Promoting Health Across Hawai‘i Island
Hawai‘i Island has been a leader in protecting its citizens from secondhand smoke and its youth from a lifetime of tobacco addiction. It led the state in making its beaches tobacco-free and also in raising its age of sale to purchase tobacco products to 21. Due to the size of the island, we have a coordinator working on the east side of the island and one working on the west side. Our coordinators work in coalitions to promote Healthy Eating + Active Living (HEAL) and to reduce tobacco use (Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawai‘i).
Three Coalitions Working For A Healthier Hawai‘i Island.
Tobacco-Free West Hawai‘i Partnership
The Tobacco-Free West Hawai’i Partnership is working to make our community and environment a healthier place to live and visit through community-based tobacco prevention and control activities and strategies.
Join our small, passionate group of individuals and organizations focused on reducing tobacco use and eliminating health disparities in our community through health awareness, education, advocacy, and promotion of tobacco-free living.
Tobacco-Free East Hawai‘i
Tobacco- Free East Hawai`i is a community-based alliance made up of agencies, businesses, and individuals dedicated to collaborating and working together to reduce tobacco use and the negative impact it has in East Hawai‘i. Our mission is to provide resources that inspires our diverse communities to reduce tobacco use and exposure.
We have been an active and vibrant coalition of health agencies, education institutions, the private sector and many more since March 2003. We continue to grow with new partners and an evolving vision to help create a tobacco-free East Hawai`i – we welcome you to join our ohana.
HEAL HAWAI‘I COUNTY
Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Hawai’i County is currently in its developmental stages learning about and from the diverse communities throughout the island, to understand their needs for healthy living. Our vision is to collaborate with the many projects and programs currently working on HEAL strategies to mobilize the community, and create changes toward a healthier place to live, work, and play.
Creating change takes many hands. Please join our vested group of individuals and organizations as we work to reduce obesity and eliminate health disparities through health awareness, education, and policy change by promoting Healthy Eating and Active Living.
Hawai‘i Island School Garden Network (HISGN)
The goal of the Hawaiʻi Island School Garden Network (HISGN) is to help island schools build gardening and agricultural programs that will significantly contribute to the increased consumption of locally produced food by involving students, their school communities, and their family networks in food production.
The Kohala Center established HISGN in September 2007 in response to the Island of Hawaiʻi food system report prepared by the Rocky Mountain Institute in 2007, which identifies the development and promotion of school gardens as an initiative that can substantially contribute to the development of a strong local food economy while helping youth with increased opportunities for health-promoting exercise and nutrition.
HISGN works with more than 60 of Hawai‘i Island’s public, charter, and private schools, assisting garden leaders, school faculty, and administrators in the creation and implementation of gardening and agricultural programs. The work of HISGN includes identification of funding opportunities and local agricultural resources, volunteer development, curriculum development, and professional development for garden and classroom teachers. Networking opportunities and events bring this important work to the community.
Join One (Or All) Of Our Hawai‘i Island Community Coalitions
Policy change begins in communities. We have seen that many times in Hawai‘i. A policy is passed by a town or county, another island follows, and then the policy is enacted statewide. This makes local coalitions especially important and impactful. Interested in promoting policy change that advances health? Work with a small, but dedicated team of passionate advocates to reduce tobacco use (CTFH), to promote healthy eating and active living (HEAL), and/or to strengthen Hawaii’s statewide farm to school and school garden movement (Farm to School Hui).