Green School Bali (GSB) or can be called Bali Nature School, was established in 2007 and was inaugurated on 1 September 2008. At first, John Hardy and Cynthia Hardy were disappointed with the education received by their children at school, where their son didn’t learn about sustainable and concern for nature and environment.
They are willing to sell some of the assets of a jewelry company that had been built by John Hardy and his wife for 31 years for the sake of building an eco school.
In 2006 John and his Wife traveled to various corners of Bali, looking for a suitable place to established natural schools without destroying the natural environment itself. In the end, John and his Wife found a vast field with uneven ground. With a land area of 4.55 hectares in Sibang Kaja, Badung, Bali, John built Green School Bali (GSB).
At the beginning of the inauguration, Green School Bali already has 97 students consisting of elementary school level to the junior high school level. And in 2012 it was opened for pre-kindergarten and high school level.
At this time Green School Bali already has approximately 400 students who come from various countries in the world. The lecturers at Green School Bali have a doctorate, master, and most of them have degrees, all teachers are 70 people from 15 countries.
Green School Bali also provides scholarships for 31 children in Indonesia that cover the cost of school education during the Green School Bali. Around 300 Sibang Kaja students who attended public schools were also allowed to attend Green School Bali activities after they left school.
Since the supply of bamboo in the world is abundant and easy to cultivate, all the buildings in Green School Bali are made of bamboo, except for yoga buildings made of bamboo, clay, and timber of ships or boats. Some of the land in Green School Bali is left to be plantations and farm fields to grow crops.
At Green School Bali, they teach practice more than theory. But here also given general science such as mathematics, social sciences, and natural sciences. The unique thing is, they are also teaching English for students who are not fluent in English and to attend English the classes, they require the students pay by collecting 5 kg of plastic waste at each meeting.
For artistic knowledge, Green School Bali also teaches music, dance, painting, and singing. Practices taught in Green School Bali such as, farming, keeping plants and other living creatures, keeping clean and collecting all the garbage.
For organic waste, students have to process it into biogas and compost for plants, while for plastic waste should be used as a useful item such as bags or other plastic accessories.
For electric energy Green School Bali utilizing solar panel. The use of clean water is also reduced, by giving 5 liters of clean water for 10 days, the water is given to each student for the purpose of hand washing, toothbrush, and drink. For the toilet only provided leaves and grass to clean the dirt.
Students are also given a menu lunch and healthy snacks that come from plants and organic animals.
Green School Bali has also received numerous awards including the World Green Awards award by the Green Building Council of the United States, the Zayed Future Energy Prize award awarded by the UAE President and the Tri Hita Karana Nugraha award awarded by Bali Travels News.
To enroll in Green School, prospective students will be charged registration fee and other costs of 20 million rupiahs and for the cost of education is charged 108 million rupiahs per year. Green School Bali only open registration in November and January every year.
From the brief review above, we can have an idea that Green School Bali is applying the concept of eco-friendly in schools, and it can be a good example in any field, especially in the field of education in various regions of Indonesia as well as outside.
We can also apply it from our own school, campus or workplace, to make the green green place as Green School Bali does. Let’s start now!
