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Democratic Education Ecosystems

place Guatemala

Let's construct democracy through education and green building

The world needs heroes now. At Hero School, we innovate heroic solutions to extreme poverty.

Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

Web presence

2008

Established

176

Children

1

Countries
Target group
Community
Updated
June 2024
In 1992, government leaders around the world received a document endorsed by 1,575 of the world's most prominent scientists (including 99 of the 196 living Nobel laureates in the sciences) titled ‘World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity. To avoid causing “vast human misery” this document called for immediate action “to stop the ever-increasing environmental degradation that threatens global life."

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

In the 97% Indigenous Mayan Kaqchikel rural town of Comalapa, Guatemala 64% of the population lives in poverty, 27% live in extreme poverty. Residents lack access to potable water, food, shelter, and quality education. A major shift in these circumstances requires a heroic and collaborative effort. In 2008, our team of educators, builders, volunteers, and administrators established Hero School.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

Teaching and learning at Hero School is contextually based and relevant to local challenges associated with environmental degradation. Each year, Hero School students and teachers conduct research to identify the households that are in greatest need of infrastructure, and each year our teachers and students team up with our builders to carry out projects in the community. Our green building projects provide infrastructure that is vital to the well-being of local residents and protects the environment. Green building projects also provide Hero School students with an opportunity to gain practical skills and a deeper understanding of sustainable solutions. This infrastructure includes smoke safe stoves to reduce respiratory illness and reduce the consumption of firewood, water tanks to collect and store rainwater for access to potable water, composting latrines to improve household sanitation, retaining walls to prevent landslides and erosion, and homes that are earthquake resistant.

How has it been spreading?

We call Hero School our flagship school because of its scalability, replicability, and relevance in both Guatemala and around the world. Having been invited to consult on numerous projects around the world, the Hero School green builders, teachers, and students are emerging as thought leaders in both sustainable building techniques and in Education for Sustainable Development. Hero School has trained thousands of people from all over the world to build green infrastructure. 4000+ people are subscribed to our YouTube channel. 175 primary, middle, and high school students attend Hero School and are instructed by 25 dedicated educators. Check lwhomegreen.org to use our green building profiles as a reference for your next green building project.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

Visit lwhomegreen.org to get started and then contact matt@lwhome.org

Implementation steps

Green Building Manual
Purchase the Guide to Green Building on our website. Collect a few hundred tires and compact all of your loose plastic into plastic bottles. Get some gloves, a few shovels, a few sledgehammers, call your best friends, and then call LWH. We will be waiting.

Spread of the innovation

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