Wayne’s Sierra Club World: An April to Remember
by Wayne Tanaka, Chapter Director | Reading time: 5 minutes
April always promises to be an exciting - and very busy - time of year for those involved in the protection and perpetuation of our islands and planet.
As you will read in the latest Mālama, this past month was no exception, with another hugely successful Virtual Tree Planting giveaway, an honorary certificate for our own Randy Ching, triumphs and missed opportunities at the Hawai‘i State Legislature, the commencement of a historic trial for the bellwether plaintiffs poisoned by the Red Hill Facility, and the supreme court’s vindication of the integrity of our justice system after the Hawai‘i Attorney General’s dishonest and shameful attempt to exploit last year’s tragic wildfires.
As Earth Month and Native Hawaiian Plant Month, this April also brought many opportunities for the community to remember and celebrate those things that have been and will continue to be so vital to every aspect of our lives, including so much of what we love about our island home. Sierra Club members, volunteers, and staff were very fortunate to be a part of so many events helping thousands of people reconnect and re-remember the need to protect our islands, and our planet, including:
An Earth Month kick-off Sierra Club Pau Hana at Honolulu Beerworks, where Chapter staff and volunteers Madison Owens, Becka Garrison, Rosalie Luo, and I were grateful to connect and reconnect in person with new and longtime friends and supporters. A special shout out to former Sierra Club Marine Team chair and current Sierra Club Grassroots Network co-lead Doug Fettery and his wife, Dr. Sheryl Shook, who along with their granddaughter Kenza, helped us celebrate this auspicious month!
The Ola i ka Wai - Water is Life! celebration on the grounds of the Kapahulu Library, featuring water and earth protectors and guardians including the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, Genki Ala Wai Project, Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi Youth Climate Coalition, Patagonia, Sustainable Coastlines, Tower Garden Aeroponics, Body & Brain, and the Sierra Club of Hawai‘i. This event provided 150-plus students as well as their families and teachers with the opportunity to learn about our water resources, the ways wai provides for and enriches our lives, and what we can do to protect wai for ourselves, our ‘āina, and future generations. The Sierra Club was particularly excited to debut our “Ola i ka Wai” booth game - a huge hit! - which teaches players about the many things that can help or hinder a healthy watershed.
Mahalo a nui loa to Sheri Yoshida, Makakilo Elementary School Counselor and Student Leadership Advisor; Mary Ann Kobayashi, retired science teacher and lead educator for the Genki Ala Wai Project; Ian Pelayo, STEM and science teacher from Aliamanu Middle School; Dyson Chee, activist and immediate past director of the Hawaiʻi Youth Climate Coalition; and Diane “Didi” Iwaoka; for putting together such an amazingly impactful event!
The 1898 Project, where we were grateful to participate in a panel focused on the environmental impacts of American imperialism in the Pacific, featuring Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo director Kevin Chang, William S. Richardson School of Law’s Environmental Law Program director David Forman, and myself, with former Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi director and Earthjustice Regional Engagement Specialist Marti Townsend moderating.
The thoughtful discussion ranged from the cautionary tale of a potentially unsustainable-beyond-return Oʻahu, to the hopeful descriptions of rural Native Hawaiian communities growing their own systems of governance in stewarding the ʻāina of their place. Hopefully, panelists provided a much-needed opportunity for all to reflect on the legacies of 1898, including the generational traumas we and our islands continue to reckon with, as well as the seeds of resistance, resilience, and rebirth that have continued to grow and blossom even and especially in recent years.
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Earth Day Event, where Sierra Club staff and volunteers including Randy Ching, Madison Owens, and Garrett Moos shared our work - and collected petition signatures - around water, Red Hill, PFAS, and other pressing environmental challenges facing our islands.
The Kaiser High School Earth Day event, a fun-filled and family-friendly event to remember, with Rebekah Garrison representing the Sierra Club. With a sunset backdrop and live music featuring student artists, engaging discussions around the importance of Red Hill remediation and military accountability peppered the evening sky. Nearly three years after the US Navy poisoned its own people and Oʻahu’s sole-source aquifer, there remains this constant: the community still has very little faith in the US Navy’s willingness to be honest and respectful stewards of Kapūkakī. And so we persist in our unwavering solidarity as a community fueled by people power and our love for one another. Ola I Ka Wai.
The ‘Iolani School Intersections Sustainability Fair, with Madison Owens and Oʻahu Group Chair Dyson Chee, which underscored the interconnectedness of climate destabilization across generations and disciplines. Students engaged in educational opportunities like the “Ola i ka Wai” booth game, exploring land stewardship from mauka to makai. The event also offered creative outlets such as sign-making at the Sierra Club booth, showcasing diverse approaches to addressing climate change.
The Ninth Annual Manu o Kū Festival, spearheaded by the Conservation Council for Hawaiʻi and the National Wildlife Federation along with the Hui Manu-O-Kū, Pacific Rim Conservation, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Chapter Director Wayne Tanaka and super volunteer Rosalie Luo helped to educate attendees about invasive species and their impacts - including the potential decimation of Honolulu’s iconic and official state bird, the Manu o Kū, should tree-climbing little fire ants continue to spread across Oʻahu.
And finally, the James Campbell High School Earth Day Fair, where Administrative and Advancement Associate Rebekah Garrison helped educate attendees about military lead contamination issues impacting Puʻuloa and ʻEwa as well as other threats, such as PFAS, to water resources throughout the islands.
Thank you again to all of the amazing community organizations, leaders, educators, and volunteers who helped to honor our Hawaiʻi nei and our planet Earth this past month! It has been truly inspiring to see how much work was put into these and other Earth Month events, and how many students, families, and individuals took time to celebrate and reflect on the vital importance of our ʻāina and wai. With all the challenges facing us in the years and decades to come, this April certainly gave us cause for hope - mahalo nui!