Mālama Learning Center’s Me + Tree Campaign is an easy way that schools, businesses, and individuals can support Ola Nā Kini.
For every 501(c) (3) tax-deductible donation of $50, Mālama Learning Center will be able to raise and plant a native tree in the Waiʻanae Mountains, and educate a student to care for the environment.
For every 501(c) (3) tax-deductible donation of $50, Mālama Learning Center will be able to raise and plant a native tree in the Waiʻanae Mountains, and educate a student to care for the environment.
Special Group Planting Day
For donations of $500 or more, we can set up a special planting day for your group planting at least 10 trees. This is a great "green" gift to a friend or family member or a lasting legacy for your organization. All Me + Tree donors will receive a certificate acknowledging their contribution. These certificates may be dedicated to a special person or cause.
For donations of $500 or more, we can set up a special planting day for your group planting at least 10 trees. This is a great "green" gift to a friend or family member or a lasting legacy for your organization. All Me + Tree donors will receive a certificate acknowledging their contribution. These certificates may be dedicated to a special person or cause.
Frequently Asked Questions
What will be planted?
Native Hawaiian trees and shrubs will largely comprise the initial plantings. They are being grown from seeds and cuttings from parent plants already growing in the Waiʻanae Mountains that have adapted to dry environments.
Initial plant species include (Hawaiian name, common name, scientific name):
In early Hawaiʻi, these plants had different uses, such as the making of tools, weapons, homes, dyes, fire, medicine, lei, incense, canoes, paddles, and surfboards.
Where will they be planted?
Planting sites have been established in areas within the Honouliuli and Nānākuli watersheds of Oʻahu. Initial planting sites will be within the Pālehua area (above Kapolei and Makakilo) on lands managed by Gill ʻEwa Lands and Pālehua Partners, LLC.
How will they be cared for?
Mālama Learning Center staff and volunteers, including students, will plant, monitor and manage the plantings on a regular basis, including weed and pest control. Because the goal is to regenerate a forest, sites will not be continually irrigated and landscaped as a garden.
How many trees will you plant?
We have already planted more than 2,000 trees and shrubs in our first “test” plots. These plots will study various planting and watering methods in different conditions. We are continuing to plant as we have resources to do so.
Will the trees be harvested?
While seeds and other plant material may be harvested, the goal is to keep the plants in the ground so that they heal and regenerate the land for generations to come.
Can I visit my tree?
Visitors are welcome to tree planting sites with prior arrangement. While plants will not be labeled with donors’ names, you may visit the general area where your tree or shrub was planted.
Why are you planting trees?
Centuries of human impact have fragmented the low lying native forests of the southern Waiʻanae Mountains. Once cloaked in native dry to moist forests, thousands of acres now lie barren or overrun with invasive plants. This has led to erosion, especially during heavy rainfall. Erosion is not only an eyesore, it is a threat to marine life as well as human health, smothering shoreline and reefs and accelerating movement of pollutants. Planting trees will help control erosion and protect our ocean.
Another reason to plant trees is to address climate change, which some say is the most serious threat of our generation. As humans create greenhouse gases (e.g. CO2) in greater amounts than the environment can capture, the result is that these gases continue to build in the atmosphere triggering climate change. By planting trees, we can work toward balancing the CO2 that we produce with what the trees can absorb, at the same time helping to restore native Hawaiian ecosystems.
What does the cost cover and how will the funds be used?
The process to collect seeds and grow them, prepare sites, plant, and maintain native plantings require an investment in time and manpower. Gifts will be used to cover these costs and will be re-invested into the program so that we can continue to expand this long-term environmental education program.
Is the donation tax deductible?
Absolutely! Mālama Learning Center is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization and donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Native Hawaiian trees and shrubs will largely comprise the initial plantings. They are being grown from seeds and cuttings from parent plants already growing in the Waiʻanae Mountains that have adapted to dry environments.
Initial plant species include (Hawaiian name, common name, scientific name):
- ʻAʻaliʻi, Hawaiian hopseed bush, Dodonaea viscosa
- Alaheʻe, Psydrax odoratum
- Koa, Hawaiian mahogany, Acacia koa
- Lama, Hawaiian ebony, Diospyros sandwicensis
- Lonomea, soapberry, Sapindus oahuensis
- ʻŌhiʻa lehua, Metrosideros polymorpha
- Wiliwili, Hawaiian coral tree, Erythrina sandwicenses
In early Hawaiʻi, these plants had different uses, such as the making of tools, weapons, homes, dyes, fire, medicine, lei, incense, canoes, paddles, and surfboards.
Where will they be planted?
Planting sites have been established in areas within the Honouliuli and Nānākuli watersheds of Oʻahu. Initial planting sites will be within the Pālehua area (above Kapolei and Makakilo) on lands managed by Gill ʻEwa Lands and Pālehua Partners, LLC.
How will they be cared for?
Mālama Learning Center staff and volunteers, including students, will plant, monitor and manage the plantings on a regular basis, including weed and pest control. Because the goal is to regenerate a forest, sites will not be continually irrigated and landscaped as a garden.
How many trees will you plant?
We have already planted more than 2,000 trees and shrubs in our first “test” plots. These plots will study various planting and watering methods in different conditions. We are continuing to plant as we have resources to do so.
Will the trees be harvested?
While seeds and other plant material may be harvested, the goal is to keep the plants in the ground so that they heal and regenerate the land for generations to come.
Can I visit my tree?
Visitors are welcome to tree planting sites with prior arrangement. While plants will not be labeled with donors’ names, you may visit the general area where your tree or shrub was planted.
Why are you planting trees?
Centuries of human impact have fragmented the low lying native forests of the southern Waiʻanae Mountains. Once cloaked in native dry to moist forests, thousands of acres now lie barren or overrun with invasive plants. This has led to erosion, especially during heavy rainfall. Erosion is not only an eyesore, it is a threat to marine life as well as human health, smothering shoreline and reefs and accelerating movement of pollutants. Planting trees will help control erosion and protect our ocean.
Another reason to plant trees is to address climate change, which some say is the most serious threat of our generation. As humans create greenhouse gases (e.g. CO2) in greater amounts than the environment can capture, the result is that these gases continue to build in the atmosphere triggering climate change. By planting trees, we can work toward balancing the CO2 that we produce with what the trees can absorb, at the same time helping to restore native Hawaiian ecosystems.
What does the cost cover and how will the funds be used?
The process to collect seeds and grow them, prepare sites, plant, and maintain native plantings require an investment in time and manpower. Gifts will be used to cover these costs and will be re-invested into the program so that we can continue to expand this long-term environmental education program.
Is the donation tax deductible?
Absolutely! Mālama Learning Center is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization and donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.