Category Archives: sustainability

Ocean Girl Project and Starbucks Team for a Beach Clean Up Saturday April 2nd!

Ocean Girl Project Beach Clean up Saturday April 2, 2011!

In honor of Earth Day, we are hosting an Ocean Girl Project beach clean up Saturday April 2nd at Kaupo Beach aka “cockroach bay” near Makapu’u.

The Starbucks crew have volunteered to join us and will be bringing iced tea. We are  honored and blessed to have them, mahalo!

If you didn’t learn as a kid to surf at this spot or haven’t been to this beach before,   it is almost directly across from Sea Life Park.
There is  parking by beach and on highway, beach bathrooms, showers and usually can find small surf.. overall this is an incredible sustainable and surf  area that needs  your help!!

Bring the church, youth  group, how about your neighbors?? Kids love to be at the beach and help the environment!

OGP Volunteers  will be there about 8:00-8:30 am to set up the tent and water station, reusable water bottles are totally awesome!!!

Beach Clean up will begin around   9am – 11:30am.

From 12pm – 2pm free  lite lunch (until we run out) and awesome sustainable ocean presentations.

You are more then welcome to join in at any time, mahalo.

This event is for all ages and everyone is invited, bring your groups,  class mates, neighbors, friends and family to join us.. Car pooling is encouraged!!!

Ocean Girl Project will be providing gloves, burlap bags, buckets, lite food and drinks. There may be organic products and misc sustainable items sale for sale also.

Strongly Suggest: sun glasses, hats/visors, reef safe sun screen, reusable water bottles.. if you have.. heavy duty gloves, old and new plastic bags for debris.

We are going to be there for most of the day, if you can, bring your surfboards and snorkel gear and hang out on a beautiful and clean Hawaii beach!

Also..if we come up with some soft tops or old beater boards we can do a short surf lesson, we have kids that are interested.

Last if you can -we are looking for surf/sustainable sponsor prizes for the kids.

Please join us on face book for up to date information and further sustainable ocean and kids events. Call Colleen if you need any more info 808.852-0106.

Mahalo ocean girls and guys, you are awesome environmental warriors!

About-Kaupo Beach is on the southeastern end of the Windward Shore of Oahu in Hawaii, south of Makai Research Pier and north of Makapuu Beach Park, opposite the Sea Life Park Hawaii. A little off shore are Manana Island (Rabbit Island) and Kaohikaipu Island (Turtle Island). Kaupo Beach has no strong currents or dangerous coral heads and is popular with local fishermen, swimmers and surfers.

Mana Island is known as ‘Rabbit Island’ as rabbits were raised here until 1994 when they removed as a threat to the surrounding bird breeding areas and ecosystem. The island covers 63 acres and is a volcanic tuff cone island. Mana Island is an important breeding ground for sooty terns, brown noddies, wedge-tailed shearwaters, bulwers petrels and red-tailed tropic birds. Mana Island and the smaller Kaohikaipu Island next to it are both protected bird sanctuaries and closed to the public.

Plastic-filled ocean – a 100% human-caused disaster

The disposable plastic bottle symbolizes waste and litter around the world. But it is not just plastic bottles and careless littering that threaten to turn the oceans from life sustaining to life threatening.

Bottles and bags. Discarded toys, product packaging and cheap holiday decorations. Household and industrial waste of a thousand kinds.

Littered, dropped, dumped. Used despite safer alternatives. Carelessly disposed, improperly managed. Not reduced, not reused and not recycled.

Rolling, blowing, floating and flowing into the world’s oceans.

Plastic waste, and particularly its accumulation and breakdown in the world’s oceans, are a far larger problem than heart disease or cancer, and unquestionably contribute to both of these conditions.

Plastic in the oceans is more damaging and far-reaching than deforestation, habitat destruction and other environmental issues that receive much greater attention. And it is the most directly actionable of all environmental threats.

Plastic stomach contents from a dead albatross

Surf Camp Day 5 Graduation!

Saying Aloha for now..

Laughter, smiles, tears, ocean, Hawaiian style goodies, sustainability and ohana, all part of what Ocean Girl Project is all about! Oh and all kines of surfing!!!!

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Surf Camp days 2-4

Mahalo to all our sponsors!!

We spent the second day surfing near bowls. Some of the surfer girls were rippers, some intermediate and some first timers. Thanks to Pro Surfer Nancy Emerson’s School of Surfing for donating use of the boards, all the girls were safe and did outstanding.

I got a picture of Donna!!

Beautiful pictures done by Donna Welch Photography and in da water photos by Ryo, outstanding work, mahalo again for all your hard work Donna.

The third day was learning stand up paddling and a cool introduction to canoe paddling, plus we played a lot in the ocean.

Colleen, our fearless leader!

Billie one of our terrific volunteers playing with the girls!

The girls LOVED the SUP demo and Jeannie came for a second sess!

Jeannie Chesser teaching SUP! Thanks Surf Tech!!

Hey, a mermaid!

Alanna and Roclynn sharing Hawaiian style canoe paddling.

What can we say, our volunteers are awesome!!!!

Leenie and Billie did this cool sustainable time line and also a circle of life demonstration, we had a terrific discussion on our sustainable responsibilities to the island, ocean and each other. Even Faryn got to join us, congrats again our fabulous official Ocean Girl Project surfing masseuse!!

Our fourth day, more reg-u-lar type surfing at the famous bowls, it got big and we let the rippers go wild, well not too wild, Auntie Colleen wouldn’t let them out to the way over head sets. We had one girl scared to death in the ocean and she rode her first wave thanks to encouragement and help from volunteer Keli Rae, it was inspiring to all of us!! Every one of the newbies rode waves, they were stoked!!!

In-between was more fun and more playing..




We had a wonderful time surfing, beach cleaning, loving, learning. singing and by the end of the week we were ohana.

more soon…Day 5

Marine Debris Art and Awareness – Free Events

Marine debris becomes art in the hands of the dedicated

By Susan Scott

The Fifth International Marine Debris Conference is being held at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort this week. Sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United Nations Environment Program, this meeting gathers international scientists, industry representatives, government managers, policymakers, private organizations and artists to come up with ways of dealing with the plastic junk plaguing our oceans. The conference is sold out, but several marine debris- related events are open to the public, and in this case, trash will be fun. Organizers have gathered ocean junk art from international artists, and Oahu children, for programs and displays.

The subject of marine debris is a gloomy one, but gathering those who can make a difference, raising public awareness and sharing ideas through art are all positive steps forward.

You can support these efforts by going to the free events sponsored by a variety of local and national groups.

Free and open to the public this week:

» Today, 7-9 p.m.: “Bag It” film at cafe/lounge/art gallery Bambu, 1144 Bethel St. (Surfrider Foundation).

» Today through Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. daily: “The Sixth Gyre: Art, Oceans and Plastic Pollution,” on display in the Oahu Room at the Waikiki Beach Marriott.

» Through Thursday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily: “Art and the Ocean, the Architecture of Plastic,” Marine debris art exhibition, UH-Manoa campus, School of Architecture gallery (U.N. Safe Planet Campaign).

» Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m.: Reception at the above UH exhibit featuring film, speakers and entertainment.

» Friday, 4-7 p.m.: Talk by professional surfer Mary Osborne, Patagonia store, Hono­lulu

» Friday, 6-9 p.m.: “Catch the Drift” art, entertainment and educational displays, Ocean Tower lobby, Outrigger Reef on the Beach ($5 valet parking).

» The RAP party itself is not FREE>
Saturday, 6-9:30 p.m.: “Rise Above Plastics (RAP) party,” Waikiki Aquarium and Surfrider Foundation (marine debris art exhibit in lobby open all day and is free to all aquarium visitors).

Susan Scott can be reached at www.susanscott.net.

Picture courtesy NOAA, marine debris on Kahoʻolawe

First Day of Camp 2010

Our first morning at surf camp was incredible, we began in a circle with a Hawaiian blessing, and ten super excited surfers.

We got all mixed up at first, which was really funny and knot easy!

After a heart pumping beach stroll, we got a terrific ocean/water safety lesson by Lifeguard Helene Phillips, assisted by our personal water patrol surf dude Dustin.  I love seeing our surfboards in the back!

The girls swam, did rescues and some had their first paddling lesson. Leia came on the atv and talked to the girls about the importance of what they were learning and how we can use this to better our confidence while surfing.

And we played a little too!

 

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Ocean Girl Project teams with Gifts for Humanity!

You Shop, they Donate !

Every time you order, just select Ocean Girl Project as your good cause and Gifts for Humanity will donate 10% on OGP’s behalf. Think unique Mother’s Day gifts!

Ocean Girl Project is very proud to be a national good cause and team with such an awesome company, Gifts for Humanity!

Support  Ocean Girl Project and shop for wonderful fair trade items!

About Gifts With Humanity a Global Crafts Company
Partners in Fair Trade

Gifts With Humanity is the retail division of Global Fair Trade Crafts Inc DBA Global Crafts. 

Global Crafts was founded in 2002 by Kevin Ward and Renice Jones, who met as volunteer computing teachers in Kenya realized the capacity of the web to help individual artisans.  After three years in Kenya they came to the USA and setup Global Crafts, initially as a small Fair Trade retail store. It soon became apparant that to sell in volume and change the lives of the artisans, the wholesale business would have to grow.

Starting in a garage at home Global Crafts has become a $1 million a year outlet for Fair Trade artisan handicrafts. We look forward to continued growth in the next few years and hope we are making a small difference.

Gifts With Humanity is proud to be a member of the Fair Trade Federation and the World Fair Trade Organization.

The following is an explanation of Fair Trade from the Fair Trade Federations website.

  • Fair trade is a system of exchange that seeks to create greater equity and partnership in the international trading system by
  • Providing fair wages in the local context,
  • Supporting safe, healthy, and participatory workplaces,
  • Supplying financial and technical support to build capacity,
  • Promoting environmental sustainability,
  • Respecting cultural identity,
  • Offering public accountability and transparency,
  • Building direct and long-term relationships, and
  • Educating consumers.
  • FTF members foster partnerships with producers, because they know these connections are a highly effective way to help producers help themselves.

Fair trade is not about charity. It is a holistic approach to trade and development that aims to alter the ways in which commerce is conducted, so that trade can empower the poorest of the poor. Fair Trade Organizations seek to create sustainable and positive change in developing and developed countries.

WFTOFTF Member

Don’t forget, if you are looking for kids sustainable items, please check out Kids Konserve where you can also pick Ocean Girl Project when you check out and they will donate 10% of your sale to help girls in Hawaii!