Garden of Bliss

Moving Beyond Green

Maharishi School’s Sustainable Living Program is designed to encourage our students to live their life in accord with the laws of nature.

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Composting
There are two types of composting that we teach the students: vermicomposting which uses worms and simple three bin composting.

 

Vemicomposting is taught in the classroom with the younger children using storage bins containing red wiggler worms and recycled cardboard bedding material. Students bring food scraps to feed the worms each week and the castings are used in the gardens.

 

Three bin composting involves layering brown and green plant matter in specific order using three separate static piles. With the use of a student-made aerator, the piles decompose at a quick rate and no turning is necessary.

 

All food waste from our cafeteria is composted at the Maharishi University of Management composting facillty.

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Water Catchment

The greenhouse is watered with rainwater from the roof and stored in underground tanks. The water is then pumped out using a solar pump into a drip irrigation system. The benefits of rainwater include everything from watering from an unpolluted source to reducing water costs.

 

We also use our water catchment system as a way to teach about water aquifers and developing better water conservation habits.

 

Solar

A 1.1 kilowatt solar electric power system was installed in Maharishi School’s courtyard, funded by a $15,000 Solar 4 R Schools grant from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) of Portland, Oregon.

 

The solar panel installation in Maharishi School’s courtyard is a first step in reducing the School’s dependence on non-renewable energy. Our goal is to create a much larger array of solar panels at the School.​

 

Financial Sustainability

The Garden of Bliss Program completes its commitment to sustainable living by incorporating several methods of self-funding including the sale of excess produce at the local farmer's market, seed sales at Everybody's Whole Foods and a fledgling CSA Program. 

 

We encourage students to find creative ways to fund their Garden of Bliss projects so they can understand the economic side of what it means to be truly self-sustaining.