[intro music] HIKI NŌ, Hawai‘i's   New Wave of Storytellers.

Aloha.

Welcome to HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

Aloha and welcome to this episode of HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

My name is Mikayla Bloom and I am a sophomore at Kaiser High School on O‘ahu.

We have a great show for you.

In this episode,   I have the honor of revealing the winning entries of HIKI NŌ’s 2024 Spring Challenge competition.

Three times a year during fall, winter and spring,   HIKI NŌ challenges student reporters to produce stories in just five days.

These contests are called Challenges, and take it from me, it's a whirlwind experience.

Usually, students have weeks to work on projects for HIKI NŌ.

We also have guidance from professional HIKI NŌ mentors.

But during these Challenges, students are on their own to film and produce stories on their campus or in their community.

The stories they produced and what they have accomplished in just five days is really impressive.

For this year’s Spring Challenge, the call was for videos based on the prompt Climate Change: Mauka to Makai, Our Kuleana.

The prompt was inspired by PBS National’s initiative to amplify local efforts around climate change.

At PBS Hawai‘i, we are elevating this issue by spotlighting innovative climate solutions across the state, as told by our students.

People tell me that I have a lot of potential and that my future looks bright.

My kuleana is to fulfill my potential and the promise of that future.

But under the threat of climate change, whose kuleana is it to ensure that there will even be a future?

It's our kuleana.

That's why PBS Hawai‘i is launching a statewide initiative featuring stories of hope and positive impact in addressing climate change, mauka to makai, our kuleana.

To get involved and become part of the solution, go to PBSHawaii.org/maukatomakai.

For this student competition, the panel of HIKI NŌ judges selected stories that met the prompt and were produced with technical skill and storytelling savvy.

HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i wanted students to take a closer look at climate related challenges and solutions in Hawai‘i's communities and to learn more about how people are coming together to embrace responsibility for future generations.

All right, I'm eager to watch the winning entries.

Let's start with the Honorable Mention from our middle school division.

In the middle school division of the 2024 HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i Spring Challenge, receiving an honorable mention is Highlands Intermediate School on O‘ahu.

Congratulations.

This piece exemplifies how looking to the past could help in the future.

The student reporters take us to a traditional Hawaiian fishpond on O‘ahu’s eastern shore.

The fishpond is all about having things in balance, and so climate change is upsetting that balance.

Climate change presents significant challenges that impact the environment from mauka to makai.

Keli‘i Kotubetey, Assistant Executive Director at the He‘eia fishpond on O‘ahu, shares how weather patterns affect the fishponds and its entirety.

We've been monitoring our fishpond for the past 20 years or so, and, as well as the state, has been monitoring coral and fish populations out in Kaneohe Bay.

So, when we pull our information together, we see some alarming trends.

And all of these things contribute to making the environment more challenging for our native fish and seaweed species and actually more helpful for invasive species.

Climate change affects us here at our fishpond seasonally, so during the summer, climate change has been contributing to hotter temperatures.

Therefore, hotter air temperatures and drier days, which is not good for the life that lives inside the pond.

Living in the pond can prove to be difficult for marine life.

We're having to deal with a loss of freshwater resources, not even just from the disruption in rain because of extreme weathers, but because of the quality of the ‘āina that traditionally is supposed to filter that water.

I think Hawaiian fishponds are gonna sustain, be sustained, and subsist and continue on into the future as long as there's people who care about this place, as long as there are families and friends and networks of people who are committed to seeing this place thrive.

Climate change impacts it definitely on the physical level in terms of sea level rise and storms and floods.

Understanding climate change begins with knowing how our kupuna managed this pond in the past to give us a baseline understanding of what it takes to take care of the pond, because we’ve got to start somewhere.

We got to have our feet set in the ground so that we know where we're going.

We want to have a healthy and productive fishpond; we want to have healthy and productive communities.

Having kuleana is important, just like finding ways to stop climate change.

But how?

I think it's our kuleana as adults, but especially kumu, to help guide new leaders.

Really small decisions that we can make that almost feel like they're not making a difference.

It’s our responsibility to make sure that you folks and our other future leaders have the tools and the resources and the support that you folks need.

It's really going to be up to you guys.

This is Kaylee Masuoka from Highlands Intermediate School reporting for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

In the high school division of the 2024 HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i Spring Challenge, receiving an honorable mention is James Campbell High School on O‘ahu.

Congratulations.

There's a teacher at Campbell High who is providing real life lessons of sustainability right on campus in the school garden.

I think the word is starting to get overused, mālama ‘āina, taking care of the land and it takes care of us.

A big part of mālama ‘āina is really getting involved.

Our responsibility, because we live here, our island’s so small, we got to take care of our resources, otherwise, we're literally not going to have it.

Jessica Watarai-Ordillo, a teacher at James Campbell High School, hopes to share her passion of agriculture with her students.

When I was in high school, I joined agriculture at my alumni school, and we always were in the garden, we always were interested about plants, we always took care of plants, and we always got to bring home like, vegetables and anything we grew.

And so over time, I learned to love growing plants, and then that transitioned into college.

And then a lot of what I did in college was sustainability and environmental awareness.

And so, through that, it made me learn that I wanted to be a teacher to give the same type of passion that I had in high school and through college to the next generation, to my students, I don't have to address climate change too much because it's addressed a bunch of the science classes.

So, the way I address climate change is a little bit different.

I addressed it towards sustainability.

And then another thing I like to do for climate change, this is more of something I personally do; anything we grow in the garden, I force my kids to eat it for two reasons.

One, it's a life skill thing.

I want my kids to learn to be part of the uncomfortable.

They need to learn to eat things that they're not used to, otherwise they're going to be limited on what they can and can't have.

And because of climate change, there's actually going to be things like, that we have now, we won't be able to have in the next 30, 40 years to eat.

So, if you aren't trying things now, you're never gonna have that opportunity to eat it then.

Her passion started from high school and has since followed her.

Now she shares her message of mālama ‘āina the importance of taking care of the environment.

Obviously, for us, we live on an island, and for us, we only have so many resources.

So, if we don't take care of what we have now, the longest part is going to be in the future.

So, for example, if Costco were to shut down and couldn't bring over the Matson containers, we would only have two to three weeks left of food and resources.

But our state, we have so much land that we're able to provide for our state.

It's just we got to learn to take care of our resources so we can keep doing that.

Our responsibility is making sure that not just us taking care of it, but also the next generation starts taking care of it, and they learn to work hard to take care of it.

As we're getting into a new age of technology, a lot less people are wanting to get into careers of farming.

A lot of our responsibility is more awareness, getting everyone connected back.

Because right now we're starting to have a huge disconnect.

If you guys plan to live here the rest of your life, if you're not doing one small thing to help towards your community or growing something for yourself at home, you're always going to have a disconnect, and it's going to be that huge separation for the next generation if you don't learn.

This is Lucas Roberts from James Campbell High School for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

In the middle school division of the 2024 HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i Spring Challenge, receiving third place is Honouliuli Middle School.

Congratulations.

These middle school students take us to the grounds of a nonprofit on O‘ahu that is making major strides in helping local residents reuse and recycle materials.

Let's watch.

Reuse Hawai‘i is a nonprofit organization founded in the Big Island and O‘ahu, one in Kona and one in Kaka‘ako.

Their goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and recycle used furniture to stop having to rely on imports from the mainland.

Raymond Sanchez works in the receiving department.

He picks up deconstruction materials from donations from volunteers put into the store to be reused by customers.

Well, some solutions to help Hawai‘i’s communities is actually, you know, reusing materials.

I go through them, keep as much waste out of the landfills house as possible.

I get to participate in the company's mission is going through materials that are unusable and usable.

Re-use Hawai‘i is dedicated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Hawai‘i.

From customers to staff, they take on responsibility to help reduce climate change.

By reducing these things and keeping them out of the waste, landfills and all that stuff, you know, whatever the case may be to, you know, do things like this, you know, maybe even a Re-use on every island.

I support Re-use Hawai‘i because I believe we live on an island, and if materials are reusable, then we shouldn't be putting them in the landfill.

So today, I actually bought 20 boxes of beautiful brand-new tile that otherwise because wouldn’t be shipped to Hawai‘i.

I think Re-use Hawai‘i is special because they have really good cause.

I think keeping pollution at a minimum is very important, especially here in Hawai‘i.

Keeping things out of the landfills and keeping the environment safe and all of that is very important for us.

It's good to be able to re-use things that other people have no use for.

Recycling is a brilliant thing, I believe.

Re-use Hawai‘i through all its efforts has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 583 tons per year.

This shows the dedication that goes into his project by not just having to workers help with the problem, but the customers reusing items to not let them go to waste.

This is Jimmy Pollara reporting from Honouliuli Middle School for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

In the high school division of the 2024 HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i Spring Challenge, receiving third place is Kea‘au High School on Hawai‘i Island.

This story focuses on the health of our coral   reefs and what clues it provides about the health of our planet.

In a world where temperatures are rising at an alarming rate, coral reefs are facing a critical threat.

With 30-50% of coral reefs already lost due to climate change, the urgency to act has never been greater.

Data shows that without significant action, 90% of the world's coral reefs will be threatened by 2050.

We interviewed Justin Umholtz who is an educator at the Mokupapapa Discovery Center in downtown Hilo to find more about coral bleaching and the damage it’s doing to the environment.

Coral reefs, one, are a huge barrier to storms.

So, they're protecting our shorelines from big storm surge.

They're like the center of the ecosystem here.

So, they're that source of food and shelter, nutrient cycling.

Without them, we wouldn't have a lot of the nearshore that we do.

And it's the coral reef that even is building the islands out there.

It's this incredibly amazing place.

It's full of abundance.

Coral, you know, reacts to a lot of different stressors.

But ocean temperature, thermal stress is a huge one.

Climate change is really the big driver.

As we see ocean temperatures spike beyond what corals are used to, the symbiotic microalgae that's in their tissues that gives them these beautiful colors gets expelled.

And so, they go through a process of what's called bleaching.

They lose that algae and unfortunately, they lose a lot of the food energy that they get.

Climate change is driving more frequent kind of heat stress events in the ocean and causing bleaching more frequently.

And even sometimes if it stays hot long enough, just straight up mortality death of the coral polyps.

But what can we do here locally?

How can we add a little bit of speed to the adaptation or evolution of species so they can adapt to it as well?

Coral farming is one of the current terms that we're talking about.

Corals that are much more resilient that can handle the heat stress, and then figuring out what are the best ways to grow them out in an aquaculture setting and then ways to reintroduce them to the reef so that they have a high success in surviving and establishing new reef.

Take corals that are doing the best and help them grow out and spread fastest and then add them back into the coral reef so that we have much more kind of genetically resilient corals.

Regardless of what we do at this point, we're going to see that heat stress lasts for a while, because even if we make dramatic changes, the ocean is such a buffer.

Now that it's showing those heat stresses, it's just going to take longer for it to change again.

Here in Hawai‘i, our coral reefs have been more resilient compared to other areas due to limited rainfall and freshwater replenishment into our soils and oceans.

This is Sophia Luetticke-Archbell from Kea‘au High School for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

In the middle school division of the 2024 HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i Spring Challenge, receiving second place is Āliamanu Middle School.

Congratulations.

In this story, student reporters take a closer look at how the community is working together to restore O‘ahu’s Ala Wai Canal.

We might even get to swim in it one day.

Let's find out more.

[Hawaiian] Caring for the Earth has deep roots in the Hawaiian culture.

The concept of mālama ‘āina tells us that if we care for, preserve, and protect the land and environment, we will be able to sustain life for generations to come.

Students from Āliamanu Middle School are taking responsibility and caring for their ‘āina.

Mr. Pelayo, a teacher at Āliamanu Middle School believe that teaching the younger generation about caring for their island is a necessary lesson.

He partnered up with the Genki Ala Wai Project for unit on bioremediation in his STEM class, where students can started genki balls.

But what is a genki ball?

Okay, so again, a genki ball is a mud ball that our students in AVID and in our STEM classes have made that have beneficial bacteria in there.

And what it does is after two weeks, they grow and then when we go into the canal, we throw it into the canal, it sinks to the bottom, and it digests the sludge.

So, it breaks apart the sludge which has all the harmful pathogens and things like that, and that's how it helps clean the canal.

Elders recall the times they used to swim in the canal.

Nowadays it is too dangerous to swim in.

They can only use the canal for canoeing and other recreational activities.

The Ala Wai Canal was made to control flooding from nearby mountain streams.

Urbanization has brought problems including runoff from the streets, trash and chemicals from industrial areas and growing neighborhoods.

It has filled the Ala Wai with bacteria, heavy metals, pesticides and other pollutants.

Thus, the Genki Ala Wai project was born.

After making over 1,000 Genki balls, the students were ready to release them in the Ala Wai.

Community members also participated in the concluding activity.

The Genki balls are having an amazing impact.

You already can smell less awful smells, but it really is cleaning up the area.

So far, it's pretty fun.

I like throwing the balls in the Ala Wai Canal.

It's definitely a good learning opportunity and it's good community service.

The Genki balls’ impact may be small on climate change.

However, the bigger picture is that the future generation now has the knowledge and ability to keep their ‘āina clean and healthy.

This is Lorelle Raines from Āliamanu Middle School for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

Coming in second place in the high school division of the 2024 HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i Spring Challenge is Pearl City High School on O‘ahu.

Congratulations.

There was another entry in the high school division that also explored the community effort to restore the Ala Wai.

The judges were impressed by the team's reporting and production skills.

Let's watch.

If we're not going to do it, who else?

The Ala Wai here on the island of O‘ahu is not only an eyesore, but also harming Waikiki’s natural ecosystems, and in turn, O‘ahu’s waterways.

We are all connected, aren't we?

Yeah.

And our waterways all need help.

No matter where you are, you are connected to one, at least one waterway, and all the water eventually gets to the ocean.

The water will wrap around the island, so no matter where you are, the water here will touch the shore over there.

And so, we are connected by water.

We need to clean our waterways.

With the rising sea levels because of climate change, the pollution in the Ala Wai is seeping into ocean waters and affecting residents in the area now more than ever.

Genki Balls — they're designed to eat the sludge from the Ala Wai Canal.

And in return, it makes the water cleaner, much more fresh, which means one, plants and water based vegetation can grow, providing more oxygen to the ecosystem.

And two, it provides a nice place for people to fish and even to swim.

And three, it just looks nicer.

The Genki balls are able to work due to a batch of microbes that are nontoxic and able to clear the area of sludge, but there's still a long way to go.

We have just started the project in 2019.

We have thrown in perhaps about 120,000-plus Genki balls.

And our goal is to throw in 300,000, and with the 300,000 we are saying that it will clean the waterway so that it is fishable and swimmable.

That's why we need to take initiative, I feel like, to help out the environment.

You need to take responsibility, because then again I feel like it's always better to be the one that takes that first step than to wait for others to take that first step.

Water is our most precious resource that we have, and we need to take care of it.

It's our kuleana, Kobayashi says, to keep O‘ahu and its waterways clean for everyone.

For HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i, this is Sophia Santos reporting.

Coming in first place in the middle school division of the 2024 HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i Spring Challenge is Maui Waena Intermediate School on Maui.

Students take us behind the scenes at an organic farm on Maui, where its caretakers tell us about the interconnectedness of farming and preserving our unique home.

The landscape just can't handle those kinds of changes so drastically.

Here at Noho‘ana Farms, the people work together   to utilize the land and nurture the ‘āina, fighting for a better future.

I would say we are contributing by our techniques and practices, the use of water is a big one.

We have begun the process of bringing native life back to this place by first helping to advocate for the restoration of our streams and other streams in our area of Nā Wai 'Ehā.

Climate change has become a rising concern.

According to Hawai‘i.gov, 90% of Hawai‘i receives less rainfall than it did a century ago.

Climate change has definitely impacted not only Maui, but the entire pae ‘āina of Hawai‘i.

Our streams are not flowing as they once did, and all of that has to do with again, the impacts of climate change outside.

It's an overall pae ‘āina wide issue that we all have to be involved in helping to protect, to preserve, and to steward these resources in a way that allows them to exist and to thrive in perpetuity.

As climate change accelerates,   it's not just the environment at risk.

It's our childrens’ future too.

When you do actions, you're not thinking of how this will affect me.

You're thinking of how will this affect my childrens’ childrens’ children?

And we want them to be able to do the things we do.

Part of that awareness and education is bringing haumana and students up to the farm.

My wish is that the next generation becomes more engaged with the ‘āina in their own space.

Noho‘ana Farm strives to inspire the community to do their part.

This is Sarah Rosete from Maui Waena Intermediate School for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

And now coming in first place of the high school division of the 2024 HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i Spring Challenge… Kapa‘a High School on Kaua‘i!

The judges were impressed by the reading and production of the story, which features an organization that focuses on increasing local food production and access for Kaua‘i residents.

Check it out.

One of the things that was really important in this facility is making sure that we can get to a point where we are living our mission of sustainability and to mālama this place.

And so, climate change is definitely at the front of our minds.

Mālama Kaua‘i is a nonprofit organization that implements sustainable local farming and is also one of the industry partners here at Kapa‘a High School.

Mālama Kaua‘i was the liaison for the Garden and Cafeteria Program for the island of Kaua‘i.

I think what's really important is we first kind of understand the new verbiage around climate change.

I think most scientists are calling it a climate crisis now.

In an effort to contribute to environmental solutions, Mālama Kaua‘i hosted multiple community-based programs with a focus on education.

So, we really have a focus on trying to compost and then recycle and really try to reduce the landfill.

We also keep an eye on how much water usage is being used.

We’re 98% solar.

We try to organize all of our deliveries to be efficient so that way we're not using up too much gas.

With conservation and efficiency as top priorities, Mālama Kaua‘i sees it as their kuleana to assist   local farmers in connecting directly with people who could use a source of quality food.

Our impact in our community is in our weekly delivery services.

Our drivers are helping to feed over 100 families on island from Kekaha to Hā‘ena.

They have a really personal touch, and a lot of people are so grateful for the nutritious food that they're receiving.

It really helps the community to have everything just be local and you're eating from the land that you're on.

You're not eating stuff that's from the mainland that shipped for two weeks on a boat.

Reducing carbon emissions by sourcing locally has a substantial effect on our footprint.

Like we're literally day to day, our consumptive habits are only growing.

The level of commercialism and hyper consumerism in our society is just increasing and increasing.

There's hasn't really been a check yet.

But we need to start making really kind of conscious decisions.

Thinking about the future can help us make better choices today.

It's important for the next generation that we all really do our part and that we take the time to educate ourselves in what the world may be like in 30 years, in 50 years.

It is imperative that you guys educate yourselves, either push your local representatives, or actually run for office, and then move into positions of power and don't forget where you came from.

This is Kristian Paleracio from Kapa‘a High School for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

Well, that's our show.

I can't wait to see what comes in the next Challenge.

In the meantime, you’ll be seeing more stories from us soon.

Thanks for watching the work of Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

Don't forget to subscribe to PBS Hawai‘i on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

You can find this HIKI NŌ episode and more at pbshawaii.org.

Tune in next week for more proof that Hawai‘i students HIKI NŌ, can do.

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