SMPN#1 Mendoyo

The staff and students at SMPN#1 Mendoyo are amongst the most environmentally progressive in Indonesia. A middle school educating around 600 students in years 7, 8 and 9 on the west coast of Bali; their environmental program headed up by Pak Yasa is truly inspirational.

The school boasts an environmental club named SISPALA with over 300 members that volunteer to support a great number of sustainability initiatives during their free time on the weekends. Some of the activities they have performed this year include planting mangroves to stop beach erosion, turtle patrols at night to transport turtle eggs into protected hatcheries, bird watching activities across Bali, beach clean ups and installation of bins on Menjangan island and the separation of the schools waste into organic, recyclable and non-recyclable.

It was volunteering at this school that our founder Christine Parfitt was inspired to do more around the issue of single use disposable plastic "aquacups" that are the main source of drinking water for school children in Indonesia. Working with the local staff to come up with a more sustainable solution they started developing the idea of using stainless steel water bottles and water dispensers in every classroom. After putting together a detailed proposal of how the system will work and presenting it to the headmaster and canteen staff the idea was accepted and we went to work creating Bottle for Botol.

By buying a water bottle during our pilot program you are helping develop what we believe will become a much needed example of environmental sustainability at schools in Indonesia. The bottles will be delivered with a two month environmental education program about the effects of plastics on the environment as well as the opportunity to develop a sister school relationship with their Australian partner school Billanook College. 

Most importantly you are showing these young environmental leaders that if they work together to tackle environmental issues with a well thought out simple local change, they can create a great positive example to the world.

 The entire Bottle for Botol team would like to thank Pak Yasa, the members of SISPALA as well as all the staff and students of SMPN#1 Mendoyo for their commitment and ongoing efforts to improve environmental education between Indonesia and Australia.