(Photo courtesy of UH Hilo)

MEDIA RELEASE

The Kumukoa House community would like to thank The UH Hilo Student Association (UHHSA) for funding the permaculture parking lot at the UH Hilo campus.

The project is a sustainability initiative supported by the UH Hilo College of Agriculture, The UH Hilo Sustainability Committee, UHHSA Sustainability Committee, student organizations The Agriculture Club and Global HOPE, as well as more than 200 UH Hilo students.

“This project will benefit many of our ag students,” said Dr. Norman Arancon, Sustainability Agriculture professor at UH Hilo.

The Kumukoa House sits adjacent to UH Hilo Lanikaula parking lot. Kumukoa’s residents, mostly UH Hilo students, have been actively participating in a ‘Permaculture Curriculum’ at the house over the past 3.5 years, agreeing to work 10 hours a month under trained gardening experts.

“I have learned a lot of things I couldn’t have learned in school at the Kumukoa House,” said former resident and ag student Stephen Zilch.

Over the last two years the Kumukoa House, with permission of UH Hilo, has begun planting gardens around the west parking lot border.

The house has donated more than $25,000 of labor to the parking lot gardens since then.

The permaculture parking lot is a ‘public /private’ project between the university and the Kumukoa House. Residents of the house have agreed to commit to work on the project, and the house pays for trained gardening experts to oversee the project (including manage student/community volunteer labor), with the student association funding the project.

The end goal is to “beautify” the parking lot, demonstrate how food can be grown, and provide an educational experience for students and community members.

“With over 85 percent of our food in Hawaii being imported, this is a great step for students and residents of Hawaii Island,” said Kumukoa House owner Justin Avery, “this is a true win/win partnership.”

Students and community members are invited to participate in ‘yard day’ 9 a.m.-3 p.m. the first and third Saturdays of every month at the Kumukoa House.