SEEF (Sustainable Environment Education Foundation) is on it's way!

 

          

             SJBHS came in on the 29th October 22

9th of October with Crystal House school

It's been a roller coaster of 6 months when the germ of an idea came to fruition in our farm in Hoskote. For the last 3 years I was working with 2 old boys from St Joseph's Boys School based in the US -- Vijay Nazareth and Lloyd Lobo. We taught kids via ZOOM about composting, Rain Water Harvesting, growing organic veggies and Women's Nutrition with an add on of Menstrual Hygiene.

It was all academic with no real hands on experience. So we decided to open out our farm for free and let the kids run loose in the arms of nature to get a feel of it all. Sustainable living is the buzz word today in our cities which are growing crazily by leaps and bounds.

How disgusting! There will be horrible insects and stink! Eeew! who wants to go near the compost pit. And FINALLY they were so surprised by there being NO Odour or stink as they put it. One of the boys even jumped in after borrowing Narsimappas boots and gloves. Dont throw out your waste to stink up the city -- this was a very easy and free method where in the end we got black gold for our gardens!

Our city kids need to be taught -- forget only kids -- our adults need to realise that being sustainable is in their hands. They can clean up Bangalore stinking roads by just composting and segregating their waste. Look at this boys face -- he was thrilled to be able to aerate the wet waste ( kitchen waste) pit.

For the nutrition section they made spinach pakoras in a cast iron skillet which was polished off by all the kids in minutes. The malabar spinach vine which reminds me of my Mum and her pakoras was well shorn off its leaves. Amazing how some of these kids are so savvy and so confident to make the pakoras right on the spot. I had bought a camper single burner stove which works really well for the demo!

Whats amazing about the programme is we have kids lead it all. We just support and interject if needed. Having rejuvenated a karaab piece of land into the paradise it is today, we are keen on spreading the word so others can learn and encourage sustainable living. The kids are so enthusiastic that it makes our job really easy and fun.

The best part is we have redone the place to make it welcoming and in time will gather enough courage to stay there overnight!