"Other" - CNN Report on Green School in Bali

CNN's Sunday morning EcoSolutions story was on a "Green School" that opened in September in Bali. Coming from a natural resources background, I was very interested in the show and felt it fit so well into our discussion last week about the purpose of progressive education (equiping our children to make changes in the issues of concern for today's society). The school was designed by John and Cynthia Hardy, who wanted it to be on the cutting edge of environmental education. They want to school children in the future of the earth so that as these children become adults they will be able to be more caring and consious about protecting the earth and its resources. One of the greatest emphases of the school is having the children engage with their environment. They grow their own food, use composting toilets, and collect manure from the animals who live at the school to produce methane for cooking. Power is generated by a hydroelectric vortex located in the river that runs through the campus. The school is constructed primarily from bamboo and was designed to have the smallest carbon footprint possible. The instruction at the school is based on the Steiner system (Austrian Rudolph Steiner), which balances academics with artistic and social learning. Classroom instruction is designed for fluidity. The school currently has 103 students in grades k-8, 80% are international from 17 countries. One mother interviewed had moved from CA with her 2 sons because she wanted them to attend "Green School". She felt the public education system in the US is antiquated. The news report really made me consider what an impact our children's education can have on how they decide to live their lives as adults.