Hot off the press: Hui O Koolaupoko's "Hawai‘i Residential Rain Garden Manual" is out.

It's available for download at this link or also from Hui O Koolaupoko for $20.

The manual offers homeowners the information they need to build a rain garden to capture and infiltrate storm water from their property. Rain gardens — flat-bottomed depressions in the ground that capture excess water and pollutants from rooftops, driveways, sidewalks, parking lots and streets — are low-cost, effective ways to participate in ocean protection.

Students recently built a rain garden on the slopes of Hawaii Pacific University's windward campus next to the Nursing Annex.

Cities like Seattle actually offer a rebate for installing cisterns and rain gardens.

Ko‘olaupoko residents are also eligible to participate in Hui O Koolaupoko's Rain Garden Co-op program, which covers the costs for rain garden materials and recruits volunteers to build one at your home. Visit their website for more information.

Seafood team leader Chris Pearson getting ready to kiss a fish at Whole Foods Market Kailua as part of a fundraising event from 4 to 6 p.m. tomorrow (Friday, Sept. 7) at Whole Foods Market Kailua. Courtesy photo.

Eating your greens means giving some green at Whole Foods Market locations at Kahala, Kailua and Kahului on Sunday, Sept. 9.

Bringing gardens and greens to schools. Courtesy photo.

For every pound of salad purchased on Sunday, Whole Foods Market will be donating $1 to the Whole Kids Foundation and its annual Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools fundraiser in September. Money raised from the one-day event helps put salad bars in local schools, including four on Oahu (Kainalu Elementary, Ke Kula ‘O Samuel M. Kamakau, Makaha Elementary and Waikiki Elementary.

The project's goal is to provide 6,000 school salad bars across the nation by 2013.

Other events to raise funds for the Whole Kids Foundation will be taking place until Sept. 23, including a fundraiser from 5 to 7 pm. tonight (Thursday, Sept. 6) at Fighting Eel in Kailua. For a $5 fee, enjoy wine, pupus and a 10-percent discount.

Then tomorrow (Friday, Sept. 7), Whole Foods Kailua is holding its Kiss-A-Fish fundraising event from 4 to 6 p.m.. Seafood team leader Chris Pearson will kiss a whole fish (the bigger, the better) for every donation of $1 or more to the Whole Kids Foundation.

Shoppers can also make donations at checkout (add a donation to your total bill), put change in a cute little kettle, or simply give the 10-cents credit for each bag you bring in to shop with. Or make a donation online at www.wholekidsfoundation.org.

Proceeds from the salad bar and hot foods bar on Sunday, Sept. 9 will go towards the Whole Kids Foundation.

HECO and IBEW Local 260 volunteers prep the soil for native Hawaiian plants for the new garden at Keone‘ula Elementary School. Photo courtesy HECO.

There's a new garden at Keone‘ula Elementary School in Ewa Beach.

Every new school garden should  be celebrated.

This one features native Hawaiian plants and vegetables, comes with its own irrigation and sprinkler system, along with a walkway and  bench. School officials envision the garden as a place to foster learning about native Hawaiian plants, agricultural practices, environmental resources and sustainability.

It even has a name — Ka Uluwehi o Ka Na‘auao — which means "place where beautiful plants thrive."

Volunteers from the Hawaiian Electric Co. and members of IBEW Local 1260  last weekend helped students and teachers and members of the community create the garden. HECO provided the native Hawaiian plants from Hui Ku Maoli Ola, while the Haseko Corp. donated soil. Leeward Community College also donated native plants from its campus garden.

Hopefully, the garden will continue to flourish and grow.

Seventh grade students from Ewa Makai Middle School have started a community garden at school and are hosting "Community Gardening Night" on Wednesday (March 7). Courtesy photo.

The seventh grade students at Ewa Makai Middle School have not only planted their own vegetable garden out of recyclable materials, but are excited to share the joys of gardening with the community.

They've grown lettuce, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, parsley, corn, basil, mint, kalo, lavender, swiss chard, dill, carrots, broccolis, even watermelon. The students have shared the fruits of their labor by making salads, soups and Kale chips to give away to students and teachers.

Now the students want to share their love for gardening with "Community Gardening Night."

From 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday (March 7), the students want to help the Ewa community grow vegetables in their yard, too.

The students have planted four types of seedings — lettuce, onion, radish and tomato — to give away to the first 200 families, along with soil to get you started. Please drive into the campus and follow signs to receive your free seedlings and soil to plant a garden in your backyard.

What a great idea! These students are not only the next generation of gardeners, but future community leaders.