GALLERY
Kalani Kipuka Kalani`iki* sustainability program founder Stephen Kow with the first class of Kalani Green Teens (see below). Uncle Steven passed away in summer 2016 after an encounter with pancreatic cancer. He faced this challenge with zen spirituality and grace, thinking of family and friends until the end.
This is the only sustainability and Natural Resources/FFA high school program that does not have a typical agricultural facility (farm, shop, greenhouses, agricultural equipment). Our program started with a zero budget in a paint booth and over 7 years we have built a greenhouse and new age maker shop with the support of Kalani HS. Other facilities including a zero environmental impact potting shed were built or donated by community volunteers.
Enterprising teachers and volunteers can effectively teach Natural Resources in any school.
* Kipuka Kalani`iki was named by Kumu Ramsay Taum, who gave us the 21st Century natural resources ag production and conservation model based on the ahupua`a. Along with Winona Rubin, Ramsay taught us how our kuleana is to live pono, and that we must have aloha for ke akua (ancestors and the spiritual), kekahi i kekahi (each other) and the aina (land and environment).
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Kalani Kipuka Kalani`iki* sustainability program founder Stephen Kow with the first class of Kalani Green Teens (see below). Uncle Steven passed away in summer 2016 after an encounter with pancreatic cancer. He faced this challenge with zen spirituality and grace, thinking of family and friends until the end.
This is the only sustainability and Natural Resources/FFA high school program that does not have a typical agricultural facility (farm, shop, greenhouses, agricultural equipment). Our program started with a zero budget in a paint booth and over 7 years we have built a greenhouse and new age maker shop with the support of Kalani HS. Other facilities including a zero environmental impact potting shed were built or donated by community volunteers.
Enterprising teachers and volunteers can effectively teach Natural Resources in any school.
* Kipuka Kalani`iki was named by Kumu Ramsay Taum, who gave us the 21st Century natural resources ag production and conservation model based on the ahupua`a. Along with Winona Rubin, Ramsay taught us how our kuleana is to live pono, and that we must have aloha for ke akua (ancestors and the spiritual), kekahi i kekahi (each other) and the aina (land and environment).
This
f
K
Green Teens have moved on to careers and colleges including USC, the University of Washington, Hiroshima University and the University of Hawaii
Areas of study and interest include international studies and activism, mechanical engineering and computer science
The Green Teens was the successful proof of concept leading to institutionalizing sustainability studies at Kalani High School
Areas of study and interest include international studies and activism, mechanical engineering and computer science
The Green Teens was the successful proof of concept leading to institutionalizing sustainability studies at Kalani High School
2010
FROM GREENHEART EDUCATION:
The point here isn't that schools should only teach to the naturalist intelligence. Indeed, we should be teaching to all eight (or nine) intelligences. But picture a school (and they exist already) where the natural environment becomes the classroom and Nature becomes one of the teachers. Even students who don't exhibit "nature smarts" will become more attuned and connected to the world around them. And as many wise people have said, we can't save something we don't love, and we can't love something we don't know. Don't we owe it to our students to help them develop their naturalist intelligence?
A MORE EXTREME VIEW (that does not dispute the importance of technology)
Discussion points on "Last Child in the Wilderness" by Richard Louv, a book about the need for connecting with the natural world.
Nature-deficit disorder is not a medical condition; it is a description of the human costs of alienation from nature. This alienation damages children and shapes adults, families, and communities. There are solutions, though, and they're right in our own backyards. Last child in the Woods is the first book to bring together cutting-edge research showing that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development—physical, emotional, and spiritual.
"I like to play indoors better 'cause that's where all the electrical outlets are," reports a fourth-grader. Never before in history have children been so plugged in—and so out of touch with the natural world. In this groundbreaking new work, child advocacy expert Richard Louv directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today's wired generation—he calls it nature deficit—to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as rises in obesity, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and depression.
See "Types of Learners" for information on Gardner's Nine Intelligences
The point here isn't that schools should only teach to the naturalist intelligence. Indeed, we should be teaching to all eight (or nine) intelligences. But picture a school (and they exist already) where the natural environment becomes the classroom and Nature becomes one of the teachers. Even students who don't exhibit "nature smarts" will become more attuned and connected to the world around them. And as many wise people have said, we can't save something we don't love, and we can't love something we don't know. Don't we owe it to our students to help them develop their naturalist intelligence?
A MORE EXTREME VIEW (that does not dispute the importance of technology)
Discussion points on "Last Child in the Wilderness" by Richard Louv, a book about the need for connecting with the natural world.
Nature-deficit disorder is not a medical condition; it is a description of the human costs of alienation from nature. This alienation damages children and shapes adults, families, and communities. There are solutions, though, and they're right in our own backyards. Last child in the Woods is the first book to bring together cutting-edge research showing that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development—physical, emotional, and spiritual.
"I like to play indoors better 'cause that's where all the electrical outlets are," reports a fourth-grader. Never before in history have children been so plugged in—and so out of touch with the natural world. In this groundbreaking new work, child advocacy expert Richard Louv directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today's wired generation—he calls it nature deficit—to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as rises in obesity, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and depression.
See "Types of Learners" for information on Gardner's Nine Intelligences
2012
Left: Hens in Pen made of a futon frame, Middle: Parliamentary Team at Hawaii Environmmental Ed Alliance (HEEA) Fair, Right: Lexie learning simple DC circuits with laser-cut scrap plywood tiles
2013
Urban rangers operating large exoskeleton robots (skid steer loaders)
Left: Kobi Gima testing Skid Steer (a 3 ton robot), Right: Haunani being coached by Kalani NR Teacher Mrs. Alexis "Koko" Jinbo-Doran
2014
Kalani FFA Parliamentary Procedure team led by Chairperson Chad Sloggett
Chad received a full ride scholarship to Chapman
Chad received a full ride scholarship to Chapman
Maker Builds