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Learn how to start a successful food garden quickly and efficiently. Emergency gardening is not a new concept. For example, during WW2 Americans were encouraged to start “Victory Gardens” in order to be more self-reliant in case of food shortages.

It’s not hard to stock up on packaged “emergency food,” but lets face it – there’s no substitute for fresh, organic, wholesome, homegrown food.

With the recent events surrounding COVID-19 and it’s effects on society, many people are turning to “Pandemic Gardening” for two main reasons.

First, people have more time on their hands due to job loss or lockdown orders to stay at home. And the other reason is food security and self-reliance. 

Nobody likes seeing empty shelves in grocery stores (due to hoarding). Nobody likes the idea that their favorite food item is out of stock due to supply chain problems.

Additionally, living in the middle of the Pacific Ocean presents Hawaii residents with other types of potential emergencies like hurricanes, storms, and tsunamis, which could all lead to disruption of normal life.

Affiliate disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. You don’t get charged extra and I make a small commission that supports Organic Hawaii. Mahalo!

In this article I will focus on how to grow a successful food garden for self-reliance, food security, and even survival during an emergency such as a pandemic or an unforeseen natural disaster.

Finding space for your garden

The first question is do you have enough space to grow enough food to sustain you and your loved ones. The quantity of food you harvest will largely depend on the area you have available to grow it.

You can grow your own food even in small spaces and growing some of your own is better than none at all.

Having that said, it’s widely believed you can grow all of your food on as little as 1/4 acre of land for complete self-sufficiency. Of course, this takes planning and there are entire books dedicated to this fine subject like this one and this best seller.

If you don’t have enough space, maybe your neighbor with that large green lawn does. And maybe your neighbor would allow you to use that space in exchange for some of your harvest. Let’s turn boring lawns into exciting gardens!

If you have access to a larger space, it prudent to layout your garden design on draft paper in advance.

In some cultures like Indonesia forest gardening is a way of living. After all, before farming, humanity practiced hunting and gathering wild food grown in the wilderness. When it comes to wilderness survival in the islands, there’s an handy book called Emergency Food Plants & Poisonous Plants of the Islands of the Pacific.

Back to the home garden..

Finding Good Seeds and Starters

Finding good seeds means that:

1. Seeds are non-gmo, open pollinated, and preferably organic.
2. Seeds are preferably local. So that they are adapted to your local growing environment, including pest and disease resistance.
3. Seeds are appropriate for your climate zone.

Many tropical and subtropical plants like dragon fruit, bananas, taro, sweet potato, moringa, etc. can be grown from cuttings or shoots, which speeds up the growing process.

A note on hybrid seeds and plants. Hybrid seeds are usually labeled as F1 (meaning first generation). Hybrid seeds can be organic. Hybrid seeds are bred by crossing different varieties to achieve disease resistance.

The benefit is disease resistance. The downside is future generations (F2, F3..) will not be true to parent (F1), so these genetic traits of disease resistance aren’t necessarily passed down to future generations.

Which Food Plants Grow the Fastest?

Heads up. Gardening means growing “slow food” which is complete opposite of fast food. Plants take time to grow. Patience and care are a prerequisite for gardening success.

When it comes to quickly growing food – it’s about what food you can harvest the fastest.

Fastest fresh food you can harvest are sprouts and microgreens.

Sprouts don’t even require planting in the soil. They can be made in as little as 24 hours by properly soaking the seeds, such as alfalfa, sunflower, beans, etc. Sprouts are by far the quickest “live” food you can “grow” and are packed in nutrition.

Microgreens require planting into soil (or soil-like medium). Microgreens are young leafy greens such as kale, swiss chard arugula, even beets, carrot tops, etc. Once you plant the seeds, microgreens can be harvested in as little as 7-14 days.

Microgreens are also very nutritious, tender, and delicious. They require no cooking, but you have to plant a lot. Microgreens can be planted in flat trays and stacked vertically on shelves to save space.

Leafy greens. After microgreens you have your leafy greens. These are basically mature versions of microgreens. Leafy greens can be harvested after about 3-4 weeks from the date of planting. These can be eaten raw in salads, sandwiches, or added to sous, stir-fries, and omelets.

Vegetables. When people think of growing their own food garden first thing that comes to mind is probably garden veggies like tomatoes, peppers, etc. Garden vegetables take about 2-3 months to produce fruit. So, planning and planting in advance is crucial.

Always try to plant more than less, just in case.

To speed up the process, you can buy pre-grown potted vegetable plants. Just make sure they have no disease and are not root-bound. Otherwise they may not grow well. Newly potted plants should be isolated in quarantine for at least one week away from all other plants.

Most vegetables require a good amount of sunshine, especially the Nightshade family such as tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, and peppers – ideally at least 6 hours a day.

Fruit trees by far take the longest to produce. Depending on variety it can take as little as 1 year up to 8 years! Grafting speeds up fruiting, but it still takes at least a couple of years for most grafts. The benefit of this long wait is large, lifelong, harvests and hardiness (given that you properly take care of your trees).

Fastest fruit producing tropical plants

The good news is that some fruit trees can produce in as little as about 1 year. These fast producing fruit trees include bananas and papayas. Please avoid Rainbow Papaya, which is a GMO variety. Grow Solo Sunrise instead.

The cool thing about growing your own bananas is that you can grow different varieties. Especially rare, delicious, and nutritious varieties that you’ll never find in a grocery store. This awesome book is highly recommended.

Since we’re talking about quickly growing fruits, here are some more examples of fastest fruit producing tropical plants: fig, dragon fruit (Pitaya – grow from cuttings to speed up), poha berry (Cape Gooseberry), Passion fruit (Lilikoi) grow on wall or fence, Pineapple, and Noni (highly medicinal “canoe plant” and emergency food source).

Creating the Best Growing Environment for your Food Garden

Is it nature or nurture? In gardening it’s definitely both. And creating best conditions for your food garden plants will increase chances of success and decrease chances of set-backs.

Best soil. Start by creating best soil you can. Most plants don’t like clay soil. Most plants don’t like sandy soil. Most food plants like nutritious soil that is well-draining, but can also hold moisture and is dark in color.

Most plants like the soil’s pH to be somewhat neutral, but some like it more acidic or alkaline. To find out your soil’s pH and essential mineral content you can simply do a soil test.

Mixing in organic compost and some all-purpose organic fertilizer is a great way to make poor soil much better. I usually mix it at a 1 to 1 ratio of compost to poor soil. Adding organic worm castings is another excellent way to make your food plants grow better.

Deep soil. Most food garden plants like deep rich soil. A popular way to create depth is by using planting boxes and raised beds. This also elevates your plants above the ground level, making it harder for bugs to get to your plants. A spading fork and this tool are very handy at mixing and breaking up soil. Aim for at least 1 foot depth.

Best seeds. As mentioned earlier, start with best seeds suited for your local growing environment. Or plant healthy pre-grown potted plants to speed up the process.

Many tropical plants can be grown from cuttings i.e. taro, bananas, moringa, sweet potato, etc. This speeds up the growing process.

If you’re starting from scratch I recommend doing both, since most food garden seeds take at least about 1 week to sprout. And from then it’s still a long time until harvest.

Getting cuttings and pre-grown established plants will instantly lively up your new garden and make it more exciting to look at. Plus you can harvest pre-grown plants and cuttings sooner.

Annual vs. perennial. Annual plants only live for about 1 year (or one growing season), while perennial keep on living. So, it important to know which of your plants are annuals that way you can harvest on time, save the seeds, and replant in advance.

Sunshine vs. shade. If you want your food pants to thrive you have to provide them with optimal sun or shade requirements. Think where those locations are in your new garden in advance, according to the type of plant to avoid placing them in the wrong spot.

Generally, many subtropical and tropical plants prefer full sun, this includes the nightshades. Leafy greens, however may get burt by too much Hawaiian hot sun. So part shade may be appropriate to avoid burning those plants.

Optimal watering. In Hawaii, most plants like to be watered daily, especially in the Summer, but overwatering can create root rot and other fungal diseases. It’s best to water in the morning and/or evening.

Watering will also depend on how much rain your location receives. Some plants like aloe, can be easily killed by regular watering, so more is not always better.

Watering with purified water is better because a garden water filter reduces the amount of toxic chlorine, toxic heavy metals, and other contaminants that would otherwise end up in your soil and your plants.

Chlorine is known to kill off beneficial bacteria in your soil, which is not good and certain plants uptake toxic heavy metals from the soil more so than others.

Companion planting. It’s well established that certain plants like to be planted next to each other, while others grow poorly together. Some plants, like mints and certain herbs, actually help repel bugs from their companion plants like tomatoes. You can use companion planting tables to see which plants to plant together and which not to.

Pollinators and other good bugs.

“Is it a friend or foe?” – is common question in gardening circles. Not all bugs are bad. Some insects, like the pollinators are essential. Pollinators include bees, butterflies, but other insects that pollinate your plants’ flowers, ensuring fruit production.

Not all plants are self-pollinating, so attracting pollinators is important by planting what attracts them. For example, bees absolutely love basil plus it’s a great culinary herb. Planting a nice variety of flowers will not only brighten up your garden, but will also attract the pollinators.

Without the pollinators we’d have to pollinate many plants by hand, which is very labor intensive, as you can imagine.

Other bugs are beneficial because they feed on the bad bugs that destroy your plants. These beneficial insects include wasps, lady bugs, and lacewings.

Dealing with bad bugs, pests, and viruses.

There are many books dedicated to this subject. But to keep it simple, I recommend to at least get Diatomaceous earth (DE) and organic Neem oil. DE is great for many bugs such as ants, roaches, cutworms, etc.

You can even make your own DIY organic bug spray using basic ingredients and essential oils.

Neem oil is great for different kinds of bugs that have soft bodies and waxy coating like aphids, mealy bugs, mites, and white flies, but it’s actually very versatile for other plant pests including scale. In this video we talk about benefits of Neem oil in detail.

Slugs are awful and can quickly eat your leafy greens and kill young seedlings. Plus they can carry nasty disease such as the rat lungworm.

Slugs usually come out at night. Introducing ducks or even attracting garden frogs may help. Also using copper tape around your pots or raised beds is definitely worth a try.

Viruses are a bit harder to deal with since they are so tiny, but using colloidal silver on plants and soil is very promising. Colloidal silver is also effective against bacterial and fungal pathogens.

Mulching.

Mulching is adding chopped, dry plant material on top of your soil and around your plants. Benefits of mulching include: water conservation, weed control, and pest control.

Optimal Nutrition for Your Food Garden.

Plants require basic nutrition, as expressed by N-P-K (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium). Nitrogen (N) can speed up the growth of your plants, especially leafy greens. However, tToo much N is not recommended during the flowering/fruiting stages, since you want your plant to focus on making fruits, not new leaves.

Plants also highly benefit from other minerals, beneficial soil bacteria, and worms. So, don’t forget to feed your plants every now and then with organic amendments like organic compost, compost tea, composted manures, worm castings, and all-purpose organic fertilizers.

Optimal Nutrition from Your Food Garden.

Humans require three basic food groups for optimal nutrition and health: protein, carbs, and fats. We also require vitamins and minerals. Most food garden plants are low in protein and fats, but high in vitamins and minerals.

However, certain nuts and seeds are actually great sources of both: protein and healthy fats. Plus, they are high in multiple minerals. Without a doubt, sunflower, hemp, and pumpkin seeds are Superfoods that contain generous amounts of the essential magnesium, selenium, Vitamin E, manganese, and zinc just to name a few.

Also, backyard chickens and ducks are a popular option for homegrown protein and organic eggs are an excellent source of choline and essential omega-3 fats. Additionally, they will eat the bad bugs (and slugs) while fertilizing your soil with their manure.

For further reading..

Check out this simple, but crucial guide: “Can I Grow A Complete Diet?” on what exact tropical and subtropical plants to grow for optimal nutrition and self-reliance in Hawaii.

Final thoughts..

If you’re just starting out just remember to be patient. Once your garden is established, it will be easier to care for, requiring minimal time and effort.

Food gardening is about the journey AND the destination. It’s a great form of light exercise, and it’s a meditative process that connects us with our source.

Best of all, growing your own food makes you more self-reliant and independent, while providing you and your family with healthy, ultra fresh, and nutritious food at your doorstep.

Wishing you great success and happy growing!!

EMFs are Electro Magnetic Frequencies. They are invisible to us, yet we are saturated by them anywhere we go. EMF-free or low EMF spaces are hard to find, but it’s doable.

5G, 4G, 3G, LTE, cell phones, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, microwaves, mobile base stations (cell phone towers), and smart meters are some examples of (HF) high frequency EMF radiation.

Bad electrical wiring (especially ungrounded wires), certain electrical appliances, and overhead power lines are some examples of ELF (Extra Low Frequency) and VLF (very low frequency) EMFs.

Are there naturally occurring EMFs?

Yes, there are. The reality is that Humanity has evolved over hundreds of thousands of years alongside natural EMFs such as UV (ultraviolet radiation), infrared radiation (both produced by the Sun), Schumann resonances aka the “Heartbeat of Our Planet”, and geomagnetic storms produced by the Sun’s solar cycles during Coronal Mass Ejections.

For the most part, our planet does a wonderful job at protecting us from these naturally occurring EMFs. And some may be even beneficial to our well-being, such as the Schumann Resonance.

The Schumann Resonance oscillates at about 8 Hz (Hertz), and coincides with our Theta-Alpha brainwave activity – a therapeutic state of being: a meditative state of calm, reflection, creativity, relaxation, enhanced learning, and even helps with depression.

On the other hand, unnatural EMFs have been linked to various health conditions, as documented by the Bioinitiative Report.

Therefore, reducing and eliminating unnatural EMFs is a health conscious step for a healthier life.

Medical Disclaimer: If you have a medical condition please speak to your doctor regarding any health concerns. Information in this article is not a prescription or medical advice. Affiliate disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks for your support.

15 ways to reduce or eliminate harmful EMFs around you

In short, harmful EMFs (including 5G) can only be reduced by: turning off the source of radiation, increasing physical distance from the source, or using Faraday Cage type of physical barriers to block or reduce EMF radiation. There’s no known device or pendant that effectively blocks radiation around you, although research into scalar waves is interesting.

1. Find a “Low EMF” home, work, and school.

Location, location, location..

We go in great detail in this article on how to do just that. But in summary, the further away you are from the source of EMF radiation (especially cell phone tower, 5G tower, base station, or neighbors’ Wi-Fi, smart meters, even your own cell phone) – the less high frequency EMF radiation.

The only way to exactly know how much EMF radiation is around you is to measure it. We personally use Acousticom 2 and PF5 Power Frequency Meter. This EMF meter seems pretty cool too.

2. Turn off your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when not in use. Hardwire, if possible or increase physical distance away from it.

Reduce and eliminate your own EMF sources. This is by far the easiest way to reduce EMFs that you have direct control over.

Turn off your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when you sleep and when it’s not being used. Move it out of the bedroom or another area where you spend a lot of time in close proximity.

Having a Wi-Fi router that allows you to easily turn off Wi-Fi signal without turning off the wired Internet is very practical. We’ve personally tested and used this Netgear Wi-Fi router. We discovered that you can actually significantly reduce it’s Wi-Fi radiation by easily removing 1 to 3 of its antennae while still getting signal. This is practical for areas that don’t need large Wi-Fi coverage.

Disabling bluetooth in “smart” devices (including cars) will also reduce EMFs around you.

A lot of people unknowingly have their Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on on their mobile devices. Even though they are not using it, those settings create extra EMF radiation. Check your settings to make sure your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is completely of when you aren’t using it.

Hardwiring your Internet router using ethernet cables is best, because it eliminates the need for Wi-Fi altogether, while boosting your internet speed for your computers.

The downside of completely hardwiring your Internet router is the fact that your cell phones and other mobile devices will have to be on mobile data, which creates a bit more EMFs from those mobile devices.

A compromise solution is to hardwire what you can, while having Wi-Fi available for your mobile devices. This Wi-Fi router allows you to do just that.

3. Increase physical distance between you and your cell phone.

Especially, avoid holding your mobile phone next to your ear (brain), heart, reproductive, and other vital organs. Use speakerphone or wired headphones instead.

“Holding your mobile phone next to your head increases you chances of brain cancer!”

Source: Study

Don’t sleep next to a cell phone, unless it’s on airplane mode or completely off. If you have to keep it on during the night, simply put it as far as possible from your body, but close enough so you can hear it if it rings in the middle of the night.

Also, avoid having your cell phone in close contact with your body, especially vital organs. This includes: front pockets, back pockets, chest pockets, bras, fanny packs, etc. unless it’s on airplane mode. Women can use purses and guys can use cargo pockets, or handbags, or anything else that creates more distance from vital organs.

There are also EMF blocking cell phone cases.

4. Reduce mobile phone time when driving.

Cell phones radiate more EMFs when you’re driving because they are forced to always look for a new mobile base station (cell phone tower) to stay connected, as you drive around.

Also, your cell phone has to work (radiate) slightly harder when you’re inside the car because your car is a weak EMF barrier, which your mobile phone tries to overcome to stay connected, so it radiates more.

6. Stop using wireless headphones, bluetooth headsets, and “smart watches.”

Wireless headphones, headsets, and “smart” watches create convenience (of not having wires) at the expense of exposing you to EMF radiation. Wireless headphones and headsets rely on wireless Bluetooth technology to stay connected.

Smart watches usually rely on mobile data and/or Wi-FI to stay connected. The trouble with these devices is that the person is actually wearing it, so there’s no physical distance to reduce the EMFs these wireless devices produce.

Smart watches, wireless headsets, and earphones can easily be substituted with their wired counterparts to completely eliminate EMFs radiating from them. For many years we’ve been using these excellent Sony headphones that function as a headset and offer superb sound quality for lovers of music.

8. Use Wi-Fi instead of cellular data whenever possible.

Mobile devices connected via cellular data instead of Wi-Fi tend to create more EMF radiation. This is likely due to the fact that cellular data relies on connecting to distant mobile base stations, rather than nearby Wi-Fi. Therefore, mobile devices have to work (radiate) harder, increasing EMFs.

9. Use wired connections instead of wireless whenever possible.

Wired devices such as keyboards, speakers, printers, microphones, etc. don’t radiate high frequency EMFs, since they don’t rely on Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Wireless DECT phones should be replaced with wired telephones too.

Switching to wired versions of these appliances will eliminate high frequency EMFs. Just don’t forget to disable “wireless mode” after wiring.

10. Stop using the microwave oven.

We’ve completely stopped using the microwave oven about two decades ago. We consciously choose to forgo the convenience of quickly “nuking” our food in favor of nutrition and health.

Microwaving food not only destroys it’s nutrition, while exposing it (and us) to toxic packaging materials (which are usually nuked too), but it also creates a very high EMF environment in the kitchen. Although, microwaves are designed to contain most of the EMF radiation, it can still leak through.

Not surprising, since the microwave oven technology has it’s roots in WW2 microwave weapons technology.

To go around the microwave we’ve been relying on simply warming up food on the stovetop or the oven. A toaster oven is also a great substitute to the microwave.

11. Download music and videos instead of always streaming.

When you’re streaming music or videos you are increasing your exposure to EMF radiation. This is especially worrisome for kids who are glued all day to their iPads, tablets, or phones. Kids and babies absorb more EMF radiation.

To go around streaming – download music and videos in advance. Nowadays apps like Amazon Music (try Amazon Music Unlimited Free Trial), YouTube Premium, and Spotify Premium allow you to download music and videos to your mobile device.

It’s a great feature, which allows you to put your mobile device on “airplane mode,” thereby completely eliminating high frequency EMFs. As health-conscious parents we use this feature as much as possible not only for our child, but for ourselves, as well.

12. Opt-out of “smart” meters.

Smart meters are known to be constant sources of dangerous EMF radiation. They are usually installed by the electrical company to measure electrical use and wirelessly send data back to the company.

If it’s already installed some people put a smart-meter shield over it. The problem is that electrical company might take it down.

So if a smart-meter shield or moving is not an option, then a Faraday cage type of “shield” inside the home may need to be implemented. This type of smart meter shield is usually composed of large rectangular piece(s) of solid metal (such as copper) or wire mesh placed on the wall(s) near the smart meter. Please consult a licensed electrician for safe instillation.

13. Inspect for Extra Low Frequency (ELF) EMF radiation.

This is often an overlooked point, due to overemphasis on high frequency (RF) EMFs (i.e. from mobile devices, etc.)

However, ELF radiation has been linked to severe health conditions such as childhood leukemia (blood cancer). – Source

Childhood leukemia mostly occurs in children ages 2-5 years old. When I found this out I was alarmed because my child was in this age group and our rental unit had ELF radiation averaging 8mG and as high as 20mG!

I used the PF5 Power Frequency Meter to measure it.

Considering that the average home has ELF radiation in the range of 0.5 to 1mg and the fact that the risk of childhood leukemia increases at levels of 1mG and above I was shocked. No pun intended.

I suspected that there was an ungrounded or improperly wired stray electrical current that was being picked up and dispersed by the metal framework inside of our unit’s flooring and walls.

In time, we ended moving out of that unit into a home where ELF EMF radiation was within normal range. I definitely felt relieved and re-lived, since ELF EMFs clearly have an effect on adults, as well. And it’s not just “in the head.”

But the reality is that basic non-wireless electrical devices produce ELF EMF radiation when in use. This could be the fridge or the blender, the heater or the convection stovetop.

The good news is that ELF radiation from these appliances drops off significantly with distance. Meaning only a distance of a few feet makes a huge difference in exposure levels.

Having that said, “some close-proximity” devices like ungrounded laptops are a concern. So properly grounding your laptop (or another ungrounded appliance) will make a huge difference.

It’s easy to ground a MacBook laptop using this type of cable. It basically needs to have a third prong for grounding. Plugging in small ungrounded appliances such as essential oil diffusers, air purifiers, etc. into grounded extension surge protectors will reduce their (ELF) EMF radiation.

Also, unplugging your laptop power adapter when it’s fully charged and running it on battery power will reduce these ELF EMFs.

14. EMF-proof your house.

For those living within several blocks distance to a cell phone tower and when moving is not an option, EMF proofing would be the only solution to reduce outside EMF exposure.

EMF proofing the house basically entails turning your home into a Faraday Cage to a degree. It all depends on what degree.

Most people wouldn’t want to live in a Faraday Cage type house because they want their cell phones to work. A full on Faraday Cage would block out all or most EMFs. This is too extreme for most people, but not all people are like most.

Having that said, properly installed copper roofs, EMF blocking paint, fine wire mesh made out of aluminum or copper, and special EMF blocking fabric would reduce high frequency (RF) EMFs inside your home.

The hard part is blocking ELFs coming from electrical substations and overhead wires (in the street). ELFs can penetrate the above mentioned materials, whereas microwaves and RF (radio frequencies) are effectively reduced.

ELFs (Extra Low Frequency) radiation needs magnetic type of shields in order to be reduced or blocked.

15. Spend more time in Nature.

Cities are inundated by harmful EMFs, so to escape this environment we must spend more time in nature away from the city. Plants and trees reduce and block EMFs plus they produce fresh oxygen.

Nature also psychologically breaks down the hyper-structured, artificial, rectangular, “box-like” monotony of the city vibe.

In this article we went out and measured EMFs throughout Honolulu in search of a Low-EMF-Environment. Our findings confirmed that there are significantly less or no harmful EMFs when we are surrounded by Nature.

The sad reality was that in August of 2020 the State of Hawaii made going to Nature mostly illegal due to COVID-19 by closing all public hiking trails, beaches, botanical gardens, community gardens, parks, and playgrounds while keeping shopping malls open.

Luckily this sad reality (above) is over, but there’s another threat to our open spaces that needs your urgent input.

“5G ROLLOUT IN U.S. NATIONAL PARKS”

– URGENT: please sign petition to STOP 5G in U.S. National Parks

In a unimaginable move, the U.S. National Parks and Forests are now a target of the 5G rollout. This is simply unnecessary and unacceptable. Our natural spaces must remain the way nature intended it – EMF free.

Please spread the word and sign the petition. Mahalo!

One of the great things about living in Hawaii (or another place where Noni grows) is that you can make your own raw organic Noni juice! Noni juice is easy to make (and has a pleasant taste) if you do it right. Very healthy for a variety of health issues. A true tonic.

Noni is simply amazing!

Noni also known as Indian mulberry and Morinda citrifolia is an amazing fruiting tree native to India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Polynesia including Hawaii. It can be easily grown in tropical and sub-tropical climate.

Surprisingly, Noni is related to the coffee family of plants. And is known to exhibit a mellow, calm buzz to those who drink the juice. Noni contains no caffeine and a multitude of beneficial compounds and enzymes.

Noni was one of the original canoe plants that ancient Polynesians thought was so important medicinally that they brought it with them across thousands of miles when they settled Hawaii.!

In Hawaiian mythology Maui the demigod was resurrected after being wrapped in Noni leaves!

In fact, ancient Hawaiians treated bruises, cuts, and even broken bones with Noni leaves.

Medical Disclaimer: Having that said, if you do have a medical condition please speak to your doctor regarding any medicinal treatments or drinking raw unpasteurized juices including Noni juice. Affiliate disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. You don’t get charged extra and I make a small commission that supports Organic Hawaii.

Noni is a SUPERFRUIT SUPERFOOD

We’ve made and drank our own homemade raw organic Noni juice for many years and have never experienced any unpleasant side effects. In fact, we’ve only had beneficial experiences with Noni and that’s why we absolutely love it!

Noni produces fruit all year round and grows in almost any sub tropical or tropical condition. It’s one of the first plants to grow in a new lava field after a volcanic eruption! But it can even grow in brackish water. xxx

Given this amazing adaptability and abundance of harvest is this what makes Noni juice so beneficial to health? Because Noni itself is so strong and adaptable? Or is it the multitude of scientific studies and books that confirm it’s health benefits? Perhaps both.

Noni can be classified as a overall tonic. It works in multiple ways due to it’s multitude of beneficial compounds and enzymes. In Hawaii it’s known to be good especially in older age, but research shows that it’s beneficial regardless of age.

Commercial Noni Juice

Noni juice is widely available in health food stores, but it’s pasteurized even if it’s organic. This means it’s been heated to sterilize it. The heating process deactivates beneficial enzymes. However, we did find this organic raw (unpasteurized) Hawaiian Noni juice here.

Also, commercial Noni juice is usually made using large plastic containers, which could leach plastic and other toxins into the juice. Especially when the plastic is exposed to ultraviolet rays from the sun.

Commercial Noni juice may also contain trace amounts of chemicals used to sanitize plant equipment. This usually happens in all food processing across the board. Lastly, commercial Noni juice is not cheap.

One time I ordered local organic raw unpasteurized commercially made Noni juice from the Big Island. When we open the bottle it to taste it, it tasted terrible – not the way great Noni juice is supposed to taste when made properly.

In conclusion, if you can’t make your own Noni juice, then you can buy it. Even raw! Afterall, having some Noni juice (even if it’s commercially made) is better than having no Noni juice.

The Demonization of Noni by the MSM :O

Lately Noni juice got a false bad rep due to inaccurate portrayals by the main stream media (MSM). Especially popular TV shows which make the unaware viewer believe that Noni juice always tastes terrible. This is simply not true. 

When made correctly Noni juice tastes great and makes you feel even better!

Also, apparently the word “Noni” isn’t showing up in Amazon books results! We were very surprised. Is this censorship or a search glitch? Nevertheless, here are some books we were able to find using other methods.

OK, LET’S MAKE NONI JUICE!

The good thing is you can easily make delicious, organic, and raw Noni juice at home using the most basic and affordable tools.

This is a step-by-step guide on how to make great tasting, homemade Noni juice the easy way. 

We’ve been making our own homemade Noni juice for many years. And we are happy to share with you our secrets and the absolute best way of making best tasting raw organic Noni juice at the comfort of your home.

Step 1: Gather supplies

You will need:

1. At least one large 4 liter clear glass jar with a wide mouth and a lid with rubber gasket. We recommend and use these ones.
2. About seven medium size Noni fruits to fill the jar. Important: Noni fruit should not be unripe or overripe. If Noni is completely dark green that means it’s unripe – not good. If Noni is yellow, becoming translucent yellow it means it’s becoming overripe. So ideally Noni fruit should be very light yellow color. If Noni is soft and mushy it means it’s over-ripe, which will make it very hard to clean.
3. Optional: fruit and veggie brush to clean Noni. This is recommended since air pollutants can get lodged in the crevices of Noni fruits (and everything exposed to modern air! The brush is more affective at removing unwanted chemicals than just washing it with hands.
4. Optional: fruit and veggie wash. This is a safe liquid wash which helps dislodge potential pollutants from the Noni, as well as any other produce you may want to wash.
5. Optional: water filter. Water filter is a must for any household since all tap water has added chlorine (WWI chemical weapon knowns as mustard gas), may have fluoride (a rat poison), toxic heavy metals, and even “forever chemicals”! We prefer reverse osmosis water for drinking, but in our kitchen we use this 9-stage water filter which we recommend for basic meal prep, rinsing, and even brushing teeth.
6. Optional; small glass jars or bottles to bottle your newly made Noni juice. We try to reuse our glass containers from previous purchases, but if that’s not available this is a good option.

Step 2: Jar up the Noni!

First, clean Noni fruit by washing it and preferably rinsing it with filtered water.

Put the washed Noni fruit into a large 4 liter glass jar. Make sure the jar’s been washed well and preferably rinsed inside with filtered water. They don’t need to be dried. Filtered water reduces nasty contaminants of tap water and greatly reduces chlorine, as well as it’s nasty smell.

Fill up the jar with Noni fruit all the way to the top and close the lid. Make sure it’s tightly sealed with a rubber gasket and a latch.

Put the Noni jar in direct sun. If direct sun is not available, then partial sun is OK. If partial sun is not available, then you can keep it indoors, however the process will take longer and it will not taste as good as if it was exposed to the Sun.

It’s up to you how long you want to age the Noni. We prefer the more aging, so at least a month. We’ve held Noni jars for over a year and the juice was great!

Step 3: Collect your Noni Juice!

When you notice that enough Noni juice has been deposited at the bottom of your large jar you can open it up. Carefully pour the juice into a separate glass container such as a small jar or a glass bottle. If pouring into a bottle we recommend you use a funnel.

Hold the large jar with one hand while holding the lid slightly open with the other hand. This way the fruit stays inside, while the juice pours out. Don’t touch anything on the inside of the large jar to prevent contamination.

After you’re done pouring the juice close the large jar and put it back, so that more juice can be extracted. You can also add more Noni fruit to it at this point. Eventually the volume of original Noni fruit inside the jar will shrink, making room for new fruit. Just make sure you always have clean hands and utensils to prevent any possible contamination inside the jar.

Close the smaller jars or bottles (with freshly collected juice) and put them in the fridge for long-term storage. But don’t wait too long – enjoy the goodness and share it with your family and friends!

CAUTION: By the way, even though Noni is naturally resistant to bacteria and certain pathogens, if you see weird mold or weird stuff growing inside your jars you will need to dispose of it, clean and sanitize everything and start over.

I Want it NOW!!

Ok, you can buy it! Or if you’re a little patient you can drink your homemade Noni juice sooner.

The reality is Noni juice is drinkable as soon as the liquid starts to seep out of the fruits. It will be clear yellow color in the beginning. The taste won’t be as complex as aged Noni, but if you’re pressed for time, you don’t have to wait a month or longer. It can be a week or so.

As a matter fact, Noni fruit is listed in the army survival manual TM 10-420 Emergency Food Plants & Poisonous Plants of the Islands of the Pacific as one of the edible fruits in times of crisis! Yes, it’s not great tasting but in times of food scarcity taste becomes less relevant.

Having that said you can bite into Noni fruit when it’s soft and ripe, but there are seeds, texture, and taste issues you may not like.

Therefore, drinking properly made homemade raw Noni juice is a beautiful solution to this.

Patience is a virtue

The longer you hold Noni in the jar – the more juice will come out of it. It will start to turn into a beautiful golden color, then a beautiful bronze after lengthy aging under the Sun.

So it’s up to you when you want to collect the Noni juice. You can even taste it at different stages of the process to see which one stage you prefer.

We’ve tried all sorts of different Noni juices. Personally we prefer the really aged dark bronze colored Noni juice.

The ideal Noni juice taste can be described as a complex taste of pineapple, toasted coconut, semi-sweet with a pinch of tartness, grounding, yet uplifting. Balancing, calming, and meditative. It could easily be described as an acquired taste, that gets better with time, the more you drink it. Great Noni juice flavor is surely appreciated by those who appreciate best things nature has to offer.

We hope you enjoy your own homemade organic Noni juice and share it with your family and friends!

We Surveyed Honolulu for EMFs

We measured Honolulu area for EMF radiation in the VHF-RF range to find EMF free zones, determine background levels, and locate worst sources of EMF electrosmog pollution in Hawaii.

Why? Simply because EMFs (especially in the high frequency range such as cell, wi-fi, 4G, etc.) have been shown to cause various health problems, as documented in the following scientific studies presented by the Bioinitiative Report.

EMFs are virtually undetectable by any of the five human senses, so specialized equipment is needed to locate and measure EMFs.

The results of our survey showed that EMF free zones in Honolulu are virtually non-existent. Which makes sense, since it’s a very urban area with lots of cell-phone towers, wi-fi, and now 5G on Oahu and some of the outer islands.

Honolulu background levels were mostly from “Yellow to Orange.” On a scale presented by EMFields “Green” being best (0.01-.02 v/m) and “Red” being worst at 3 v/m and above. Some areas were “Red”, usually directly dependent on our proximity to a mobile cell-phone tower, as we drove through Honolulu.

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“Green” areas were almost non-existent.
But, luckily we found some!

We used the Acousticom 2 EMF pocket meter to see actual exposure levels in our immediate environment. It’s extremely easy to use and it fits in the pocket.

The Acousticom 2 measures high frequency EMFs in the RF (radio frequency) microwave range from 200MHz – 8GHz. This range catches cell phone towers, Wi-Fi, smart meters, radar, cell phones, and common 5G frequencies. It even lets you hear these dangerous EMFs, which is helpful in determining its source. The audio function can be turned on and off.

Best EMF-Free Zones

1. Best EMF free zone we located in Honolulu was at Lyon Arboretum in Manoa Valley. Tucked away from cell towers, protected by lots of big trees and vegetation, and less people (with cell-phones!) than the adjacent Manoa Falls hike are main factors that make Lyon Arboretum a great place to escape the EMFs and get in touch with Nature!

Here we found it important to put our cell phones on airplane mode, so that they don’t emit EMFs we’re trying to escape from in the first place!

Halona cove had very excellent results too.

2. Second best was Diamond Head beach area between the beach and the cliffs. Although it was not completely free of EMFs, this area showed very low levels.

3. Third best was Makapuu beach, which had more EMFs than Diamond Head lookout area, but had much less EMFs than the background levels of Honolulu.

Worst EMF Zones

Worst areas for EMFs in Honolulu are generally any location close to a cell phone tower. The closer to a cell phone tower – the more radiation. This article has maps of cellphone towers.

High traffic areas such as Kapahulu Ave. and McCully Ave. showed above average readings for EMF exposure. These streets are lined with cell phone towers. Most of these cell phone towers are on top of apartment buildings!

A disturbing find is a cell phone tower on top of the Moili’ili Community Center which has a daycare inside. The cell tower is on the roof directly above children’s heads! Of course, staff, and visitors who frequent this area are exposed, as well.

We noticed that many cell-towers in Honolulu are also placed right across from public schools and pre-schools! This is disturbing, since children are more susceptible to EMF radiation than adults.

A child’s skull is thinner than that of an adult, so more radiation reaches their brain directly. Also, a child’s body is less developed to deal with the stress from the EMF radiation.

Conclusion: How to Avoid EMF Exposure

To avoid or reduce the potential damage from EMF radiation (including 5G) you have to leave the urban area to an area where your mobile cell phone has little or no cell signal.

For example, an isolated beach protected by a mountain/cliff or a deep valley tucked away in the mountains. (Some examples are described above under “Best EMF-Free Zones.”

When your mobile phone has no or little signal means that the closest cell tower is far away (and so is the radiation that it emits). Then, mobile phone should be on airplane mode or turned off so that it’s not radiating it’s own EMF frequency. Wi-fi and bluetooth should be off, as well.

For maps of most cell phone towers and maps of 5G towers in Hawaii check out this article.

It’s great to meditate, reflect, breathe deeply and slowly in this EMF-Free Zone Natural Environment.

ENJOY WHILE WE HAVE IT!

SINCE TECH GIANTS ARE PLANNING TO LAUNCH 5G DRONES OVER HAWAII (LANAI AND MAUI) AND AND THOUSANDS OF 5G/4G SATELLITES OVER THE ENTIRE WORLD IN EARTH’S ORBIT (STARLINK SATELLITE PROJECT).

WILL WE BE ABLE TO ESCAPE THE COMING EMF DOSING?

YES! BECAUSE WE THINK AHEAD AND CAN ADAPT TO A RAPIDLY CHANGING ENVIRONMENT!

Check out this in-depth article on how you can further reduce harmful EMF radiation.

GMO potatoes: the latest. As of May, 2017 there are at least 9 approved varieties of genetically engineered potatoes in the US. The GMO potato made it to #4 (out of 15) on our updated list of GMO foods.

The potato is a major staple in the Western diet and source of energy through carbohydrates. Indeed, potatoes are very popular, therefore patenting them through genetic modification is highly lucrative.

Genetically modified potatoes are engineered to withstand bruising, viruses, fungi, and bugs. GE potatoes are also expected to exhibit low levels of acrylomide – a carcinogenic toxin produced by cooking potatoes. (Source: www.innatepotatoes.com)

J.R. Simplot is one of the largest suppliers of potatoes in the US. J.R. Simplot’s new generation of GMO potatoes is expected to be more marketable. It’s called “Innate.” In the Summer of 2014 about 400 acres worth of Simplot Innate GMO potatoes sold at Midwest and Southeast grocery stores.

Simplot aims to significantly increase it’s output of genetically engineered potatoes in 2017 by planting more than 6000 acres. These GMO potato varieties come from: Russet Burbank, Ranger Russet, Atlantic, and Snowden potato cultivars. (Source: USDA APHIS)

Genetically engineered potatoes don’t bruise or turn brown when cut, unlike non-gmo potatoes. GE potatoes will be marketed to grocery stores and restaurants due to their longer shelf life and “prettier” appearance. J.R. Simplot has been the main supplier of potatoes to McDonald’s. Even so, McDonald’s made a pledge that it won’t be buying Simplot’s Innate GMO potatoes.

Special Note: Potatoes, just like tomatoes are part of the Nightshade family. People who follow AIP (Autoimmune Protocol diet) or people with leaky gut tend to avoid members of the Nightshades, since they are thought to be irritating to the gut regardless of GMO status.

Different varieties of potatoes. Image credit: Scott Bauer, USDA ARS

How to Avoid GMO Potatoes?

1. Buy certified organic potatoes. The surest way to avoid the GMO potato is to make sure your potatoes are organic. Organic farming specifically prohibits use of GMOs. The other benefit is that your potatoes won’t be grown in artificial chemical concoctions of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, bio-sludge, irradiation, and other unhealthy farming methods.
2. Avoid non-organic processed food with potato ingredients. This includes frozen meals with potatoes, powdered potatoes (including mashed potato powders), canned soups with potatoes, potato chips, etc.
3. Avoid Russet-looking potatoes when eating out. Unless the company or the food prep manager can tell you with 100% certainty that the potatoes they use are 100% non-gmo. This includes restaurants (big and small, fast and slow), deli departments, ready-made-meals at grocery and convenience stores, gas stations. The amount of Russet, Snowden, and Atlantic varieties of potatoes being GMO is increasing over time.
4. Switch to sweet potatoes. If organic potatoes are not available or the non-gmo potato status cannot be verified, opt-in for the sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are healthy and delicious. Currently there is no GMO sweet potato on the market. There are several varieties of sweet potatoes. They can be identified by their color on the inside such as the purple “Okinawa,” the orange sweet potato, the yam, and the white sweet potato. Our personal favorites are the purple and the orange organic sweet potato.
5. Switch to non-Russet potatoes. If organic potatoes or sweet potatoes are not available or the non-gmo potato status cannot be verified you can reduce your chances of bying GMO by getting potato varieties that haven’t been genetically modified. So, stay away from: Russet Burbank, Ranger Russet, Atlantic, and Snowden potato cultivars. These can be identified by light brown skin and off white inside.
6. Switch to other sources of non-gmo carbs. Potatoes are carbs. Carbs are required by our bodies for energy production. Too much or too little carbs is not good. Other sources of non-gmo carbs, other than the sweet potatoes mentioned above include: rice, carrots, pumpkin, beans, pasta, bread (if made with non-gmo ingredients) etc. Basically any carb or starch that’s not on our list of GMO Foods.
7. Grow your own! Gardening is fun, grounding, and connects us directly to what sustains us: our food, water, the Sun, nature. Potatoes are relatively easy to grow. There are techniques using barrels or large pots that allow you to really multiply the harvest substantially by adding more and more soil into the container as the potato grows. You can even go to a grocery store or farmers market to get your initial potato starters. Just make sure you start with fresh organic potatoes.

Organically grown Russet Burbanks potatoes. Please note: GMO version exists. Image credit: Steve Caruso

Blue Swede (non-gmo) purple potato variety. Image by Paebi

Recently Hawaii experienced it’s worst honey bee die-off since the survey began seven years ago. It’s estimated that a total of 38% of Hawaii honey bee colonies collapsed according to the latest 2015-2016 annual survey by the Bee Informed Partnership. California honeybee loss was at almost 40%. Highest honey bee loss in the entire US was in Mississippi at over 71%!

This is a sharp rise in honey bee die-offs from the previous survey year. In 2014-2015 only 14% Hawaii bee colonies experienced collapse. That year Hawaii had least die-offs in the entire US. We wrote about it because it was significant and very positive news. But, unfortunately things changed for the worse very quickly.

The Yellow-Faced Bee: Now Endangered Specie

For the first time in US history bees were added to the Endangered Species list. Seven species of yellow-faced bees native to Hawaii were added to the Endangered Species Act in 2016. Although, this protection came right after the recent 38% honeybee die-off, it took the Xerces Society almost a decade to convince the government to protect these Hawaiian bee species.

Potential Causes of Bee Deaths

The million dollar question is: “What caused a 2.7 time increase in Hawaiian honey bee deaths in just one year?” Indeed, there are numerous factors that can hurt the bees: pollution, toxic agricultural chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, loss of habitat due to development, as well as biological enemies such ants, mites, and viruses like varroa and nosema.

Luminous vapor trail of tri-methyl aluminum (TMA). Credit: NASA

One less-talked-about potential bee-killer is Geoengineering. Geoengineering is also known as Weather Modification – a form of climate control practiced all over the world, including Hawaii. It’s ironic that the scientific community often dismisses it as “chemtrails conspiracy theory,” while on the other hand it promotes it as areal atmospheric spraying and cloud seeding.

For example, NASA admits using atmospheric “tracers” containing aluminum, lithium, barium and other particles. Lithium is also used in batteries and as an anti-psychotic drug. Aluminum is a neurotoxin with strong links to Alzheimer’s and nerve damage. Aluminum is also toxic to plants. Barium is toxic, as well.

Image of a daytime lithium trail from a sounding rocket launched from Wallops Island, Virginia, in July 2013. Credit: NASA

Another example is straight from Harvard University. In 2018 Harvard scientists are planning to spray an aerosol into the stratosphere to reflect the Sun’s heat to combat global warming. These researchers want to test several undisclosed materials. However, from our own research aluminum oxide particles are one of the main ingredients used for this purpose due to their reflectivity and low weight.

Furthermore, a 2015 research study on wild bumble bee population and aluminum exposure found that the bumble bee pupae were heavily contaminated with Aluminum in the UK. According to the study: “The significant contamination of bumblebee pupae by aluminium raises the intriguing spectre of cognitive dysfunction playing a role in their population decline. (…) colonies with high concentrations (of aluminum) in the pupae tended to have smaller pupae.”

Considering all of the above causes behind bee deaths it is our conclusion that it is not a single cause, but rather a combination of above causes responsible for collapses in bee populations.

Fake Substitutes Instead of Real Solutions?

RoboBee. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University

Tech companies and researchers are rushing to capitalize on the sharp decline in bees and other pollinators. After all, humanity and plants’ lives have depended on real living pollinators for thousands and millions of years, respectively. Why not replace them with artificial robots.

So now, instead of finding real solutions, some are quick to offer fake substitutes in the form of robot bees. or Autonomous Flying Robots is not science-fiction, they are tiny insect-like-drones developed by Harvard University.

It’s ironic that Harvard is also behind the proposed 2018 geoengineering experiment (mentioned above), which could harm real bees with aluminum oxide aerosol. There are other similar bee-robot developments taking place around the world, including Japan.

Real Solutions to Save the Bees

1. Live the Organic Life. As much as possible, buy organic food, naturally derived household and personal care products. Organic farming specifically prohibits the use of bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides and many other agricultural chemicals that are harmful to the bees and other beneficial insects, such as the Monarch butterflies. In addition, conventional, non-organic agricultural chemicals wreak havoc on our own health through toxic residues in food. So it’s a win-win for the bees and for our own health when we buy organic.
2. Start an organic garden. Turn that plain-old boring lawn into a mini-biosphere where bees can thrive. Bees need flowers to pollinate. Grow bee-friendly plants. Where there are no flowers, there’s no sustenance for the bees. In addition, your family can harvest healthy, ultra-fresh organic produce without having to go to the grocery store every time. Organic gardening is very grounding and a great way to connect to nature, while making a difference for the bee community.
3. Awareness and sharing. Keep it simple. Share this knowledge with everyone and anyone. If everyone on Earth followed the first two steps outlined above the whole world would change and transform into a welcoming habitat for the bees and other beneficial pollinators. The whole world would heal and become harmonious once again.

The following photos are from our visit to an organic honeybee farm on the Big Island in 2016.

Article sources:

Bee Informed Partnership
OrganicHawaii
Natural Society
Xerces Society
GeoengineeringWatch
NASA
Dr. Mercola
NaturalNews
PLOS.org
Harvard University

Earth Day 2017 is on Saturday, April 22. There will be lots of fun, family friendly Earth Day events in Hawaii to celebrate and raise the awareness of environmental preservation. We will be adding more events to this list, as information becomes available. If you know of an Earth Day event that’s not listed, please let us know and we will be happy to add it!

Oahu

Waikīkī Beach Clean-Up
Cost: FREE: Validated Self Parking at the Hyatt Regency for Beach Clean Up participants.
FREE Continental Breakfast provided
When: APRIL 22, 2017 Saturday 7am – 9am
Where: Meet at Dukeʻs Statue Kūhio Beach Park in Waikiki
More info

Mauna to Makai Earth Day at Waikiki Aquarium
Cost: FREE
When: Saturday, April 22, 9am-2pm (Free Admission!)
Location: The Waikiki Aquarium
Description: Guests will take part in interactive booths, entertainment and a variety of hands-on learning activities and displays that showcase preservation and protection of Hawaii’s environment. Among the activities will be a fish release and native plant giveaway. More info

VSH Earth Day Celebration
Cost: FREE
When: April 22, 1-6pm
Where: Banan
1810 University Ave.
Honolulu, HI
Description: Vegetarian Society of Hawaii event with lots of live music, t-shirt giveaways, special speakers/presentations, plant sale, delicious treats, fundraiser, and more. More info

Plant it Forward 2.0
Cost: $5 donation. Snacks and water provided.
When: Sat, April 22, 2017. 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Where: KEY Project
47-200 Waihee Road
Kaneohe, HI 96744
Description: Learn and Help Restore the Waihe‘e Lo‘i. Join us for our Earth Day service project torestore the Waihe‘e Lo‘i and learn about the history and importance the lo‘i plays in our current local culture.
More info: Society of Young Leaders

Earth Day After pARTy!
Cost: $10 donation
When: Sat, April 22, 2017, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Where: Arts At Marks Garage
1159 Nuuanu Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96817
Join us for an engaging night of art, activism & environment gathered around the idea that we can create progressive positive change through passion, creativity & activated community! More info

Earth Day at the North Shore Country Market
Cost: FREE
When: Saturday, April 22 at 8 AM – 2 PM
Where: Sunset Beach Elementary School
59360 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, Hawaii 96712
Description: Live music, Yoga, community plant and seed swap. The market will have produce, flowers jewelry, art, kids clothes, succulents, jard drinks, healing ointments, photos, and much more. Everything is made in Hawaii. More info

Optimysstique Earth Day (North Shore)
Cost: Donation
When: Saturday, April 22. 10 AM – 9 PM
Where: YMCA Camp Erdman
Mokuleia Forest Reserve, 69-385 Farrington Hwy, Waialua, HI 96791
Description: Hosted by Optimysstique. Live music, djs, yoga, bodywork, clothing swap, seed swap, vendor village, and more. More info

Big Island (Hawaiʻi)

Earth Day 2017 Fair & Conservation Career Day
Cost: FREE
When: Friday, April 21^st, 2017 • 9am – 2pm
Where: University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
200 W. Kāwili Street

Description: “2017 Earth Day celebration boasts educational videos, informational exhibits and science demonstrations, expert guest speakers, a food sustainability panel, environmental science skill-building workshops, marine touch-tanks, dance troupes, HICCUP Circus performance, hula, storytellers, face-painting, campus garden tours, an environmental career fair, unmanned aerial vehicle flight simulators, and many other engaging activities. Free plants, fruits, and other giveaways will be available throughout the day.” – Source: http://hilo.hawaii.edu/earthfair/

Maui

West Maui Greenway Earth Day 2017 Celebration
Cost: FREE
When: Saturday, April 22 at 9 AM – 4:30 PM
Where: Lahaina Civic Center
Phone: (808) 661-4685
Website: http://www.westmauigreenway.org/events.html

Description: First kick-off event to help raise awareness for the West Maui Greenway project, a proposed 25-mile, multi-use pathway along Maui’s Western shore. Lots of activities such as yoga, hula, keiki activities, arts, Greenway exploration rides, and music entertainment.

Recently Hawaii became the first state in the US to pass legislation providing tax breaks for local farmers to offset the cost of getting certified organic! This bill would allocate up to $50,000 to each qualifying farm operation to cover such expenses as organic certification costs and equipment, for example.

Hawaii governor David Ige hasn’t yet decided whether he will sign it into law. You can take action and tell governor David Ige why it’s a great idea to have more organic farms in Hawaii, so he can sign this bill into law!

Here are some good reasons to support this cause, which would create: #1. more availability of certified organic/healthy food! #2. cheaper/sustained prices on organic (more supply = price goes down) #3. better for the environment and health!! These 3 reasons alone are a huge incentive to sign this legislation into law!

TAKE ACTION! Submit your comments to Gov. David Ige by June 27 deadline IN SUPPORT of “HB1689” HERE!

Mahalo to Hawaii representative Chris Lee, Hawaii Center for Food Safety and all those who support these positive changes!

Updates on this measure are published here

Earth Day 2016 is officially on Friday, April 22nd. Additionally, many Earth Day events in Hawaii will take place on other days during the second half of April. This year’s Earth Day theme is Trees for the Earth! Here’s a growing list of Earth Day events scheduled to take place across Hawaii. If you know of another event that we missed, just let us know and we’ll add it!

Oahu

UH Mānoa Earth Day

Friday, April 22 10:00am – 4:00pm
Location: University of Hawaii Mānoa Campus Center and Legacy Pathway

Annual Earth Day Celebration at UH Manoa including food, activities, live music, and information, all in the name of sustaining our planet! An annual tradition promoting sustainability efforts on-campus and in the community to foster networking, involvement and inspiration.

Mauna to Makai Earth Day at Waikiki Aquarium

Saturday, April 23 9am-4:30pm (Free Admission!)
Location: The Waikiki Aquarium
This event will highlight the impact we make on water sources from Mauka to Makai. The Waikiki Aquarium and 15 other organizations will provide educational activities for both children and adults on how to preserve and protect our diverse environment.

The North Shore Country Market

Saturday, April 23rd, 8am-2pm
Location: Sunset Beach Elementary School
The North Shore Country Market is a non-profit market dedicated to sustainability and community. NSCM will be hosting an Earth Day celebration on April 23rd from 8-2pm across from Pipeline at the Sunset Beach Elementary School. NSCM will be having a plant and seed swap for community members to bring and trade seeds, plants and cuttings with others. NSCM also have organic plants for sale from Lokahi nursery, local produce, food, live music, yoga at 11am, keiki activities and more!

Yoga for Earth Day

Saturday, April 23 at 2pm – 4pm
Location: Still & Moving Center
1024 Queen St, Honolulu, Hawaii 96814
Cost: $30 or $50 for two if you bring a friend. 50% of the proceeds will be donated to Surfrider Foundation Oahu Chapter.

In celebration of Earth Day, join us in an exploration of how the teachings of yoga can guide us to be better stewards of the planet and help us to acknowledge both our love and pain for the world. We will also learn about and honor threatened and endangered native Hawaiian animals through a short asana practice and cultivate interconnectedness and loving kindness towards the world through guided meditations. This workshop is for anyone who would like to become more empowered to become better activists on behalf of our island Earth. Native plants sale provided by Hui Ku Maoli Ola.

Waimanalo Beach Park Earth Day Cleanup and Ultimate Sand Sifter Competition

Saturday, April 30, 9am-2pm
Location: Waimanalo Beach Park

9:00am – check in, 9:30am-12:00pm – Clean Up, 12:00pm-2:00pm – live music, games, and more!
Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii and Partners bring you the 2016 Earth Day Cleanup and Ultimate Sand Sifter Competition. Everyone is invited! Check in is at 9AM at Waimanalo Beach Park. Winners receive a $1,000 prize and all entrants get a goodie bag!

Maui

2016 Maui Earth Day Festival

Sunday, April 17, 10:00am – 6:00pm
Cost: $7 entrance fee, kids free
Location: Ke‘opuolani Park Amphitheater, behind the Maui Nui Botanical Garden
19th annual Maui Earth Day will be celebrating with two stages of live music, information booths and a silent auction. There will be food booths providing delicious, healthy foods and vendors offering all kinds of eco friendly products and a healing zone with massage therapists, intuitive healers and body workers. There will be a Keiki Parade and much more!

Kauai

Earth Day Rising VI

Sunday, April 24, all day
Location: Malama Kauai Community Farm in Kalihiwai Ridge
Cost: $15 advanced donation online, $25 donation at door, keiki 16 and under FREE

The 6th annual Earth Day Rising Festival will have workshops and panels on sustainable living, agriculture, and conservation, farm kids activities, clothing swap tent, seed and plant giveaway, music, food, and more!

Big Island

Earth Day at Kahakai Elementary Kona Hawaii

Friday, April 22nd

Painted Trees of Hawaii will be planting 250 eucalyptus trees to celebrate Earth Day. Special guest, Kelly Dunn, fine art photographer will give a presentation to the students about these beautiful trees.