Turning invasive weeds into fuel for education

Our idea for the Global Sustainable Challenge was born from a deeply personal experience. In early 2025, a policy shift caused subsidized LPG to become scarce and expensive in Indonesia. This crisis hit Islamic boarding schools hard—institutions that provide free education and housing for orphaned children. The rising cost of LPG forced many of them to return to firewood, an environmentally harmful option, just to survive.

The selflessness of these teachers, who continued to serve vulnerable children while struggling economically, deeply inspired us. We asked ourselves: what can we do? Near these schools, we observed rivers choked by invasive water hyacinth, paralyzing the water transportation that sustains the local economy. From this problem, our solution emerged. We transform water hyacinth into an eco-friendly, affordable cooking fuel. This innovation addresses two challenges at once: providing sustainable energy for education centers and restoring river access.

In 10 years, we aim to have Islamic boarding schools and community centers have access to affordable, eco-friendly cooking fuel made from local invasive biomass, allowing them to operate with dignity and stability. Beyond just energy access, community biogas management training will empower students to operate, maintain, and manage the system themselves.
This hands-on responsibility cultivates independence, accountability, and leadership. We envision a future where students are inspired to keep learning, not only for personal advancement but to create tangible benefits for their environment and their communities.

Participating in this challenge transformed the way we learn and act as scientists. It pushed us beyond theory and into real communities, where we learned to listen, adapt, and co-create solutions rather than impose them. Most importantly, the challenge taught us that meaningful impact comes not from perfect ideas, but from humility, collaboration, and a deep sense of responsibility toward the communities we serve.

This is our first time collaborating with teammates from different academic disciplines, cultures, and countries. Working with them has been deeply enriching; listening to their ideas helped refine our own thinking and overcome moments of stagnation. Experiencing how diverse perspectives come together reinforced an important lesson: complex problems cannot be solved from a single viewpoint. Meaningful solutions emerge when we learn to see challenges through many lenses.