Lesson 1 of BfB's Environmental Education Program in Bali: An introduction to the issue of plastic waste in our environment

Written by Dode Gargitha, BfB School Communication Officer

​On Saturday, October 8th 2016 I joined Lesson 1 of Bottle for Botol’s Environmental Education Program at SMP Wisata Sanur. Saturday is the day for extra-curricular activities for most schools in Bali. One of the extracurricular activities at SMP Wisata Sanur is environmental education. This year 45 students from year 7 and 8 are taking part in the BfB program, the students are all members of the student leadership club. Pak. Ida Bagus Suardika, who is one of the religion teachers at this junior high school, is teaching the BfB classes.
During the lesson Pak. Ida Bagus Suardika discussed Tri Hita Karana. For Hindu people in Bali Tri Hita Karana is a basic concept of life. It consists of Parhyangan (good relationships between humans and our Gods), Pawongan (good relationships between people) and Palemahan (good relationships between humans and environment). We believe that if we have a good relationship with our Gods, other humans and our environment, we will live prosperously.
Pak. Ida Bagus Suardika started the lesson by introducing BfB’s Environmental Program to the students and giving them an overview of the lessons to come. He was very confident in giving the lesson so the class ran very well. The students were very active in answering the teacher’s question and presenting their opinions and points of view

Figure 1. Pak. Ida Bagus Suardika discussing Tri Hita Karana

​When the teacher played the short “Midway” film, the students were very engaged by the film. This was the most interesting part of the lesson. They were all are very shocked when saw the bird’s stomach contained lot of plastics.
After the students watched the movie they separated into 6 groups. In groups the students discussed the questions in their BfB workbook and then a representative from each group presented their opinions in front of the class. They did the presentations very well. The students didn’t just answer the question, but also gave real-life examples based on their own experiences. The presentation session also brought a lot of laughs, because the presenters gave funny examples based on their life, using play on words such as “meli Klepon di pasih”, meaning “bought Klepon (Balinese traditional food) on the beach” with very witty expression. Overall the presentation went very well and they all understood the key points of the activity. 

​Figure 2. A student presenting her groups findings

​After the presentation session, the teacher continued the lesson and gave some additional information to the students about Canang (Balinese offerings). Nowadays, some people use chemicals like formalin so make the Canang last longer. The chemical waste will contaminate our plants and soil. If we eat food made from the contaminated plants, we will eat the chemicals too. So, the teacher explained, let’s stop or reduce using those chemicals in our life. The teacher also discussed the plastic bag charges in some minimarkets and supermarkets and contrasted Kuta beach today and  a long time ago when it was very clean and had lots of plants. 

Figure 3. Junior high school students learning about Bottle for Botol’s Environmental Education Program

​Overall, I think the students understood all parts of the lesson. Their enthusiasm and their feedback to the teacher showed that they enjoyed the lesson and wanted to learn more. The lesson ended with a Balinese prayer, “Om Santih, Santih, Santih Om”, meaning “Peace, peace and peace for the world”. Before the students went outside the class the students said goodbye “Salim” to the teacher and to Bottle for Botol team. Salim is a very respectful way for young people to say goodbye to someone older than themselves in Indonesia, by touching your hand to their forehead. 

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