Start Earth Day with E Ala Ē chant at sunrise

Hawai‘i is the last place in the U.S. in which the sun will rise on Earth Day on Saturday, April 22, when more than 100 countries are anticipated to join in celebration of a moment of peace.

The nonprofit Kanu Hawai‘i, which hosts the nation’s largest celebration of National Volunteer Month, will host E Ala Ē, a Hawaiian chant that will unite voices from across the Hawaiian islands on Earth Day. This year they will be joined by spiritual leaders including brahmans from more than 100 countries including Palau, Mexico and India.

Groups across Hawai‘i will gather from the highest peaks of Maui’s Haleakala to the shores of O‘ahu’s eastern coast and at sea, as canoes venture out of Hilo Bay. They will congregate in sacred Hawaiian spaces and places, urban centers and along the coastlines.

This event will take place in Hilo on the Big Island at Hilo Bay near the canoe sheds with Charlene Mashura.

E Ala Ē (translated to awaken to rise) will be led by Hawaiian elders and cultural practitioners from every island. These leaders share Hawaii’s message for all to rise up and awaken to the needs of the planet. For more information including the chant, click here. Participants can attend from home, school or anywhere worldwide.

“The sacred Hawaiian chant is about the sun’s reflection on water that creates a pathway of hope,” says Sage Yamashita, an 18-year-old Moloka‘i resident and environmental advocate who is coordinating the statewide events. “It’s a chant about renewal. Collectively and actively creating hope is the magic driving E Ala Ē.”