Young students are helping Oahu achieve its goal of planting 100,000 trees by 2025

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Keiki from a public charter school in Honolulu received a firsthand lesson on native Hawaiian plants.

The city has teamed up with students from SEEQS or the School for Examining Essential Questions of Sustainability. Together they planted nearly two dozen new native plants and trees such as Ohia, Mao, Ilima, and Pia.

They are now taking root at the Liliuokalani Botanical Garden in downtown Honolulu.

“It felt good. I really like the feeling of getting dirt under my nails. It felt really good and connected,” said eighth grader Ayu Sumayasa. Giving that back to the country and having the feeling of doing something for it instead of taking it. “

Your work comes after Hawaii‘s Arbor Day. The city hopes that these experiences will create a long-term awareness of the environment among the students.

“Not only do the children get hands-on experience in properly caring for native plants, they also learn how important it is to give something back to their community. We have seen time and time again that involving young people in this process strengthens their relationship with the urban forest and helps foster appreciation for the natural environment at a critical age, ”said Joshlyn Sand, director of the Honolulu Botanical Gardens.

The Liliuokalani Botanical Garden is one of five botanical gardens operated by the city, but it is the only one primarily devoted to the propagation of native Hawaiian plants.

For more information on the city’s efforts to plant 100,000 trees by 2025, Click here.

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