Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2013 - (Page 8)

t is amazing how a single week can transform a person. I know because it happened to me last summer. I had traveled to Bali, Indonesia, expecting to experience its rich culture, history, and environment, but I left with more than memories. This trip sparked an interest in environmental issues—and a motivation to do something about them. I The Week I Turned Green shUtterstoCk Discovering the Balance I went to Bali through Global Buddies, an educational travel program my mother founded that offers trips to Africa and Asia. This trip took families to Bali’s Green School, an international school with about 360 students in grades PreK–12. By instilling an understanding of and respect for the environment, the Green School strives to empower students to become creative, innovative, green leaders. The Green School’s architecture itself is a great example of green innovation. The structures and classrooms are constructed of bamboo, a sustainable resource that grows abundantly on the island. The classrooms have no walls, allowing not only for a stimulating learning environment, but also for the use of wind as natural air conditioning and the sun as a light source. Its toilets operate without the use of flushing water, saving millions of gallons of water each year. I was there to work as a junior instructor, which involved assisting the Balinese teacher on projects and activities for the younger children who came on the trip. These activities were designed both to be fun and to make the kids feel more connected to the environment. For example, they learned how to use bamboo, rope, and innertubes to build rafts that they raced down the subak, Bali’s ecologically sustainable water management system that dates all the way back to the ninth century. This activity taught kids how to build things with their own hands, and it let them have fun while learning about the subak’s value to the community: River water is channeled into the canals to irrigate the land, which allows farmers to grow rice. In that week, I built a small house out of bamboo and dried alang-alang, a grass plant native to Bali. I made homemade chocolate out of local cacao fruit beans. I took breathtaking bike rides past rice paddies and hikes along the lush Ayung river. I observed caterpillars that cocoon themselves inside banana leaves, and hiked past a small wooden house concealed by banana trees. Along the river, clothes dried on rocks in the sun. In those moments, I started to realize that everything was connected. I thought of other places I had traveled to—China, Vietnam, Thailand, South Africa, Uganda—where farmers, hunters, and fishermen relied on the balance of the environment for their livelihoods. In Bali, I felt the need to preserve this environment, this perfectly balanced system that supported such diverse life. by Maya Flannery 8 imagine Jan/Feb 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2013

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2013
Contents
Big Picture
In My Own Words
The Week I Turned Green
No Turning Back
Landsat: A Continuing Legacy of Earth Observation
Sensing Danger
The Black Gold Miners
Cleaner Water, Brought to You by Sunlight and Science
Journey to the Frozen Continent
CTY Paleobiology
Selected Opportunities & Resources
Innovation in the Real World
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Creative Minds Imagine
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2013

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