Posted on: Monday, March 14, 2005

For the Environment

Advertiser Staff

ALA WAI HARBOR CLEANUP Help the Sierra Club by using scoopers and nets to gather up flotsam and jetsam 8-11:30 a.m. Saturday. Meet at the Harbor Master's Office. Wear sturdy shoes with gripping soles and bring a hat, thick rubber gloves, sunscreen and water. Contact Sharon Moran, 277-2549.

DROP-IN VOLUNTEERS The next Laulima o Haleakala work day is 9 a.m.-noon Saturday. Projects include removing non-native species, weeding planters and picking up trash. No experience is required; the work is appropriate for those age 6 and up. Meet at the summit maintenance yard at 9 a.m.; wear long pants and closed-toe shoes and bring rain gear, sunscreen, hat, layered clothing, water and lunch. No reservations are required except for a group of six or more people. The Laulima o Haleakala volunteer drop-in program takes place the third Saturday of every month. For more information, contact the Haleakala Volunteer Program office at (808) 572-4487 or HALE_VIP_Coordinator@nps.gov.

QUARRY ROAD CLEANUP The Windward Ahupua'a Alliance needs volunteers to pick up litter at Kapa'a Quarry Road, 2:30-5 p.m. Saturday, with pizza and beverages to follow. For information, info@waa-hawaii.org.

MARSH RESTORATION The Hawai'i Nature Center is restoring Pouhala Marsh, the largest remaining wetland in Pearl Harbor. Volunteers are needed to pull pickleweed 8:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday. Bring work gloves, water, hat, sunscreen, towel and change of clothes; covered footwear and long pants required. To sign up, contact Pauline Kawamata at 955-0100, Ext. 18.

GREEN NOTES

TOUR DE TRASH Find out what happens to all the stuff you wash down the drain or flush down the toilet on a bus tour Thursday provided by the city's Refuse Division. The tour will visit the Honouliuli Wastewater Treatment Plant and Water Reclamation Facility, where Veolia Water North America processes wastewater into clean water for irrigation and industry; the Navy's Biosolids Composting Facility, where sewage sludge is composted with ground green waste; the Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant; and Pacific Biodiesel, which converts cooking oil and grease from restaurants into a biodiesel fuel. The tour runs from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. and begins and ends at Kapolei Hale. Participants must show up 15 minutes before departure time. Call 692-5410 to register; for details, check www.opala.org/recycling_businesses/Tour_de_trash_2004.html.

SPRING PLANT SALE The Lyon Arboretum Association will hold its annual Spring Plant Sale from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. March 26 at the Blaisdell Center. There will be new plant introductions and demonstrations. Admission is free.

BATTERY RECYCLING The nonprofit Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp. has introduced the Charge Up To Recycle! program at Radio Shack and Home Depot on O'ahu. Look for the RBRC recycling boxes in those stores. Information: www.rbrc.org.

FREE BIG ISLAND MULCH Help yourself to free mulch from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily at a new public pickup area adjacent to the Kealakehe Transfer Station, or from 7 a.m.- 5 p.m. daily at the Hilo Transfer Station. The county Department of Environmental Management sponsors the free mulch program. Loading assistance is available only at the Hilo location for $10 to $40 depending on vehicle size. Deliveries of large truckloads of mulch to homes, businesses or farms can be arranged by calling the Big Island Recycling representative at (808) 306-1876.

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