The Green School Effect - Bali

I spent a month in Bali this summer with my family in pursuit of golden hours, sandy beaches and the unique culture of Bali. We explored, we discovered, we connected, we experienced, we made memories but most importantly we learnt. I have lots to share with you and have recommendations on things to do from the east coast in Nusa Dua to the west coast in Seminyak and to the center of Bali in Ubud but a little voice inside me says to first do what is right. So I would like to share with you what I learnt when I visited the Green School in Bali and how it touched my heart. The Green School Bali is an internationally accredited, non-profit school that has been at the forefront and is a pioneer in educating Sustainability. It has intrigued not only the educators around the world but also environmentalists, entrepreneurs, governments and even the United Nations for raising and nurturing change makers. We had to find out for ourselves what made the Green School so extraordinary and experience how the transformation is taking place at its unique wall-less environment. The Green school Bali is located on Ayung River and is a 30 minutes drive from Ubud. Green school is a Green School because of the learning model that it facilitates and curates to help students through their personal journey. Their holistic teaching approach in an open progressive environment is constantly refining, evolving and is grounded on research. The learning model of green school is based on the Spiritual Quotient/Inspirational Intelligence, Intellectual Quotient/ Rational intelligence, Emotional Quotient and Kinaesthetic Quotient. Children are engaged in thematic learning, spiritual learning and experiential learning. Arts & Music is given great emphasis for the early years and entrepreneurial skills are introduced on continuum to develop a powerful mindset. The idea to introduce entrepreneurship at an early stage is not about turning them into businessmen but how they can function in life. So besides the curriculum learning how does the school impart and instill the idea of Sustainability in young minds so they take ownership of the problems that we are facing in the world today such as deforestation, global warming, loss of biodiversity etc… Below are the various ways that the school has facilitated the environment in its most organic form for the well-being of their students where they can thrive and excel as kind human beings. 1: Open Space - The School campus is made out of bamboo and is set on 23 acres of lush, tropical landscape. It is a prepared environment that allows students to align themselves with nature. It allows them to connect, build relationships, make mistakes, innovate, ideate and find solutions to the problems. 2: Bamboo: Bamboo is an integral part of the Green School environment. It is the strongest and most sustainable plant in the world. It is renewable, reusable and versatile. 2: Sustainable Architecture: The three huge structures in the center of the campus made out of Bamboos that are built by the local Balinese artisans. These structures are inspired by nature and serve as classrooms for students. One of these structures is called the Heart Centre where everyone including parents, teachers, early years, primary, middle and high school students gather during lunch time giving the students opportunity to connect with one another. 3: Sustainable Living: The school promotes vegetarianism. The food that is served at school is organically grown in the Kul Kul farm on site. The Kul Kul project is a noble mission where there are jobs created for the people from the local community on the farm. 4: Project Hub – Is where students gather together to ideate and innovate. They build and engineer models out of 3D laser printers before they actually implement a design. 5: The Bridge: Green School is not only a school it is a Community. The Bridge is a coworking space for parents to connect, network, collaborate and be a mentor for each other in their field of expertise. I was absolutely awe struck when I walked through the campus as I visited the various projects that the students get involved in: Chicken Project, Aquaponics, the Healing Center, Compost Site, Energy Vortex and rice paddies. The Green School Tour can be combined with one of the many Sustainable Living Workshops that are organized for the visitors at the School. We learnt how to make soap from used Palm Oil at the Organic Soap Making Workshop with my 5yr old son. Our tour lasted around 1 hour and after the Soap Making Workshop we were thrilled to have lunch at the Heart Centre. It was indeed a special experience to be having lunch with the Green School Community at the Heart Centre with all the students, teachers and parents. We had to self-serve our meals in banana leaves and our dining area was low lying seating made of wood where you sit cross legged. We realized the bread that we were served with a healthy bowl of soup and salad was being baked by the chefs earlier that morning which we had seen during our tour. After we finished our lunch I marveled at the sight of my son as he was helping others to dispose off the leftovers in the dedicated bins. If you are ever in Bali and want to do something different at the same time want to make a difference to the community and to the world then you must definitely visit the Green School. All the proceeds collected from the Green School Tour fee, Workshop fees, Camp fees and other donations that are made by individuals or corporates is allocated to fund the Local Scholarship Programme which benefits the 43 full-time Balinese students enrolled in Green School’s Local Sponsorship Program. The Green School Bali taught me that as adults we need to understand that sustainability is only possible when we operate from our head and spiritual center of our heart and when we are aligned with our natural surroundings in our most authentic form. We need to set ourselves free from the dogma surrounding the current education system and understand that transformation and self – driven learning takes place only when children are given space and the right kind of environment to thrive in as happy individuals. I left feeling inspired, hopeful and most importantly the effect that the Green School in Bali had on me was to self-reflect on whether I am living a sustainable lifestyle. I am glad I took that one small step towards Sustainability and I am certain that this is the only way forward.