PODCAST: Meet the high schooler tackling food insecurity — one fruit tree at a time

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Drawing inspiration from her household’s avocado tree, excessive schooler Sophie Chen determined to take issues into her personal arms to deal with meals insecurity in Hawaii.

“I knew concerning the issues surrounding meals insecurity on the island. I personally have an avocado tree in my yard. And yearly we’re all the time making an attempt to present away these contemporary avocados. I all the time thought it was an excessive amount of for us to deal with individually as a household,” Sophie mentioned.

Due to this fruitful dilemma, Sophie determined as a substitute of letting these avocados go to waste, why not donate them to these in want.

Being only a sophomore at Punahou College, Sophie just lately based the nonprofit, The Kokua Tree.

She just lately sat down with HNN to explain the work the group is doing to bolster meals sustainability in Hawaii within the fifth episode of “Repairing Earth.”

The initiative companions with households or anybody who’s to select vegetables and fruit from their backyards. The contemporary produce is then donated to starvation aid organizations like Aloha Harvest, the Hawaii Foodbank and the Pantry.

Sophie added {that a} huge purpose why she began this program was to supply a strategy to get native produce to those that can’t all the time afford it.

“Produce is so costly within the grocery shops and even the comfort shops so if in case you have a low earnings or in the event you’re experiencing meals insecurity, you’re not going to show to supply as your supply of vitamin for the day,” she mentioned.

In line with Feeding America, 1 in 9 folks face starvation in Hawaii — with about 1 in 5 being youngsters.

“With the meals insecurity drawback right here, it form of felt like a one plus one, so I began this complete Kokua Tree concept,” Sophie mentioned. “Plus, I believe lots of people know folks with fruit bushes on the island. Like that is simply the proper local weather to have your individual yard fruit tree.”

Enlisting the assistance of different younger of us, the group has already had 4 harvests.

Collectively they’ve gathered 850 kilos of produce, which is equal to saving round $3,000 in meals.

“Our meals waste on Hawaii is a extremely huge situation and if we tied it with meals insecurity, it’s a extremely huge disgrace that we’re throwing out round 26% of our annual meals provide per yr,” Sophie mentioned.

“So, the Kokua Tree is hopefully making an attempt to present a sustainable answer to this drawback by protecting it in Hawaii. And that method we’re supporting native, we’re slicing down on fossil gasoline combustion from all of the delivery that is available in right here, and we’re additionally protecting produce away from invasive bugs and animals.”

At the moment, Hawaii ships in round 85% to 95% of its meals — principally from the continental US.

From the farming course of itself to transporting produce, all of this contributes to our private carbon footprint.

“Individually, you’ll be able to undoubtedly reduce down in your meals waste. When you’re letting your meals expire or in the event you’re shopping for an excessive amount of of it then it contributes to the landfills, which in fact releases methane emissions into the air. So in a minor method, that’s one strategy to do it.”

However most significantly, Sophie mentioned one of the best ways to make an influence is to get entangled.

“I believe a number of our volunteers, particularly on our final property, felt much more linked to the land in a method. And that’s a giant a part of rising up right here,” Sophie mentioned.

“It was a extremely nice expertise and if you wish to educate your self on this drawback, one of the best ways to do it’s to get some hands-on expertise, to get your arms within the mud, choose some fruit after which donate it.”

For extra on the dialog, hearken to Episode 5 of Repairing Earth, “Paving a Path Towards Meals Sustainability in Hawaii,” on the HNN web site or wherever you get your podcasts.

When you’re concerned about serving to out with the mission, e-mail kokuatree@gmail.com. For the newest on their work, you too can comply with them on Instagram @thekokuatree.

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