Native Plants Spark Joy to Mālama ʻĀina
by Kirsten Kagimoto, Chapter Deputy Director | Reading time: 2 minutes
In celebration of Native Plant Month and Earth Month in April, the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi hosted our latest native plant giveaway at Waialua Elementary.
We were blessed with passing showers in the morning that opened the then sunny and busy morning of quickly distributing 200 native plants to eager new plant parents—giving away all of our plants in record time! With the help of our volunteer plant experts, Randy, Sherry and Ed, staff members Rebekah, Wayne and I (and our keiki) helped match Oʻahu residents with the perfect new plant for their home.
The enthusiasm among attendees was palpable, reflecting the collective dedication to safeguarding our islands’ native plant species and watersheds. As residents eagerly selected their plants, conversations sparked about the importance of indigenous species in maintaining fragile ecosystems and preserving plants critical to Native Hawaiian practices. We were inspired to hear folks learn about native species they were unfamiliar with and revel in their beauty. You can check out photos from the event here as well as follow up photos of some of the plants in their new homes here.
Mahalo nui to the staff at Waialua Elementary for hosting us, to our friends at Hui Kū Maoli Ola for supplying with the perfect spread of native plants, and to Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee staff for testing our plants for little fire ants and supplying is with little fire ant testing kits and invasive pest materials to distribute with our plants!
Beyond the tangible impact of distributing native plants, our native plant giveaways aim to foster a sense of community and shared responsibility for environmental stewardship. Together, we recognize the interconnectedness of all life and the imperativeness to protect our natural resources for future generations.
The Virtual Tree Planting program was a passion project of mine, mid-pandemic, dreaming of ways to get our members and supporters back outside safely, to nurture nature and themselves, to (re)instill folks' commitment to mālama ʻāina and native plants, while sequestering carbon and replacing the demand for imported ornamental plants. With every native plant giveaway we host, I am reinvigorated by the new native plant parent’s excitement and joy as they care for and watch their plants grow, brightening their yards, homes and offices.
To date, we have distributed over 1,300 plants to homes on Oʻahu. As we look ahead, and as the program grows in popularity, we are exploring ways to expand to distribute even more plants, not just on Oʻahu but on neighbor islands as well. If you or someone in your networks are interested in hosting a native plant giveaway, please reach out to us at hawaii.chapter@sierraclub.org. I also invite you to make a gift today to help expand our Virtual Tree Planting program. Together, we can continue to cultivate a deeper reverence for Hawaiʻi's native flora and harness our shared love for Hawaiʻi.