As an organisation, Organo Et School’s purpose is to nurture a learning environment for all stakeholders where inclusive holistic eco-living is celebrated. In an exclusive interview with The Organic Magazine, Shilpi Shukla, Program Lead, shares how Organo Et School is designed to offer experiential learning on sustainability to students, communities and corporates, and why Education on Sustainability is the need of the hour.
What was the vision and inspiration behind setting up Organo Et School? When was it set up?
We recognise that for any positive impact to be sustainable, it has to be long-term and inter-generational. Organo Et School strives to create an apt learning environment that will support and empower families as well as individuals to embrace sustainable living mindsets and habits.
Organo Et School is a learning initiative set up by Organo in 2017 and has been facilitating fields visits and workshops for Schools and Interest Groups. Organo Et School has had over 25+ schools, 6000+ students and 2500+ adults participate over the last 4 years.
Tell us a bit about Organo, the eco-habitat firm that is behind this education initiative.
Sure. Organo (https://www.organo.co.in/) was started to re-establish a conscientious connection with the way we produce and consume resources as a community. Organo’s goal is to create replicable community development models built on triple bottom line thinking as well as the 7 strands of sustainability (Sapthapatha).
Organo Naandi, a World Green Building Council Award Winning Eco-Community in India, is our first step towards this direction. We are in the journey of mainstreaming eco-habitats across the country.
Our journey continues to remind us of our core philosophy of Samavriddhi (prosperity for all) and the enormous work that lies ahead – of aligning and collaborating holistically with all stakeholders (community members, neighbours, staff, partners, experts) towards shared prosperity and sustainable growth.
How difficult was it in getting into this field and what were the challenges faced in the initial years?
While there are many experts who are sharing their insights and expertise on embracing sustainable practices, we are amongst the few who are providing a comprehensive overview and a wide range of workshops and experiential learning on Sustainability. We offer that through the lens of our Sapthapatha, which covers Safe Food, Fresh Air, Water Conservation, Energy Production, Waste & Earth Management, Eco-Shelters & Social Impact.
As our parent company Organo are the designers and builders of Eco-Communities, we were able to showcase Sustainability in Action and explain all 7 strands in real world context.
We filled a niche gap in teaching requirements for schools and community learning, as there were not many venues where all 7 strands were incorporated into action. So, we didn’tface too many barriers to entry.
Also, many schools have adopted the teaching of UN Sustainability Goals as part of their curriculum. So, many students, individuals, teachers and schools participated and visited our Eco-Community as part of field trips for their students.
What are the activities Organo Et School organises? What kind of workshops do you conduct?
We are on an endeavour to spread awareness, action and innovation on sustainability for children and adults. It gives a place to witness and learn from real world examples. Our workshops are categorised based on the 7 strands, tailored to different age groups and are listed below:
Safe Food
- Reducing Food Miles
- Kitchen Gardening & Urban Gardening
- Macro Benefits of Microgreens
- Grow your own Microgreens
- Soil in your neighbourhood
- Safe & Slow Food
- Edible Enzymes & Probiotics
- Composting & Whys?
Fresh Air
- Passive Cooling Methods for Schools, Communities & Offices
- Active Cooling Alternatives
- Natural Air Purifiers
- Horticulture and Fresh Air
Earth & Waste Management
- Soil Health Improvements
- How does your food grow?
- Who lives Underground?
- Know your Earth
- Minimal Living
- Mindful Shopping
- Decluttering & Organising Homes/Classrooms/Workspaces
- My Waste My Responsibility
- Turning Waste into Resources (Composting, Recycling, Reuse, Up-cycling, donation)
- Waste Generation & Segregation
Energy Conversation
- Energy Demand Reduction
- Clean Energy Generation
- Solar Power Generation
- Energy optimise your community/office/school
Water Conservation
- Water Demand Reduction
- Water Recycle Systems
- Sewage Treatment Methods & How to Choose one
- Water Management Systems (Natural Methods)
- Water Bodies and how to recognise water body health
- Why we say Yes to Bio-Pools
People/Lifestyle
- Responsible Living, what, why and how
- Be an Eco Traveller
- Gift guilt free
- Zero-Waste Event Planning & Design
- And many more lifestyle workshops
Shelter
- Bio-diversity, homes for humans and flora and fauna
- Bio-fencing your community
- Sharing food with birds
- Learning to live in eco-habitats, mindset and habits
- Eco-Decorations & Products
- Eco-Homes & Materials
- How to reduce your home’s carbon footprint
Social Impact
- Supporting natural farming
- Be a Farmer workshop
- Weekend Farming Support
- Skill Development within Eco-habitat Boundaries
- Supporting Local Artisans and Craftsmen
- Buying from the villages, and why and how
How will these benefit people? How many participate?
Participants learn various tools, methods, habits and information to adopt an earth-friendly lifestyle. This is done through experiential learning methods that help them to connect and be a part of nature, to grow their own food, by inspiring them to look for sustainable sources of energy, contributing to the holistic well-being of the eco-system, and by become life-long learners of sustainability living practices.
Our classes sizes vary and are tailored to the topic and workshop experience. We also tailor specific topics for educational institutions based on their curriculum and unit of inquiry.
As a Program Lead, how do you decide on the curriculum/content?
Our courses, programs and workshops are for all age groups, ranging from school children to residents of communities and corporate employees. We have designed lessons plans with specific learning outcomes in mind for each strand.
We have three principles that are woven into all our programs, 1) Environment, 2) Experiential Learning and 3) Interactive Curriculum. There are both indoor and outdoor programs while we consider the needs and learning goals for designing any program.
Environment sends us powerful messages and we carefully plan environments that can help participants feel calm and secure, while at the same time, engaged and inquisitive. Our outdoor environments are safe spaces to explore and promote learning, engagement, and active play. Each time we conduct a workshop we consider what changes needs to be made to best support the next workshop to engage participants.
Our content focuses on cultivating programs within our given culture and society and encourage interactive experiential learning processes and simple sustainable habits.
What has been the response to Organo Et School? What are the future plans?
With over 6000+ students and 2500+ adults, we have had good participation from schools and residents. During these unprecedented times, we have started offering experiential learning with an online format to continue the learning.
Soon, we intend to run the weekly “Be a Farmer program” for interested individuals to be aware of and understand the various farming methods, techniques and tools used on farming, besides witnessing and helping the farmer at field.
We also in the process of setting up an Eco-Venue for outdoor learning and for our events. We look forward to connecting with creative individuals and expertsto share best practices and knowledge. People can come to pen their thoughts, to talk, to share and to think over some yummy local cuisine.
