Researcher Rob Whitton in a school of Jacks at Johnston Atoll. Scientists just returned last week for an expedition to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and Johnston Atoll, where they are documenting the diversity of life in deeper coral reefs. This is important, according to chief scientist Randall Kosaki, due to the threats of climate change. Photo courtesy of NOAA.

Members of a research expedition to Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument came back last week with specimens of new species of deep-water algae from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and the first recorded specimens of black coral from Johnston Atoll.

After 26 days of research dives to deep coral reefs 200 feet, they came back with photos of over 20 species of fish never before recorded from the NWHI and 15 species of fishes never before recorded at Johnston Atoll.

"This represents a significant increase in the known biodiversity of Hawaiian coral reefs, and provides insights into how Johnston Atoll contributes to the diversity of our reefs in Hawaii," said Randall Kosaki, NOAA's Deputy Superintendent of Papahanaumokuakea and chief scientist of the expedition. "It also underscores how poorly explored the deeper portions of coral reefs are, and how much remains to be discovered. This documentation of diversity is timely and critical, because climate change threatens much of this diversity before we even know it exists."

The research team visited Nihoa, Mokumanamana, French Frigate Shoals and Laysan Island at Papahanaumokuakea and then Johnson Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (about 860 miles west of Honolulu). Johnston Atoll is often regarded as a key "stepping stone" for a number of central and south Pacific marine species to colonize the NWHI.

Old growth coral reef at Laysan Island. Photo courtesy of NOAA.

Scientists on this expedition:

>> Collected samples of fish, corals, other invertebrates and algae for population genetics analysis' surveys.

>> Surveyed deep coral reefs and associated fish communities

>> Searched for invasive alien species of coral and algae

>> Conducted archeological surveys of the Howland, an 1800s whaling ship that wrecked at Johnson Atoll.

Scientists from the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology also conducted surveys of coral disease on the research cruise. Fortunately, the coral reefs at NWHI and Johnston Atoll exhibited low levels of coral diseases, according to research John Burns, and represent  healthy coral reef ecosystems — "an important baseline to have as we enter an era of accelerated climate change."

A Moorish idol at Laysan in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Photo courtesy of NOAA.

The scientific team included researchers from NOAA, the University of Hawaii, the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology and Bishop Museum.

Table coral at Johnston Lagoon. Photo courtesy of NOAA.

Volunteers from Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii helped sort out polystyrene pieces from a dumpster to be recycled into surfboard blanks. Photo courtesy Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii.

Check this out!

Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii undertook a project diverting Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam otherwise known as Styrofoam (the common brand name ) from trash dumpsters at Turtle Bay Resort earlier this month. Instead of the landfill, these pieces of EPS were sent to Pacific Allied Products to recycle into surfboard blanks.

It's actually part of the "Waste to Waves" project by Sustainable Surf which is gaining momentum in California, which has a number of surf shops that offer EPS dropoff sites.

You'll find a lot of this EPS in packaging say, when you buy electronic equipment.

The non-profit group hopes to undertake the Styrofoam-diverting projects again, which turned into a weekend of camping in exchange for beach cleaning and trash sorting. Check out their video. If you're interested in volunteering for the next "Waste to Waves" project, contact info@sustainablecoastlineshawaii.org.

There will be pupus, music by Paul Izak, crafts for kids and a few presentations on conservation at Kailua Eco Nights from 5:45 to 8 p.m. tonight at Kailua Sailboards & Kayaks, 130 Kailua Rd.

The "Kailua Eco Group," made up of Ocean Devotion Hawaii, Plastic Free Hawaii, Kokua Hawaii Foundation and Kailua Sailbords & Kayaks will offer Kailua Eco Nights, which are free and open to the public, about once a month. Last month, there was a screening of "Ocean Frontiers."

Tonight, Amarisa Marie, wildlie biologist in charge of Kailua's offshore islands (Mokulua and Popoi‘a) will be the guest speaker, along with Matthew Saunder, field manager from Kure Atoll. The Hawaii Ecotourism Association will present its award for 2013 Ecotour Guide of the Year.

For more info, contact plasticfree@kokuahawaiifoundation.org.

Surfrider Foundation and Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii partner up for a cleanup at Diamond Head Beach Park this Saturday. Visit www.surfrider.org/oahu for more info. Photo from SOEST.

Join the Surfrider Foundation and Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii for a beach cleanup at Diamond Head Beach in celebration of International Surfing Day on Saturday, June 15.

Meeting time is 9:30 a.m. at Diamond Head Beach Park, where you'll warm up with some Karma Yoga by Green Girl Yoga and then get down to the business of cleaning up the beach from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by lunch (which will be provided). BAMP is also giving away tickets to its concert with Damian Marley to a few lucky beach cleaners.

Expect to pick up the usual litter (who knows what you'll find?), along with cigarette butts and microplastics (which aren't as readily visible but damaging to the health of the ocean).

Now, if gardening is more your thing, then join the Surfrider Foundation and Malama Maunalua in its rain garden installation work day, also Saturday (June 15) at Kuliouou Beach Park. Rain gardens help reduce the amount of pollution entering Maunalua Bay by capturing rainwater, which is infiltrated into the soil, where plants help remove the pollutants naturally. Sign-in begins at 8:30 a.m. and work begins at 9 a.m. For details and to register, contact Sarah at 395-5050 or sarah@malamamaunalua.org.

Malama Maunalua will also hold a grand opening of its Healthy Watershed demonstration project at Koko Marina Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 22. The public is welcome to attend to learn more about how to keep sediment and pollution from getting into the Bay.

The babo botanical clear zinc sport stick, SPF 30, got a No. 1 score on Environmental Working Group's 2013 sunscreen guide. Courtesy image.

Every year, the Environmental Working Group in Washington D.C. puts out a comprehensive sunscreen guide based on safety and effectiveness.

Some of the top beach & sports sunscreens meeting EWG's criteria this year include Babo Botanicals Clear Zinc Sport Stick, Badger Aloe Vera Sunscreen, California Baby Super Sensitive Broad Spectrum Sunscreen, Celadon Road Sunscreen, Coola Suncare (baby moisturizer and UV body moisturizer sunscreens), Jersey Kids All Natural All Green Sunscreen, Seventh Generation Wee Generation Baby Sunscreen, thinkSport thinkbaby Sunscreen, UV Natural Baby and UV Natural Sport Suncreens. These particular brands and products were all scored a No. 1, but even mainstream brands like Coppertone Kids Pure & Simple and CVS Baby Sun Lotion got a score of No. 2, with good UVA protection and moderate health concerns.

EWG rates a total of about 1,400 SPF-rated sunscreens based on published scientific literature to supplement incomplete data available from companies and the government. Ratings indicate the efficacy of the product and relative level of concern posed by exposure to ingredients in the product.

Generally, EWG recommends mineral-based sunscreens with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide which protect against both UVA and UVB rays. EWG does not recommend using spray sunscreens (due to inhalation risks), or sunscreens that contain oxybenzone (which acts like estrogen), retinyl palmitate or combined sunscreens and bug repellents. On sun-exposed skin, EWG has concerns that Retinyl Palmitate, a form of vitamin A, may speed development of skin tumors and lesions (even though the FDA has yet to rule on the safety of retinyl palmitate in skin care products).

Also, a higher SPF is not necessarily better and can actually be misleading. A sunscreen with a super-high SPF also may protect against sunburn but leave your skin exposed to damaging UVA rays.

Look closely at the list of ingredients in your sunscreen. Sunglasses, hats and shade still offer some of the the best protection from the sun this summer.

SEEQS has an impressive roster of founding board members and advisors, L to R, Mark Hines, Irene Kelly, Chuck Giuli, school leader Buffy Cushman-Patz, Don Ingram, Carole Ota, Deborah Faber, Rachel Orange. Courtesy photo.

There's a new option for parents who plan to send their kids to public charter school — the School for Examining Essential Questions of Sustainability. Or simply, SEEQS (pronounced "seeks").

Enrollment is now open for 6th and 7th graders in the upcoming school year, 2013-2014. The campus is located at Cottage Five of the Salvation Army's facilities at 845 22nd Ave. in Kaimuki.

Founder and school leader Buffy Cushman-Patz has a vision of a learning environment in which students and teachers have a significant voice in shaping the learning experiences. It's a school where learning experiences will be grounded in real life, by bringing real life into the classroom and making real life – and the natural environment — part of the classroom.

A quick glance at the student schedule shows how different it is. The day starts at 8:30 a.m. with a physical activity, followed by core classes like math, science, history and English. There's time blocked out for artistic expressions, community building and afternoons dedicated to exploring an essential question of sustainability involving all disciplines.

Cushman-Patz says a whole week will be dedicated to field trips. If the question students are examining, for example, is "How does water sustain us?" that might involve treks to the Board of Water Supply, the Reppun Farm (to learn about its history and legal battles over access to streams) and UH's School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology.

The best way to get students — or anyone — to understand the importance of sustainability is not to preach, but to help them reach that conclusion themselves. This makes a lot of sense.

Cushman-Patz, a former math and science teacher at La Pietra, holds a master's of education from Harvard Graduate School of Education's School Leadership Program, and a master's in geology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. It was while completing an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship at the National Science Foundation's Office of Legislative and Public Affairs that she was inspired to start SEEQS.

The campus is in a quiet Kaimuki neighborhood with plenty of space shaded by trees. Inside, Cushman-Patz says walls will be opened up and designed for sustainability as much as possible. Outside, there's plenty of room for gardens and an aquaponics system, at the initiative of students, of course.

I think the best part of it all is that it's tuition-free (though a $100 supply fee is requested).

SEEQS is running a rockethub campaign to raise startup funds until 1 p.m. today. If you don't make that deadline, you can still help out the school by donating your time or funds.

SEEQS will be at Cottage Five at 845 22nd Avenue. There's plenty of room for school gardens and maybe an aquaponics system. Photo courtesy of Buffy Cushman-Patz.

More solar options are becoming available to Hawaii residents these days — either new companies coming online, new financing options or new offerings.

Here's a rundown on a few of the latest:

>> Check it out. RevoluSun is now offering residential clients the new SunPower X-Series Solar Panel which is supposed to deliver more energy and higher reliability than conventional solar panels. That means more power per panel. (They are said to produce 75 percent more energy per square foot over the first 25 years). Call 748-8888 to learn more.

>> New financing option. Kumu Kit has introduced its "Synergy Loan," which gives clients two years to recover federal and state solar tax credits. The financing plan requires as little as $0 down. Learn more at kumukit.com/synergy. Kumu Kit encourages you to own your solar PV system to reap all the financial benefits. Call 524-7336 for more information.

>> Solar home automation. Vivint Solar, the solar arm of a Utah-based home automation company, integrates solar PV with home automation and security services and currently has the top-ranking share of Hawaii's market. Vivint also has a cool graphic online to explain how solar PV panels work. Call 877-404-4129 to learn more.

>> Giving to Special Olympics. Waterhouse Solar is partnering with Special Olympics Hawaii this summer by offering to donate a matching fund of up to $100,000 until the end of July 31. For every residential solar PV system sold in Hawaii, Waterhouse Solar, a privately funded company, will donate $500 to Special Olympics Hawaii (the company has already committed $3,000). During the promotion, residents also get a $1,000 discount off the cost of their solar PV system.

Waterhouse Solar, which installed the solar PV system on Newtown Estates in Aiea, is offering a $500 contribution for every new residential PV system installed this summer. Courtesy photo.

As I drive around Oahu, it's heartening to see more solar arrays sprouting up on rooftops, meaning that we're generating more clean energy. Summer is a great time for solar power generation.

Waikiki Aquarium educates keiki about the oceans on World Oceans Day, which is Saturday, June 8. Photo courtesy of Waikiki Aquarium.

World Oceans Day is Saturday, June 8.

Living in Hawaii, it's natural for us to think about the health of the ocean every day — at least I hope so.

Just this morning, I was driving on the highway behind a really cool, vintage red car when the driver flicked a cigarette butt on the road from the window. I was thinking to myself, that cigarette is probably going to get washed down the roadway and end up in the ocean. I was admiring the car until it happened. I wish the driver would have used an ashtray.

That's why we need more awareness.

The world's ocean generates most of the oxygen we breathe, helps feed us, regulates our climate and provides limitless inspiration (not to mention recreation for surfers, paddlers, divers, etc.). We need to take care of it.

Here's a rundown on some events happening around Hawaii in June, World Oceans month:

>> Saturday, June 8, 2:30 to 4 p.m. at Aina Haina Public Library, 5246 Kalanianaole Highway: Aina Haina Public Library celebrates World Ocean Day with a talk on "Protecting the Ocean and Our Health — Plastic Reduction Solutions"  by Suzanne Frazer, co-founder of Beach Environmental Awareness Campaign Hawai‘i. Free and open to the public, with door prizes from B.E.A.C.H.

>> Saturday, June 8, 9 a.m. to noon, World Oceans Day at the Waikiki Aquarium. 2777 Kalakaua Ave: Learn about shark tagging, water quality testing, watch an ocean-themed Dr. Seuss film and enjoy a special performance of "Honu  by the Sea." Activities included with Aquarium admission. Also, don't miss the KIDS FIRST! Film Festival at the Aquarium which will offer "What Makes a Fish a Fish" (June 12), "Dive into Diversity" (June 19) and "Who Lives in the Sea?" (Jun 26)

>> Saturday, June 8, 9 a.m. to noon at Fresh Cafe's Loft Space, 831 Queen St.:  Zumba fundraiser featuring Suelang Watson. Zumba, refreshments, raffles and a leotard contest (for both men and women). Cost is $10. Proceeds go to Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii.

>> Saturday, June 8: Lucid Publishing is offering free downloads of educational children's book by award-winning author Monika Mira, including "Fun Fish Facts for Kids," "Coral Reefs" and "Hawaii's Green Sea Turtles." on Amazon Kindle. Also you can visit www.lucid-hawaii.com to get free coloring sheets with tips for coral reef conservation.

>> June 10 to 27, Ka ‘Ike o Ka Moana: The Knowledge of the Ocean at Honolulu Hale. Special exhibit of educational displays and artwork celebrating National Oceans Month. Free.

>> Saturday, June 15: Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii and Surfrider Foundation host a 9 a.m.  beach cleanup at Diamond Head. Tickets to the Damien Marley and Santigold Concert that night will be given away at the end of the beach cleanup (winners must be present to win).

>> Friday, June 21, 5 to 8:30 p.m. at Kailua District Park (21 S. Kainalu Dr.):  Kailua Full Moon Concert partners with Hui O Ko‘olaupoko to offer a free concert featuring Ledward Kaapana, Mike Kaawa and Saloon Pilots. The family-friendly event will also offer food vendors and a free bike valet. A $5 donation is welcome. Proceeds benefit the environmental restoration work of Hui O Ko‘olaupoko (which aims to protect ocean health by restoring the ‘aina mauka to makai).

It's cool to click on worldoceansday.org/2013 and find that events are happening all around the globe — from Asia to Central America, Europe, the Middle East and South America.

And no matter where you are, if you have online access, you can participate in the World Oceans Day Twitter Wave. The message "~Join us in doing the wave across twitter in honor of #WorldOceansDay! Make a promise to do 1 thing for the ocean~" will be shared at the same time. Just click on Twitter or Facebook to share it automatically.

Introducing the "Taste of Summer Film Series," which will offer a monthly series of inspirational and educational documentaries promoting the local food movement starting in June. The film series is presented by the Kokua Hawai‘i Foundation and Waimea Valley.

One film will be screened each summer month at 7:30 p.m. following the Haleiwa Farmer's Market from 3 to 7 p.m. on Thursdays in Waimea Valley. Local food vendors from the market will be on hand serving an assortment of tasty and locally grown meals, snacks and beverages.

Admission and parking are free at Waimea Valley, 59-864 Kamehameha Highway. Films will be shown in the Pikake Pavilion.

Here's the lineup of films:

>> June 6: "Ingredients Hawaii" — Captures Hawaii's farm-to-table movement as well as the vibrant food community dedicated to human, environmental and cultural health. 32 minutes.

>> July 11: "Seeds of Hope" — Exposes the world to the individual heroes who are working to solve the  biggest issue facing Hawaii — how can Hawaii feed itself? For 1,000 years the Hawaiian people produced enough food to support an estimated population of 1 million but today, an estimated 85 percent of food is imported to the isles. 87 minutes.

>> Aug. 1: "Truck Farm" — Tells the story of a new generation of quirky urban farmers from New York City to rooftops, windows and barges. Includes musical narration by The Fisherman Three. 48 minutes.

Visit www.facebook.com/events/103016103240221 for more information.

Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance has launched www.hcajobbank.com.

Looking for a green job? Your quest is just one click away.

The Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance Job Bank offers listings for conservation-based jobs, internships and volunteer positions at www.hcajobbank.com. The job bank was created by HCA's Next Generation Program to help build the next generation of Hawaii's conservation leaders.

Some available positions as of now include associate attorney for Earthjustice, education and outreach assistant for the Lyon Arboretum at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, development officer for the Monk Seal Foundation, conservation program coordinator for Sierra Club Hawaii and lab technician at the Hawaii Cooperative Studies Unit at its Kilauea Field Station on the Big Island.

Conservation organizations are welcome to post available jobs, internship and volunteer positions at the job bank for free. Each submission will be reviewed by HCA staff and appear on the webpage after approval. It's free for job seekers as well, to visit  and peruse www.hcajobbank.com.

The Hawaii Conservation Alliance is a cooperative collaboration of conservation leaders representing more than 20 government, education and non-profit organizations. If you have questions about the job bank, email capacity@hawaiiconservation.org.

The 21st Annual Conservation Conference, by the way, is from July 16 to 18 at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. Registration is now open, with a special $50 rate for students. The theme this year is "Living Today, Sustaining Tomorrow: Connecting People, Places and Planet."