Clean air, clean aina.
That’s the theme of this year’s Great American Smokeout anti-tobacco event on Oahu at the University of Hawaii at Manoa from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today.
"We want to focus on not only the smoke that’s coming from people’s cigarettes, but also taking care of the land," said Lisa Kehl, prevention specialist/ counselor with the University Health Services-Manoa Health Promotion Office, which will host the event at the Campus Center Mall.
"We’ve seen a lot of cigarette butts on the ground when we’ve done walk-throughs of the campus, so it’s not just looking at secondhand smoke, but litter. We want to promote a complete, healthy environment."
The American Cancer Society started the annual nationwide event, now in its 37th year, to encourage smokers to make Nov. 15 the day they quit smoking.
The UH-Manoa event will feature organizations that provide services and resources to smokers wanting to quit, including the Hawaii Tobacco Quitline and the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii. Other health organizations, such as the Blood Bank of Hawaii and Hawaii Bone Marrow Donor Registry, will also be at the event.
"What we highlight is 9 out of 10 (UH-Manoa) students are tobacco-free," Kehl said. "It’s only a small percentage that does smoke, so this is more like a general health fair."
There will be games, displays, free giveaways and other prizes, and music provided by KTUH, the UH-Manoa student radio station.
Great American Smokeout events will also take place on neighbor islands.
On Maui, the University of Hawaii Maui College will host a health awareness fair today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring live music and access to health resources and information. The school’s culinary program will host an early Thanksgiving turkey luncheon for a small charge.
The Kauai event will be held on Nov. 28 at Kalapaki Joe’s in Lihue from 5 to 6 p.m.
The Molokai event, held Saturday, featured a screening of "Addiction Incorporated," a film about tobacco addiction, and a question-and-answer session with the film’s executive producer, Charmaine Parcero.
