Exotic Bali Green School Shows the Way
by Deborah MooreAbout 18 months ago, I noticed we had a Facebook fan in Bali, Indonesia from something called the Green School. I checked out their website and was intrigued by the new school they were building – completely out of bamboo – and the sustainability curriculum they were using as the foundation of their approach to learning. This December I had the incredible pleasure of visiting Green School in Bali, during a family vacation to Indonesia.
The school is the largest building made out of bamboo in Asia and is artfully designed as a double-spiral. The “gym,” the swings, the desks, benches, and library tables and shelves are all made of bamboo – a fast-growing and renewable resource. And this school-without-walls is designed to bring the outside in every day. (See more photos below)
After only two years, the school has about 200 students from 40 countries, grades pre-K to 10, including Balinese students. They teach all the regular subjects as well as “green studies,” and integrate environmental literacy throughout the curriculum. They also learn traditional Balinese arts, crafts, and dance.
As I returned from vacation, Green School was getting more press, this time in the New York Times. You can learn more about Green School via the TEDx talk given by its founder, John Hardy, and through its website. Sadly, the beautiful bridge shown in photos on the website was washed out by a flood-swollen river with a tree the day after our visit.
I hope you are inspired by this exotic school, and see how the ideas and values of the green schools movement are shared by so many. It's exciting to see that there is a growing audience and “market” for schools like Green School all over the world!
If your school might be interested in a sister-school or pen-pal relationship with a green school in another country, send an e-mail to info@greenschools.net.
New York Times: Bali School Makes Sustainability a Way of Life