Volunteer To Grow

Mālama I Ka Honua  |  April-June 2017  |  By Harvy King, Oʻahu Group Volunteer

There is a great willingness in the world these days to allow things to be left undone, misused, and discontinued. This willingness has been identified to be what we know is waste. Humans have created an exorbitant amount of waste since the boom of the industrial age. This age needs to end. It would make sense that in an island environment such as Hawai‘i nei, every aspect of resource management would be as efficient and as effective as possible.

I arrived here to Hawai‘i with orders from the United States Navy. I have since separated and I speak for myself. I was an aircraft mechanic. As I learned about Hawai‘i I’ve gotten to peer into many areas of concern. Waste management was my first and most immediate concern. I quickly learned how the waste stream operated here on O‘ahu and knew the effort was worth my while to set up a recycling program at work. Since then I’ve learned so much about the world and my greatest concern in the world is how it is being managed.

Environmental stewardship comes naturally to some people. While in Hawai‘i, I have volunteered with many organizations. My volunteer experience in Hawai‘i has opened so many avenues. Volunteering can be a selfless service that educates you in return. As you become more educated, you educate others. It is a beautiful and natural progression. I volunteer as best I can with Sustainable Coastlines Hawai‘i, Surfrider Foundation, Kōkua Foundation in the beach clean-up scene here on O‘ahu. We also speak out for the reduction of single use plastics in our communities.

I write this as a volunteer to the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi O‘ahu Group. With help from Sierra Club and Surfrider I was recently compelled to testify at the legislature in support of two bills, the styrofoam ban, SB1109 and SB1259, the Red Hill bill. While the topic of these bills may seem very sensitive and complex, they are very simple. Both of these bills address the disregard of human health concerns, let alone environmental protection.

It is easy to get involved. Your voice should be heard if you want it to, you just have to know where to show up. We learn from each other! Volunteering might give you a purpose if you feel you have none. We cannot be responsible for one another, but we can help guide each other in the right direction. The opportunities are endless.

Mālama ‘āina, mālama mind, body & spirit. May you be happy & healthy. Aloha.