Green School - Bali, Indonesia

John Hardy on the School’s LOCATION:

Why is Green School in the middle of nowhere?

Green School is located in Sibang Kaja, a village that has been largely passed over by Bali’s tourist development. In developing a “green” school, we wanted the ability to work directly from and with the land—tourist-fueled development would stand in the way of this relationship. Moreover, the relative scarcity of tourists allows for a fresh conversation between our school community and the local villagers, enabling a more conscious interaction. We are also lucky to have great support from the village leader, A.A. Watusila. Finally, the site is more or less equidistant between Ubud, Sanur, Denpasar, and Kerobokan, all major Balinese urban centers.

John Hardy on the School’s BUILDING MATERIALS:

Why is everything made out of bamboo?

Green School chose bamboo in the spirit of plenty. With rapidly escalating world cement prices, not to mention the sheer amount of fossil fuel cement consumes, we must look to alternative building materials. Frankly, it is hard to talk to students about sustainability while they are using the last piece of rainforest for their chair and their table. It is the painful truth that they are going to have to stretch to get enough rain forest timber to build their homes.
 
Bamboo is available and plenty, and when it is treated with borax salt, it is rendered immune to the bugs that like to eat it, so it becomes a permanent material. Every student at Green School will have an opportunity to plant his or her own bamboo and, eventually, four to five years down the line, will have a chance to harvest and treat and build something with that bamboo.
 
If you need a lot of timber in the future, don’t look for wood, look for bamboo. It fixes a huge amount of carbon in the soil and this is a good solution in the world of ever escalating problems. It is a rapid solution to some of the problems that are facing us. Plant bamboo.

Why not build out of concrete?

Cement/concrete uses about 1/3 of the world’s oil, between digging it out of the ground, heating it, moving it, and destroying it when it’s no longer appropriate. This uses a huge amount of the world’s fossil fuel and creates huge amounts of carbon for the world.

Green School does use some cement, but the cement is primarily underground. A small percentage of the classroom floors is made from cement, but in general we want Green School to be really green—which means less cement. Representing cement as modern or high class or the future is really not very green. Cement has a very limited place and we need to keep it in its place.

Why are the fences made out of sticks?

The fences are an old Balinese system called ‘tiang hidup’ which means living post. The Balinese discovered long, long ago that if they post a stick, the termites will eat it—unless the post is living, in which case it’s immune from termites. Moreover, the leaves that grow on the post are brought to the cows and goats, providing food with much-needed nutrients for these animals. The post also fixes nitrogen in the soil, which helps the garden flourish.

Why are the blackboards made from bamboo?

Our blackboards are made from bamboo slats, sanded down beautifully, coated in black propane and set in a bamboo frame. This stands in contrast to the “standard” classroom blackboard, generally made from large pieces of slate framed in rainforest plywood—not a very “green” material. Moreover, to acquire those kinds of pieces of slate would require transport across huge distances, forcing a large ecological footprint. When we looked at having a “green” school, we needed to have a “green” blackboard, so we committed ourselves to using local materials—including, of course, bamboo, the life source of the School. One little circle on each blackboard is left unpainted, reminding everyone who uses the board that this is a board unlike others: a truly “green” blackboard. 

Why are the paths made of stones?

The walking paths at Green School are made from sandstone blocks carved out of the local river valley and gravel developed from encrusted stone. The advantage of such paths is twofold: first, these natural elements have much less impact on the planet than cement or asphalt road. And second, it lets Green School operate on a principle of adaptability: as people decide to walk when they feel most comfortable, we can easily move rocks and put them where people walk. Thus, the garden can easily become a path and the path can easily become a garden.

John Hardy on the School’s DURABILITY AND SAFETY:

How long will my classroom last?

The classrooms are made from bamboo because it is a sustainable material—as long as it is sheltered from the elements, bamboo lasts forever. The classrooms will last as long as the grass roof is maintained.

My classroom does not have any walls, what's going to happen when it rains?
 
The classrooms don’t have walls because it is important in a tropical place like Bali to catch every breeze that comes through—the breeze, combined with fans, is our air conditioning system. Our classrooms are designed to be like ships sailing across the earth, equipped with a ‘rig’ and sails to keep the rain out and the wind in. This creates a further connection between students and the earth.

Isn't it dangerous having coconut trees on the campus?

When building Green School, we wanted to preserve the local terrain as much as possible—including the coconut trees. If you look closely at the coconuts hanging from Green School trees, you will see that they are in netted bags. This means that the tree can experience its natural cycle of producing coconuts—valuable in the world as a source of both coconut oil and nutrients—while the people below are protected from any mishaps from falling coconut or branches. This is a solution that preserves the environment, maintains safety in the classroom, and also helps in the kitchen.

The bathroom is made out of dirt, isn't that dirty?

Mud was chosen for the walls of the bathroom because it is a local and easily workable material. Although it does create a little dust, its impact on the world is very, very small. Tile, concrete and bricks all take a huge amount of energy to produce.

John Hardy on the School’s ANIMAL AND PLANT LIFE:

Why are the gardens full of food?

It is the intention of Green School to grow food wherever we can. The plan is to have class gardens and communal gardens and all kinds of gardens—to have everyone experience the magic of picking freshly ripened fruits and vegetables and eating them. Everyone at Green School will have the opportunity to plant and harvest rice, giving them a chance to understand the incredible natural cycle that sustains us all.

The other day I saw a baby goat. Why are there animals at Green School?

Green School not only has goats, it also has buffalo, cows, rabbits, shrimp, fish and many, many other animals. To make the School’s lands sustainable and to feed the hundreds of people at Green School who will soon be eating in the green community restaurant, it’s important to have animals.

Animals are an important part of the Green School life cycle. Animals provide the link between us and the earth by working the land and providing soil for our gardens. And yes, Green School animals, when they’re ready, will become food for the community.

Why encourage the eating of animals?

Green School has great sensitivity to vegetarians—even our Director, Brad Choyt is vegetarian. However, Green School strives to maintain balance in the world. It’s important for all of us to understand where protein comes from: how it was fed and how it was looked after during its life.

Short of going completely vegan, we are definitely in the constantly circle of life of animals living, animals becoming dinner and animals sustaining us. It’s better to experience that fully than to pretend the chicken we buy in the supermarket never had feathers.