Growing a Living Campus
A school-based collaboration connecting sustainability, practical skills, and everyday learning.
Partnerships often grow one conversation at a time. Maia Earth's collaboration with Bacungan National High School began with a shared curiosity about natural building, sustainability, and hands-on learning. Over nearly two years, that relationship gave rise to the construction of a classroom built primarily from earth and ecobricks—a process that unfolded gradually, respecting the rhythms of the school, its curriculum, and the many people involved in bringing the project to life.
From the beginning, the classroom was never intended to be only a building. Students became part of the construction process, learning natural building techniques while contributing to the creation of a space that would later become part of their own school environment. Alongside the construction, an ecobrick campaign invited students to collect, clean, and compact plastic into ecobricks, helping reduce litter within the surrounding area while providing materials for the building's foundations. In this way, environmental stewardship, practical skills, and everyday learning naturally became connected.
As the partnership continues into 2026, the focus is gradually expanding beyond the classroom itself and into the wider school grounds. Working alongside the Agriculture Department, Maia Earth is supporting the development of garden beds that make use of ecobricks while creating opportunities for students to engage with food growing, landscape design, and ecological practices as part of everyday school life. Rather than introducing separate activities, these initiatives seek to complement the learning that is already taking place within the existing curriculum.
This year also marks a closer collaboration with the school's Science Department. Ecobricks will become part of students' performance tasks, allowing environmental learning to connect directly with practical action. To support new students and maintain the quality of the ecobricks being produced, Maia Earth will facilitate an introductory workshop for the school community, sharing both the practical techniques and the broader ideas behind the initiative.
Looking ahead, the partnership continues to evolve through dialogue with teachers, students, and school leaders. As new ideas emerge, the school may gradually explore additional opportunities, including the development of a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) that strengthens waste segregation and resource management on campus. Rather than following a fixed blueprint, the collaboration grows by responding to the interests, needs, and possibilities that arise within the school itself.
For Maia Earth, education is not only about what happens inside a classroom. It is also found in the relationships students build with the places they learn, the materials they work with, and the shared responsibility of caring for the environments they help create. Through small, steady steps, the partnership with Bacungan National High School continues to explore how learning can take shape through participation, collaboration, and everyday practice.
