March 16, 2026 | 03:15 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Environmentally friendly practices have long existed in pesantren (Islamic boarding schools). Recently, these practices have expanded as the impacts of environmental damage and climate change become increasingly evident. Rising global temperatures, extreme weather, floods, droughts, and declining air and water quality all signal that the environment faces growing pressure from human activity.
With millions of santri (students) living and studying within them, pesantren provide a strategic space for cultivating ecological awareness. Activities such as waste management, water conservation, the use of clean energy, and tree planting by students become simple ways to protect the environment.
As educational institutions, pesantren shape the character and daily habits of their students, which they later carry into society. Religious teachings in Islamic boarding school emphasize humanity's responsibility as khalifah, or stewards of the earth, as stated in the Qur'an and supported by hadith (a collection of traditions based on the statements and actions of the Prophet Muhammad) and classical Islamic texts, or kitab kuning, studied in many pesantren across Indonesia. The concept of taharah, meaning cleanliness or purity, also serves as a basic jurisprudential foundation for environmentally friendly activities in pesantren. For students, therefore, these practices are not merely social actions but also expressions of moral and religious values.
According to data from the Ministry of Religious Affairs in 2024, Indonesia has 42,435 Islamic boarding schools with 4,684,073 students. Not all pesantren apply environmentally friendly practices, but green initiatives are becoming more widespread and diverse, ranging from agricultural and rural development activities to environmental conservation and programs under various labels such as ecopesantren, green pesantren, ecological pesantren, and ecotheology. These initiatives often grow out of problems within pesantren themselves, from waste and water issues to energy needs.
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