Why are honey bees important in Hawaii? What percentage of our food is imported to Hawaii? Which of the following is not considered a source of renewable biofuels? a) agriculture crops b) crude oil deposits c) algae d) wastewaterAnswers: Pollinate all types of plants, 80%, b. crude oil deposits
Did you know the answers? More than 550 fifth graders from schools around Oahu explored these questions and more at Agricultural and Environmental Awareness Day, held March 5, 2009 at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources’ Urban Garden Center in Pearl City. The students embarked on a fun-filled voyage of discovery, investigating how agriculture and environmental science affect their lives and can shape their future. More than 35 presenters and exhibitors from CTAHR’s departments and programs, Honolulu Community College, the Hawaii Nature Center, the Board of Water Supply, Hawaii Future Farmers of America, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s Plant Quarantine Branch, and many other organizations helped the students examine important issues in agriculture and natural resource management. The kids encountered invasive species that damage the locally grown crops they eat, the houses they live in, and the delicate island ecosystems that surround them. They learned the value of beekeeping and biofuels, vegetables and vermiculture (composting with worms). At the same time, they met enthusiastic professionals engaged in a broad spectrum of agricultural and environmental science careers, experiencing firsthand what it might be like to be an entomologist, biotechnologist, animal scientist, or nutritionist.
As they visited the various exhibits and sessions, the students completed an Agricultural and Environmental Awareness Day quiz to reinforce what they’d learned. Congratulations to the fifth graders from Maemae Elementary, who earned the highest averaged score on the quiz! CTAHR is rewarding this outstanding effort by throwing the students a pizza party.
This year’s Awareness Day, the third held on Oahu, was well covered by local media. KHNL, K5, and KITV broadcast several news items on the event, and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin published photographs.
Now in its thirteenth year, The Agricultural and Environmental Awareness Day has become a Kauai tradition, and the event’s success has led CTAHR to expand the program to Oahu. Agricultural and Environmental Awareness Day was also held on March 13, 2009 at the Maui Tropical Plantation through the collaboration of CTAHR’s Maui County Office and the Maui Farm Bureau with funding from the County of Maui. The college also hopes to host future Agricultural and Environmental Awareness Days on Hawaii island once renovations at the Komohana facilities in Hilo are completed so students in all four counties can learn more about what they eat, where they live, and who they can become.
