By Staff Reports
(Honolulu)—Kailua Sailboards and Kayaks was the winner of Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii’s (SCH) and KUPU’s Ultimate Sandsifter Challenge. Topping a field of 20 finalists, Kailua Sailboards and Kayaks’ three-tier design proved to be the most efficient and cost effective tool to separate and collect microplastic from sand. The Kailua activity company will be awarded $2,500 this Wednesday upon delivery of five more replicas of their winning design, which will be donated to Kahuku High School, Kainalu Elementary School, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Surfrider Foundation Oahu Chapter and SCH. The sandsifters will be delivered to other organizations throughout this summer in their efforts to keep their local beaches clean.
Through a collaboration with KUPU Hawaii and sponsored by the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation, RevoluSun and First Wind (now known as SunEdison), SCH and KUPU launched the Ultimate Sandsifter Challenge in 2014. The contest invited the public to design and build the ultimate sandsifter to aid in the removal of microplastic from Hawai‘i beaches. Thirty designs were submitted and 20 finalists were selected. The final sandsifter designs were tested at Kalama Beach cleanup on November 15, 2014. The judges included a biologist, an engineer, an expert on microplastic pollution and community members.
“We are always trying to figure out how to make cleaning up beaches more fun,” says Kahi Pacarro, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii’s co-founder and executive director. “Creating a competition for the best sand sifter seemed like a great way to increase the fun levels and the competition did just that. With the public invited to try out the inventions, everyone was getting involved and just enjoying the day. Plus we left the beach extra CLEAN!”
Kailua Sailboards and Kayaks’ ultimate sandsifter utilizes a ladder and repurposed materials to support two to three tiers of mesh screens with large sifting surfaces. The top tier of mesh catches larger organic debris and the finer-mesh screens beneath catch the microplastic. The screens have a downward tilt so the microplastic can be easily collected and disposed without removing the screen.
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About Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii
Sustainable Coastlines is a registered 501(c)(3) organization inspiring local communities to care for their coastlines through hands-on beach cleanups. One hundred percent of donations go to support beach clean up efforts, coastal advocacy and community education. Since February
2011, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii has hosted over 50 beach cleanups with over 17,000 participants and removed over 90,000 pounds of debris from Hawai‘i’s coastlines. Visit sustainablecoastlineshawaii.org, facebook.com/sustainablecoastlineshawaii or Instagram @sustainablecoastlineshawaii. Please contact Kahi Pacarro at kahi@sustainablecoastlineshawaii.org for more information.