Kohala Coast resort plants 1,000 trees in honor of Earth Day

Fairmont Orchid, a luxury resort along the Kohala Coast of Hawai‘i Island, planted 1,000 trees in partnership with Waikōloa Dry Forest Initiative to help rebuild a native-dominant forest in honor of Earth Day.

“It’s been gratifying to invite our colleagues and guests to mālama ʻāina (care for the land) right in our own backyard,” said Charles Head, general manager of Fairmont Orchid.

Fairmont Orchid also supports Waikōloa Dry Forest Initiative’s Future Foresters program, which brings local keiki (kids) to the Waikōloa Dry Forest Preserve after school to hike, explore, learn and reflect in nature. Future Foresters is an ongoing after school program that services fourth and fifth grade students at Waikōloa Elementary and Middle School.

“As we come together to support the restoration of our forest, we’re reminded of the Hawaiian saying, I ola ‘oe, i ola mākou nei,” said Jen Lawson, executive director of Waikōloa Dry Forest Initiative. “It essentially means that ‘if you thrive, I thrive’ since our lives are so intertwined. This applies to both the trees in the forest and the members of our community.”

Guests of Fairmont Orchid are invited to volunteer in the dry forest on the second and fourth Saturday of every month. To volunteer in the forest, you may sign up here.