You may not be driving your car much at the moment, but perhaps it could use a wash. And if you have kids, perhaps you need an activity to get them out of your face...we mean, give them a chance to get some fresh air outdoors while still on your property. Car-washing is one of the activities that can contribute to pollutants reaching the ocean via storm drains. Not just the soap you use, but all the stuff like oil and grease and toxic heavy metal particles gets washed off and can then end up in the nearest waterway. However, there are a few things you can do to make your car-washing efforts more ocean-friendly. So our next post in our “quarantine-friendly” #MauiEarthMonth2020 series is focused on a few tips for ocean-friendly car washing. The best thing to do is take your car to a commercial car wash, since they use less water and the water is recycled and treated, meaning it doesn’t get into the nearby storm drain. While we’re all under stay at home orders at the moment though, you’re left with washing it at home. Tip #1. Wash it on your lawn. Biological action will help deal with the pollutants rather than sending them directly into a storm drain via the wash water. But once you're done, dump your bucket of excess wash water down the sink or into a toilet anyway. Tip #2. Use a nozzle. This will conserve water, which is always a good thing. Tip #3. Use a nontoxic biodegradable cleanser. We have used Shaklee’s Basic H and it has worked well. It's super concentrated so one bottle will go a long way. However, you won’t see a lot of suds which is FINE. Let Tova tell you why in this video from our first-ever ocean-friendly charity car wash, starting at 2:25. BONUS! Maui residents: post on social media using #MauiEarthMonth2020 and email us a screenshot of your social media post of your kids or yourself washing your car the ocean-friendly way and we’ll send you a gift card to one of Maui’s essential businesses (while supplies last), and will share your photo on our website and social media. Please include the address where we should send the gift card. This particular post in our Earth Month “quarantine-friendly” activities series requires an up-front disclaimer. We must stress that you should be aware of the social distancing rules and guidelines in your given area before doing anything that takes you off of your own property. These rules have been changing, so know before you go; see below for details.
If you need some exercise or want to go fishing and catch dinner, you’re probably still going to the beach and into the ocean while complying with social distancing (which means at the moment, no more than 2 people from a household should be out at one time, please see resources below). We at West Maui Kumuwai have tried to come up with a few activities for you that fit in with the environmental ethics of Earth Day, and could help out with your homeschooling needs.
BONUS (for Maui residents): Post on social media using #MauiEarthMonth2020 and email in a photo (or screenshot of your social media post) of yourself doing any of these things and we’ll send you a gift card to one of Maui’s essential businesses. In addition to some West Maui restaurants (CJ’s Deli & Diner, Sea House at Napili Kai, and Down the Hatch), we have gift cards to Maui Diving Scuba & Snorkel Center, Maui Sporting Goods, West Maui Sports & Fishing Supply, and New Maui Fishing Supply if you need gear. When you email us your photo or a screenshot of your social media post, please tell us which of these places you’d like a gift card for (with your first, second, and third choice), and include your mailing address. We’ll be giving away gift cards while supplies last, and sharing the photos on our website and social media accounts. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: As noted, the rules have been changing, so know before you go. You could easily get cited, but this is really all about protecting each other collectively. For Hawaii, some key sources to check out are the Governor’s proclamations, under Hawaii Revised Statutes section 127-A, and the individual islands’ mayors’ proclamations and media releases. For Maui, the Police Department’s Facebook page links to the latest information, so it’s a great place to start if you’re on Facebook. Let’s face it. This really sucks. It’s traumatic. We can all agree on that. “Normal” is out the window, and we don’t know when we’ll be able to resume whatever will be left of the “normal” we once knew. Hopefully we can make some improvements to the systems that are failing us and create a new, better “normal.” But in the meantime, we’re stuck with whatever this “normal” is, which obviously varies depending on our individual situations. Everyone is being challenged differently, everyone is coping in different ways. Amidst all this, so many people on Maui are stepping up to help others while adhering to the social distancing requirements. That needs to remain our top priority. Recognizing that things are operating differently right now, we at West Maui Kumuwai wanted to assess the situation, to determine what is and is not appropriate for us to be doing at the moment. Seriously, who is *really* thinking about stormwater runoff and land-based pollution right now? *Looks around* Exactly. And that’s fine. However, we know that so many people do care about our environment, and it is Earth Month. So, how can we build some ocean-friendly activities into our current reality, in an unobtrusive way that respects everyone’s priorities and circumstances? We did some “research” of sorts. We looked around, and we noted what people are doing, how they’re doing things differently, and how they’re doing new things. We came up with some ideas we’ll be sharing in more detail through a series of posts on our website throughout the month. Here’s a rundown, based on the new reality in which we find ourselves, of activities you may already be doing, that can be made more ocean-friendly with minimal effort:
Stay tuned. Finally, one thing we will be doing that we wanted to share up front is giving back to the essential businesses that have supported us through the years. Instead of asking local businesses for prize donations this year, we’ll be using the funds that would have supported our public events to purchase gift certificates from places that are still operating at the moment, particularly West Maui restaurants. For starters, we’ll be giving these out as part of an Earth Month activity for kids being homeschooled. Read about how you can participate here; check out all the other posts too to see how you can participate in other #MauiEarthMonth2020 activities and receive a gift card. Below are just a few of the photos from this year's event; for more, check out this album on Facebook Mahalo to the team from AKAKU for covering the event; here is a video produced by AKAKU Youth Exchange Reporters Alax & Zariah Mahalos!
The event was coordinated by partners within the West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative (R2R) and funded by the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources. Additional event support and funding provided by the Coral Reef Alliance, Maui Diving - Scuba & Snorkel Center, and Kohola Brewery. Lunch was generously donated by CJ's Deli & Diner Comfort Zone Restaurant and the Westin Nanea Ocean Villas. The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas also provided recycling containers for the event. Prizes for the scavenger hunt and fishing tournament were generously donated by local Maui businesses, including: All About Fish Maui, Atlantis Submarines Maui, Captain Steve's Rafting Adventures, Down the Hatch, DUO @ The Four Seasons Resort, Duke's Beach House, Honu Seafood & Pizza, Island Press Coffee, Kapalua Ziplines, Ko Restaurant at Fairmont Kea Lani, Leilani's On The Beach, Leoda's Kitchen and Pie Shop, Mahina Boutique, Mala Ocean Tavern, Merriman's Kapalua, Malolo Molokini Snorkeling Tour, Maui Sporting Goods, New Maui Fishing Supply, Sea House Restaurant, Star Noodle, The Snorkel Store, Trilogy Excursions, UFO Parasail & Adventures, West Maui Sports & Fishing Supply, and Whale Trust Mahalo to the Ridge to Reef Hui Tent partners: Hawai‘i DLNR (Department of Land and Natural Resources) - Division of Aquatic Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife, Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement, Marine 30x30 Initiative; Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary; Hui o ka Wai Ola; NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Protected Resources Division; Mauna Kahālāwai Watershed Partnership; Whale Trust; The Nature Conservancy of Hawaiʻi; Hawaii Association for Marine Education and Research, Inc.; Sharkastics; Hawaiian Hawksbill Conservation; Trilogy Excursions Blue'Aina; Maui Nui Marine Resource Council; Coral Reef Alliance; and West Maui Kumuwai Mahalo to Adam Wong and the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources for coordinating the Keiki & 'Ohana Catch & Release Fishing Tournament Mahalo to marine scientist Darla White for leading the reef tour Mahalo to the Kaanapali North Beach Masters Association which manages the privately-owned park where the Ridge to Reef Rendezvous took place Mahalo to the Wednesday evening lecture series speakers: Dr. Ivor Williams, Darla White, Donna Brown, and Ekolu Lindsey Mahalo to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, led by Patty Miller & Amy Eldredge, for coordinating the K-12 student art contest and hosting the Wednesday evening lecture series Mahalo to Maui Diving - Scuba & Snorkel Center for coordinating a fantastic ridge to reef cleanup with over 100 people Mahalo to Kohola Brewery for hosting Science Night, brewing Reef Geeks Hazy IPA in support of the West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative, and throwing a beer release party after the cleanup Mahalo to the University of Hawaii Maui College Marine Option Program for all the help developing and deploying the "Haunted Reef" Mahalo to the Lahaina News for publishing a series of articles linked to the event, and to Maui Now and Malika Dudley for a great video feature Mahalo to event photographer Ananda Stone of Splash Productions for capturing the day so beautifully And finally, mahalo to all the fantastic volunteers who made the event possible: Charley Dofa, Karen & John Seebart, Linda Tesar-Amimoto, Eileen Robb, Jeep Dunning, Lisa Davis, TaylorRose Stone, Sanoma Boynton, Stephanie Pettee, Makayla Richmond, Caroline Sabharwal, Carrie DeMott, Robyn Walters, Joseph deLoache, Lynne Masters, Nancy & John Norman, Larry Boysen, Deborah Johnson, Grover Hatch, Nanette Bowan, Teje , Jim & Cathy Maxwell, and Sheila Murphy Congratulations to the winners of the 4th Annual Keiki & ʻOhana Catch & Release Fishing Tournament!10/26/2019
We had another fantastic event, with 53 young fishers and their families entering the tournament! Mahalo once again to Adam Wong of the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources, for coordinating the event, part of the Ridge to Reef Rendezvous. Prizes for the tournament were generously donated by All About Fish, Maui Sporting Goods, New Maui Fishing Supply, and West Maui Sports & Fishing Supply.
More photos from the tournament can be found in a Facebook album here, and from the overall event, here. Tournament Winners: Papio 1st place: Purnat Durso (5.75”) 2nd place: Aubrey Phillips (5.5”) 3rd place: Kaos Samudio (5.25”) 4th place: Zachary Valdez Jr (5.1”) Other 1st place: Kanoelani Hapakuka (13.75” lai) 2nd place: Aiden Pacheco (10.5” humu) 3rd place: Nash Okano (9.75” hagi) 4th place: Kaleb Okano (9.5” weke) First Fish Kanon Kayyem (7” humu) What a great day with Maui Diving - Scuba & Snorkel Center, Koholā Brewery, and West Maui Kumuwai - over 100 people came out to Mala Wharf to participate in a ridge to reef cleanup, including over 60 divers, followed by a beer release party for Reef Geeks Hazy IPA, a special limited release brew in support of the West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative! Thank you to Maui Diving - Scuba & Snorkel Center and Koholā Brewery for all their support of this year's Ridge to Reef Rendezvous!
More photos and video from the event are posted on our Facebook page. This year we'll be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Kahekili Herbivore Fisheries Management Area! Visit the event pages on Facebook for more information about the Ridge to Reef Rendezvous and the Keiki & 'Ohana Catch and Release Fishing Tournament on October 26th, 2019.
Mahalo to everyone who made this year's celebration such a fantastic success! Check out our Facebook photo album.
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