Since its founding in 1998 the Druk Padma Karpo School has been operating in the Ladakh region of northern India, delivering an education fit for the modern world while not losing sight of the deep traditional culture of Ladakh. Today, it teaches children up to age 16.
The Craniosacral Therapy Educational Trust – which is founded by Michael Kern – is an active supporter of the school. A percentage of the Craniosacral Therapy Educational Trust’s yearly profits are donated to the school.
The Druk Padma Karpo School has won several awards since 1998, including an award for the building design which was developed by Arup Associates; the attached PDF contains more information about its work.
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| Introduction the Arup Group |
Putting Sustainability at the Heart of Design
Drinking water is collected from snowmelt-fed reservoirs, while ‘VIP latrines’ produce fertilizer - just two of the remarkable solutions in use at the school.
The school is heated by an ingenious system of passive solar collection, while a special heat-absorbing building design collects heat in the walls during the day and releases it back into the building at night.
Druk Padma Karpo Helps Others Offset Carbon Use
The school is self-sufficient through its use of solar energy, but the efforts toward sustainability do not stop there. Through an independently accredited initiative, the Druk Padma Karpo School offers others the opportunity to offset their own carbon footprint by donating directly to the school’s solar renewable energy system.
Through specifically targeted donations, individuals may neutralise their carbon output every time they travel with a donation to the school.
Find out more about the three core steps of carbon offsetting by watching the embedded video.
A School Designed for the Future
The focus on sustainability has led designers Arup Associates to minimise the use of imported construction materials, despite the relative lack of natural resources present in Ladakh. The result is a sustainable, self-sufficient structure that is designed to withstand large variances in climatic temperature as well as the possibility of earthquakes
When a massive mudslide caused huge damage to the surrounding area in 2010, the school remained standing when many other buildings did not. Subsequent construction of a defensive infrastructure allowed another mudslide in 2014 to be completely diverted away from the school campus.
The school has been selected for many awards since the first children were accepted in 2001; see the attached infographic for more details.
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| Druk Padma Karpo School Awards |
