The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach partnership with the Genki Ala Wai Project, provides guests an opportunity to support a monumental seven-year initiative to restore and transform Waikiki’s Ala Wai Canal into a place that will allow both swimming, fishing and other enjoyable activities.
Waikiki, meaning “spouting waters,” was once a marshland supplied by three main streams from the valleys: Palolo (Kuekaunahi), Manoa (‘Apuakehau) and Makiki (Pi‘inaio). Due to lack of proper drainage and stagnant waters that created unsuitable and unhealthy conditions, the 1.5-mile long Ala Wai Canal was constructed and completed in 1928 to resolve the issue and drain the waters from Waikiki, paving the way for the development of hotels and attractions that most still remain today. Over the years, however, the Ala Wai Canal became a depository for mud, organic debris, trash and various pollutants.
To biodegrade pollutants from the muddy bottom and waters of the Ala Wai Canal, a special solution called EM•1® (Effective Microorganisms®) is used to form genki spheres containing clay soil, water, molasses, and rice bran. The project’s goal is 200,000 genki spheres, needed over seven years, to toss into the Ala Wai Canal to digest and oxygenate the waters.
Through the resort’s Malama Hawai‘i: Genki Ala Wai Project offer, $10 from every night of the guest’s stay will go towards funding the development of two genki spheres. The resort will also match every night with $10 for a total of $20, or four genki spheres, to support the initiative. In return, guests can enjoy a $20 nightly resort credit to use for dining, spa treatments and other services.
For more information on the resort’s Malama Hawai’i: Genki Ala Wai Project offer, visit ritzcarlton.com/waikiki. For more information about the Genki Ala Wai Project, visit genkialawai.org.
