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The State of Hawaii Department of Transportation (DOT) Storm Water Management Program recently took part in the Mauka to Makai Expo at the Waikiki Aquarium on Saturday, April 10, where more than 3,000 people attended the expo.

The fun-filled expo celebrated Earth Month with the City and County of Honolulu alongside a number of other earth-friendly organizations who aim to educate our communities on the importance of protecting our land and ocean. Volunteers from the DOT Storm Water Management Program interacted with the many attendees, utilizing an interactive 3-D model that demonstrated how pollutants in storm water runoff could end up in our oceans. The 3-D model activity allowed for keiki and families to not only see how opala thrown into our storm drains or washed into them by rain can damage the ocean where many of the aquarium’s animals also lived, but it also allowed them to ask important questions on what they can do keep storm water runoff clean.

Many families and keiki also took advantage of the opportunity to have their photos taken while wearing a colorful Malama costume against an ocean-themed backdrop. The families had loads of fun putting on the colorful costumes and posing to show their support for Malama and the DOT Storm Water Management Program.

The DOT urges the community to keep pollutants out of our storm water with small steps such as picking up after our pets and washing our cars on the lawn and not on the street. These small examples can lead to big changes in our oceans, making it cleaner and healthier for everyone and the animals and coral living in it. To find out what else you can do to keep storm water runoff clean, click on “About” on the top of the Web page for tips on how to protect our oceans and reefs.