Kaimuki Cleanup Festival & Night Market celebrates sustainability on Sept. 30

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Kaimuki is not by the beach but nonprofit Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii says cleaning up the urban neighborhood shows everyone can protect our shores no matter where they live.

“All of our storm drains drain to the ocean, all of our rivers drained to the Ala Wai straight into the ocean. And so if we clean up upstream, we start helping people understand that connection on a higher level, what you do upstream effects downstream. So if we clean up the stream, and if we clean up the streets, then we’re stopping the pollution from getting to the ocean,” said Rafael Bergstrom, Executive Director of Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii. He joined HNN’s Sunrise Weekends to talk about sparking a connection of caring for oceans and raising awareness of the impact of our actions.

Sustainable Coastlines, a non-profit devoted to preserving and cleaning our coastlines, is hosting its 3rd annual Kaimuki Cleanup and Night Market at Aliiolani Elementary School on Sept. 30 from 3-8 p.m.

Volunteers can choose from three different activities, including a neighborhood cleanup in Kaimuki, a restoration workshop at Palolo Stream, and removing large debris from the stream.

The public can enjoy a night market from 6-8 p.m. with live music featuring Creative Natives Hawaii, food trucks, educational booths, local shops and opportunities for giveaways.

Sustainable Coastlines has removed over half a million pounds of debris from Hawaii coastlines with the help of volunteers and community leaders.

For more information, visit donate.sustainablecoastlineshawaii.org.

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