Welcome to our Fall 2011 students!

We're so excited to have 20 new students in our Fall 2011 Hawai'i Green Collar Institute program. We're fortunate to have high school students from Kapolei, Nanakuli, Waipahu, and Wai'anae high schools and Kamaile Academy. They're so much fun!

We started the morning with a kick-off presentation by John Leong, Executive Director of Kupu Hawai'i. He talked about how he got started in the conservation field as an intern. Now he runs a for-profit business and a non-profit, which combined employ more than 50 people.

After lunch at Cafe Ka'aha'aina at the Wai'anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and hearing from owner Mark Ka'aha'aina about why he runs a cafeteria at a health center, we went to MA'O Farms, which provides the Cafe with fresh produce.

There at MA'O, we met with Kamuela Enos, Director of Social Enterprise.  He related well to the students and inspired some of them to try organic farming. At MA'O, students can earn money as well as get free college tuition at Leeward Community College . . .but they have to work hard and start at 5 am 3 days a week!

There was a lot to think about regarding green careers and their role in helping to make Hawai'i more sustainable.