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First Annual Kona Earth Festival kicks-off with Earth Day. April 22, 2006 Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i The Institute for a Sustainable Future and the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce are proud to announce Kona Earth Festival. The inaugural 2006 Kona Earth Festival, officially named E Pûlama I Ka Honua (Cherish the Earth), is a West Hawai'i community celebration of our natural environment. It presents an opportunity for visitors and residents to build their skills for ethical stewardship of the land and the sea.
The primary goal of the Festival is to raise awareness of and respect for environmental issues in a culturally appropriate context, through fun and productive hands-on activities, tours, conferences, special film events, an Earth Day Fair, and other events. The secondary goal is to raise funds for environmental organizations in the West Hawai'i.
The Kona Earth Festival will consist of several fun, informative, educational, and social activities. The festival kicks-off at 10am on Saturday April 22 with the Festival opening Earth Day Fair and Blessing at the King Kamehameha Luau grounds, and with the Coral Reef Awareness Day at Kahalu'u Beach Park. In addition to the opening day events, the Kona Outdoor Circle will be hosting the Malama Aina clean-up day on Saturday April 29. Malama Aina Day originated six years ago as a joint venture between Kona Outdoor Circle and the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce to encourage the mayor to proclaim this one day a year as an island-wide cleanup day. Also taking place on April 29th is the 12th annual Keiki Surf for the Earth and Beach Clean Up at the beach at Kohanaiki, a day long, fun filled, family event.
The Kona Earth Festival will continue into early May with the Kuleana Business Conference on Thursday, May 4, and the Planet Earth Film Festival Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, May 3, 4, 5 & 7th. Additional events in May include planting Koa trees in the O'oma State Forest in Kaloko on Hualalai mountain on Saturday, May 6, 2006, and Jack's Diving Locker's second annual Ocean Fair on Saturday May 13. Body Glove and Sport Diver magazine kicks-off the 6th annual Kona Classic photography competition from Saturday, May 13 through Saturday, May 21. The final event of the Kona Earth Festival will be the Hawai'i Island Seed Exchange held on June 17th at the Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Captain Cook.
The community is invited to attend all of the events that are distributed through-out the 6 plus weeks of the Festival. Most events are free but a registration fee for the Kuleana Green Business Conference, the Keiki Surf Contest, and tickets for the Planet Earth Film festival will be required. For more information call the Chamber of Commerce at 329-1758 or visit the Festival website at www.konaearthfestival.org.
