The story started from the concerns of the students seeing rice husks were wasted at the sides of the road. Five UGM students then made the husk as glass souvenier handicraft. The students are Bayu Aji Pamungkas, Ajeng Ramadhani Fisabilah, Cornelia C. Armala, Dikki Apriyanto, and Eti Rahayu, and their lecturer, Fitria Damayanti Berutu.
Bayu Aji Pamungkas said rice husks are abundant in the village of Srihardono in Bantul regency. It is a rice producing village that has not utilised the husks well. “Seeing the wasted husk at the sides of the road has triggered us to make it into a creative product,” he said on Friday (29/6).
Based on creative economy development, this G’Mers team students have guided the local residents of Srihardono to make the rice husks into glass souvenier which is environmentally friendly.
“The rice husk is ground well and glued and later is molded into glasses,” he said, adding that the rice husk has now become a commodity that has economic value.
The local residents were also trained on packaging and promotion of the product as well as other innovative work. In addition, awareness on environment was promoted among the residents by maintaining clean environment while utilising waste materials to make product of economic value.
“Hopefully, in the future, this programme can initiate the use of rice husks in other villages and to make it a typical souvenier from Srihardono village,” he said.