Archipelago-Environment & Healthy Habit (Journal #1)

ARCHIPELAGO JOURNAL #1

ENVIRONMENT & HEALTHY HABITS AUGUST 2022

S E ' T G E L AN CH

ARCHIPELAGO JOURNAL #1

ENVIRONMENT & HEALTHY HABITS AUGUST 2022

EDITED BY NABEELA PURNAJAYA AMANDA PRASETYA

WHAT IS ARCHIPELAGO ?

To spread good morals and broaden horizons of young Indonesians through an alternative English source, called Archipelago. We have incorporated the Indonesian culture as best as we could in order to instill in children their roots.

Indonesia will reach its 100th independence day in 2045 and will face what is called Demographic Bonus. This is when the number of productive age (15-64yrs) is higher than the number of nonproductive age (0-14yrs & 65+yrs) (Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS), 2020). According to Adioetomo & Mujahid, 2014 in BPS 2020, Indonesia will go through ‘Demographic Bonus’ until 2035, wherein many windows of opportunity will start to open from 2020 until 2035 (Adioetomo, 2020 in BPS, 2020).

This is when the quality of human resource are required as productivity depends on it, as we can achieve so much as a nation.

For that, I took the initiative to offer an alternative english reading material for the young (specifically ages 11-14) to broaden their minds by reading English materials.

Indonesia, August 2022 Nabeela Purnajaya

JOURNAL #1: ENVIRONEMENT & HEALTHY HABITS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A

Key Words and their Definitions in English

01

Fictional Story: Ari the Neat Person

03

Article #1: Environment & Healthy Habits

05

Article #2: Dangers of Consuming Beverages and Food in Plastic Containers

06

Article #3: Dentists are Cool

09

Special: Did You Know?

11

Fictional Script: If You Eat the Seeds of Watermelon, Will it Grow Inside of You?

13

Special: Crossword

14

Sources & References

15

Crossword Answers

KEY WORDS

Accumulation

Dummy

Abscess

Environment

Biodegradable

Nevertheless

Caries

Offshore

Curb

Rigorous

Decompose

Reusable

Dexterous

A

KEY WORDS DEFINTIONS Abscess

●

/ˈabˌses/

●

noun

A swollen area within body tissue, containing an accumulation of pus.

Accumulation ● /əˌkyo͞ om(y)əˈlāSH(ə)n/ ● noun 1. The acquisition or gradual gathering of something.

2. A mass or quantity of something that has gradually gathered or been acquired

Anxiety ● //aNGˈzīədē// ● noun A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome.

Biodegradable ● /ˌbīōdəˈɡrādəb(ə)l/

●

adjective

(Of a substance or object) capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms.

Caries ● /ˈkerēz/

●

noun

Decay and crumbling of a tooth or bone.

Source of definitions and pronounciations: Oxford Languages via Google search

A1

KEY WORDS DEFINITIONS Curb ● /kərb/

●

verb

A check or restraint on something.

NOTICE: In American English the word "Curb" has two different meanings.

The other definition of "Curb" (noun) is "A stone or concrete edging to a street or path." Whereas in British English, this would be called a "Kerb".

Decompose

●

/ˌdēkəmˈpōz/

●

verb

(With reference to organic matter) make or become rotten; decay or cause to decay.

Dexterous

●

/ˈdekst(ə)rəs/ ● adjective

Showing or having skill, especially with the hands.

Dummy

●

/ˈdəmē/

●

noun

A model or replica of a human being.

Source of definitions and pronounciations: Oxford Languages via Google search

A2

KEY WORDS DEFINITIONS Environment ● /inˈvīrənmənt/ ● noun The natural world, as a whole or in a particular geographical area, especially as affected by human activity.

Nevertheless ● //ˌnevərT͟ Həˈles// ●

adverb

In spite of that; notwithstanding; all the same.

Offshore

●

/ˌôfˈSHôr,ˌäfˈSHôr/ ● adjective

Situated at sea some distance from the shore.

Reusable ● /rēˈyo͞ ozəb(ə)l/ ●

adjective

Able to be used again or more than once.

Rigorous ●

/ˈriɡ(ə)rəs/

●

adjective

Extremely thorough, exhaustive, or accurate

Source of definitions and pronounciations: Oxford Languages via Google search

A3

FICTIONAL STORY:

ARI THE NEAT PERSON Ari fixes his tie in front of the mirror. He always wears a tie whenever he could. If at Physical Education (P.E) class he could wear one, he would. He brushes his hair to the right and smiles.

“Today is going to be a good day, In syaa Allah.” He utters.

He steps out of the house and catches the mini bus to school. He hates riding it only because people throw tissues and candy wrappers under the seats. Even though he wears socks and shoes, it still seems dirty to him every time he steps on one.

Source: blibli.com

Every morning its usually crowded, but luckily the windows are always open. The warm breeze passes through his newly combed hair.

“Oh no, my hair..." Ari groans. "Oh well, I love the fresh air more than my neat hair.” He says under his breath “Stop here sir!” He yells.

Ari actually knows that the driver is familiar with his stop, but Ari just loves to interact with people so he decides to call it out.

He gives the money and realises his hands are dirty from holding the money. He smiles and goes inside the school. He greets the security guards and goes straight to the toilet. He washes his hands but soon realises there are no soap. He has anxiety when he knows his hands are still wet and dirty.

He tries not to let his anxiety get into his current good mood. In fact he knows this will happen because whenever he washes his hands at school there are always no soap and today is just another day he forgets to take an extra soap bar from home.

Source: Greta Hoffman from pexels.com

He takes out his hand sanitiser and sprays it. Sprints to the second floor since all the grade 12 classes are there.

1

FICTIONAL STORY: CONTINUATION

ARI THE NEAT PERSON It’s hard to believe it’s been almost three years since he first entered high school. In fact, it had only been a year since he went to the school physically and met his new friends. When all of a sudden, the world had to halt activities including school, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic .

Source: Hiroyoshi Urushima from unsplash.com As usual, he arrives first and organise all of his classmates’ chairs. He has been doing it since the first day of school back in grade 10, and until now nothing has changed. He sits down and takes out his diary to write today’s date on a new page.

December 21st, 2021 Goals for today: Ask at least one question in class; hand in chemistry homework; and make someone smile today.

The clock strikes 6:15 am and yet only one other classmate of his arrives. Where is everyone? and why is the air conditioning so cool? Ari had only slept 5 hours last night, and to be honest he is quite sleepy.

“Oh no, I’m feeling sleepy. I have around 15 minutes ‘til the bell rings. Maybe just a 10 minute nap...” He mumbles, and starts to drift off.

Just as he was about to close his eyes, his other classmate arrives and screams “Ariiiii, how are you? It’s so great to finally meet you again in person!” *** Ari enjoyed chemistry class and had handed in his homework that morning. He had also made his friend smile by exchanging conversations with him, and even got the chance to ask a question in physics class. The rest of the day is history.

It has been a fun, yet a light first day of high school since the pandemic. Ari goes home and is grateful for the day. He is determined to start the semester with better aspirations. Especially as this is his last year as a senior high school student where he would have to decide what to do next once he graduates.

Source: Suzy Hazelwood from pexels.com

Ari aims to get into Institusi Pertanian Bogor (IPB) which is a difficult university to get accepted to, since many students also have the same target.

Nevertheless, he is positive he can still try his best and achieve his big goals.

2

ARTICLE #1

ENVIRONMENT & HEALTHY HABITS Plastic reduction movement is on the rise.

Supermarkets are charging their customers for onetime use plastic bags -made from fossil fuels- to store their groceries in. Some have even stopped providing plastic bags and instead use reusable bags to put purchases in. Additionally fast food chains and cafés are banning the use of plastic straws. This is all done to curb plastic pollution. Between 4.8-12.7 million matric tons (MT) of plastic waste reached the ocean in 2010 (Jambeck, et al, 2015). This figure does not even take into account of how many plastic waste end up in our landfills! This issue causes harm towards the environment and earth’s inhabitants – that is us Source: Naja Bertolt Jensen from unsplash.com humans, the animals and plants-.

How, might you ask? Plastics do not decompose and disappear, or go back to its natural form. As time goes on it becomes micro plastics, this put risks in all living being as we can indirectly ingest it. Plastic pollution that is in our shorelines as well as the oceans can cause wounds towards the animals. Plastics that are made from fossil fuels also contribute towards the increasing amount of greenhouse gases (e.g Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide and Methane) in the air -from the extraction and production phase to create the plastic itself, to the phase when it ends up in our landfills for further process, or in the ocean (Tsydenova and Patil, 2021)-. Which in return contributes towards climate change.

What can we do to help curb plastic pollution and stop the harm it’s causing? People think that it’s hard to live more eco-friendly, when in fact, we can start from these little healthy habits.

Source: Bakhrom Tursunov from unsplash.com

First, we can apply the 5R principle in our life, that is Refuse; Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, and Recycle (Clean Management Environmental Group Inc., n/a). However take note that not all plastics and materials are recyclable, thus when we can, we should refuse the use of one-time use plastic products.

Source: Katie Rodriguez from unsplash.com 3

ARTICLE #1: CONTINUATION

The principle of the 5Rs can also be implemented towards other aspects. The most simple example of 'Refuse' would be refusing to use one-time use plastic utensils when you order take-outs. An example for 'Repurposing' would be by using one-time use plastic water bottles for planting or watering the plants.

Another example would be reusing jam jars for other things such as pencil holder and storing other foods.

Source: Michael Burrows (left), Jon Li (Right) from pexels.com

Second, instead of buying a one-time use plastic water bottle we can bring our own reusable drink bottle (e.g. tumblers) instead, and refill it when needed. A mistake people make, is throwing away the reusable containers thinking that they have to buy a new one with eco-friendly materials (e.g. made from bamboo). You don’t need to throw it away, as it defies the purpose of creating less waste. These reusable containers can still be used to store your food/drink, but there are certain precautions that you want to take when using reusable plastic containers. The precaution starts from making sure that the reusable container is BPA free -this will be discussed in the next article! However, if you don't have a reusable container, or have a reusable plastic one that is not BPA free, try to replace it with one that is made from eco-friendly materials or a healthier material other than plastic (such as glass). If the reusable container that you have is not BPA free, it can still be reused to store things that you won't ingest.

Lastly, when buying your clothes, try to buy clothing that is made from natural materials such as cotton, eucalyptus, bamboo and linen. Try to avoid buying clothes that uses plastic in their fabric composition as they are not biodegradable! Examples of fabric that is made from plastic are, polythene, polyester, and viscose. If it is hard to find clothes that are made 100% from natural fibers, try to buy clothes that has a higher composition of natural fibers than those made from plastic or find one that is made from recycled plastic.

The next time you shop, you can see the composition of the fabric on the tag of the clothes, or if you are buying it online they usually have the composition of fabrics in the description of the product. Fabric made from natural fibers are also more breathable than those made from plastic/synthetic fibers, which is preferable.

4

ARTICLE #2

DANGERS OF CONSUMING BEVERAGES AND FOOD IN PLASTIC CONTAINERS When buying your reusable containers or kitchenware, if it’s made from plastic or metal that is coated by epoxy resins, make sure that it is BPA free. "BPA stands for bisphenol A, an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics and resins since the 1950s." (Bauer, Brent A., 2022) that is dangerous for our health.

A study done by Aleksandra Konieczna, Aleksandra Rutkowska and Dominik Rachoń (2015) shows that BPA "plays a role in the pathogenesis of several endocrine disorders including female and male infertility, precocious puberty, hormone dependent tumours such as breast and prostate cancer and several metabolic disorders including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)." Thus, it is best to find a drink bottle that is made from other materials as to avoid ingesting micro plastics, BPA, and other chemicals into your system.

Who drinks hot beverages and food in their plastic containers and Styrofoam? Well, this is detrimental to your health. Eating and drinking hot food and drinks on plastic containers causes there to be a chemical reaction that leaches some chemicals from the plastic containers to the food/beverage that can cause health issues (Harvard Health Publishing-Harvard Medical School, 2019).

So the next time you go out and buy takeout try to bring your own container that is made from e.g. glass or ceramics. And avoid drinking the beverage that is left out in your vehicles as it is likely to have been exposed to heat!

Source: Ella Olsson from unsplash.com

Source: Sarah Chai from pexels.com 5

ARTICLE #3

DENTISTS ARE COOL August 2022

Like becoming a doctor anywhere in the world, she says becoming a dentist is a rigorous study of an extensive course. However with a strong will and intention anything is possible she says firmly.

I have interviewed a young but credible dentist, drg. Femita Rya on how it was like in the beginning and the things we must prepare to start your own journey into dentistry school.

In the beginning she initially signed up for the general practitioner degree to several universities but unfortunately fate says otherwise. She was not able to get into any of the university she desired even though she had tried. Until one day with a strong motivation, she tried one last chance to enter Moestopo University. That is where she started her journey into becoming a dentist.

She says she was not the top ranking student nor was she the smartest student during her High School years. She faced a lot of doubts from friends and even teachers, so she had to prove to everyone that she could finish her undergraduate studies in around 5 years time.

In general, during your undergraduate study in dentistry, she says you will face many theoretical studies and practical ones as well. It will require you to find various teeth ranging from kid's teeth to adult's teeth wherein you may have to purchase one teeth for around Rp900,000 to Rp1,000,000 at a clinic if you are not able to find other alternatives. These purchases are for practical purposes which you will do later on teeth dummies.

She also recommends that you should be keen on studying biology, because the studies on anatomy will be very useful once you are deep into your university classes.

Not to mention, strong mentality is also an important factor. If you have a strong mentality, it will be easier for you to overcome the obstacles that you may face during your medical studies. In addition she strongly says the support system from family members are vital because it will be a long journey to finishing the dentistry studies. Therefore you need people that will understand what you are going through.

6

ARTICLE #3: CONTINUATION

In dentistry, there are some things you can learn during the course - such as drawing and designing teeth- and after the course. But there are also things we can learn beforehand like biology where future undergraduates students can build a strong foundation.

What about people who are not dexterous and not confident in their drawing skills?

As you are constantly around teeth during the course of the dentistry program, if you surround yourself with diligent people you can hopefully overcome it as you get motivated by them.

Sarjana Kedokteran (S.Ked) or Sarjana Kedokteran Gigi (S.K.G) is the degree you will get once you pass your undergraduate course in Indonesia. Although when you graduate with an S.K.G degree here in Indonesia, you are not legally allowed to practice on real patients just yet. You will have to work as an assistant alongside an experienced dentist or a young doctor in a hospital and slowly work your way up. In this phase you will be called a Co-Assistant(Co-Asst) (Young Doctor). The duration of this phase is unpredictable, as the least amount of time you will spend is two years. This is because students need patients to stay until a whole series of treatments is finished, and some patients don't. You can start your Co-Asst journey like she did, starting from her campus hospital. She also did her Co-Asst at POLRI, and the nearby public health center.

There is also a competence test once your Co-Asst phase is finished. It is to give you legitimacy to work in a hospital or even open your own dental clinic. In Indonesia there are two tests that you can choose to take, which are UKM PGDI or UKM PPD.

7

ARTICLE #3: CONTINUATION

Oral health is very important in Indonesia because issues regarding teeth can be longterm, and both treatments and healing takes time. An issue from the smallest organ may cause a larger problem. For example, if you have a deep hole in your teeth and have a tooth abscess problem, and you needed a heart surgery, your teeth would need to be examined in advance. Hence you cannot get the heart surgery straightaway. So it might look small and simple, but it can cause a very huge impact on everything.

She has informed us that, the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Permanent Teeth (DMFT) index of caries in Indonesia is pretty high which is around 5 to 6 caries per person.

Whereas in developed countries, usually there are one or two caries per person.

Education on oral health is lacking in Indonesia. Although the number of dentists in Jakarta is high, it cannot be said the same for other parts of Indonesia.

Indonesians free of caries is a step forward to a more healthier society. With healthier society you can do so many productive things in life.

Her last message to all future dentists, you must first gather all your might to have a strong intention, look for support from the people around you, and last but not least pray, for prayer can do so much of what efforts cannot.

8

SPECIAL

DID YOU KNOW? There are biodegradable and compostable "plastics"! Yes, you read that right.

Biodegradable "plastic" that is made from plants, such as cassava. Hence, if you need to use a one-time use plastic -such as for your commerce- try to find one that is biodegradable.

Avani is an example of a business that provides biodegradable and compostable bags made from cassava. These bags can replace the plastic bags that you would usually get at the grocery store, or the bags that is used to place your takeaways in. They also provide other compostable food packaging products as well. You can search Avani's Instagram at avanieco.

Another idea of an eco-friendly and biodegradable food containers would be using banana leaves to wrap your food, like how you might see from certain restaurants (e.g. When you go to a Padang restaurant, they sometimes wrap your food with banana leaves; when you buy pecel; or when you buy Nasi Uduk) .

A company in Japan called BRING recycles unwearable clothing into comfortable new clothes by converting polyester fibres into recycled polyester, raw materials and other materials.

Did you know, developed countries send their plastic waste to Indonesia and other developing countries to be recycled. However, at times some of these plastic waste that was sent cannot be recycled as its contaminated, and some are not plastic waste, thus it ended up in Indonesia's and other developing countries' landfills, and other areas. A couple of countries like Philippines -back in 2013 and 2014- and Malaysia in 2019 had returned the waste back to Canada and Spain respectively as it has been falsely labelled as plastic waste -for the former- and the plastic waste was contaminated - for the latter- (Reality Check team-BBC News, 2019) What is your opinion on this? What do you think the impact of this is to Indonesia and other developing countries? What do you think Indonesia and its people should do to prevent this?

9

SPECIAL

DID YOU KNOW? Did you know that there are 5 offshore plastic waste accumulation zones in the world’s oceans? As of 2017 the biggest plastic waste accumulation zone is in the pacific - shown by number 1 in the figure below- (The Ocean Clean Up, n/a). This area is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Source: The Ocean Clean Up (n/a)

Picture source: The Ocean Clean Up. (n/a). The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Accessed on July 2022 through https://theoceancleanup.com/great-pacificgarbage-patch/#how-much-plastic-floats-in-the-great-pacific-garbage-patch

TAKE ACTION To curb plastic waste and wastes in general, how would you apply the 5Rs in your life?

10

FICTIONAL SCRIPT

IF YOU EAT THE SEEDS OF WATERMELON, WILL IT GROW INSIDE OF YOU? YOU NEED: 2 ACTORS/ACTRESSES KEY: A: ACTOR/ACTRESS A B: ACTOR/ACTRESS B (insert name of character...): Insert a name that you'd like for the character Props: Watermelon Plate for watermelon sofa/chairs & a table SCRIPT: [Character A and B are chilling on the sofa/chairs whilst talking] A: Ever wondered what it’s like to live in space? With no fresh food...

B: I don’t know actually, I never thought about it.

[Character A gets up from the sofa/chair and starts walking to the kitchen, then looked back to ask.]

A: Hey (insert name of character B), I feel like eating some watermelon. Would you like some?

B: Sure, I don’t mind A: How many do you want?

B: I think 5 slices will be fine A: Alright, coming right up [Character A leaves the room to get a plate full of watermelon.]

11

FICTIONAL SCRIPT: CONTINUATION

IF YOU EAT THE SEEDS OF WATERMELON, WILL IT GROW INSIDE OF YOU? [Character A walks back into the living room and places the plate of sliced watermelons on the table in front of them.]

A: Here you go B: Thanks!

[Character A and B both take a slice of watermelon and starts eating it.]

[Character B paused from eating] B: Hey did you know if you eat the seeds of watermelon it will actually grow inside of you?

[Character A paused from eating, shock showing on his face] A: No way! That’s straight myth..

B: No, it’s true.

A: Who said it? Can you prove it to me?

B: No, I don’t have proof because my great grandma said it to me when I was young.

A: Can I ask something? Did you dislike watermelon when you were younger?

B: Yeah, why?

A: So probably your grandma said it on purpose so you could try eating a bite of watermelon. To see if it really would happen.

B: Haha, true!

Synonyms: Dislike: Hate Myth: Traditional tale

12

SPECIAL

CROSSWORD

VERTICAL 1) What is the first step in the 5R principle?

2) As of 2017, out of the 5 offshore accumulation zone for plastic waste, what area is the biggest? a. What is the abbreviation of the terminology of this area?

3) Another name for ‘friend’ at school.

4) Something that blocks another matter, preventing it to be able to do things.

5) Reuse a substance more than once for another function.

HORIZONTAL 6) What is our main topic today?

7) What should you look for when purchasing a reusable plastic container?

8) Once the plastic waste disintegrates, it does not fully disintegrates as plastic is non-biodegradable. What does it become?

9) A word when your teeth hurt.

10) A word to describe when you have reached your goal.

13

SOURCES AND REFERENCES Adioetomo, SM. and Mujahid, G. (2014). UNFPA Indonesia Monograph Series No.1: Indonesia on the Threshold of Population Ageing. Jakarta: UNFPA. in Badan Pusat Statistik. (2020). Analisis Profil Penduduk Indonesia. Badan Pusat Statistik.

Adioetomo, SM. (2020) in Badan Pusat Statistik. (2020). Analisis Profil Penduduk Indonesia. Badan Pusat Statistik.

Badan Pusat Statistik. (2020). Analisis Profil Penduduk Indonesia. Badan Pusat Statistik Bauer, Brent A. (2022).What is BPA, and what are the concerns about BPA?. Accessed on July 2022 through https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-andhealthy-eating/expert-answers/bpa/faq-20058331 Clean management environmental group Inc. (n/a).The Importance of the 5Rs of Waste Management. Accessed on July 2022 through https://cleanmanagement.com/blog/the-importance-of-the-5rs-of-waste-management/ Harvard Health Publishing-Harvard Medical School, (2019). Accessed on August 2022 through https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/is-plastic-a-threat-to-yourhealth Jambeck, Jenna R., et al. (2015). Plastic Waste Inputs from Land into the Ocean.

Accessed on July 2022 through https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1260352 Konieczna A, Rutkowska A, Rachoń D. (2015). Health risk of exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA). Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig. 2015;66(1):5-11. PMID: 25813067. Accessed on August 2022 through https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25813067/ Reality Check Team- BBC News. (2019). Why Some Countries are Shipping Back Plastic Waste. Accessed on July 2022 through https://www.bbc.com/news/world-48444874 The Ocean Clean Up. (n/a). The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Accessed on July 2022 through https://theoceancleanup.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch/#how-much-plasticfloats-in-the-great-pacific-garbage-patch Tsydenova, Nina and Patil, Pawan. (2021). 6 reasons to blame plastic pollution for climate change.

Accessed on July 2022 through https://blogs.worldbank.org/endpovertyinsouthasia/6-reasons-blame-plastic-pollutionclimate-change 14

CROSSWORD ANSWERS

G N I G Z N A I Z M A A M A 15

ARCHIPELAGO JOURNAL #1

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