More than 300 ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY 4th – 11th graders, along with hundreds of other island students, celebrated Earth Day a few days early by participating in Clean Energy Day on Thursday, April 20, at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol. The free event was hosted by the Blue Planet Foundation, a local non-profit group focused on transitioning Hawaiʻi to 100{ecf245a61dbeb35a782c86c44f242cdc7d98fa7632a752b76c5afca81a7454ba} clean energy, while helping to lead the way for similar changes on a global scale.
The public event featured a clean energy rally, clean transportation community fair, and electric vehicle ride & drive. Students participated in a rally at the capitol with guest speakers and student advocates to help push for clean energy transportation legislation, House Bill 1580, which sets a state goal for 100{ecf245a61dbeb35a782c86c44f242cdc7d98fa7632a752b76c5afca81a7454ba} renewable transportation by 2045.
IPA 5th graders, Laʻiku Layaoen and Amelie Kitakis, and IPA 7th grader, Chloe Davis, stepped up and spoke at the rally, in front of an audience of more than 600, about how important a clean future is to them. Students also visited the House and Senate chambers to see what Hawaiʻi legislators do during a legislative session.
“Clean Energy Day was an amazing event in that students learned how crucial making Hawaii 100{ecf245a61dbeb35a782c86c44f242cdc7d98fa7632a752b76c5afca81a7454ba} clean is,” said Alyssa Kuffel, IPA middle school science teacher. Kuffel organized the learning trip by contacting Blue Planet Foundation and securing an invitation for the large contingent of IPA students to attend the event.
Many other activities kept the students busy throughout the morning, including a clean transportation scavenger hunt, activities at booths hosted by community organizations like Hawaiʻi Bicycle League and Bikeshare Hawaiʻi, and a photo-op with the Tesla Roadster!
In addition, students each received a t-shirt and enjoyed lunch on the grounds provided by Blue Planet Foundation.
“As teachers at IPA, we always try to instill in each of our students a sense of responsibility and a commitment to their community, and we want them to know they can make a difference,” said Kuffel. “I think today’s learning trip really helped to reinforce this. I thought our students represented IPA in such a respectful and honorable manner. I hope we can keep Earth Day a tradition here at IPA from here on out! Today was truly a success!”
