Femina magazine, January 2020
Translation of the article:
Who would have thought to work and deal with waste? It is dirty, repelling, and has bad odors. But not for Aretha Aprilia, an Environmental Specialist who has been active
in the field of environmental management, particularly waste management in several countries, and who decided to return to her home country to try to find solutions to the environmental and waste problem.
Aretha has received her educations abroad, such as her Master of Science in Urban Environmental Management from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, and her PhD in Energy Science from Kyoto University, Japan.
She has also worked in many countries, e.g. as Consultant for the Mitsubishi Research Institute and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies – both are based in Tokyo; Research Assistant at Kyoto University, and as Programme Specialist at the United Nations Environment Program for Asia and Pacific regional office in Bangkok, Thailand.
Seeing her excellent portfolio will certainly make anyone feel inspired. So what made her decide to return to her home country instead of developing her impressive career in the international sphere?
“After ten years of living and building my career in various countries, I started to feel that my expertise and knowledge are more needed in Indonesia, which might sound cliché, but I want to do something for my own country. Indonesia actually has the potential to make changes for the better, but somehow the problem of waste and environment have not been properly managed, "said Aretha, who was a speaker at the Indonesian Women's Forum in 2019 last November.
Aretha currently works at the Jakarta-based US engineering consulting company CDM Smith, which currently works on projects related to waste management in several cities in Indonesia. The outputs are feasibility studies for advanced waste management system. Simply put, she is looking for solutions that are good for the environment.
Having had brilliant work experience abroad does not necessarily leads to a smooth career journey in the country. It is not a rare occurrence that she is still underestimated just because she is a woman, and especially when she held leadership positions at a relatively young age compared to her peers. She oversaw the work of people who were more senior and the majority were men. It was unavoidable that the double burden as being a woman and younger than her peers was faced by Aretha.
Aretha has received her educations abroad, such as her Master of Science in Urban Environmental Management from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, and her PhD in Energy Science from Kyoto University, Japan.
She has also worked in many countries, e.g. as Consultant for the Mitsubishi Research Institute and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies – both are based in Tokyo; Research Assistant at Kyoto University, and as Programme Specialist at the United Nations Environment Program for Asia and Pacific regional office in Bangkok, Thailand.
Seeing her excellent portfolio will certainly make anyone feel inspired. So what made her decide to return to her home country instead of developing her impressive career in the international sphere?
“After ten years of living and building my career in various countries, I started to feel that my expertise and knowledge are more needed in Indonesia, which might sound cliché, but I want to do something for my own country. Indonesia actually has the potential to make changes for the better, but somehow the problem of waste and environment have not been properly managed, "said Aretha, who was a speaker at the Indonesian Women's Forum in 2019 last November.
Aretha currently works at the Jakarta-based US engineering consulting company CDM Smith, which currently works on projects related to waste management in several cities in Indonesia. The outputs are feasibility studies for advanced waste management system. Simply put, she is looking for solutions that are good for the environment.
Having had brilliant work experience abroad does not necessarily leads to a smooth career journey in the country. It is not a rare occurrence that she is still underestimated just because she is a woman, and especially when she held leadership positions at a relatively young age compared to her peers. She oversaw the work of people who were more senior and the majority were men. It was unavoidable that the double burden as being a woman and younger than her peers was faced by Aretha.
"At the end of the day, all I can do is to prove that I can do the work. I have to be multifaceted and make sure that what I said were heard. As women we must do the extra miles when leading something," she said. She felt that it is important to not to be easily intimidated because it will only hurt ourselves.
All her hard work resulted to further achievements. Aretha received many international awards in the environmental field, such as the “2017 Green Talent Award” from the German government in Berlin, “50 Most Impactful Green Leaders” award in Mumbai India, to being selected as the “Climate Change Professional Fellows” by the US Department of State to attend programs in New York City and Washington DC in the US.
Waste is her ikigai
Even if she has to deal with waste, it is not an issue for Aretha. "This is my ikigai (purpose of life). I always feel excited when I have to think of solutions to overcome the problems of waste and environment in our country," she said.
When she was a Master’s student in the Netherlands, a lecturer told her class about the works of the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and made her more interested in this sector. In fact she dreamed of being able to work at that institution - a dream which later brought Aretha to an internship that lead to her career at UNEP, and received her doctoral education in Japan with the focus on energy and waste management.
Back in 2005 she finally realized that waste management (or lack thereof) was a big program for developing nations, especially in Asia. “The discourse on this sector was considered strange back then, although it has become mainstream discussions in other more developed nations. So I thought, how about the fate of waste management Indonesia in the future? From then on, I became increasingly interested in exploring this issue and tried to find ways to make Indonesia able to adopt waste sorting at source and proper waste management, so here I am," she recalls.
But sometimes having to work in this sector may come off as strange. She is sometimes teased by her husband Dr. Nuki Agya Utama. “How come a princess is working at the landfills?” But I just
consider this as an interesting work. I'm fine and It's fun,” she said with a laugh.
Indeed the unpleasant aroma of the waste at the landfills that she often encounters during her field work cannot be avoided, but the fact that she can meet with many people, including scavengers and waste management
officials, gave her many interesting perspectives on waste.
Her assignment to research a number of landfills provides a memorable experience, for example when visiting the Bantar Gebang landfill in Bekasi that becomes a dumping ground for Jakarta wastes.
"Jakarta is not just a matter of skyscrapers and all that glitters. Bantargebang is Jakarta's back end, which always amazes me every time I come there. All those wastes can be piled up to 30 meters or more within many hectares of land," she said.
This makes us realize that our country is facing waste emergency and needs real solutions. Because the waste problem is like a time bomb; if not dealt with quickly, we might be buried in them.
This makes us realize that our country is facing waste emergency and needs real solutions. Because the waste problem is like a time bomb; if not dealt with quickly, we might be buried in them.
As a woman, she felt that she has a sense of altruism, which is the natural trait of women who want to protect and take care of others and the environment, she explained.
Having received the highest level of education, establishing her career internationally, to returning to her home country following her calling, Aretha wants to become an international expert in the environmental
field.
"If my experience as an International Expert has become more solid, when our country needs me someday to contribute to the nation, for example to be a Minister, then I will be ready, insya Allah (if God willing)," said Aretha.
"If my experience as an International Expert has become more solid, when our country needs me someday to contribute to the nation, for example to be a Minister, then I will be ready, insya Allah (if God willing)," said Aretha.
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Femina magazine, January 2020
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Femina magazine, 2019
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Noor Magazine, 2017
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Noor Magazine, 2018
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Cita Cinta magazine, 2016
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Noor magazine, 2017
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Suara Merdeka daily newspaper, 2017
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Antara news:
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Psikologi Plus magazine, 2012


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Kompas
Perempuan Indonesia, Coba Beasiswa Ini!
Kompas Cyber Media
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — Dua
perempuan Indonesia meraih beasiswa Schlumberger Foundation untuk tahun
2011. Penerima beasiswa menerima sebesar 50,000 dollar AS (sekitar Rp
431 juta) per tahun bagi para perempuan dari negara berkembang yang
menempuh program S-3 dan 40,000 dollar AS (sekitar Rp 345 juta) per
tahun bagi yang mengikuti program post doctoral pada universitas ternama
di negara maju.
Setelah mengikuti serangkaian seleksi yang ketat, dua perempuan Indonesia terpilih untuk mendapatkan beasiswa tersebut, yakni Aretha Aprilia, yang tengah menempuh program S-3 di Department of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Jepang, dan Fenny Dwivany yang tengah menempuh program Post-doctorate bidang pertanian di Queensland University of Technology Australia.
Penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Aretha Aprilia, salah satu penerima beasiswa ini, berfokus pada pengelolaan sampah rumah tangga di Jakarta.
“Saya tertarik dengan kompleksitas dan interkoneksi masalah persampahan sebab tidak hanya menyentuh pada teknis pengelolaan sampah dan dampak lingkungan yang diakibatkan, tetapi juga dampak sosial dan ekonomi bagi rumah tangga dan pemulung. Harapan saya adalah untuk membuat skenario pengelolaan sampah yang tepat untuk masa depan dengan mengedepankan aspek teknik, lingkungan, sosial, dan ekonomi,” kata Aretha, seperti dimuat dalam rilis yang diterima Kompas.com, Kamis (30/6/2011).
Sejak tahun 2004-2011, telah tercatat sebanyak 22 perempuan Indonesia yang menerima beasiswa ini. Bagi Anda yang tertarik mendaftarkan diri mengikuti seleksi beasiswa ini, pendaftaran untuk program ini akan dibuka kembali mulai tanggal 1 September hingga 30 November 2011. Informasi selengkapnya bisa diperoleh di http://www.facultyforthefuture.net.
Program tahunan ini diadakan sejak tahun 2004 dan sejauh ini telah mendanai sebanyak 194 perempuan dari 54 negara. Persyaratan untuk mendaftarkan diri dalam program ini adalah perempuan warga negara dari negara berkembang, tengah mempersiapkan program PhD atau post-doctoral untuk bidang sains (physical sciences) dan disiplin terkait, telah diterima atau telah terdaftar sebagai mahasiswa di universitas yang dituju, memiliki pengalaman mengajar, dan dapat menunjukkan partisipasi aktif dalam mendorong perempuan-perempuan muda bekerja ke dalam ilmu pengetahuan/sains, serta memiliki catatan akademis yang baik.
https://medan.kompas.com/read/2011/07/01/13351333/perempuan.indonesia.coba.beasiswa.ini
***
Jong Indonesia magazine:


https://www.scribd.com/doc/32701142/Jong-Indonesia-Edisi-3-Juni-2010
Setelah mengikuti serangkaian seleksi yang ketat, dua perempuan Indonesia terpilih untuk mendapatkan beasiswa tersebut, yakni Aretha Aprilia, yang tengah menempuh program S-3 di Department of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Jepang, dan Fenny Dwivany yang tengah menempuh program Post-doctorate bidang pertanian di Queensland University of Technology Australia.
Penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Aretha Aprilia, salah satu penerima beasiswa ini, berfokus pada pengelolaan sampah rumah tangga di Jakarta.
“Saya tertarik dengan kompleksitas dan interkoneksi masalah persampahan sebab tidak hanya menyentuh pada teknis pengelolaan sampah dan dampak lingkungan yang diakibatkan, tetapi juga dampak sosial dan ekonomi bagi rumah tangga dan pemulung. Harapan saya adalah untuk membuat skenario pengelolaan sampah yang tepat untuk masa depan dengan mengedepankan aspek teknik, lingkungan, sosial, dan ekonomi,” kata Aretha, seperti dimuat dalam rilis yang diterima Kompas.com, Kamis (30/6/2011).
Sejak tahun 2004-2011, telah tercatat sebanyak 22 perempuan Indonesia yang menerima beasiswa ini. Bagi Anda yang tertarik mendaftarkan diri mengikuti seleksi beasiswa ini, pendaftaran untuk program ini akan dibuka kembali mulai tanggal 1 September hingga 30 November 2011. Informasi selengkapnya bisa diperoleh di http://www.facultyforthefuture.net.
Program tahunan ini diadakan sejak tahun 2004 dan sejauh ini telah mendanai sebanyak 194 perempuan dari 54 negara. Persyaratan untuk mendaftarkan diri dalam program ini adalah perempuan warga negara dari negara berkembang, tengah mempersiapkan program PhD atau post-doctoral untuk bidang sains (physical sciences) dan disiplin terkait, telah diterima atau telah terdaftar sebagai mahasiswa di universitas yang dituju, memiliki pengalaman mengajar, dan dapat menunjukkan partisipasi aktif dalam mendorong perempuan-perempuan muda bekerja ke dalam ilmu pengetahuan/sains, serta memiliki catatan akademis yang baik.
https://medan.kompas.com/read/2011/07/01/13351333/perempuan.indonesia.coba.beasiswa.ini
***
Jong Indonesia magazine:
https://www.scribd.com/doc/32701142/Jong-Indonesia-Edisi-3-Juni-2010