Celebrating World Wildlife Day at Green School
March 3, 2021
At Green School we have three types of teachers: human, plant and animal.
Viewing wildlife in this light – with an understanding that all living things have value, and important lessons to share – is fundamental to how we nurture in students a responsible and respectful relationship with the natural world.
Our dream is for a world where all students emerge from school as empathetic, collaborative and kind human beings who feel an innate responsibility and respect for all forms of life on this planet. By doing this, we can help to stem the disturbingly massive and rapidly accelerating loss of biodiversity around the world.
“Our skills and values-based learning programs not only allow students to learn about wildlife, but create opportunities for all members of our school community to learn, share, take action and celebrate in ways that build strong relationships with our beautiful natural world,” says Sal Gordon, our Head of School at Green School Bali. “At Green School, the natural environment is our classroom, where we learn about and with the wildlife on our campus.”
Green School students learn early on not just to tolerate the wild world, but to revel in it – the mud, the rain, the heat and the critters! By learning to work with nature, not against it, an understanding takes root of its reciprocity. What you give to our fellow plants and animals – whether through rescuing frogs or tending to chickens – you always get back…and then some!
These principles are also rooted in the traditional Balinese philosophy of life, the Tri Hita Karana or “three causes of wellbeing.” The Tri Hita Karana preaches a harmonious life; harmony with God, harmony with other human beings, and harmony with our environment. It is a constant reminder that human beings aren’t the centre of the universe, but rather a part of a much larger ecosystem where each organism has an important role to play.
This realisation, that even something as small and seemingly insignificant as an earthworm is as important as human beings in our ecosystem, is a step towards a more kinder life where we respect, and live in harmony with nature and all its habitat.
Experience our nature-immersed campus and the wildlife that’s a part of it through these photos.
