Happy 14th Birthday, ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center! 2,000 at pā‘ina celebrated mālama ‘āina

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2,000 keiki, family, and friends attended the annual celebration; this year’s theme focused on mālama ʻāina or caring for the land.

ʻImiloa Astronomy Center with its three cones shaped buildings, signage in lava wall, surrounded by gardens.
ʻImiloa Astronomy Center (File photo)

Thousands packed the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo on Sunday to celebrate the educational center’s 14th birthday pāʻina, “Birthday Re-wrapped.” This year’s annual celebration was focused on mālama ʻāina or caring for the land—with an emphasis on the letter “R”—where visitors learned about how to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair, and Repurpose.

People in lobby of center with overhead fish nets and fish cut outs to mimic the ocean.
At the 14th birthday celebration on Sunday, Feb. 23, ʻImiloa decorated its main atrium with discarded fishing net and items found on the beach. (Photo: ʻImiloa/UH Hilo)

“With all that we are experiencing globally, it is ʻImiloa’s hope that visitors take with them a heightened awareness of the waste and debris as a result of our collective impact here on Earth and in space,” says Kaʻiu Kimura, executive director of the center.

Activities included making a beeswax wrap (a plastic wrap alternative), building with re-purposed materials at the Imagination Station, and learning how to sew on a button or repair clothing like a pro. Inspiring a Zero Waste lifestyle and a healthier Hawaiʻi was the aim.

Hundreds of keiki were among the approximately 2,000 attendees at the celebration.

Visitors also enjoyed a full dome presentation in ʻImiloa’s planetarium at a special show, Space Junk, addressing satellites orbiting around Earth and the discussions taking place on how to clean-up scattered debris.

Read full story at UH System News.

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