“Bio-Digester” Brings Sustainability, Inspiration to Kuala Lumpur

International School of Kuala Lumpur Grade 5 students and teachers pose for a Halloween photo with the new bio-digester, at rear (Photo: ISKL).

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It was a typical Monday morning, with an atypical twist. On 29 October 2012, our elementary school campus was introduced to a new “bio-digester”! Now, if you are wondering, “What is a bio-digester?” you are not alone. For the International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL), Malaysia, the process took over a year.

But now that we know, we hope the bio-digester will eventually eliminate food waste from the elementary school cafeteria and create enough gas to supply a burner (the one used to make pancakes!) for about two and a half hours daily. It also provides a great learning station!

ISKL’s Grade 5 team—studying renewable energy—brought their classes down to observe on several occasions. Students soon became “experts” on bio-digestion, as they received tours and asked a barrage of questions ranging from the dimensions of the tanks to the means by which the gas would be moved into the kitchen. By 1 November the bio-digester was ready to take its first steps towards biogas production. Described as a “growing baby,” the bio-digester needs to grow in capacity gradually. The bacteria need enough time to populate and reach a critical mass that, in time, allows for the food (30-35 kilograms daily) to be digested and turned into two helpful by-products: bio-gas and fertilizer.

The digester’s installation had immediate impact. The Grade 5 curriculum was adjusted, to engage students in the creation of two video presentations: one to introduce it to younger students on campus, and the other to older students.

A gander through the Grade 5 area during preparations revealed a flurry of activity! In the hallways students practiced news broadcasts and filming. Butcher paper adorned the floor, with a scattering of post-it notes showing the progression of the story line. Other students scuttled around researching and collecting props. There is a certain satisfaction in recognizing that a structural change, a well-organized yet flexible curriculum, and a project-based instructional design can combine to make learning engaging and powerful.

The next steps are even more community-oriented. Our Grade 5 students will, hopefully, be taking on the task of administering the fertilizer that will come out of the bio-digester. The task: find beneficial ways of distributing the fertilizer (150 liters per day!) to local nurseries, our gardening crew, and our community. Any money generated can be donated to charity or in support of local environmental initiatives.

So what’s next for ISKL and the bio-digester? One Grade 5 student suggested we plant a vegetable garden, in order to use our fertilizer directly. Might that close the cycle? We dare to imagine the planting of vegetables to supply the cafeteria, the remains of which will be sent to the bio-digester to create bio-gas to cook the food, and fertilizer to use to grow more vegetables!

If we need our youth to think systemically in making the world a better place, this could be a small but shining example of systemic thinking. From ISKL’s sustainability perspective it can’t get much better than that.

The bio-digester has revealed something that already existed at ISKL. Students are involved in systems thinking, recognition and understanding of sustainable design and providing service to their community. In short, the arrival of the bio-digester may well have already added value to the broadening of our students’ minds.

Looking at the digester does not inspire awe at first sight, but in the mind of an elementary school student, a bio-digester provides a world of possibilities. After the visits, when the students departed, and their footsteps and voices faded away, it was hard not to find hope in our future. Who would have thought that a visit to a bio-digester could provide so much inspiration? When you can inspire a young mind, the possibilities are endless.

The author is Sustainability and Service Learning Coordinator at ISKL.

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