Sustainability Focused Programs Mission:
Innovations Public Charter School makes every effort to exist in a sustainable way while meeting the needs of a changing environment. While there are many definitions of sustainability, IPCS refers to sustainability as human ability to maintain, support, and endure life on our Island and planet Earth.
Sustainability is physical development and general education that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations. We strive to make choices that acknowledge the present generation’s responsibility to improve future generation’s life by restoring previous ecosystem damage and resisting to contribute to future ecosystem damage.
IPCS understands that in order to meet the needs of the future, sustainability must be integrated in classroom and school systems and given particular attention through projects, community interactions, assemblies, parent education, and special opportunities for learning and improvement.
On campus, you may find student-created recycling systems, classroom vermiculture bins, edible landscaping, greywater systems, and students engaging in various activities outdoors; all systems designed to increase student access to environmentally-friendly education while reducing landfill waste, saving resources like water and electricity, growing our own food for healthy snacks, and employing nature to help educate for the future.
Mahalo for your support.
Sustainability is physical development and general education that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations. We strive to make choices that acknowledge the present generation’s responsibility to improve future generation’s life by restoring previous ecosystem damage and resisting to contribute to future ecosystem damage.
IPCS understands that in order to meet the needs of the future, sustainability must be integrated in classroom and school systems and given particular attention through projects, community interactions, assemblies, parent education, and special opportunities for learning and improvement.
On campus, you may find student-created recycling systems, classroom vermiculture bins, edible landscaping, greywater systems, and students engaging in various activities outdoors; all systems designed to increase student access to environmentally-friendly education while reducing landfill waste, saving resources like water and electricity, growing our own food for healthy snacks, and employing nature to help educate for the future.
Mahalo for your support.
Go-Go Green
Three cheers for our sustainability focused school group. Comprised of students grades 3-8, Go-Go Green students strive to help our community make smart choices about our resources and keep up on exciting new developments and technologies. We hold monthly meetings and include interest group and mentorship students.
All Hands Recycling
All hands are needed on deck to reduce, reuse, and recycle! Students at IPCS can access complete recycling services - from compost to cans - to provide hands-on educational experiences while making good choices about our school's rubbish. In addition to classroom and lunch area recycling centers, student recyclers haul, collate, organize, and record data about our school's recyclable rubbish every week.
IPCS also participates in national recycling drives and County of Hawaii and Recycle Hawaii recycling promotional opportunities.
IPCS also participates in national recycling drives and County of Hawaii and Recycle Hawaii recycling promotional opportunities.

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Biodegradable Food Serviceware and Composting

IPCS makes every effort to provide sustainable choices for disposable item use. Although staff prefers actual utensils, cups, bowls, and plates, when reusable items can not be used, we choose biodegradable food service ware technology. Biodegradable food service ware is 100% compostable; made from renewable resources like corn and potato to make plastic-like resins instead of non-renewable resources like petroleum.
Biodegradable food service ware is showing up more and more in local stores. Costco, Target, KTA, and Walmart offer compostable food service options. With increased demand, the price of these more environmentally sound options continue to go down.
IPCS integrates disposed food and food service waste into vibrant, school-wide composting systems. Waste from school events like our annual Mahalo Dinner and Field and Pool Day, from the tri-yearly Pancake Breakfasts, and from classroom events like birthday and holiday celebrations are collected and delivered to Recycling Headquarters for use in compost. Children take great pride in hauling the compost bucket out to the pile instead of adding to endless landfill rubbish. Just check out the photo of the composters above!
Compost is used in our garden program. A classroom in itself, the compost pile offers endless ecoliteracy-building lessons and a model for eliminating waste in a sustainable and reproducable way.
Biodegradable food service ware is showing up more and more in local stores. Costco, Target, KTA, and Walmart offer compostable food service options. With increased demand, the price of these more environmentally sound options continue to go down.
IPCS integrates disposed food and food service waste into vibrant, school-wide composting systems. Waste from school events like our annual Mahalo Dinner and Field and Pool Day, from the tri-yearly Pancake Breakfasts, and from classroom events like birthday and holiday celebrations are collected and delivered to Recycling Headquarters for use in compost. Children take great pride in hauling the compost bucket out to the pile instead of adding to endless landfill rubbish. Just check out the photo of the composters above!
Compost is used in our garden program. A classroom in itself, the compost pile offers endless ecoliteracy-building lessons and a model for eliminating waste in a sustainable and reproducable way.
Classroom Vermiculture

Worms are nature's best recyclers and coolest class pet. Classrooms may be equipped with a vermiculture system. Vermicomposting systems (worm houses) enable children to turn classroom snack waste into soil protein power. Classroom chores include taking care of our worm friends by keeping their bedding moist, making sure organisms in the bin co-exist in peace, and keeping worms fed. A single worm eats twice its weight every day to produce the world's richest soil ingredient. Worms make great house pets too! Want to start a vermiculture system at home? Ask Ms. Krista for details!

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Your child can make your family's laundry soap. Cheap. Easy. Zero Waste.

One trip to KTA, 15$, and a clean 5-gallon bucket can provide your family the supplies to make many buckets worth of biodegradable laundry soap. Directions and recipes are located in the file below.

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Water Rules

IPCS makes every effort to exist in a sustainable way by minimizing water consumption, creating opportunities to employ greywater, and providing a variety of place-centered water lessons and curriculum.
Garden-based curriculum provides hand-on opportunities to build, access, dream-up, and maintain a variety of on-campus water conservation systems. See Wonder Gardens page for additional photos.
Classroom curriculum provides opportunities for students to study water and the water cycle in a variety of settings like reef health, whale migration, bird studies, etc.
Garden-based curriculum provides hand-on opportunities to build, access, dream-up, and maintain a variety of on-campus water conservation systems. See Wonder Gardens page for additional photos.
Classroom curriculum provides opportunities for students to study water and the water cycle in a variety of settings like reef health, whale migration, bird studies, etc.
Greywater Curriculum
Click for some curriculum ideas greywater_curriculum_4-6.pdf
Trash Fashion, March 2015
Introducing Trashy King Liam, Majestic Peacock Maya, Teen Superstar Malia and her little cute puppy Riley, Top Model Tavia, Wizardess Maile, Pulitzer Prize Winning Jounalist Paulina, Ocean Current Maddison, and the incredible Princess Leah played by Carolina. The force runs strong with these trashionistas!
Trash Fashion, March 2013
Our annual Trash Fashion Show featured our first ever Cupcake Queen, Maile Mouscotour, Cheerleader, Fairy Princesses, Football Player, and Disco Diva. Participants had six weeks to turn every day rubbish into fun, functional fashion. Way to go Trashionistas!
Trash Fashion Show, March 2012
Check out fashionistas Shaylee, Bella, Mahina, Ben, Isabella, Timani, and Miranda. These students' Recycle Runway was fun and inspiring!