From Classroom to Garden: ST Isaac Advent High School is Cultivating a Love for the Environment in Children

The vision of urban farming has been an overnight decision when we were handed over a barren land by NI-MSME to be taken care of. We roped in our resources to have ideas and researched before deciding to set up a urban nursery and subsequently leading to the idea of waste management and setting up green house. In a very short time, we have managed to set up varieities of vegetable crops, fruit plants, desert plants, medicinal plants and opened up the nursery for the children within 3 months.

We have also braced to utilise the waste that acrue as a result of urban farming and how the waste can be treated. As part of our vision, we have educated ourselves by enrolling into training courses at NIRD which has helped immensly in understanding in processing the waste. We have gained expertise in composting (Mesh and Ground pit)by tried and testing at our nursery before opening up for the children.

Teaching children about nursery farming and composting waste is helping them become more environmentally conscious and eco-friendly. By learning about the importance of growing plants and managing waste in a sustainable way, children are becoming more aware of how change in their actions impact the environment.

Nursery farming teaches children about the advantages of growing their own plants and the benefits that comes within. Educating about this exercise helps them to learn about the life cycle of plants, importance of soil conservation and factors that aids in their growth. This will help children to appreciate the natural world but also encourages them to move towards a sustainable environment. Encouraging them to adapt such practices will result in leading a healthy lifestyle and contributing their part in reducing carbon footprint which has become a global crisis today.

Composting waste is another important arena where we are creating awareness to the children on the importance of waste management and the best practices to go with the waste. This activity will help them understand how we process the waste, how it plays a major role in mitigating soil health and how their actions will help towards a sustainable environment.