Our Programs
The MLC’s WOW (‘Without Walls’) programming centers on the theme of ‘Mauka to Makai'. This theme, inspired by the ahupua‘a model, concentrates on building connections—from understanding connections among habitats, to strengthening connections within and among communities for addressing sustainability issues, to connecting these experiences to the heart by internalizing the spirit of mālama.
WOW workshops, exhibits, performances, mentorship opportunities, and service learning projects connect students and community members directly with professionals actively addressing issues of healthful and sustainable living through the arts, science, culture, and conservation.
Below are specific examples of WOW programming being implemented now prior to the completion of our permanent facility.
WOW Conservation Events
- Conservation Education Teacher Workshops (ongoing)
Partner Organizations: Lyon Arboretum, Aloha ‘Āina, Kapolei High School
Workshops provide contact between teachers and conservation professionals and include a distribution of conservation teaching materials aligned with state standards.
- Sustainable Gardening Community Workshops (ongoing)
Partner Organizations: HECO, Board of Water Supply, Hui Kū Maoli Ola Plant Nursery, Hawaiian Earth Products, The Green House, Kapolei High School
Workshops open to the community are offered in landscaping with native and edible plants and invasive species education.
- Stewardship Initiative, (ongoing)
Partner Organizations: Hui Kū Maoli Ola Plant Nursery, Ka‘ala Farms
Student and community volunteer work days are organized for ecological preservation and restoration projects at sites such as the Kalaeloa coast.
- West O‘ahu Alternative Energy and Sustainability Summits, 2006 & 2008
Partner Organizations: HECO, Ka‘ala Farms, Hoa‘āina O Makaha, KSBE Community Learning Center in Nānākuli, Nānākuli High & Intermediate School, Alu Like Nānākuli
The annual Summit is an educational celebration sharing the various sustainability projects initiated by schools, families, and community groups along the coast of West O‘ahu over the course of the year.
WOW Culture and the Arts Events
- Art-2-Go Student Workshops, (ongoing)
Partner Organizations: Honolulu Academy of Arts, Kapolei High School
Supplementing after-school options, professional artists sponsored by the Honolulu Academy of Arts present workshop series involving students in self-expression through fine art.
- Indigenous Stories Theatre Project, 2007-2008
Partner Organizations: Kapolei High School, Nānākuli High & Intermediate School, Alu Like Nānākuli, Nānāikapono Community School Museum
Students from Nānākuli and Kapolei High Schools created a dramatic theatre performance weaving together current environmental issues and Native Hawaiian legends specific to places in West O‘ahu. The performance toured six West O‘ahu elementary schools.
Below are examples of future MLC programming to be housed in the permanent green facility upon its completion, with groundbreaking scheduled for 2009.
MLC Permanent Facility Programming
- Living Laboratory Mentorship Program
Tenants at the MLC, including private companies and non-profits involved with conservation, provide on-site, hands-on mentoring opportunities for KHS students in applying science, technology, and business to environmental sustainability.
- Performing Arts Workshop Series
Utilizing the performance hall, local theatre, dance, and music professionals lead student workshops in conjunction with performances open to the community.
- Alternative Energy & Sustainable Solutions Series
Utilizing the performance hall, professional engineers and private companies developing alternative energy, including renewable fuels, wind, and solar power, present current technologies and potential impact on island living.
- Hands-On Health & Wellness Workshop Series
To promote healthful and proactive living practices, spaces such as the café kitchen are utilized for nutritional cooking workshops using locally grown foods and the dance studio and multi-use rooms for hands-on healing workshops in modalities including lomi lomi, reiki, and qigong.
- Indigenous & Sustainable Art Symposium
Native Hawaiian artists, artists invoking environmental issues, and artists working in sustainable—renewable or salvaged material—mediums present and fundraise in MLC exhibit spaces.
- Conservation-in-Action Student Film Festival
The MLC hosts a statewide student film festival capturing conservation efforts and environmental messages.
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