Environmental Education and Sustainability in Mataneedol School: A Case Study of “Turning the School Kitchen Waste into the Healthy Soil and Safety Food” Project

抄録

Environmental education and sustainability practices in schools have been emerging as an important trend in 21st century education as the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) launched by the United Nations. Mataneedol School is a unique school in a beautifully landscaped setting and environmental friendly located in Khon Kaen city, Northeast of Thailand. Mataneedol School is a pioneering school where the students and teachers from all over the world can learn and thrive together. The aim of this study was to conduct the environmental education through practices of ESD in order to enable the children to grow in an environment that helps imbibe awareness, sensitivity and the necessary skills to be environmentally responsible citizens of mother earth. The objective of this project was to study the benefits of the project on “Turning the school kitchen waste into the healthy soil and produce the safety food” toward the attitude of students. The student project on school waste management has been conducted. The 3 R (reuse, recycle and reduce) has been taught. Plant biodiversity has been monitored by students. Workshop on vermicompost was conducted by student council president. In the process, students learn that food waste is not totally useless, but can be used as organic fertilizers for plants. Students help to separate and record how much the school waste produced per day. We become more aware about re-using waste and saving the earth. The children are able to participate in activities that help to protect the environment, such as sorting of waste, making vermicompost and use the vermicompost as a biofertilizer for the school's garden. As they take part in these daily activities, the children understand better how to actively protect the environment and get the safe food for them. They learn a scientific thinking through the experiment on their environmental project. The Schools programme encourages young children to take actions to protect their environment and to be the change for sustainabilityl.