Tutu Hana Hou

A memorial fund was set up in 2004 following the untimely death of Jo Diotalevi, who worked tirelessly on resource awareness and recycling issues for nearly two decades as the North Hawai`i Education Coordinator for Recycle Hawai`i.  Jo began her work with Recycle Hawai`i as a volunteer and was a wealth of information on the organization's past programs and was continually dedicated to solving our island's environmental problems.

Known affectionately as "Tutu Hana Hou" Jo made learning about protecting the environment fun for everyone through stories, song, and arts and crafts made from recyclables.  In addition to her involvement with Recycle Hawai`i's educational programs, Jo managed the annual School Recycle Challenge competition that awarded prizes to schools for collecting the most recyclables such as aluminum cans, paper fibers, cell phones, inkjet/toner cartridges, and plastic milk jugs.

Donations to the fund were used to create two memorial plaques honoring Jo. One was presented at a special ceremony at the annual Hawai`i Island Trash Art Show held at the East Hawai`i Cultural Center in Hilo in 2007. An installation ceremony was also held at the Kahilu Theatre in Waimea during the 2008 Kona Earth Festival where the second memorial plaque was permanently installed and is currently on display.

Recycled puppet, “Small Stuff” with Jo Diotalevi as Tutu Hana Hou