Preston Ancheta
Phi U’s table at Earth Day Event.
Before Earth Day arrived, members of Phi Upsilon Omicron, or Phi U, an honor society rooted in family and consumer sciences, were busy preparing to share sustainable living practices with the Mānoa community.
“What we do for the society is celebrate the academic excellence of our members and contribute to the communities to strengthen their leadership,” said Sothy Eng, faculty adviser for Phi U.
This year’s Earth Day event, held at Hale Tuahine on Saturday, April 26, gave the community the chance to start their own gardens using Phi U’s DIY planter kits and donations from the UH Oʻahu Master Gardener Program.
“We’re gonna be putting together little kits, with a pot, some soil, little stickers that they can decorate the pot with and seeds, and we’re wrapping it all up with a little fabric bow,” said Charly Hieda-Koizumi, president of Phi U. “We’re just gonna be giving it to families so that they can do planting together.”
As people visited the booth, Phi U members helped guide them through planting and offered options for what they would like to grow.
“As people stop by our table, we hope that they get the message that sustainability is important, especially with everything that is going on in the world,” said Paige Sausal, secretary of Phi U. “Since we live in Hawai‘i, we should be connected to our land and mālama the ʻāina, and to appreciate the world and everything around us.”
For the members involved, the event wasn’t just about sustainability. It was about encouraging others to think differently about everyday habits.
“At home, we don’t really think about these kinds of things. We think about McDonald’s, we think about Starbucks,” said Roshin Modkins, fundraising chair of Phi U. “I feel like people need to remember, the more we show people plants, pots, and seeds, the more likely they’ll plant and grow their own food.”
As Earth Day activities wrapped up, Phi U left a lasting message: Small actions, like planting a single seed, can grow into a larger movement for change.
For more information on Phi U, visit their Instagram at @phiu.uhm.