Encouraging Visitors to Mālama I Ke Kai with The Kahala Hotel & Resort

The Coral Resilience Lab is partnering with the Kahala Hotel & Resort to educate visitors how to Mālama I Ke Kai. We hope this program will be a small, initial step toward a much larger issue that impacts both local communities and the environment. These programs are fully funded by the KISCA (Kahala Initiative for Sustainability, Culture, & The Arts) Department, where hotel guests can “opt-in” to pay an optional small fee, thereby allowing all programs to be completely complementary for all kama’āina. 

As the tourism industry in Hawaiʻi was rebuilding after initial COVID-19 shut downs, we proposed to use this opportunity to improve the relationships between locals, tourists, and natural resources by strengthening the effort to educate visitors how to mālama i ke kai (take care of the ocean) while gaining local and traditional knowledge. Hawai’i’s dependence on tourism has become often a one-sided relationship, in which many feel the industry takes from the environment while giving nothing in return. We hope these programs will be a first step towards providing better balance between tourists and kama’āina to support the local environment.

Our main goals are to 1) foster awareness to visitors about minimizing impacts to coral reefs and 2) encourage visitors to care about our ocean resources by sharing Hawaiʻi’s unique history and resource management strategies. By providing these opportunities to acquire knowledge of current environmental topics, as well as gaining values, attitudes, and skills needed to protect and improve Hawaiʻi’s ecosystem, we hope to encourage new patterns of behavior that can be reflected in improved relationships and environmental conditions.

Developing Research-Community-Industry-Cultural Partnerships

Before starting our environmental programs, we spent time getting to know various environmental and cultural organizations in the Kahala-Wai’alae area. Beginning to develop partnerships with the community was an important starting point because we wanted to design the program narratives based on community input and what local people want to share with visitors coming into their neighborhood. These conversations remain ongoing throughout program development and we continue to grow relationships with the intention of establishing community and cultural knowledge behind the activities. This process is open to others interested in joining the conversation. 

Hotel-Based Activities

We believe that the ‘ōlelo no’eau, ma ka hana ke ‘ike (through doing one learns) is the best method to teach. We host activities such as our weekly Touch Tank and Coral Education events, weekly ocean-themed Keiki Art classes, and monthly research seminars.

Research Seminar Series

The Sunset Seminar Series are casual monthly talks to engage the public on efforts being done to protect and preserve Hawai‘i’s environment and culture. While hotel guests are also welcome to attend, these events are intended to create a space of learning for the community to come together. Complimentary parking, pupus, and non-alcoholic beverages are included for each event. Link to sign up here, or follow the link on the website.

Educational Video

This introductory educational video provides place-based environmental and cultural information regarding the Kahala’s unique position within the Kahala-Wai’alae region, featuring messages from regional non-profits Mālama Maunalua, Ko’olau Mountains Watershed Partnership (KMWP), and Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center. The goal of this video was to create a consistent message that brings awareness about Hawai’i’s natural resources while giving helpful do’s and don’ts for visitors. Since the video’s release in Spring 2022, the educational video has been playing in every guest room upon arrival. 

Keiki Art

By offering ocean-centered art activities and lessons every Wednesday from 3:30pm-5:30pm, we hope that we will begin to foster environmental stewardship in our keiki. The goal with this activity is to include all ages, especially empowering younger generations and teaching them the importance of taking care of the earth. While in a positive, relaxing, and welcoming learning environment doing drawing and painting, students simultaneously learn lessons about the ocean, weather, forests, marine life, and other ideas of sustainability. The goal is to normalize having conversations about protecting our natural resources. All classes are complementary with validated parking for locals. Classes begin with ocean-themed free-draw and are followed by the main painting and/or other arts and crafts project. 

Touch Tank and Coral Educational Events

Every Friday from 10am-noon, we set up a pop-up educational booth with a live invertebrate touch tank and coral educational activities. The goal of these events is to foster casual conversations about marine science in an easily accessible and well-trafficked area of the hotel (ex. by the pool and Seaside Grill restaurant). During these few hours, guests can come talk story about Hawaiʻi’s coral reef ecosystem and how they can be respectful to the life it inhibits during their visit. Brittle stars, a sea urchin, a sea cucumber, and hermit crabs are brought over from the HIMB educational center’s tank for the few hour event and then returned afterwards. Many visitors are not aware of the laws that protect Hawaiʻi’s marine environment, such as maintaining a distance from monk seals and turtles, as well as why coral is an important animal that should be protected and valued. While the event tends to initially attract kids, the participant data has shown that there are almost twice the amount of adults who participate as well. This type of experiential “hands-on” learning has been found to produce deeper levels of acquired knowledge since it creates memories that anchor learning to emotions, thereby forming a sensory and engaging learning experience that will be remembered long-term.