Creative! ITK IPB University Student Introduces Microplastics Through Children’s Book

Elif Ivana Hendastari, a student of IPB University from the Department of Marine Science and Technology (ITK), Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science (FPIK) created a children’s book as an educational medium about microplastics.

“Nowadays, plastic has polluted life on earth. Even microplastics, small plastics measuring less than 5 millimetres, have entered the food chain and into the human body,” said Elif.

This situation, according to her, is important to voice, seeing that the majority of Indonesian people, especially children, do not know much about microplastics.

“This children’s book is entitled Miko the Microplastic. This book is based on my ongoing research on microplastics in beach sediments on one of the islands in Indonesia,” she said.

During the research process, Elif revealed that she learned a lot about the fact that in Indonesia there are still very few people who know that microplastics have become pollutants, both in the environment and the human body.

This book is the result of a conservation project conducted by Elif together with Yayasan Konservasi Ekosistem Alam Nusantara (KIARA). The book is packed full of pictures and colours. Of course, this book has been published and registered with the International Standard Book Number (ISBN).

“This book has been published and registered with ISBN and printed as many as 150 books. Some of them we sell to support our next activities, and some I send to schools and reading parks in various provinces in Indonesia. From Riau to Kalimantan,” said Elif.

She explained that the book, Miko Si Plastik, tells a lot about the process of the formation of microplastics and their types. This book tells about the type, colour, size and formation process of microplastics.

“In addition, this book also tells the story that what happens in the sea can be influenced by human activities on land through rivers, for example,” she explained.

In the process of making this book, Elif faced many challenges. She admitted, “The process of making this book was certainly a challenge for me because it was my first time. The biggest obstacle was converting scientific language into language that is easily understood by children. Of course, there were many revisions,” Elif added.

Currently, she is using Miko the Microplastic as a medium to educate children together with the community she founded, Asa Konservasi (Asarasi).

“In order to remain sustainable, I created a community, Asarasi, which is engaged in voicing conservation, especially microplastics, of course the target is children,” added Elif.

Dr Syamsul Bahri Agus, Chairman of the ITK Department at IPB University, welcomed the efforts initiated by Elif. According to him, the launch of this book is a creative effort to convey information about the impact of microplastics in a simple but educational way to the younger generation.

“This is a positive step from students in raising awareness of environmental issues at an early age,” said Dr Syamsul happily. (*/Rz) (IAAS/RUM)