The following is adapted from an article in the April 2022 Goji newsletter.
April 22 is Earth Day, and April is Earth Month. Here are some thematic events at Hawaii Betsuin!
4/16: “Our Interdependent Lives: Food Waste and Sustainability” (Zoom)
On Saturday, April 16, 10 a.m. HST, Buddhist Churches of America and Honpa Hongwaji Mission of Hawaii team up to present an educational Zoom event on food waste reduction. Speaking from Hawaii Betsuin on composting with worms will be Mindy Jaffe, co-founder and coordinator of Windward Zero Waste School Hui and the owner of Waikiki Worm Company. Speaking from Seattle will be Ron Hamakawa, a manager in food and nutrition services, about how Seattle Betsuin went 100% compostable for their major Bon Odori event.
The emcee will be Koki Atcheson, and an opening and closing by Shin Buddhist ministers Rev. Blayne Higa and Rev. Don Castro will help make the connection to the dharma. Event duration is estimated at 1 hr. & 45 minutes, including Q&A.
Please register to receive the Zoom link and options to attend in person at Hawaii Betsuin.
Registration link: http://honpahi.link/foodwaste
More information: https://hawaiibetsuin.org/event/bca-hhmh-food-waste-zoom-041622/
Jointly sponsored by Buddhist Churches of America’s Social Welfare Committee and Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii’s Committee on Social Concerns
4/15-4/17: Trees, Please!
Hawaii Betsuin’s Social Concerns/Green Team is offering native trees and plants for Betsuin pickup free to Betsuin families on April 15, 16, and 17 as part of our Earth Day celebrations in April. We will offer three categories of hardy, easy-care plants – native trees, native shrubs/groundcover, and non-native (non-invasive!) useful plants. Adopt a native plant free for home planting or for gifting – consider giving a native tree as a birthday present! More information is available at https://hawaiibetsuin.ort/treesplease. Plant a tree, raise a kid, save a planet! If you are interested in adopting a free plant for Earth Day or in helping with the care and handling during distribution, please contact Steve Lohse, lohse@hawaii.edu.
4/17: Combined Earth Day Service (hybrid Zoom & in person)
On Sunday, April 17, 9:30 a.m. HST our 6th annual Earth Day Service, a combined Zoom and in-person service with Dharma School and adults. Dennis Sekine will do a Kamishibai-style reading of a children’s story about reuse for the children’s message, and Kamuela Enos of the UH Office of Indigenous Innovation and his Miwa Tamanaha, Artist-in-Residence in Community Building at Hawai’i Impact Ready, will present the adult message. Please join us at the temple or via Zoom! As usual, details will be sent via the Betsuin Bulletin email (sign up at https://hawaiibetsuin.org/email-signup/). Find the Zoom link in the related calendar item, 6th Annual Earth Day Service.