Mauka Wins Bottle Cap Contest

The Golden Eagles rose to the challenge, collecting the most bottle caps overall of any school in the state.

For its immediate reward, Mililani Mauka Elementary School got a surprise lunchtime concert by Jack Johnson April 21 as a way for Kokua Hawaii Foundation to announce the winners of the 2014 Bottle Cap Challenge – a campaign to rid the Islands of plastic debris.

The monthlong competition removed 21,862 caps from state lands, and the collection has been shipped to California, where it will be recycled.

The award-winning North Shore musician is donating all proceeds from his new live EP, From Here To Now To You, to support Kokua Hawaii’s environmental education programs.

Along with the 11 other top collectors, Mililani Mauka students won a Waste-Free Classroom Celebration Kit. Waialua Intermediate placed second among intermediate school collectors, and St. Elizabeth School in Aiea collected the most caps per capita.

Johnson and his wife Kim established Kokua Hawaii Foundation in 2003 to foster lifelong stewardship for the earth among Hawaii’s keiki.