Landscape Architect Articles

Island Interventions03-21-19 | Department

Island Interventions
Cleaning Up Kauai

No Ka Oi (NKO) Landscape Services has been donating time and maintenance to clean the cavernous tree tunnel on Maluhia Road in Kauai, Hawaii for the past six years. They provide these services before the annual Koloa Plantation Days celebration, which is one of the biggest festivals on Kauai.

The 10-day event is held every July on the island's south shore. The many ethnic groups that came to Kauai to work and thrive, along with the native Hawaiians who welcomed them, are celebrated through music, dance, costumes, competitions and food. The festival also recognizes the contributions made by these immigrants, who came from the Philippines, Europe, Japan, Korea and China, to new traditions on the island.

Abby Santos, owner of NKO along with her husband Frank, says that the company looks at the maintenance project as a way of "cleaning the house before a big party." Every year, the owners let their staff know about the opportunity to give back to the community for the event, and they usually get very good participation from their company. Last year, thirty-six employees volunteered their time.

When it came time to beautify the area for the 2018 celebration, the county closed the road for the day leading up to the event. The county workers trimmed the massive trees that line the road, and the NKO team cleaned the road sides, picking up branches and maintaining the ground area.

Even this pre-party aspect of the festival is a community event. While the team worked, the area restaurants made a lunch and provided coffee and donuts for the workers in the morning.

Santos expressed her gratefulness to work in a community that is willing to give back to its members. She is thankful to lead a team who will gladly donate time and labor to keeping the island of Kauai beautiful.

As seen in LC/DBM magazine, March 2018.