The Pāhana Ho‘olupalupa Native Hawaiian Waste Management Curriculum Development Project focuses on traditional Hawaiian philosophy and practice in caring for the land and the sea that is the basis for our life. The proposed project goes beyond recycling and composting to include the re-education of our Hawaiian students and community regarding man‘s role in the health of the land and the sea.

In Year One, the Pāhana Ho‘olupalupa researched and explored classroom lessons and demonstration project activities that emphasize culturally-appropriate ways of managing waste. In Year One, three unique sites were prepared as hands-on learning activities for students while providing the test run for projects to be included in final curriculum.

In Year Two, the project piloted and assessed the objectives, lessons and projects that were explored the previous year. Year Two ended with a final curriculum guide that was piloted in teams in six schools (2 elementary and 4 high schools with high concentrations of Hawaiian students). The final curriculum also included model projects and case studies that resulted from on-campus and off-campus demonstration projects, which were explored in Year One and piloted in Year Two.

In Year Three, the project developed and implemented state-wide teacher pre-service and in-service training workshops on the background and use of the Pāhana Ho‘olupalupa curriculum and materials.

The curriculum was developed by teachers in the Hawaiian language immersion program, Hawaiian studies programs, and schools serving high concentrations of native Hawaiian students. The curriculum centered on the learning styles appropriate to native Hawaiian students and therefore was more likely to have positive results in educational achievement.