Punahou School, a model of excellence in teaching and community has emerged as a leader in sustainability and environmental stewardship. Deeply rooted within the school’s culture and values, sustainability is not confined to the teaching-learning processes within the classroom. It pervades the very routine of campus life, influencing students’ relationship with their immediate environment, and their perception of how they should contribute to protecting the environment.
The school’s commitment to sustainability runs deep in the Hawaiian cultural notion of mālama ʻāina, which means “to cultivate the land.” This concept is a belief in respecting and protecting the land, which was cultivated by Kānaka Maoli and has since then been adopted by Punahou to shape students into engaged global citizens. Punahou students are equipped not only to learn the value of sustainability, but also to achieve it by engaging in practice-based projects, collaborating with the community, and leading individual projects.
Punahou’s approach to sustainability begins with its beautiful, sprawling campus. The school has long served as a model for eco-design with structures that contain elements of energy efficiency as well as waste reduction and resource conservation. Solar photovoltaic panels on many buildings, for example, generate sustainable energy, and rainwater collection systems minimize potable water use for gardens. The school’s landscaping features native Hawaiian plants that require less water and maintenance, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides. These decisions are indicative of a wider agenda based around the convergence of sustainability and natural beauty, thereby providing an environment where students’ education is shaped by the natural world in which they live.
Students also actively take part in maintaining sustainability. Students like Luke Itomura, Tati Chen, and even myself have taken to political activism. At the November Climate Future Forum, dozens of Punahou students led breakout groups, spoke with legislatures, and advocated for policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions and promoting renewable energy. This hands-on involvement not only demonstrates our commitment to environmental stewardship but also empowers us to drive meaningful change within our communities and beyond.
Furthermore, our school harbors fourteen clubs to help our land. The Clear Waters Club aims to promote community clean-up efforts and advocacy for responsible water management practices. The Rocky Hill Conservation Club works on campus by leading initiatives such as native plant restoration, organizing sustainability awareness campaigns, and collaborating with faculty and students to reduce the school’s ecological footprint.
It is noteworthy how environmental themes naturally blend into the fabric of other aspects of Punahou as well, such as the Academy’s curriculum. Across a range of subjects—from science to social studies to the arts—students engage with topics related to the environment and sustainability. In science lessons, for instance, students learn about ecosystems, energy flow, and human interference with the Earth, investigating current real-life issues like climate change and biodiversity loss. They are also actively involved in research projects that are aimed at testing sustainable solutions in real time. In the past, projects included topics such as energy audits and water management approaches. By connecting theory with hands-on action, Punahou students gain a deeper understanding of the challenges facing the planet and the innovative solutions needed to address them.
Sustainability is also discussed in social studies and humanities courses. Students explore the intersection between environmental issues and social, political, and economic systems, learning about how foreign policies and practices impact the global environment. It is equally important to teach students the skills that enable them to become agents of change in the future. This interdisciplinary approach ensures that sustainability is not viewed as an isolated subject but as a critical issue that touches all aspects of society.
One of the most powerful aspects of Punahou’s sustainability efforts is how the school fosters student leadership in environmental issues. Students are empowered through clubs, projects, and service learning to become owners of sustainability activities. Whether it’s organizing a campus-wide recycling program or leading a fundraising campaign for renewable energy projects, Punahou students are empowered to create change and influence the culture around them. This feeling of agency motivates students to be one of the solutions rather than part of the problem, thereby having confidence in their capacity to contribute to a greener world.
Although the campus is a demonstration of sustainable design, the wisdom gained at Punahou has been taken far beyond the campus boundaries. Punahou students across the campus constantly engage in environmental service projects, locally and internationally. The school encourages students to engage with their community and the natural world around them through volunteer programs such as beach cleanups, tree-planting initiatives, and partnerships with local environmental organizations. Students also engage in conservation activities, working in partnership with specialists to rehabilitate natural habitats or conserve threatened species. By engaging in these activities, they also gain environmental responsibility and a stronger sense of the world they are trying to save.
The school recognizes that sustainability is not just about reducing the school’s carbon footprint, but about preparing students to be leaders in the broader movement for environmental justice and climate action. At Punahou, students are actively compelled to consider the broader systemic challenges facing the planet, from economic disparity to corporate behavior to policymaking at the government level. The school fosters a mindset of solution-oriented thinking, encouraging students to innovate, collaborate, and take bold action. Through interdisciplinary courses that integrate environmental science with social justice, Punahou forces its students to reflect upon the geographic consequences of their actions and the ethical questions surrounding sustainability.
In the end, Punahou’s emphasis on sustainability is an effort to equip students to live in a world that needs and encourages creative, sustainable solutions. The school is shaping the next generation of environmental leaders, thinkers, and advocates who will tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges, from climate change to resource depletion to environmental injustice. Through its commitment to sustainability, Punahou goes beyond lecturing its students about the need to save the planet, but rather prepares and trains them to have the information, abilities, and attitudes required to achieve change.
In the years ahead, as the country grapples with some of the world’s most challenging environmental problems, Punahou’s work will continue to serve as a model for how educational institutions can embed sustainability into their courses, campus life, and community service. Through the school’s dedication to fostering environmental awareness and action, Punahou is playing a critical role in shaping a more sustainable future—one student at a time.