Mālama ʻĀina: Caring for nature

Nature journaling is about loving nature, and also protecting what we love. It is a practice of reciprocity, and care. We are dependent on the lands, the waters, and the air for our life, and we are responsible for caring for the health of the environment in return.

This feeling is what is meant by the Hawaiian phrase, “Mālama ʻĀina.”

From https://wehewehe.org/:

Here are some ways to mā.lama the ʻāina:

• Honoring our islands with creativity and aloha
  • Nature journaling
  • Creating and sharing art about the beauty and challenges facing our islands
  • Writing poetry or informational essays and articles
• Volunteering
  • Restoration work
  • Invasive species removal
  • Volunteer opportunities
• Citizen science
  • Can be formal or casual documentation of observations
  • Citizen science in Hawaii
  • Global Citizen science projects
• Make your voice heard
  • Join your neighborhood board
  • Talk to your local representatives about issues you care about
• Plant native plants
  • https://plantpono.org/
  • https://www.righttreehawaii.com/
• Pick up trash (especially on our beaches)
• Teach others to care for nature, too!
• See a list of more ideas from Wild Wonder Foundation:
  • https://www.wildwonder.org/conservation-and-stewardship-action