The Green School aims to raise a generation of children capable of acting sustainably
Touring the campus of the Green School, an international organisation at Sibang Kaja on the island of Bali in Indonesia, you might think you were exploring a castaway's hideout. Set in an earthly paradise the buildings are made of bamboo, bricks or dried mud, pebbles mark the edge of paths, furniture is made of carved timber and sails from boats take the place of windows in some of the classrooms. We also spotted terraced paddy fields, beehives, buffalo in enclosures fenced with manioc branches, and vegetable patches growing tomatoes, cucumbers, sugar palms and cocoa.
In this environmentally friendly academy, visitors are greeted with a glass of fresh water, drawn straight from the well. "We do not want to be dependent on anything," says John Hardy, a Canadian who worked as a jeweller before founding this ground-breaking school in 2008. "We drink our own water, serve our own produce at the cafeteria, generate our own electricity and build accommodation compliant with sustainable development guidelines," he says.
In a setting worthy of Robinson Crusoe, 120 pupils aged three to 14 are being taught the basic principles of environmental awareness. On top of a conventional curriculum, accredited by Cambridge University, most of the lessons address issues related to conservation. The children soon find out about organic agriculture, recycling and green transport.
"We want to raise a generation of responsible citizens, capable of acting sustainably for our planet. We teach them to base consumption on fair trade, to save energy, to till the earth and reap its benefits without pollution or wastage," Hardy adds.
On the morning of our visit, the science classes had moved to the banks of the Ayung river, below the campus. They are experimenting with a small-scale hydroelectric power station that, it is hoped, will supply the school with power, supplementing the existing solar panels. "How does it work? How much power will it produce? That's what powers our computers!" Pupils' questions about renewable energy reflect their interest but show they are still very much connected with the modern world. "We introduce them to some of the alternatives to oil so they can understand why they have become necessary to avoid depleting resources," Hardy says.
The lesson ends and we move to another class, which is focusing on new uses for bamboo. It is the key material here. Vast quantities have been used to build the school, and its chairs, desks, lockers, blackboards and even basketball baskets. It was chosen because it is so plentiful in Indonesia – the campus has its own plantation of 15,000 plants to combat deforestation – but also because it can store large amounts of carbon dioxide.
"We restricted the use of cement, concrete and plastics because of their environmental impact. Almost all of the campus is made of locally sourced natural materials, with low carbon emissions," Hardy explains. He has added a research module on CO2 sequestration methods to the curriculum.
Other green schools may soon be opening in India, China or Vietnam, with the same slogan: "Choose your future". "We must act fast," says Louis, 13, from Belgium. "We must change how we behave, think sustainable development and recycling. Otherwise the planet is in great danger."
This article originally appeared in Le Monde.