111 / Sidodadi, Banyuwangi, East Java
Mrs. Nurmala works as librarian in a school with around 4000 books – mostly boring textbooks.
Once a month, a mobile library visits their school, which the students are very enthusiastic about. Their favorite books are novels and encyclopedias. She wishes the library could visit them more often.
The school is very close to a river, which people still throw their waste in. The school encourages the students to use the garbage bins and they also separate it into organic and non-organic waste.
As the school is located quite close to Baluran National Park, the scout organization of the school works together with forest rangers to plant trees. Sometimes, forest rangers are invited into the school to give more information about the Baluran National Park. The school once received some tree seeds from Baluran National Park, which were planted on the school complex. They are currently preparing themselves to earn the title of Adiwiyata School (Green School).
Mrs Nurmala says: “Dealing with grown ups, it is quite difficult to change their mindset. I believe that children should be taught the importance of protecting the environment as early as possible. Books can be the medium to spread this knowledge.”