Jack Johnson Pinpoints When His 'Profound Respect for Nature' Began — Now, Helps Kids 'Love It' Too (Exclusive)

The O'ahu-born musician reflected on his "lucky upbringing" in nature, explaining how it helped inspired him to launch the Kokua Hawaii Foundation non-profit

Jack Johnson was on a surfboard before he could walk.

"I started surfing before I can even remember," the 48-year-old musician, whose dad is surf legend Jeff Johnson, tells PEOPLE of when his "profound respect for nature" began.

Born in Hawaii, Johnson was immediately immersed in the beauty of the land and the sea that surrounded him. "I had a really lucky upbringing," he says, noting that many of his memories involve being in the ocean "where you couldn't see land at all."

"That's where the love comes from, being exposed to it at a really young age," he adds.

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Now, Johnson — who doubles as a folk-rock singer-songwriter and environmental activist — works to help children grow up with the same adoration for nature through the Kokua Hawaii Foundation, a nonprofit he co-founded with his wife Kim to support environmental education in schools around the island.

"We give kids a chance to plant seeds, watch things grow and go outside during the day to be at their school garden," the "Upside Down" singer explains. "We help to establish gardens at the schools and want them to get outside of the classroom sometimes."

Johnson says that part of their success involves trying to not "overload them" with information. "When they don't realize they're learning, that's when a lot of the learning happens," he explains.

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Founded in 2002, the Kokua Hawaii Foundation kickstarted several initiatives at schools including a recycling program, plastic-free curriculums, field trip grants and the Kōkua Learning Farm, a long-term project that evolved from a farm-to-school program.

"Over time, we bought a learning farm in Haleiwa. It was a farm space and we've turned it into a learning farm," he says. "Now we have a place that people can come and gather. It's been a lot of fun and it's really joyful."

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Another highlight is Community Work Days, a program that invites volunteers to the farm for light work, education and family fun every Saturday morning.

"We have a lot of people that have been bringing their family since the kids were in diapers and now they're five or six years old. It’s a lot of people," he says. "They come every Work Day, so I look forward to seeing a lot of friends every time."

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Johnson, who's also gearing up for a "really busy" schedule ahead of Earth Day, says that in part, he uses the day to celebrate how much participants have accomplished on the farm to date. "The best thing is to show kids and anybody in your community signs of hope and progress," he says.

This year, Johnson and the Kōkua Hawai'i Foundation will be hosting a special Community Work Day at the farm, plus celebrate the two year anniversary of the Kōkua General Store.

In addition to these festivities, a newly re-imagined track from Johnson's catalog featuring reggae band Stick Figure will be released on April 26 with 100% of the proceeds going to Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation. The track, "Home (With Stick Figure)," can be pre-saved ahead of its release.

"It's a cliché to say, 'Every day is Earth Day,' " jokes Johnson. "But it is great to have one day that everybody is reminded to celebrate and be grateful that we have this beautiful place."

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