Environmental Conservation and Community Service

In the morning on Wednesday, we got a chance to travel around to a school, a home and a brick making place which all have one thing in common: environmental and/or energy conservation. The school is located just outside Karatu, and an investor from America provided them with funds to build an environmental conservation center, a nursery, a garden and new stoves that burn less wood. The school uses drip irrigation and catches rain water to limit the need to purchase water from Karatu. We were also told that the children at the school really enjoy learning about the environment, and that it is a consistent topic in their curriculum. 

 Water cycle mural

 Tree nursery

 Emblem for environmental conservation

 Front of School

Garden

Next we traveled to a home that burns animal dung, instead of wood for cooking. The Mama told us the household got the idea from a village council meeting, and they have been encouraging neighbors to make the switch as well. Finally, we stopped at a brick making facility. Unlike the vast majority of brick making in the region, this facility does not burn bricks to keep their form, instead they use a hydraulic machine to press the bricks into form. Brick making is a huge environmental problem in the area and avoiding one major part of the problem (the burning and emission of greenhouse gases- the other being soil erosion from digging up clay) is a huge step in the right direction.

House made out of unburnt bricks

In the afternoon, we had our first community service. We went to local primary school in Rhotia and played, read and sang with the kids. They had so much fun playing with our cameras and all the toys we brought. We sang “We Will Rock You” by request, and we taught them the English version of head shoulders knees and toes. We played duck duck goose and soccer. The girls especially wanted my watch and my out-of-control bracelet collection, although I could not give them my watch (I need it desperately to tell time) and I could only give away two bracelets (as they were ones I had made). I would love the opportunity to go back another day.

This is what happens when the kids take my camera