HomeMy WebLinkAboutDOWNR12072020DOWreceives20192020HawaiiGreenBusinessAwardMedia Contact: Jonell S.T. Kaohelaulii
Information & Education Specialist
Phone: 808- 245-5461
Mobile: 808-755-5432
Email: jkaohelaulii@kauaiwater.org
Water has no substitute…Conserve it!
News Release
For Immediate Release: December 7, 2020
DOW receives 2019-2020 Hawaii Green Business Award
LIHUE – The Department of Water (DOW) was recently honored as a 2019-2020 Hawaii Green Business
Award recipient and received a Governor’s Commendation for incorporating environmental-friendly, green
practices during its 16th Annual Make a Splash water education festival. A virtual recognition ceremony; held
on December 4, 2020, was hosted by the state’s Department of Business, Economic Development and
Tourism’s (DBEDT) it’s Hawaii Green Business Program (HGBP) partners.
DOW coordinated its 16th Annual Make a Splash with Project WET water education festival with 2 goals in
mind: provide an exciting, interactive water education experience for students and improve the event’s
green efforts by applying the HGBP’s checklist of green business recommendations.
“The Kaua`i Department of Water’s efforts to minimize environmental impact is paramount in all areas of
our operations and we are honored to be recognized as a Hawaii Green Business Award recipient this year,”
said Kurt Akamine, Board Chair of the Kaua`i Board of Water Supply. “Providing water education at an
environmentally conscious event is a win-win for sustainability on our island and we could not have done it
without our hard working staff, partnering agencies and participating residents.”
The Make a Splash with Project WET water education festival is a student-focused event that gathers nearly
800 fifth grade students and teachers for an interactive, hands-on educational experience. 12 activity
stations were offered in 2019 that addressed water topics such as: resource management, conservation,
water quality and filtration, environmental impact from natural disasters, importance of drinking water
service and more.
“As leaders for water education, we are continuously seeking to improve our approach towards how the
community values water and our natural resources,” said Jonell Kaohelaulii, DOW’s Information and
Education Specialist. Encouraging attendees to bring their own reusable water bottle was an important part
of the event’s announcements. Additionally, preparations for the event included gathering compostable
products, recyclable cardboard boxes and recycled papers to be sorted, compiled and prepared for use at
the event. “Environmental impact is taken into consideration in every Department of Water project and our
annual water education festival is no different. We took the necessary steps to replace materials with
compostable and recycled products; and by doing do, were able to eliminate plastic waste and minimize
trash at the event.” said Kaohelaulii.
Other green efforts included: activities that featured re-usable supplies, change from paper to email
registration forms, offered compostable and recycle bins throughout the event, purchased eco-friendly
versions of required event materials; such as: compostable napkins, bags made of recycled materials, etc.
Transportation offered by bus or carpool to and from the event. Post event, staff collected reusable
nametag holders, cleaned and washed supplies, carefully restored items, and used leftover water from
activities to feed grass and plants nearby. In addition to other recommendations aligned with the state’s
green business program, no electricity was used during the event.
For more information on DOW’s Make a Splash with Project WET festival, please call the Department of
Water at 245-5461. For more information on the DEDBT’s Hawaii Green Business Program, visit
www.greenbusiness.hawaii.gov
Photo 1: Department of Water group photo (photo taken late 2019)
-continued-
Photo 2:
A photo collage of recycled supplies
and materials used during the
DOW’s Make a Splash Event. Items
such as: dry-erase boards, milk jugs,
crayons, cardboard boxes, etc. were
part of the re-use, reduce waste
effort by the Department.
Photo 3: Students pose at the “Make a
Splash” sign in 2019 during the event.
DOW was recently awarded the 2019-
2020 Hawaii Green Business Award for
their efforts at the 2019 Make a
Splash festival.
Photo 4: A simple cup with strings (recyclable event supplies), are used to identify as a
water source (cup) and water users (strings) in this activity demonstration about water
resource management.
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