Kebun Kotak

Kebun Kotak or 'Garden Box' is an outdoor classroom and urban green space for nature based classes and programs that raise eco-literacy and build a connection with nature.

This garden was first built as a collaboration between Johor Green and Sekola Baroka with funding from UNESCO in 2021 to serve as an outdoor classroom for the children who attend Sekola Baroka's evening classes in the building adjacent to the garden. In 2022 we received additional funding from Iskandar Regional Development Authority's Downtown Johor Bahru Grant program managed by Think City to substantially increase the size of the garden as well as to ensure regular maintenance and to facilitate a monthly Nature Class here.

The garden is a lush mix of tropical plants, many of them indigenous to Malaysia to help understand what is the botanical identity of our region. The plants are selected to exhibit a range of unique traits like colour, texture, scent, or thorns to feature the diversity of our local flora. The plants also provide material for classes and workshops to understand concepts of ethnobotany - the relationships between humans and nature and how plants have been and continue to be used for food, medicine, arts and crafts.

The garden also functions as an urban green space where we will be holding social events that promote spending time outdoors and as a model for the importance of having nature available in urban built up areas.

Please contact us on our listed whatsapp or social media accounts if you are interested in becoming a volunteer or are interested in supporting our efforts to bring more nature into our city and raise eco literacy.

Related: The year in Review