At Kopila Valley School, sustainability isn’t just something we talk about now and again, it’s at the heart of everything we do. We understand how critical it is that all of us learn how to live in a way that cares for our community and the environment we all share. Our young people are leading the way and providing a model for how institutions and organizations can use smart thinking and cutting edge design to build a healthier, more sustainable future.
Sustainability
The Greenest School in Nepal
In 2019, Kopila Valley School opened our new green campus. This campus not only provides new facilities for our students and teachers, it is also a model of sustainable architecture and green design.
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The school’s rammed earth walls and carefully placed doors, windows, and terraces allow the building to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Solar panels generate enough electricity to power the school, and a solar cooking system uses the sun’s heat to cook the rice and lentils we eat every day. Rain that falls on our school during the monsoon season is collected and filtered to provide drinking water all year long. Our wastewater is recycled twice. Water from the sinks called grey water flushes the toilets. Then water from toilets is filtered again to irrigate plants.
Students at Kopila Valley School get a hands-on education in where our food comes from, including the kind of impact our diet has on the environment.
EDUCATION
At KVS, we weave environmental education into the classroom in all grades and subject areas. Our environmental education program emphasizes the necessity of ensuring that young people become environmentally active and responsible citizens. A key characteristic of the environmental education program is an emphasis on outdoor learning. Taking our students out of the classroom not only offers a unique context for learning but also provides experiential learning opportunities that foster connections to local places and helps students develop a greater understanding of ecosystems.
