News Release

Honolulu, August 23, 2022 - First Hawaiian Bank (FHB) today announced that over 135 employees participated in an Ala Wai Canal restoration project on Saturday, August 20, 2022. As part of the bank’s Community Care program, dedicated FHB employees, alongside family and friends, volunteered their time to help improve water quality in the Ala Wai Canal ecosystem.

Participants tossed more than 1,000 previously made and cured “Genki” balls into the Ala Wai Canal, which will immediately start to process pollutants and help eliminate sludge build up. Just one can remove approximately one square meter of harmful waste.

“We are thrilled to partner with The Genki Ala Wai Project and be a part of an initiative that will have an immediate impact as well as on future generations of residents and visitors,” said Bob Harrison, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Mahalo to all of the volunteers who helped make today a success, from genki ball production to getting them into the water. It is clear that we all share the same goal of revitalizing this historic waterway and ecosystem.”

Genki balls are made from clay soil, rice bran, molasses, water and Effective Microorganisms culture (lactic acid bacteria, yeast and phototrophic bacteria). They provide an ongoing method of bioremediation, which is the use of living organisms to remove pollutants from soil and water. For more information about the science behind the project, visit https://genkialawai.org.

First Hawaiian Bank’s Community Care is an employee volunteer service program launched in 2014. This bank-wide initiative is completely run by employees, with employees serving alongside senior managers to volunteer their time and talents throughout Hawaii, Guam, and Saipan. Volunteer community service activities focus on helping the elderly, children, families, and the environment. For more information about First Hawaiian Bank Community Care, visit www.fhb.com/caring-for-our-community.