The high noon sun beamed down on the grounds at Sunset Beach Elementary School, where two dozen or so workers were gathered last weekend to create an organic garden for students. Among them: Grammy-nominated musician Jack Johnson, manning a circular saw, then shoveling earth into the raised planting beds that were created.

Despite the heat, spirits were high among the volunteers. It was the first spade in the soil for 'Aina In Schools, the latest program of Kokua Hawai'i Foundation, a nonprofit environmental organization co-founded by Johnson in 2003.

"Ah, it's great," said Johnson, smiling at the busy bodies laboring away. "We've got so many people turning up to help, it makes it really easy."

Since its inception three years ago, Kokua Hawai'i Foundation has evolved into a nearly half-million-dollar environmental organization, with its efforts now focused on launching 'Aina In Schools alongside three other programs.

'Aina In Schools aims to educate students about nutrition and environmentally friendly practices, among other things. A two-year pilot program begins this school year at five sites islandwide: 'Aikahi, Makaha, Sunset Beach and Wheeler elementary schools, and Wai'alae Charter School.

"The major goal is to reconnect kids to the land and to where their food comes from," said the foundation's executive director and Johnson's wife, Kim Johnson. "It'll not only be healthier for (the students) personally, but it'll be healthier for the environment. They'll all have that greater respect for the environment."

The foundation's main source of income is its Kokua Festival, an annual concert featuring local and national entertainers. Other sources are sponsorships, donations and grants. Its total income last year was about $400,000, of which about half was spent — $45,000 went to its environmental field trip assistance program, $80,000 went to its recycling program and another $80,000 went to staff and general administrative costs.

"We want to turn into a perpetual foundation, where you save half and only spend half every year," said Kim Johnson. "That way, if there's ever a year when we decide we aren't going to do the (Kokua) Festival, it's not going to put us out."

The foundation's budget this year is $300,000, with about $100,000 dedicated to launching 'Aina In Schools.

'I LIKE SALADS'

Ryan Egbert, 6, was covered in dirt as he worked alongside the volunteers to dig trenches for garden boxes and an irrigation system.

The Sunset Beach first-grader said he was enthused about the garden-based learning.

"I'm excited because I like salads," said Ryan, who identified himself as a big fan of tomatoes, spinach and cabbage.

Gardening is one of six components 'Aina In Schools will promote; the others are healthy school lunches, nutrition education, agricultural field trips, solid waste management and community outreach.

Kokua Hawai'i Foundation began to develop 'Aina In Schools in October with the help of a steering committee including parents, farmers, educators, nutrition specialists and environmentalists.

"I think it's awesome ... for the kids to learn about the environment hands-on," said Ryan's mother, Lani Egbert, 42, a teacher and Waialua resident, as she filled a wheelbarrow with dirt. "They get to see how everything is connected."

The 'Aina In Schools program is modeled on "farm to school" programs that have flourished nationwide in recent years, spurred by concerns such as childhood obesity, Kim Johnson said.

Locally grown, fresh produce can only make lunches better, she said.

"The reality is, for some kids, this is the only complete meal that they get, so when you think about that, then you really want to try to give them the best you can," she said.

Farm-to-school programs were also developed to help support local agriculture, Jack Johnson said.

"A lot of the problem is (local farmers) just don't have anywhere to put their produce, and now this can help create a demand for their produce," he said. "If we could get more and more schools involved, it's going to be a pretty big institution for them to supply."

GETTING EXCITED

At Sunset Beach's garden workday, parent volunteer Randy Brown got down and dirty, assembling the garden's new irrigation system.

Brown, 43, owns an organic landscaping business and stepped up to be the school's garden coordinator.

"What's really going to be key for this entire program is getting volunteers for the ongoing work," Brown said while connecting irrigation pipes.

The Sunset Beach event had plenty of volunteers, and materials were supplied by companies such as Diamond Head Sprinkler Supply and Hawaiian Earth Products; organizers are hoping for the same kind of support for garden workdays at other pilot schools, and for the entire program.

"To make this program successful, we really need to involve the school, community and parents, and make them feel ownership of it and excited about it," Kim Johnson said.

At the end of the two-year pilot program, organizers hope to expand 'Aina In Schools to more schools statewide.

"By the end of this school year, we hope to have all our curriculum lessons done and taught once," Kim Johnson said.

Evaluations from teachers, students and parents will help organizers assess what worked and what didn't.

"That's the nice part about having a whole second year, is to make those changes and then see how it goes and you can revise even further," Kim Johnson said.

One of the core goals of both the foundation and 'Aina In Schools is to give children opportunities to enjoy the outdoors and to appreciate their environment, said Jack Johnson, while taking a break from cutting recycled plastic lumber.

"It's just really (about) being out in nature and having a lot of fun," said Johnson, whose love for the outdoors stems from his North Shore roots. "That's what the foundation wants to achieve."

Reach Zenaida Serrano at zserrano@honoluluadvertiser.com.