Lā Honua Earth Day 2026
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The Lā Honua Earth Day Committee welcomes students, staff and faculty from Hawaiʻi Community College and University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo to join us in celebrating Lā Honua ~ Earth Days 2026 with events from April 17 to April 24. Our theme this year is Huli Ka Lima I Lalo, Ola!, Activate! Turn your hands towards the earth to elevate community.
Registration
Please pre-register for the events you would like to attend, using the button below. Registration for the K-12 event is closed; however, registration for all other activities is open!
Lā Honua Event Registration
Includes Keynotes, Huakaʻi, and Work Days
2026 Lā Honua Events
Mālama Honua Huakaʻi: Kuleana Kahakai ~ Coastal Stewardship
Date: Friday, April 17, 2026
Time: 9am - 2pm, on-site
Location: Kaʻakepa, Puna
Details: Mālama and learn how to help to protect this powerful and remote coastal area between ʻOpihikao and Pohoiki, and understand its significance. Hosted by Pōhaku Pelemaka.
Mālama Honua Huakaʻi: Kuleana Kahakai ~ Coastal Stewardship
Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026
Time: 9am - 1pm, on-site
Location: Kaumaui, Hilo
Details: Mālama several loko iʻa of this section of the Hilo coastline near Waiʻōlena Beach Park, and learn about their significance including in their role in Indigenous food sovereignty. Hosted by Hui Hoʻoleimaluō.
Mālama Honua Huakaʻi: Kuleana Nahele ~ Dryland Forest Stewardship
Date: Sunday, April 19, 2026
Time: 9am - 1pm, on-site
Location: Hawaiʻi CC - Pālamanui, Kona
Details: Mālama the native dryland forest at Pālamanui in Kona, and learn about its profound environmental and cultural significance.
Lā Honua Keynote
Date: Monday, April 20, 2026
Time: Noon - 1pm
Location: Zoom & simulcast at TLC, UH Hilo campus
Speakers: Dr. Beth-Rose Middleton-Manning and Danny Manny
Details: "Learning To Be In Relation With Fire:
Reflections from the Keepers of the Flame Program." This talk explores Keepers of the Flame, an initiative rooted in relationships between cultural fire practitioners, communities, and the landscape, emphasizing respect for fire as part of the environment and cultural stewardship.
Lā Honua Keynote
Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Time: Noon - 1pm
Location: in-person at TLC, UH Hilo campus and via Zoom
Speaker: Dr. Candace Fujikane
Details: "Elemental Cartographies in the Restoration of Lahaina and Kahoʻolawe." This talk explores how Kānaka are regreening places like Lahaina and Kahoʻolawe after they have been devastated by human actions that have exacerbated climate change effects.
Lā Honua Keynote
Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Time: 2 - 3pm
Location: Zoom & simulcast in TLC, UH Hilo campus, & Papaʻā Hale, Hawaiʻi CC Manono campus
Speaker: Dr. Chantelle Richmond
Details: "Environmental Repossession: Reclaiming Relations with Earth." This talk explores environmental repossession, an Indigenous framework grounded in knowledge systems, social relationships, and reciprocal connections to place. Drawing on case studies from Indigenous food sovereignty, community research, and lived practices, it examines how reconnecting with land and water supports health, self-determination, and pathways toward a more sustainable future.
Lā Honua Keynote
Date: Thursday, April 24, 2026
Time: 3:30 - 4:20pm
Location: in-person Wentworth, Room 1, UH Hilo and via Zoom
Speaker: Laura Acasio
Details: "From Seed to System: An OSCER Overview." This talk explores the formation and mandate of the County of Hawaiʻi Office of Sustainability, Climate, Equity, and Resilience (OSCER) with the broader Earth Day movement, emphasizing collective responsibility, environmental stewardship, and justice. And, highlights current initiatives in climate adaptation, community engagement, and equity-centered decision-making, as well as collaborations across Hawaiʻi Island, grounded in place-based knowledge, global climate realities, and governance in island contexts. It concludes with future priorities for strengthening resilience initiatives and partnerships toward a more just and sustainable Hawaiʻi.
Lā Honua at Hawaiʻi CC Pālamanui
Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Time: 8am - noon
Location: Hawaiʻi CC - Pālamanui
Details: Lā Honua activities
Lā Honua K-12 Earth Day at UH Hilo
Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Time: 9am - noon
Location: UH Hilo - various locations
Details: Campus Fair for K-12 Students, K-12 MUST be Pre-Registered by February
Lā Honua Kīpaepae & More
Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Time: 10am - 1pm
Location: Hawaiʻi CC - Manono
Shuttle: Shuttle from UH Hilo Bookstore to Hawaiʻi CC Manono Flagpole at 9:30AM & 9:45AM; return time scheduled with student
Details: Lā Honua Kīpaepae followed by Cultural Workshops, ʻAi Pono, Art Making, Māla Activities, and Native Plant Give-aways
Lā Honua Conservation Career Day at UH Hilo
Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Time: noon - 2pm
Location: UH Hilo - Library Lanāi & Campus Plaza
Details: Conservation Career Information Day for Hawaiʻi CC and UH Hilo Students
Sustainability Art
Date: All month, April 1-30, 2026
Time: library hours, on-site
Location: UH Hilo - Edwin Mookini Library, 3rd Floor
Details: "Number 6, Sustainable Conceptual Art Installation" by Marco Garcia. This installation is a sustainable conceptual art intervention. Number 6 addresses the environmental and human health impacts of single-use plastic, specifically polystyrene (#6), through a visual and educational approach grounded in community collaboration and environmental awareness.
Mālama Honua Activity - Māla and Mālama ʻĀina
Date: Friday, April 24, 2026
Time: 1 - 4pm
Location: UH Hilo - Performing Arts Center
Details: Learn about native plants, then beautify the Performing Arts Center's common areas by planting native species and controlling invasives
Mālama Honua Activity - Movie Night
Date: Friday, April 24, 2026
Time: 4 - 6:30pm
Location: UH Hilo - Campus Center, Room 301
Details: Let it Grow: a movie night featuring The Lorax. Enjoy snacks, relax and reflect on caring for our planet together.
Calendar
If you have any questions, please contact the Lā Honua Earth Day Coordinators: Lisa Canale at canale@hawaii.edu (UH Hilo) or Drew Kapp at dkapp@hawaii.edu (Hawaiʻi CC) and, for K-12 activities specifically, please contact Diane Barrett barrett9@hawaii.edu (UH Hilo) or Judith McDonald judithmc@hawaii.edu (UH Hilo).