Hualani's Partners with Surfrider Foundation as Ocean-Friendly Restaurant

Timbers Kaua‘i is proud to announce that Hualani’s was recently deemed an Ocean Friendly Restaurant by Surfrider Foundation. Ocean Friendly Restaurants first launched in 2013 with Surfrider’s Huntington Beach chapter. The program quickly expanded throughout Southern California and Hawaiʻi, becoming a nationally recognized program in 2018. We caught up with Resort Manager Michael Young recently to learn more. Michael partnered with Surfrider Foundation years ago, meeting the requirements for Kauaʻi’s first ocean-friendly restaurant. Now, he’s brought that effort of socially-conscious dining to Timbers Kauaʻi at Hualani’s.

“I like the Surfrider Foundation because they have very focused ocean-driven goals,” Michael explained, “although it is significantly more expensive and harder to find environmentally-friendly products for the restaurant, it is important to us to generate as little waste as possible.”

 

KAUAʻI CHAPTER OF SURFRIDER FOUNDATION

The Kauaʻi Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation was founded in August 2006 by a small group of Kauaʻi’s active surfers who joined the national organization with its focus on CARE: Conservation, Activism, Research, and Education.

Photo courtesy of Kauaʻi Surfrider Foundation Instagram

Local Kauaʻi programs include: 

Net Patrol and Beach Cleanups to keep our beaches free of marine debris

Blue Water Task Force (Water Quality Monitoring) to check the water quality at surf breaks, beaches, and streams

Ocean Friendly Gardens to keep polluted runoff from entering the ocean

Ocean Friendly Restaurants to reduce the amount of plastics and Styrofoam going into the ocean.

Ocean Friendly Visitors to share “best behaviors” that help visitors participate in our mission to protect Kauaʻi’s beaches and ocean.

Click here to see the latest from Kauaʻi’s chapter of Surfrider Foundation.

HUALANI’S OCEAN-FRIENDLY DINING

Hualani’s menu is ever-changing with many ingredients from Hōkūala’s on-site organic farm as well as locally sourced land and sea options based on what is freshest. Their dedication to sustainable dining with minimal waste makes them a perfect candidate for Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Restaurant Certification. Here are all of the sustainable initiatives Hulani’s is abiding by to keep their dining ocean-friendly:

Ocean-Friendly Practices

• Only reusable foodware is used for onsite dining.
• Paper straws are provided only upon request.
• No expanded polystyrene use (aka Styrofoam™)
• No plastic bags are used for takeout or to-go orders.
• Single-use utensils, straws, condiments, and other accessory items are provided only upon request for takeout and to-go orders.
• Beverages are not sold in plastic bottles.
• Proper recycling practices are followed.

Additional Ocean Friendly Practices

• Vegetarian and vegan food options are offered on a regular basis.
• All seafood is “Best Choice” or “Good Alternative” as defined by Seafood Watch, or no seafood is served. Essentially, Hualani’s will ONLY serve seafood from fisheries and aquaculture operations that aren’t causing irreparable damage to our ocean.
• Water conservation and pollution mitigation efforts are implemented.
• Energy efficiency efforts are in place.
• Concessions and pre-packaged food items are not sold in plastic packaging.
• Composting efforts are in place for food waste.
• Metal bottles and refill stations are in place for drinking water.

TIMBERS’ OCEAN-FRIENDLY VISITOR PROGRAM

In addition to ocean-friendly dining, Timbers Kauaʻi noticed an interest from visitors to attend beach clean-ups. Because visiting dates and official beach clean ups may not align, we decided to take a page from Surfrider’s playbook and create a way for guests to attend a beach clean up anytime! Our Ocean-Friendly Visitor Program will provide kits for guests to do a clean up while they are on island. The kits will include buckets, grabbers, and basic instructions so that guests can clean the beach whenever and wherever they decide to. Timbers will then sort the rubbish and recycle items that can be recycled.

We are dedicated to our ʻāina, and hope these sustainable options will have a positive impact on our oceans and sea life. We hope you will join us for dinner or a beach clean-up soon!