Food, Health, the Environment... and an invite!

It doesn't take a quantum physicist to recognize the aggregate effect that food choices make on humanity and nature. Processed food generally increases the chance of sugar, salt and fat related illness. High vitamin food sources increase our chance of being healthy. But not so many people recognize the value of personal food choice in the environmental front. To be sure, this comes up in classrooms - from 1st grade Field to Table unit to high school health classes - but it's important to take a look at our choices collectively, as a larger community, and realize that we don't have to go too far to make a difference. 

Red meat such as beef is a good source of protein, but it is also becoming more scrutinized for its part in increasing the chance of heart-disease, as well as the increase in methane in the atmosphere, the degradation of rain forests through its transformation into pasture land and the side effects that that brings with it, including, according to the book Forecast, an increase in dengue-carrying Ades mosquitos. Who would have thought, as we head over to Suzi's for that New Zealand steak, that the juicy t-bone sitting on our plate, could bring forth such a commotion?  

For some all this talk of beef (in particular) as a greenhouse gas producer is a nuisance, but for others it matters. Take our school's initiative to support Meatless Monday's. Introduced a two years ago as a CAS project, the signs still adorn our cafeteria on Mondays. Students discuss the benefits - to human health and the environment - of making such choices at least some of the time.  

With this in mind, some members of our community are making conscious decisions to be vegetarian while others, such as myself, are trying to limit our consumption of meat. Kim McNaughton and Drew Davis, ISKL teachers, have decided to do something about it and create what is hoped to be an ongoing vegetarian group. They are extending an invitation to anyone and everyone who would like to enjoy vegetarian food and enjoy time with like-minded people in the community. It's a Vegetarian Potluck Lunch from 12 noon to 2 pm on Sunday, February 17th.  If you're interested feel free to write to Kim by February 10 and she'll be delighted to add you to the list! 

Sometimes grassroots movements are the best way to really make a splash, and I for one applaud their effort to share their enthusiasm for healthy food choices. At the very least it's a meal that is healthy for both humanity and the environment, so why not? At the very best it is a whole new way to look at food.

Eco Schools: More than Planting Trees

As our Eco Schools programming begins to move from the planning stages to the tangible it's heart-warming to see our students move forward and through difficulties. When one thinks of planting a tree, for example, one is not apt to think about the type of tree, the location of the nursery and contact person and how helpful they might be, or even the costs associated with the choice and transport of said tree to it's planting destination. So when the Eco Schools program asks our students to come up with a Plan of Action students might not realize exactly how much effort is put into putting 20 trees into the ground. 

For Diksha Srishyla and Belinda Gil, the coordinators of the on-campus tree planting activity that will culminate on Friday (the very day you read this article, perhaps), it's been a journey of several months. They could not have known, back in August when they said "let's plant some trees on campus" how much time and energy it would take to make it happen. Now they are both able to step back and recognize the amount of coordination. collaboration, communication and planning that takes place for such an event. No less than five nurseries from as near as down the street and as far as Johor Bahru were contacted regarding pricing, transport and species identification. Research was done on appropriate native species of trees that might provide both fragrance and flowers for insects and birds, but without attracting those menacing monkeys. Discussions and walk-arounds were done with our school's administration on several occasions. Outside experts were consulted. Countless emails were shared, threading together thoughts, ideas, reflections and ways to reach the planned goal.

Now, five months after it's start, the girls and their team stand ready to plant. Frangipani and hibiscus will adorn the front of our school's Ampang campus, highlighting our regional fauna and celebrating our host nation's majestic flower.  Similar trees will be planted around campus along with three sentol trees next to the bussing lane. Sentols are relatively fast growing trees that bear fruit too bitter for monkeys and humans, but much appreciated by insects like butterflies and bird populations.

When all is said and done those walking through the entrance of our campus on Friday afternoon might find a small legion of students moving, digging and placing the trees. Next week will find some new trees among us. They will stand small at first, and then taller as they get grow into their surroundings. But they will also symbolize many things:  The amalgamation of research, decision making, collaboration and ethical living that goes with being members of a caring and active community. These trees will not be merely trees. They will carry a story with them. The story of students working collaboratively to make a positive difference around them. The story of recognizing ways to work together and ensure a better community. The story of bringing nature back in. 

Eco Schools Update

Our ambitious goal of moving toward Green Flag by 2014, our Green Council has worked its way through a semester of planning for a variety of initiatives. Ideas are being implemented with the top three being those of the sensory garden, the hydroponic project and the tree planing going on at Ampang.   The plan for the upcoming semester is to steadily move our documentation on the new Green Council website (https://sites.google.com/a/iskl.edu.my/greencouncil/), created by Deanna Anuar ('14). Among other things the site (currently still under construction) highlights the action plans aimed at the theme of nature/biodiversity that we have chosen for this academic year. 

The tree planting project (organized by seniors Diksha Srishyla and Belinda Gil (president and vice president of the HS Earth Club) is underway with the goal of planting trees at the front of the Ampang campus as well as augment the existing trees on the side of the bussing area (facing Mardec). It is hoped that the trees will be delivered and the HS Earth Club (as well as other groups?) will assist in their planting. We hope the planting will be complete by the end of this month.

On the hydroponics front, the student coordinators, Deanna Anuar and Alysha Alizan, have met with John Hollenbach (Project Manager) and Saha Narsiman (Ampang campus Supervisor) to identify sites where the creation of a hydroponics garden seems appropriate. We are hopeful that the project, which doubles as a CAS project for the girls, will be up and running by the end of this semester. 

The Green Council is also working away on the creation of an eco code, which comprises part of the requirements for our participation in the Eco Schools program. As one might suspect, the wording for such a code needs to be 'just right' and the council is working hard to ensure that it represents our school's values toward nature and sustainability before becoming a public document. 

All these initiatives, in conjunction with things we already do with regard to nature/biodiversity (e.g. Grade 1 nature walks, environmental studies classes, Malaysia Week and GAP trips to support ecosystem habitat, etc.) are essential components to moving forward with the Eco Schools program and, more importantly, to allowing our students to experience and learn about the benefits of nature and how we can make a positive difference in ensuring natural sustainability. 

Of course, we will continue to update you as the developments take place, but we are confident that we'll be able to approach Eco Schools with an application for silver certification quite soon.

New Year... New Resolutions... Same Sustainable Thinking

Happy and healthy new year to one and all!  New beginnings are a great time to assess and set goals for a brighter future. Perhaps it's losing some weight, or getting higher grades. On a global scale too, people tend to do just that. In that light I'd like to share a bit of news from the Harvard Business Review, "Top 10 Sustainable Business Stories of 2012" by Andrew Winston (http://blogs.hbr.org/winston/2012/12/top-10-sustainable-business-st.html). It was shared with me by a colleague and I felt it a great link to this post.  I invite you to take a look at the article which, among other things, has done a nice job of piecing together things that are being done with what must be done moving ahead. 

We often speak of the fact that, at ISKL, we hope to instill a sense of positive leadership in our students who, one day, will become leaders in their field. The school has high expectations of its students and graduates. As such, sustainable decision making is imperative for their future success. Winston's article is a shining example of the types of things that are already being done by governments and multinationals (no different from the demographic of our community) to account for global climactic changes and increasing resource scarcity. 

As a school and as a community we resolve to move forward with sustainable practices, learning and decision making. We recognize that Education for Sustainable Development is not a 'bonus', but an imperative to ensure that our students have the knowledge, understanding, skills and disposition to further our commitment to brighter future. What better a new year's resolution to make than this? 

All the best wishes to all of you for a bright and wonderful year!

Human Nature Newsletter Arrives!

It's a new concept, but an old one. We have a website and a blog. We have in-class visits and curricular discussions. We have spontaneous teaching moments and officially recognized 'indicators'. The Human Nature newsletter (above) is in its infancy, but serves as a 'one stop shop' of the highlights of sustainable and service related practices at ISKL. Read on. Send some feedback. Write an article. Let's get involved and do some celebrating sustainability and service all year round!

Sustainable Holiday Decisions

This is it. As soon as you're done reading this article (or instead of) you'll be out the door and on your way to some far-flung location for a well-deserved vacation. Perhaps it's with family. Perhaps it's in a place that makes you relax. Certainly you'll be taking the time to enjoy your 'down time' and looking forward to a new year filled - as it should be - with hopes and promise. 

So, here are some ideas for sustainable choices for the break:

• Travel as much as you can in public transport. It's such a great way to really get to the place!
• Ask that presents intended for you are given unwrapped (or in something reusable) and save on single-use paper. Do the same for others.
• Make at least one meal vegetarian and minimize the impact on the environment from grazing animals
• Enjoy time outdoors and while you're there plant a tree (or a flower)
• Make a new-year's resolution that involves sustainability and/or the environment
• Take some time to help others and show appreciation for those around you (don't we always?)
• When you come back offset your carbon. ISKL often uses Climate Care but you can feel free to assist future energy production and/or carbon sequestration

The list could go on and on and on. Suffice it to say that as big as that list is, so too are the options for things you can do, right now and over the break, to make your choices more sustainable. Some are easy. Others are not. All are helpful. 

Happy Holidays for those who celebrate them, and all the best for the new year!  See you in 2013.

Sustainable Technology: 'Switching' Things Around

Despite efforts to turn off the lights and ACs, in the past two months the energy meters are inching higher when we're all hoping they will reverse direction.  So, when I had the chance to chat with Dave Neudorf about the possibility of turning servers off at night (when use is less) the conversation twisted and turned itself into all sorts of directions. It is to the little victories such as these that I hope to turn out attention to in this article.

Does anyone know what a switch is?  No, not one that you turn the lights on/off with. If I understand it correctly a switch is a connection between devices within the same network. Say we have a computer and it needs to connect to a network to access information or any type of service. A switch will be present between the server and the device to transmit and relay data from one device to the other. Apparently there are switches all over the place at the moment and each switch remains 'on' in case any device needs its functionality. But not for long!

As we take a few weeks over the semester to re-energize and relax, the Ampang campus will be undergoing great changes. When we all return to ISKL in January this will be a whole new place. Except we won't be able to see it. New technology will allow these new and improved switches to use only the power necessary (depending on what is being used). Say a switch provides power to 48 devices (it's maximum) but only one is being used. At present the switches need to remain 'on' for all 48 connections. Not so with the new ones. Needless to say this is the type of 'behind the scenes' technology that makes things more efficient both in information transmission and in energy consumption. 

And what of new plans?  Well, the future could hold great things for our Tech Department. As we move to putting a computer in every student's lap at the Ampang campus we will need more energy. Or will we?  Future ideas, such as server virtualization, might be around the corner for our technology infrastructure as well. Still only in the "brainstorming" phase, a move to virtualization would mean using possibly 90% less energy with more power to make adjustments simply by allowing the servers to recognize what is necessary and funneling the power for that purpose. No more turning on the entire school server system 24/7. No longer keeping everything on because there might be someone using Moodle at 3 am. 

Is if safe to say that as our school grows so does the energy it uses?  Though we are working hard to answer "no" to that, at the moment our data indicate that yes, it tends to. But that shouldn't mean we don't take the time to marry technology with sustainable decision-making for the future. In so doing we can become ubiquitous with 90% less server energy. Now that's a 'switch' worth making!