The Hawai?i Green Collar Institute offers students some green for being green

PEARL CITY—The Hawai?i Green Collar Institute (HGCI) is now accepting applications from Leeward O?ahu high school and college students for its inaugural program that launches on October 29, 2010.

HGCI’s new program introduces students to environmental and climate change issues in their communities and inspires them to pursue careers in Hawaii’s emerging “green collar” economy.

HGCI is an educational partnership between the M?lama Learning Center and Leeward Community College H?lau ?Ike O Pu?uloa (Native Hawaiian Student Support Programs) with initial funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Ka Papa O Kakuhihewa Fund.

Over four weekends spanning five months, students will visit sites on O?ahu to learn about food security, waste and recycling, energy, and the health of our oceans and streams. On these visits, participants will gain hands-on experience with jobs that relate to each site and also interact with professionals to better understand those jobs. The students will also work in teams to complete an educational project that benefits the community.

In addition to exposing students to “green collar” jobs, each participant that attends all four sessions, completes the group project, and gives a presentation at the program’s conclusion will be awarded $200. The program also offers support after completion to connect students to more experiences in the “green collar” field.

The institute sessions are October 29 and 30, January 7 and 8, February 18 and 19, and March 4 and 5. The institute will be held at Leeward Community College in Pearl City with fieldwork and service learning trips across the island of O?ahu with a special focus on Leeward O?ahu.

“The Leeward Coast of O‘ahu is a beautiful place with a strong sense of cultural history and communities grounded to the land and sea,” said Institute Coordinator Pauline Sato. “However, it is also troubled with numerous ‘quality of life’ issues such as high rates of unemployment, homelessness, and poverty, bottle-neck traffic, landfills near capacity, polluted streams and beaches, illegal and toxic dumps, industrial pollution and degraded habitat of native plant species. Through education, we believe people and places can heal and become restored.”

High school juniors (minimum age 16) through college juniors living within the Waipahu to M?kaha communities are eligible to apply. All applicants must submit a completed application form and at least two reference forms, available on-line at www.malamalearningcenter.org.

All materials must be received by September 1. A registration fee of $25 is required to reserve a space. Scholarships are available for students who are experiencing financial hardship.

For more information, contact [email protected] or call (808) 692-8200 ext. 2252 and visit www.malamalearningcenter.org.