Last Friday, my school held a sustainability fair between 12:30 and 4:30, where we learned about the effects that we have on our environment, such as global warming and growing landfills, as well as teaching us ways to become more environmentally friendly. Also, we learned about how our state and school is aiding in this effort in going "green".
My school has an extremely large campus, and student body of more than 4,000 students K-12 grade, and with that, we use up a large amount of resources, such as energy, for all the lights and AC in all the several classrooms and buildings, paper's, and plastics, to only name a few. And because of this, my school, has decided to pledge to stop using so much of these valuable resources, by setting up several goals dealing with energy, garbage, water, traffic and food, to be accomplished by 2016, sparking the idea of the sustainability fair.
Another thing I learned about my school on Friday, was how the new middle school, that was first opened las year, was entirely made up of recycled goods, and produces it's own energy to fuel the school.
Something else that my school is playing an active role in helping our environment, was getting a 5th grade class involved in recycling bottles, and can's to raise money to adopt a tiger at the zoo, taking care of it's food, shelter and any other necessities it might need.
Then at another table, I learned about how recycled water, which has been fillitered and disinfected to achieve bacterial concentrations consistent with DOH Guidelines for R-1 Water, in Hawaii, is being used for industries and irrigation. Though this water is not healthy enough for human consumption, because of all the bacterias and viruses in the water, it is completely healthy for the environment, since it is a much cheaper, and environmentally healthy way of reducing the amount of water being used.
Lastly, I learned about a House Bill that is being debated over in my state's legislature, which would reduce Hawaii's contribution to global climate change, by limiting the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from Hawaii into the atmospher, which is also the cause of global warming. And all we would need to do as an resident in Hawaii, is call one of the people in government who are supporting this bill, and voice our support for this bill with them.
All in all, through Friday's sustainability fair, I was able to learn a lot about the environment, and how greatly than ever before do we impact the way it works, as well as the things that people in my school, and state are doing to help stop the destructions that we are causing on the place we call home, earth.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Friday, April 13, 2007
Ghost Stories
Hawaii may be one of the most beautiful places on earth, but we also have some amazing ghost stories, here are a few i found interesting. (I found all these stories at http://theshadowlands.net/places/hawaii.htm)
Nu'uanu - The Pali Lookout - People have reported seeing the white silhouette of someone among the trees at the Pali Lookout, at night. There have also been reports of the silhouettes of ancient Hawaiian soldiers being thrown off the cliff to your right when one is standing at the actual lookout, looking down at Kaneohe. The Pali Lookout is where King Kamehameha defeated the opposing armies by throwing them off this cliff. He then united all of the Hawaiian islands. What is interesting is that there is no light source up on the cliff to the right of the lookout to see the silhouettes of these soldiers being cast down. But, when they are seen, the cliff is somehow illuminated. The lights that illuminate the winding road leading into Kaneohe and the lights of Kaneohe itself are too far down to cast any shadows up that high. There are no lights in the parking lot or throughout the lookout area, either. The Pali Lookout is off-limits at night.
The Pali Highway - There is an old belief that if you are traveling on the Pali Highway, in the day or night, that you must not have pork in your car. It is believed that your car will stall and will not start again until the pork is taken out of your car. Some locals believe that is the menehune (meh-neh-hoo-neh), mischievous, elflike creatures, that stops you. Others believe it is because Kamapua'a(kah-mah-po-ah-ah), the giant, nine-eyed boar god who lives in the forests of Kaneohe, won't allow you to pass until the pork is taken out of your car. And this means going in either direction- from Honolulu to Kaneohe or Kaneohe to Honolulu. Many locals, to this day, practice this custom whether they believe or not.
Kahala Mall - In the newspaper several years ago there was a story about a security guard working the late shift at Kahala Mall. After theaters closed, he and another security guard had to lock all the doors to the mall. One security guard went up to the parking level to check the parking lot and lock the doors that lead to this level. He saw another security guard up there, his friend, and not the one he'd just left. The guy was far away, so he called to his friend, but the guy didn't answer. He called again, this next time his friend turned and looked and him then walked away, disappearing around a corner. The security guard went to follow him and found the man gone. This was about one or two a.m. He later asked the other security guard if he had seen their co-worker, the other man said no. The next day, the security guard found out that the man he saw had died at about the same time he'd seen him.
Hilton Hawaii Village - Believed to be haunted by the volcano goddess. Visitors, house cleaners, and other staff members say that they see a woman in a red dress walk in the hallways, on the beach, and everywhere in between! Some people say that the volcano goddess shows up in other forms such as a young woman, and old woman, a hitch-hiker, and a stranger that comes to your door, among other things and never travels alone. When on the beach, she'll be accompanied by dancers.
Nu'uanu - The Pali Lookout - People have reported seeing the white silhouette of someone among the trees at the Pali Lookout, at night. There have also been reports of the silhouettes of ancient Hawaiian soldiers being thrown off the cliff to your right when one is standing at the actual lookout, looking down at Kaneohe. The Pali Lookout is where King Kamehameha defeated the opposing armies by throwing them off this cliff. He then united all of the Hawaiian islands. What is interesting is that there is no light source up on the cliff to the right of the lookout to see the silhouettes of these soldiers being cast down. But, when they are seen, the cliff is somehow illuminated. The lights that illuminate the winding road leading into Kaneohe and the lights of Kaneohe itself are too far down to cast any shadows up that high. There are no lights in the parking lot or throughout the lookout area, either. The Pali Lookout is off-limits at night.
The Pali Highway - There is an old belief that if you are traveling on the Pali Highway, in the day or night, that you must not have pork in your car. It is believed that your car will stall and will not start again until the pork is taken out of your car. Some locals believe that is the menehune (meh-neh-hoo-neh), mischievous, elflike creatures, that stops you. Others believe it is because Kamapua'a(kah-mah-po-ah-ah), the giant, nine-eyed boar god who lives in the forests of Kaneohe, won't allow you to pass until the pork is taken out of your car. And this means going in either direction- from Honolulu to Kaneohe or Kaneohe to Honolulu. Many locals, to this day, practice this custom whether they believe or not.
Kahala Mall - In the newspaper several years ago there was a story about a security guard working the late shift at Kahala Mall. After theaters closed, he and another security guard had to lock all the doors to the mall. One security guard went up to the parking level to check the parking lot and lock the doors that lead to this level. He saw another security guard up there, his friend, and not the one he'd just left. The guy was far away, so he called to his friend, but the guy didn't answer. He called again, this next time his friend turned and looked and him then walked away, disappearing around a corner. The security guard went to follow him and found the man gone. This was about one or two a.m. He later asked the other security guard if he had seen their co-worker, the other man said no. The next day, the security guard found out that the man he saw had died at about the same time he'd seen him.
Hilton Hawaii Village - Believed to be haunted by the volcano goddess. Visitors, house cleaners, and other staff members say that they see a woman in a red dress walk in the hallways, on the beach, and everywhere in between! Some people say that the volcano goddess shows up in other forms such as a young woman, and old woman, a hitch-hiker, and a stranger that comes to your door, among other things and never travels alone. When on the beach, she'll be accompanied by dancers.
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