Nurturing Eco-Literacy through Recycled Story Scrapbooks

 By: Meila Rosianika

One of my projects at Wansan Girls’ High School was to transform recyclable materials into a creative workshop filled with the rustle of used paper, pieces of cardboard, and colorful markers. In this activity, students scanned digital barcodes linked to my original Indonesian storybooks, which I personally wrote and some of which have been published by the Indonesian Ministry of Education. These stories rooted in local folktales that carry moral values about kindness, respect, and family that reflect Indonesia’s cultural heritage. From those barcodes, students began crafting bilingual story scrapbooks in English and Korean, using only recycled materials. Through this process, they not only practiced language and creativity but also learned how storytelling can become a bridge between literacy, sustainability, and global citizenship.

The activity was part of the project “Strengthening Cross-Cultural Literacy through Local Stories from Indonesia and Korea”, designed to connect Global Citizenship Education (GCED) with environmental awareness. It was not just a literacy task, but a journey toward eco-literacy that can help students understand the interconnection between culture, empathy, and sustainability.

We began by revisiting the two folktales that had shaped much of our learning: Malin Kundang from Indonesia and Heungbu and Nolbu from Korea. Through group discussions, students explored how both stories convey universal moral values such as love for family, humility, and compassion. They analyzed how Heungbu’s kindness in helping a swallow brought blessings, while Malin’s pride led to isolation. In this cross-cultural dialogue, moral education naturally intertwined with empathy and reflection.

To deepen their understanding of Indonesian culture and make the learning more meaningful, I also introduced them to batik, one of Indonesia’s most renowned traditional textile arts. Before starting their creative project, students engaged in a hands-on cultural immersion session where they explored the richness of Indonesian art and tradition. I explained that batik is more than a fabric. It is a form of storytelling expressed through symbolic patterns and wax-resist dyeing techniques. Each motif carries its own meaning: some reflect philosophical ideas, natural harmony, or social values such as patience, gratitude, and respect. Students were fascinated to learn that the process of creating batik requires not only skill but also mindfulness and dedication.

As they tried simple batik coloring themselves, they experienced how art can nurture discipline, focus, and cultural appreciation. Later, they decided to incorporate some batik-inspired patterns into their bilingual scrapbooks, blending creativity with cross-cultural understanding. Through this experience, they realized that art, like stories, can become a bridge and connecting the beauty of tradition with the spirit of sustainability and empathy.

Afterward, students chose one of my local stories from the barcode collection to reinterpret in their own voices. They wrote, drew, and decorated the pages by hand, giving each recycled piece of paper a new purpose. Every group created a different storybook: some added collages from old magazines, others used natural materials like leaves or twine to decorate the covers. The classroom smelled faintly of glue and laughter the scent of creativity in progress.

As I observed them, I realized that the project was quietly transforming into something deeper. Students were not only comparing stories; they were practicing sustainability through art. They learned that creativity doesn’t require new resources. It requires awareness, collaboration, and care. One student wrote in her reflection, “We used old paper, but the story felt new. Maybe it’s the same with kindness and never gets old.”

By the end of the week, their handmade storybooks became part of our small GCED Story Exhibition. Each group presented their work, explaining what they learned about empathy, sustainability, and global citizenship. Some students said they felt connected to Indonesia because the stories reflected emotions they understood about love, struggle, and forgiveness. Others shared that they now see waste differently, as something that can be reborn into art and meaning.

The post-project reflection and questionnaire confirmed what I had sensed all along: empathy, intercultural understanding, and environmental responsibility had all increased. Students moved from awareness to action, from reading about values to embodying them through their creations. For me, this week was a reminder that literacy is not confined to books or classrooms. It grows in the moments when students write with their hands, listen with their hearts, and create with purpose. Through storytelling, they practiced being human, mindful, compassionate, and connected to the world around them.

In every recycled page and handwritten line, I saw the spirit of eco-literacy: the belief that learning can nurture both the mind and the earth. And in that quiet, colorful classroom in Jeonju, I can see deeply how stories are like seeds can grow into empathy, awareness, and hope. From the fragments of used paper, bilingual new stories bloom. Stories that teach us not only how to read the world, but how to care for it.

See you :)