How we do things is just as important to us as what we do. Our approach starts from a place of being culturally sensitive, empathetic, thoughtful, innovative and reflective. These are some ideas we take into account in all that we do.
Accountability
We shall hold ourselves as individuals and team members accountable for our actions and our words so as to reach our highest potential. We actively encourage our team members, supporters and peers to hold us accountable to ensure that we’re providing the best we can give everyday.
Communication
We constantly seek to communicate in a way that allows us to speak our truth and create a comfortable space for others to do the same.
Efficiency
We value each dollar donated and work to minimize expenditures in all work-related activities under a “more is less” mindset. We pride ourselves on keeping a close eye on every expense in our organization, and understand that it’s not always about spending less but spending wisely. As we believe that time is our most valuable asset, we always work to maximize resources of time, energy and capital.
Community
We believe in the power of communities coming together to change the world for the better. We believe that spontaneous selfless interactions between a group of people generate far more beneficial outcomes for everyone than individuals acting alone.
Participation
Bottle classrooms are built on 100% community volunteer effort. From the creation of each eco-brick to mixing cement, all unskilled labor is donated by local community members and all skilled labor is provided by the local municipality, via a project agreement with Hug It Forward.
Ownership
We believe in the theory that ‘no one washes a rental car’, or simply that we, as humans, only take care of what we feel to be our own.Building your own bottle classrooms is a unique experience and allows kids of all ages the privilege to say “I study in a classroom, I helped to build out of trash!”
Partnership
We partner with the community and municipality to ensure that all labor required in the construction of each bottle classroom project comes from the local population. Our partnerships are key in ensuring successful projects.
Consciousness
Environmental education is a key part of the bottle school project process. In the short term, community members will turn trash into the building blocks for the future, while also learning about other ways to properly dispose of both their organic and inorganic waste materials. Improper trash management leaves rivers, streams, lakes and the countryside overrun with inorganic material. Each workshop given is a step in a new and more conscious direction for each community’s environmental future.
Empowerment
We support people to develop the tools they need to create better futures for themselves, their families and their communities. Throughout the project process, each community acquires new skills, a heightened sense of local pride and confidence to tackle future development obstacles that will have positive impacts for generations to come.
Constant Learning
We don’t have all the answers. We consistently reflect on our own practice, seek advice from all corners, own our mistakes and seek to improve constantly.