Vegetable garden and greenhouse get a "green" thumbs up

Honolulu Community College receives xeriscape award

Honolulu Community College
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Posted: Jul 8, 2011

Dr. Gopal with his volunteer students at the November 18, 2010 dedication
Dr. Gopal with his volunteer students at the November 18, 2010 dedication
Honolulu Community College's volunteers in the vegetable garden
Honolulu Community College's volunteers in the vegetable garden
HONOLULU – Honolulu Community College’s vegetable garden and greenhouse received the Award of Honor in the Xeriscape category at the 2011 Better Crocker Landscape Awards ceremony held on June 27, 2011, at the Outrigger Canoe Club.
 
“It’s about growing food for the future. Eighty-five percent of Hawai‘i’s food supply comes from outside the state. Our garden is teaching students and the community that food sustainability in Hawai‘i is achievable,” explains Dr. Kakkala Gopalakrishnan, project director and professor of oceanography at Honolulu CC.
 
According to Wikipedia, xeriscaping refers to landscaping and gardening in ways that reduce or eliminate the need for supplemental water from irrigation.
 
Honolulu CC’s greenhouse garden is a training facility for students to learn about soilless and water conservation gardening technology to increase local food production. Built with the help of Honolulu’s carpentry students, the greenhouse utilizes hydroponic, aquapoinic and aeroponic techniques to cultivate a variety of plants in the 100-percent sustainable urban garden.  The USDA – NIFA (National Institute of Food and Agriculture) funds the project.
 
The Betty Crocker Landscape Awards, sponsored by Scenic Hawai‘i, is held annually to recognize and acknowledge people who work every day to make Hawai‘i a more beautiful place. While many professionally designed and installed landscapes are celebrated, many other public and private landscapes are the result of passionate individuals who simply have an avid gardening interest and concern for the environment. Honolulu CC is grateful for the honor.
 
Honolulu Community College
For more than 90 years Honolulu Community College has been serving the community as a comprehensive community college in the heart of Honolulu meeting the post-secondary educational needs of individuals, businesses, and the community. Honolulu Community College is a fully accredited college with the most complete offering of career and technical programs in the community college system – 23 programs in all in addition to a highly successful Liberal Arts program. For more information visit www.honolulu.hawaii.edu.