Building a Sustainable Pesantren Ecosystem through Cleanliness Habituation and Ecological Literacy

Abstract

Background: Islamic boarding schools require effective environmental management systems to support students’ health, comfort, and psychological well-being. Ecopsychology, which integrates religious values with environmental education, offers a promising approach for fostering sustainable ecological behavior in pesantren settings. Purpose: This program aimed to enhance students’ ecological behavior through environmental education, waste-sorting training, automated composter utilization, and cleanliness habituation grounded in Islamic values. Methods: The program was implemented over eight months at MI Tahfidz Al Furqon Ponorogo, involving students, teachers, and environmental cadres. Interventions included educational sessions, practical training, composter operation, behavioral mentoring, and pretest–posttest evaluation of four behavioral indicators. Results: Significant improvements were observed across all indicators: waste-sorting habits increased from 20% to 82%; cleanliness awareness of rooms and yards rose from 56% to 90%; participation in routine cleaning activities increased from 64% to 95%; and 70% of students successfully processed organic waste using an automated composter. Conclusion: The pesantren ecopsychology program effectively promoted sustainable ecological behavior by integrating religious values and environmental education. This model shows strong potential for replication in other Islamic educational institutions.