The BYU-Hawaii Service Center recently partnered with the Oahu-based environmental group Sustainable Coastlines to help clean the Kaka'ako waterfront. The project, which was aimed at helping to keep the shoreline clean and beautiful, took place on Saturday, August 10.
In spite of morning rain, students and volunteers teamed together to clean up trash and other debris from the Kaka'ako waterfront park. Participants gathered trash from along the sidewalk and stone sea wall. More than half a large dumpster was filled with trash collected from the project.
“It was really cool,” said Gabriel Gomez, a freshman studying communications from Guatemala. “We should have more service projects like that.”
Amongst the trash, volunteers found many interesting things lodged between the boulders. “I found a dried eel that someone had caught,” said Jordan Tesimale, a senior studying finance from Virginia. “It was well preserved with its razor sharp teeth showing.”
After the beach cleanup, volunteers attended a free concert at an outdoor amphitheater at Kaka’ako, with performances from local groups The Chaotic 5 and Tavana.
Sustainable Coastlines has cleaned up over 36,000 pounds of garbage to date, thanks to the efforts of over 5,000 volunteers. Founded in February of 2011 by surfers, swimmers and ocean enthusiasts, their goal is to inspire “local communities to care for coastlines through hands-on beach clean-ups,” according to its website. They aim to combine education and service with having fun.
“My favorite part of the service project was seeing the community come together and meeting new people,” said Talia Strong, a junior studying psychology from California. “Experiences like that make service projects fun.” After participating in the beach clean-up, she added, “I am hopeful in participating in more [projects] this semester.
Every month the BYU-Hawaii Service Center provides students opportunities to participate in service projects throughout community and island. Past projects include helping Kahuku Hospital, the Hawaii Blood Drive and Hauula Elementary School. For more information and details about upcoming service projects this semester, visit servicecenter.byuh.edu, talk to a member of the Service Center, or visit the BYU–Hawaii Service Center on Facebook.