Mirth for the Earth

Earth Day draws a crowd.

The 18th annual Molokai Earth Day celebration had a special guest this year – a giant o`opu – that entertained the crowd and raised awareness about Molokai’s rare species. Begun in 1993, Molokai Earth Day has become one of the island’s most popular annual events, hosted by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). This year also marked the 40th  anniversary of the celebration nation-wide.

Held at Mitchell Pauole Center last Friday evening, Earth Day brought hundreds of attendees, young and old. Booths from local and national organizations, who are working on the island to help preserve the environment, educated attendees about their activities and what people can do for the earth. Smokey the Bear, a mascot for forest fire prevention, also made a guest appearance.