Sustainable Shopping: Local Advice

I wasn't always Mr. Sustainable and still am a far cry from the perfect specimen of sustainaibility that everyone expects from my position. There was a time, I think it was centuries ago, that I didn't recycle, didn't consider carbon emissions and didn't mind that extra packaging on pretty much anything. Those days I didn't have air conditioning because no one did. I turned off the lights because we had to save the cash. Those times were different. Now it seems that subsidized utlities and gasoline provide much delight (and use) to voters and an obvious detriment to non-voting, non-demonstrating, non-political flora and fauna. If only trees could speak.

As I grew I realized that sometimes choices are taken away from us (as is the case of technology that moves faster than we can learn the intricacies of our soon-to-be-too-old smart phones) but sometimes they are easier than we might think. So began my life's calling to make small changes to make those natural things around me last just a bit longer. What did I find as I spoke to others and tried things myself?

• That you can chose to shop with packaging as the central tenet of your shopping choices. (Hint: If you want less packaging stick with farmers' markets or local shops like Helen's at Naan Corner.)
• You can live without plastic shopping bags at all. 
• You can return things to stores and they'll take them happily, if only you ask. (e.g. I asked Ampang Grocers if I could buy fruit without those silly little styrofoam plates and shrink wrap. They said no, but I could return the plates to them. We've done so for years now and don't throw any away.  Helen's takes back used egg cartons so they can use them for other customers.  They also provide you with cardboard boxes if you don't have a bag.)
• You can reduce your landfill-headed waste but not buying it to begin with (i.e. no packaging), recycling and composting. By doing all three of these my anecdotal data suggests you can reduce landfill waste by close to 80%, right here, right now. (By the way, in case you don't know, ISKL offers a composting-from-home program that you might consider if you would like. 83 families are already participating and a grand total of about 45,000 kg of compost has been kept out of the landfill. Yeay!)
• You can purchase fruit or vegetables and ask the person weighing it to just put the price tags directly on the fruit. They'll look at you quizzically, perhaps, but by and large they will oblige. 
• You can look at labels and see if products are sustainable, local, organic or all three. If all three, spend the extra cash.
• You can make a point of mentioning the environment when you say "no, thank you". Often, when you say you're helping the environment, the salesperson will actually congratulate you. If you don't tell them why, no pat on the back for you and no point made to them = missed opportunity. 
• You can find flights that are more direct, vacation closer to home or tax yourself for carbon offsets for your flights. (ISKL uses Climate Care but there are a number of good sites)
• No one is perfect and I have no one to point the blaming finger to than myself when it comes to decisions and making better ones. Mistakes are part of the game, as are oversights.
• It is difficult to change. It's even harder to change those around you. Perseverance is key. So is staying positive.
• It's sort of liberating to recognize that you have such power over you daily dealings and that your choices are made for the right reasons. 

I was in an IB economics class earlier in the year and I was talking to students about making economic decisions that included critical analysis of environmental costs. After a rather heated discussion as to the nature of economy, the need for money and the reality of modern economics a student walked up to me and exclaimed, "Mr. Myers, you know? I never thought about it that way. That we should do it because it's the right thing to do. I was just thinking about the financial part of it". 

Perhaps one day that kid will grow up to make some sustainable decisions, because they are the right thing to do and, really, apart from offering some level of difficulty in that it challenges our lifestyle, perhaps he'll find that it's the foundation of becoming and being a global citizen of the 21st century. Let the future begin today. 

Counting Crows? No, Counting Trees.

In 1993 a group called Counting Crows sang a song named Big Yellow Taxi. Do you remember it? Its lyrics still echo in my mind, "they paved paradise and put up a parking lot".  The song was a twist between lost love and lost nature but it's the nature part that I'd like to focus on.  

On March 1 small groups of ISKL girl scouts and boys scouts arrived at our school's guardhouses to meet with two botanists from FRIM and a nature guide from MNS. Together with their scout leaders and their parents they roamed the campuses, stopping at every tree. The group would look up, write things on small sheets of tape, and then proceed to tag the trees. "MA1", read first. "AC12", read another. Another member of the group indicated the same tag on a map of our campus. The botanists took notes as if in code, for reporting later on. As you walk around school, if you pay close attention, you'll notice these tags on the trees scattered all around. They are part of a "Tree Inventory" that we conducted, with this group, to identify every species of tree on our two campuses. The final report will show the number, location, species and origin of each tree that we have on our campuses. Though some might argue that it isn't important, the truth is that it was done with a purpose other than just merely to inventory. 

The hope is that in inventorying our trees we might be able to shed light on our community of the species we have on campus, how many of each species we have, whether they are native or not, whether they attract insects and birds and/or whether they would be a good "fit" for the new campus when, due to human-nature dynamics, we get to choose how nature will be represented. It was also a great initiative that came up in brainstorming during our Eco Schools theme of Nature/Biodiversity but also introduced - quite by coincidence - by John Hollenbach, ISKL's project manager. 

So, what did we find?  Well, each campus has well over 100 trees though most of them are non-native. There are a number of species represented but the 'highlights' for myself are the cinnamon trees I've been walking past for a decade now on the Ampang campus and the Banyan tree nestled in the back of the Melawati campus!  How delightful, even for a non-expert, to participate in the recognition of trees, to walk around and see identifying features and relating them to some pre-established memory bank or set of understandings!  Learning never ceases! What a wealth of opportunity that exists on our own campuses?!

Another stanza of the same song, Big Yellow Taxi, talks about "the took all the trees and put them in a tree museum". At ISKL we're hoping that parking lots will be limited (but appropriately useful) but that our our own campus will be a tree museum, an real-life natural learning center, for students to engage in, to enjoy, to sit under, to be part of.  When the final reports of what our tree museum looks like, I'll tell you all know about 'em. 

MS Global Issues Students Tackle Waste

Another little Eco-School related curricular link, albeit 'left over' from last year's theme of waste. The video below was the result of a challenge-based project that was given the MS Global Issues classes. One pair decided to focus their topic on waste on campus and, in particular, what kinds of trash that is thrown in the general waste that could be thrown in the recycling bins. It provided classmates with a moment to inspect their own behaviors and to recognize the value of making small efforts (in this case perhaps walking a bit further to place your disposables) in order to support the greater good. It's a great piece of evidence in how students are identifying issues, working to study them, and then sharing their findings with others around them.

Watch the video here

When Service Stars Align

You don't know Moses. He's a rather short man with a gentle demeanor and shy but honest smile. He's married to a woman who was recently granted asylum in Australia there and, we are told by the UNHCR, even if he was interviewed next week it would be over two years before he got the paperwork to follow his wife. In the meantime he has set up - quite single handedly - a small school for children from Myanmar, like himself. 

The children at the school have little by way of educational opportunities. Public school is most often not an option. The cost of private school is prohibitive. So they attend the school Moses set up just 4 km away from ISKL's Ampang campus.The one bedroom apartment that he uses as a school is tucked on the first floor of a rather drab and dreary apartment building. Moses teaches daily from 8 am to 3 pm and runs two classes concurrently, shuttling from one room to the next to write things on the board and answer questions in English, math and science. If he's sick, school is off for the day. If he does, eventually, receive asylum, the school will be shut down unless another teacher can be found. Moses can't afford to pay a salary for a second teacher (which amounts to roughly RM500 per month) and so he runs the school on his own.  He gets a stipend from the UNHCR to make ends meet, and applies for grants through the UNHCR for supplies, but that's about it.  

Four short kilometers away Dave Neudorf, our Director of Technology, was speaking to me earlier in the year about coming up with a plan that would allow ISKL to donate our old computers, to avoid them being sent to the landfill. Wanting to avoid the typical disposal of equipment, or the simple handover of equipment to often un-trained individuals, he was looking into finding schools that would benefit from computers but also somewhat regular ongoing technical support.

Julie James, our HS GAP and Community Service Coordinator, is doing her part to get the word out that service can open the door to empathy, empowerment, personal growth and mutual benefit for recipients and providers alike. She's always looking for community needs that might also make good 'fits' with our schedule and programming at the high school.

It all came together recently, in one of those "all the stars lined up" opportunities. If all goes well - we're crossing fingers, feet, arms, you name it - ISKL will be working with the UNHCR to provide funding for an additional teacher at Moses' school, a woman. The funding will come from this year's GAP Fair Trade project whose aim was to support women in low-income communities. The hope is that that funding will then be "picked up" by the UNHCR, as they can only provide funding for teachers after they have been working in the same school for one year.  The Technology department will be providing the computers and support to allow free-access software and browser capabilities (perhaps a Google-based set up similar to that which we enjoy at ISKL) as well as on-going technical support. We have already identified a few students students to become 'tutors' for the 32 children that go to the school. Our 'tutors' can hugely benefit these students and teachers by developing curriculum and teaching English and computer skills to both students and teachers alike.

Why Moses?  Why this place?  Well, largely because it was where the UNHCR determined the need to be, somewhat serendipitously. Partly because it's close enough. Partly because we could make an immediate impact. Partly because it's the right thing to do. It's a win-win for everyone. It keeps children off the street and provides them with educational resources that might just give them a chance to change their own stars one day. It allows our students to learn about the power of service while doing something productive in their community. It allows us to reach each other, for our worlds to come together ever so slightly, with a common purpose. It allows all these students - at ISKL and Baru Cheras School - to edge their way to becoming "socially responsible global citizens".  

This article, of course, is intended to highlight the creation of a service-related program by identifying a local need and our response to it. It is not intended to outshine the already existing service programming that is taking place at all levels. Every day service is part of our school's universe. Every day the stars align for someone. Just as they should. 

Getting the (Cyber) Word Out

Chinese New Year allowed me a trip to Siem Reap to visit, among other things, a small NGO called The Green Gecko Project. It is an organization that United World College in Singapore has linked up with for part of their service programming and I was interested in checking it out in the search for service related opportunities at ISKL. 

Apart from how impressed I was with the scope of the organization and the profound difference they have made in the lives of the children they work with, I noted how they were 'getting the word out' regarding their programs. They offer daily tours to visitors and have a well-stocked visitor's center. In addition, they run several non-profit social enterprises in town. But I was equally impressed with the breadth of their lines of cyber communication. 

The visit got me thinking about how to best get the message out and involve as many people as possible in the sustainability and service related programs at ISKL. To this end, we have recently started a new Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/sustainableiskl) aimed at celebrating our daily dealings. Intended as a more friendly and low-key form of communication to the Panther News articles or this blog, we are hopeful you'll "like" the page and take an active role in sharing information through its portal. What's next?  We intend to create a YouTube channel before long to share the increasing number of audio visual evidence of sustainability at our school and community.  

Oh, and speaking of getting the word out, the February 12th edition of the New Straits Times featured a short article on our HS Earth Club and Eco Schools efforts toward the theme of biodiversity. Take a look if you have a moment: http://www.nst.com.my/streets/central/iskl-s-earth-club-helps-green-school-compound-1.216507

Any thoughts on how to best use the internet and all the power it has to offer?  I'm happy to listen. Conversations are always so much more constructive than monologues, don't you think?  It's all part of communicating effectively in any and every direction. 

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.