Teaching Hawai'i's young people about nature is one of the techniques several Hawai'i programs use to groom caretakers of the environment, and of the larger world in which we live.

Nainoa Thompson, as president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, frequently takes students out sailing on the voyaging canoe Hokule'a, and during the canoe's recent trip through Micronesia and Japan, made satellite phone calls to schools across the state — as well as in other parts of the world.

The mission, Thompson says, is to use the canoe to teach about the fragility of the ocean planet, the Islands and the need for people to work together to protect them.

In another program, Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society last month held Ambassadors of the Environment Program camps for kids in Ka'u on the Big Island, supported by Sea Mountain Five LLC. The Cousteau group will be back in the summer of 2008.

"Our ultimate goal is to create young people who are scientifically literate and environmentally responsible," said Richard Murphy, co-creator of the program with Ocean Futures, for which he is director of science and education. "We use nature as a metaphor for sustainability. We show them that each species has a different role to play, and in that process, they come to appreciate biodiversity."

The late educator and wildlife photographer David Boynton was the driving force behind the Koke'e Discovery Center, built with private contributions and operated by the state Department of Education. It is a place where school classes can stay for several days while learning about the upland environment of Kaua'i.

The Hawai'i Nature Center has facilities at Makiki on O'ahu and 'Iao Valley on Maui, where young people can learn about the natural world.

"By gently encouraging our young stewards to develop a respect for microscopic life and towering trees, we are confident that when these children become leaders and decision-makers, they will impress upon their community the importance of protecting their home environment," Hawai'i Nature Center says on its Web site.

These are not the only programs of their kind in the Islands — there are many more, with many diverse approaches. But they appear to have one mission in common.

"The goal," said Ocean Futures' Murphy, "is to create an aware public that will make the right choices for the future."

If you have a question or concern about the Hawaiian environment, drop a note to Jan TenBruggencate at P.O. Box 524, Lihu'e, HI 96766 or jant@honoluluadvertiser.com. Or call him at (808) 245-3074.