groups such as the Boy Scouts and the Boys & Girls Club of Honolulu. Preliminary regional judging begins Oct. 19 at Pearlridge Center, Windward Mall, Ward Warehouse and Kahala Mall. Winners in each regional grade level will advance to the finals on Oct. 26 at Pearlridge Center. Winners receive $150.

To lure participants and offset the cost of materials, the first 40 groups that meet the criteria will receive $100.

"We want them to learn not to put anything in the ground that you don't want to end up swimming with," said Debbie Pollock, executive director of Protect the Planet, a nonprofit environmental organization that is co-sponsoring the contest with the city and county of Honolulu.

"We try to educate kids on making a connection between that and the environment. The whole point is to get people to see the consequences of what we do."

Non-point source pollution results from rainwater moving over and through the ground, carrying away natural and manmade pollutants such as sediment from construction sites, excess fertilizer, pesticides from lawns, bacteria from livestock and pet wastes that wash into street gutters.

"We encourage students to learn about non-point source pollution because it's created by everyone," said Pollock, a marine science teacher at Castle High School in Kane'ohe, which is sending two classes to the contest. "It's pollution we can't point a finger at but ends up in the storm drain and in the ocean, where we all swim."

The contest is part of the Earth Protection Agent Program, which encourages proactive caring for the environment. To become an agent requires participating in a group educational project, taking a training class and participating in a hands-on cleanup activity. More than 300 people are involved.

Registration deadline for the watershed contest is Sept. 23. For an entry packet, call Bob Rock, environmental information specialist for the city's Department of Environmental Services, at 527-5699, or Pollock at 226-1464. Or visit www.cleanwaterhonolulu.com.