Announcements
Bishop Museum Goes Plastic-Free
# Bishop Museum Goes Plastic-Free
Bishop Museum launches campus-wide, single-use-plastic-free campaign
Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, together with partners Shop Pacifica and Bishop Museum Café by Highway Inn, has eliminated the sale of all single-use plastics on its campus. The single-use-plastic-free campaign is part of the Museum's larger initiative to serve as a positive example of sustainable practices and conservation in Hawai'i.
"Sustainability is one of our core values and we're committed to demonstrating change by taking action and instituting sustainable practices throughout our organization," said Melanie Ide, Bishop Museum president and CEO. "In addition to eliminating the sale of all single-use plastics, we've also installed water bottle filling stations throughout our campus. New signage helps teach visitors about the impact of reducing single-use plastics, and our educators are incorporating a waste-free lunch curriculum into the Museum's field trip materials," said Ide.
"Behind the scenes, our employees are supplying their own reusable cups, plates, and utensils for meetings and minimizing plastic waste wherever possible, even bringing used plastic packaging and bubble wrap from home for re-use by Bishop Museum Press to pack books for mail order fulfillment. It truly is a campus-wide, team effort."
The Museum partnered with Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation's Plastic Free Hawaiʻi and the Surfrider Foundation on the initiative. Both groups consulted with Museum staff to identify opportunities to reduce plastic waste and educate visitors on the impact of plastic. Kōkua Hawaiʻi has loaned the Museum its Plastic Free Hawaiʻi Water Refill Station to support large events on its campus, and Surfrider Foundation has recognized the Bishop Museum Café by Highway Inn as an ocean-friendly restaurant.
Additionally, the Plastic Free Pipeline, an interactive sculpture made from 2,000 feet of derelict fishing nets and marine debris collected from Kahuku Beach on Oʻahu's North Shore, is installed on the Museum's campus. Created by artist-scientist Ethan Estess, the Plastic Free Pipeline is featured in conjunction with the Museum's newest exhibition, "Mai Kinohi Mai: Surfing in Hawaiʻi."
"Mai Kinohi Mai connects our local and international audiences in celebrating surfing's deep roots in Hawaiian culture, and brings attention to the urgent need to protect our ocean's health in the face of climate change and the pollutants that are affecting our environment and lives," said Ide.
Funding for the Plastic Free Pipeline installation is provided by the Johnson Ohana Foundation, founded by Kim and Jack Johnson to support environmental, art, and music education.
Bishop Museum Admission, Parking & Hours
General Admission
Adults: $24.95 Seniors (65+): $21.95 Youth (4–17): $16.95 Children (3 and under): Free
Hawai'i Residents, Hawai'i College Students & Military with ID
Adults: $14.95 Seniors (65+): $12.95 Youth (4–17): $10.95 Children (3 and under): Free
Children age 16 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.
Planetarium
Planetarium shows are an additional $2.95 per person per daytime show; free for members with ID.
Parking
$5 per car per visit; free for members with sticker.
Hours
Open every day from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas
Bishop Museum Café by Highway Inn offers a limited menu of Hawaiian plates, poke bowls, sandwiches, and snacks from 10:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. daily. Museum members receive a 10% discount with their membership card.
About Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, the State of Hawaiʻi Museum of Natural and Cultural History
Bishop Museum’s mission is to inspire our community and visitors through the exploration, celebration, and perpetuation of the extraordinary history, culture, and environment of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. The Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in memory of his wife Bernice Pauahi Bishop, a royal descendant of King Kamehameha I. Today, the Museum thrives as an educational center for the community and is widely regarded as the world’s premier institution for Hawaiian and Pacific content.
Bishop Museum’s vast collections of more than 25 million objects and specimens represent nine disciplines and include more than 22 million biological specimens, over 2 million cultural objects, 115,000 historical publications, and 1 million photographs, films, works of art, audio recordings, and manuscripts. These collections tell the stories of the cultures and biodiversity of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific as well as the proud legacy of scholarly research spanning 130 years.
Bishop Museum proudly serves more than 200,000 visitors each year, including 20,000 children on school visits. Guests are encouraged to pre-plan their trip to #HawaiisMuseum with its free digital guide, available through Bloomberg Connects.
To learn more about the Museum’s research, collections, exhibits, and programs, visit BishopMuseum.org, follow @BishopMuseum on Facebook and Instagram, visit Bishop Museum’s YouTube channel, or call (808) 847-3511. Bishop Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Bishop Museum is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer, and welcomes applicants from the military, veterans, and those with disabilities. Learn about careers at Bishop Museum at BishopMuseum.org/Careers and on its LinkedIn page.
Bishop Museum Press is Hawaiʻi’s oldest book publisher and one of the first scholarly publishers in the Western Hemisphere, and has published over 1,200 titles and distributed over 1 million books in 72 countries worldwide. Bishop Museum hosts a restaurant and gift shop on campus, Tūtū’s Place by Highway Inn and Shop Pacifica by Nā Mea Hawaiʻi.