The Ala Wai Canal
The Ala Wai Canal is a manmade waterway built in 1928 for land reclamation and flood mitigation.
However, this disruption of the natural watershed led to issues with runoff. Pesticides, heavy metals, mud, trash, organic debris, and other pollutants began accumulating in the canal. As a result, a thick layer of organic material called sludge formed. The Ala Wai Canal is now one of the most polluted waterways in Hawai’i.
Putrefactive bacteria decompose the sludge and release methane, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide. These gases are all harmful to both the canal and the surrounding environment.
Fortunately, the microbes in our EM•1® solution have the power to ferment and digest the sludge, restoring a healthy balance of microorganisms in the ecosystem. This significant step increases the canal's self-purification ability, paving the way for native species to return. With every Genki Ball thrown into the canal, we are closer to our inspiring goal of making the canal swimmable and fishable by 2026.
A note from the artist . . .
Genki Hou!
In Hawaiian, the word Waikīkī means “Spouting Fresh Water,” and while it's sometimes hard to see it as anything other than an overcrowded concrete jungle of aging condos, overpriced hotels and polluted waterways, I think it’s important we still remember Waikīkī for what it once was: A thriving and self-sustaining ecosystem of wetlands fed by freshwater springs and rivers coming down from the Ko‘olaus.
Inspired by the movies and paintings of Hayao Miyazaki, I used a mix of traditional watercolor and digital character illustrations (based off of a number of different photo references, as well as my own personal experience working alongside the amazing organizers and volunteers of the Genki Ala Wai Project) to create this shared vision of what the Ala Wai could look like in the very near future.
Whether you see it as a throwback to the "good ol’ days" or an overly optimistic vision for the future, it is my hope that this illustration will serve as a reminder of the positive impact and changes we can have as a local community, not just for the Ala Wai, but for the future generations of Hawai‘i as well.
- Jonathan Zane