Posted on: Monday, October 18, 2004

For the Environment

Advertiser Staff

ATTACK ALIEN ALGAE Join Iolani and Punahou students in cleaning alien algae from the reefs from 7 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Waikiki Natatorium. Bring snorkeling gear, reef shoes or old sneakers, hat and sunscreen. To help, contact Signe Opheim at 779-2616 or opheim@hawaii.edu by Wednesday.

KA IWI COAST CLEANUP The Sierra Club will celebrate Make a Difference Day on Saturday with a cleanup of Kalaniana'ole Highway and the Ka Iwi coastline. Meet at 8 a.m. in the parking lot at Sandy Beach at the east end of the restrooms; pau at noon. Reservations required; volunteers will receive a free T-shirt and refreshments. Call Lisa Keala Carter at 722-8727 or Lin Black at 247-8845.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE AT GARDEN Celebrate Make a Difference Day by cleaning up Lili'uokalani Botanical Garden and Nu'uanu Stream from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Boots, garbage bags and gloves provided; bring insect repellent, long-sleeved shirt and pants. Reservations are required; call 522-7064.

RESTORING MAKIKI AHUPUA'A The O'ahu Na Ala Hele Trails and Access program, Hawai'i Nature Center and the Ko'olau Mountain Watershed Partnership need volunteers to help with the Makiki Watershed Awareness Initiative (Makiki WAI) by weeding or clearing, painting bridges, laying gravel, watering and planting native plants. The next workday is 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Bring a long-sleeved shirt, pants, bug repellent, water and good shoes. Meet at 9 a.m. at the Makiki Forestry Baseyard above the Hawai'i Nature Center. Call 973-9782 or check www.hawaiitrails.org.

KANE'OHE WEED REMOVAL The Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden in Kane'ohe needs volunteers to help rake the invasive aquarium plant elodea from the lakeshore from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 30. Bring gloves, old shoes, insect repellent, rain gear and, if possible, rakes. The garden is at the end of Luluku Road. Call 233-7323.

FISHPOND RESTORATION Work to restore the Waikalua Loko Fishpond will continue Oct. 30 with installation of an irrigation system and landscaping with native vegetation. For more information, call 247-6366 or e-mail info@waa-hawaii.org.

GREEN NOTES

TOUR DE TRASH Sign up for a bus tour of Oahu's trashier side, provided by the city's Refuse Division. The Workplace Recycling II tour, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, starts and finishes at the Sheraton Waikiki, whose owner saves $100,000 per year in disposal costs by recycling at its O'ahu properties. Other stops include Young Laundry & Dry Cleaning, which became the first O'ahu company to use an alternative fuel produced by Island Commodities from recycled cooking oil, saving about $1,000 per week in fuel costs; the Honolulu Municipal Building's paper recycling system; the Hard Rock Cafe, which established a comprehensive recycling center for food waste, glass and cardboard; Island Recycling, with its multi-material processing facility on Sand Island; and Pacific Biodiesel, which converts cooking oil and grease from restaurants into biodiesel fuel. Participants must show up 15 minutes prior to departure time. Call 692-5410 to register; for tour schedules and details, check www.opala.org/recycling_businesses/Tour_de_trash_2004.html.

WEST HAWAI'I RECYCLING PROJECT The Kailua Recycles Project, otherwise known as the West Hawai'i Recycling Pilot Project, will celebrate its grand opening at 10 a.m. Oct. 30 with music, displays, recycling workshops and demonstrations and keiki activities. The residential recycling project is located next to the Kealakehe Transfer Station, and will handle all paper (newspaper, office paper, magazines, cardboard, mixed paper), No. 1 and No. 2 plastic, aluminum, bottles and glass. The transfer station will continue to collect scrap metal and green waste. For more information, contact Recycle Hawai'i at (808) 329-2886 or info@recyclehawaii.org.

ARBOR DAY TREE GIVEAWAY The Maui Nui Botanical Garden, at 150 Kanaloa Ave. in Kahului, will hand out more 1,000 native Hawaiian and Polynesian-introduced trees and shrubs from 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 6 in celebration of Arbor Day. Species include 'ohi'a 'ai (mountain apple), 'ulu (breadfruit), niu (coconut), noni, ma'o, 'ohi'a lehua, kamani, 'a'ali'i, hala, koa, hibiscus, milo and hau. Experts will be on hand to help homeowners select the appropriate tree. One tree per household. Call (808) 249-2798 for more information.

For a free listing of your environmental event, send details to For the Environment, P.O. Box 156, Wailuku, HI 96793; fax (808) 242-1520; or e-mail cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.