034 / Mlaten, Mojokerto, East Java
The plan to make this region as an industrial area of East Java costs environmental damages; smoke from steel factories reduces air quality and children cannot play and swim in the rivers anymore as they are not as clean as before.
This is worsened by the habit of throwing household waste in the river due to lack of dump sites in the village and home businesses’ irresponsible practices.
According to Trisnawati, a young lady who’s been teaching in a local elementary school for quite some time, “People are still quite conservative here so it will take time to change them. That’s why I focus on children.”
She converted a space in her mosque into an Eco-Education Center. The center will be managed by her and some Qur’an teachers, open every day in the afternoon, especially after the evening prayer. To implement the environmental activities she will be assisted by the members of Karang Taruna organization.