The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is a school to surf, get your degree, and experience a whole new culture whilst living on a beautiful tropical island. A small island engulfed into a beautiful motif all on its own. What a school, what an experience! What a vibe.
Many transfer students or those from the mainland, such as myself, came here with the idea that “I can go to class and then hit the beach and swim with the sea turtles.” What totally took away from this breathtaking experience was the trash on the beach. The amount of trash that kept washing up on the shore and groups of people I witnessed littering right in front of me made me appalled.
I quickly began to realize that I wanted to do something to help the environment, to help my new home away from home. I do live here after all. Last weekend I had the opportunity to hike the Mānoa Cliff Trail. What some people do not know is that many of the native plants that can be found on the hike are a part of the forest restoration project. This non-profit organization is led by a very dedicated and special group of botanists that are hoping to clear invasive species and keep the native plant species alive. Once you hike up the trail you will find a gate, beyond this gate is where the magic of planting begins. All volunteer based, but they are very knowledgeable. The volunteers will guide you through what needs to be done and how to do it. From 9 AM to 12 PM, I hiked up the beautiful cliff, cleared invasive ginger root and planted native olonā plants.
This experience got me thinking that if more UH students came to Hawai’i with the mindset of “home” rather than an extended vacation, they could make a significant difference. Maybe it’s not about the mindset of an “extended vacation” but instead about limited resources – so fear not! I have provided a few great volunteer opportunities with local organizations that are very soul-fulfilling.
- 808 cleanups
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A super easy website to navigate with a fairly full, although slightly sparratic schedule. There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer!
- HAWAIIAN OCEAN AMBASSADORS
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Located at Kalama beach, which is fairly close to UH Mānoa, Hawaiian Ocean Ambassadors will provide the same opportunity for a beach clean up – with only a 25 minute car ride from campus!
- Mānoa Cliffs
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This beautiful hike has a non-profit organization with knowledgeable volunteers that are there to see out the mission — keeping invasive species out and planting native plants to keep the culture alive.
If every UH student was required to participate in community service then we could all help this beautiful community that we all got accepted into.