The Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is hosting its Reef-Friendly Landscaping Certification Course from September 4 to October 2, 2024. The course will be conducted entirely online and will teach professional landscapers, property managers and agricultural operations how to transition away from synthetic products and toward reef-friendly land care practices.
Registration is open now through September 3, 2024, and the course runs from September 4 to October 2, 2024. The cost is $400 per person. Discounted group rates are available for those interested in certifying a group of employees.
“As a community, we know that implementing sustainable practices and reducing land-based sources of pollution are key to protecting our nearshore marine ecosystems,” said program director Jill Wirt. “This course is designed to make it easier for industry professionals to adopt land stewardship practices that are better for both our land and our reefs.”
The 10-subject curriculum is taught by local reef-friendly landscaping experts and experts from the Northeast Organic Farming Association’s Organic Land Care program. Topics include site analysis, design and management, native, exotic and invasive plants, wetlands and Hawaiian land care, and energy, pollution and climate change.
In June, five students completed the inaugural course, including Joseph Pittsenberger, technical director of the Marriott Maui Ocean Club. “The knowledge I gained from soil sampling, from planting, from all the native plants on this island was amazing,” Pittsenberger said.
MNMRC will offer the online course year-round and again a hybrid in-person option in October 2024.
Prior to launching its certification course in 2023, MNMRC worked with 12 local properties to test reef-friendly landscaping practices for three months. Initial results showed positive outcomes on all properties, with many cases seeing increased plant growth and a decrease in pests and diseases.
“The results of our pilot program were exciting because they demonstrate how the landscaping industry can have a positive, lasting impact on our land and reefs when professionals use natural products and reef-friendly practices,” Wirt said. “It’s encouraging to see that a thriving landscaping industry can also mean healthy land and reefs in Maui County.”
To register for the course, visit: www.mauireefs.org/rfl or email [email protected].
