Cerita Sepasang Pohon Randu 'Raksasa' 2021

Pemalang - Sepasang pohon randu ukuran besar atau 'raksasa' berdiri berjejer mengapit jalan raya Pemalang-Purbalinga, Kabupaten Pemalang, Jawa Tengah. Randu yang disebut berusia ratusan tahun itu dinamai randu lanang (pria) dan randu wedok (wanita).

"Kalau usianya, saya kecil saja pohon randu sudah sebesar ini. Cerita persis tidak tahu. Soalnya diceritakan turun-temurun dan banyak versinya," kata sesepuh warga setempat, Mbah Rais (68), kepada detikcom, Jumat (19/3/2021).

"Ada yang menyebut randu lanang dan wedok. Ya bisa saja, dari bentuk pohon randu bisa dilihat sendiri," tambahnya.

Mbah Rais menyebutkan selama ini pohon randu itu dikenal orang berada di wilayah Randudongkal. Padahal, lokasinya masuk Desa Sikasur, Kecamatan Belik. Menurut Mbah Rais, randu berumur sekitar ratusan tahun, tingginya lebih dari 40 meter. Sedangkan diameternya bila delapan orang melingkar dengan berpegangan tangan tidak cukup.

"40 meter lebih ya tingginya. Kalau besarnya, perlu delapan orang bahkan bisa lebih, jika melingkar saling berpegangan tangan," ujarnya.

Sementara itu, Kepala Desa Sikasur, Kusni, mengatakan sepasang pohon randu tersebut terbilang langka jika dilihat dari ukurannya. Di Desa Sikasur ada tiga pohon randu 'raksasa'. Selain sepasang randu jejer, ada juga satu pohon randu serupa yang letaknya cukup jauh yakni di Karangmulya.

"Tidak ada yang berani tebang. Makanya siapapun harus bareng menjaganya," kata Kusni. Ia menceritakan, beberapa tahun yang lalu ada warga asal Purwokerto yang penasaran dan mampir saat dini hari untuk mengambil foto di lokasi pohon randu raksasa itu."Beberapa tahun yang lalu, jam satu malam, ada dosen senior dari Purwokerto, ada enam orang, penasaran, malam-malam memfoto randu jejer. Ada penampakan. Ular besar. Ada apinya," katanya.

"Dikeramatkan warga. Tapi, warga sini tidak ada ritual khusus apapun," jelasnya.

Kusni menambahkan, pohon randu jejer raksasa akhir-akhir ini memang tengah tren untuk dijadikan lokasi swafoto kalangan muda-mudi.

"Ya tidak masalah. Hanya saja, dilakukan di lokasi yang aman, mengingat lokasi setempat kan jalannya menikung. Jangan dilakukan di jalan raya. Karena selain mengganggu arus kendaraan juga membahayakan, karena jalan menikung sangat tajam," imbaunya.

"Saya imbau juga, untuk tidak merusak pohon. Atau mengotori pohon dengan sampah-sampah. Kita harus bersama-sama menjaganya," pungkasnya.

 

 

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Kapuk Karaban Diekspor Hingga ke Jepang Tahun 2020

Jika di tanah air kapuk randu jadi bahan baku kasur, lain halnya dengan di negeri matahari terbit Jepang yang menjadikan serat kapuk menjadi bahan baku pembuatan body armour (baju pelindung untuk polisi dan militer).

Hal ini diungkapkan salah satu IKM (Industri Kecil Menengah) dari Desa Karaban, Gabus Pati dengan produk Kapuk Fiber yang diekspor ke negeri matahari terbit tersebut. Untuk melakukan produksi kapuk jenis ini memiliki spesifikasi khusus dan tidak setiap pabrik tempat produksi memiliki kemampuan membuatnya karena berbeda kegunaannya.

Kapuk fiber telah terjaring dalam pelatihan ECP (Export Coaching Program) tahun 2021 selama kurang lebih 1 tahun serentak akan dilaksanakan di tiga provinsi yakni regional Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, dan Jawa Timur.

ECP sendiri terlaksana berkat kerjasama Balai Besar Pendidikan dan Pelatihan Ekspor Indonesia Direktorat Jenderal Pengembangan Ekspor Nasional Kementerian Perdagangan bekerja sama dengan Dinas Perindustrian dan Perdagangan Provinsi Jawa Tengah mengadakan Workshop dan Verifikasi Perusahaan Export Coaching Progam selama empat hari dari tanggal 22-25 Februari 2021 bertempat di Hotel Gets Semarang.

“Kami telah menunggu program pemerintah ini yang mana akan dilakukan inkubasi sampai berhasil melaksanakan ekspor di NTE (Negara Tujuan Ekspor) sebab produk Kapuk Fiber punya pasar yang potensial dan sangatlah ramah lingkungan,” ungkap Dimas, Selasa, 23 Februari 2021 .

Perusahaannya telah melakukan ekspor untuk pertama kalinya di Agustus 2020 yang lalu melalui pihak ketiga. Selain itu, kemarin bertepatan saat mengikuti workshop ini yang bersangkutan telah menerima hasil uji sampel yang dikirim ke Jepang.  “That Java Kapok is Indonesia’s most Eco Friendly Fiber,” Ungkap Client Jepang.

“Semoga dengan inkubasi ECP ini, bisa memberi dampak positif ke Masyarakat Kabupaten Pati. Karena dapat menyerap tenaga kerja dan membuka lahan pekerjaan baru. Sehingga mampu memberikan PAD Kabupaten Pati dan Devisa Negara. Sebab sangatlah besar potensi pasar untuk produk kapuk randu di luar sana,” harapnya.

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Road Trip: Fashion For Good, Next-Generation Innovators and A Cappuccino 2018

June 2018, FashNerd popped into Fashion for Good HQ in Amsterdam for a one on one meeting with next-generation innovators who have been selected to be part of Fashion for Good-Plug and Play Accelerator. Over a cappuccino, we got to hear from startups that have been following a robust curriculum for 12-weeks. It was a programme that included mentorship from the Accelerator’s partners adidas, C&A, Galeries Lafayette, Kering, Target and Zalando.

Fashion for Good, A Platform For Innovation

Fashion for Good is a global initiative designed to transform the fashion industry for good. At the core of the company is their Fashion for Good-Plug and Play Accelerator programme that offers startup innovators the expertise and access to funding they need to grow. Anne-Ro Klevant Groen, communication manager at Fashion For Good said, “Next to the Accelerator we also have a Scaling programme, that has been created to support innovations that have passed the proof-of-concept phase, and are ready to take advantage of the bespoke support and access to expertise, customers and capital”. Today we spoke to several startups from the Accelerator programme.

Of the many startups we came across, we spoke to Jeroen Muijsers the startup produces natural yarns, fillings and fabrics made from kapok fibres. The kapok tree can be naturally grown without the use of pesticides and insecticides in arid soil not suitable for agricultural farming, offering a sustainable alternative to high water consumption natural fibre crops such as cotton. We first met the textile engineer at Munich Fabric Start where he showcased his vegan solution. Driven by the impact he saw firsthand when he worked in garment production, Jeroen was encouraged to try and improve the process by offering a versatile fibre that is even better than tencel and cotton.

    “When it comes to the word sustainability, it has lost its credibility because it has been so overused”

    – Jeroen Muijsers

Encouraged to dig deeper, I asked him about what sustainable fashion means to him, “When it comes to the word sustainability, it has lost its credibility because it has been so overused”. I understood his point. The word has been thrown around quite a bit, which has led to it no longer have the power of change that it once had. Maybe we need to rebuild the word and what it now means.

Working mainly with B2B, Jeroen has come to realise that sustainable fashion comes at a price. “The thing is authentic sustainability comes about through knowledge. This is why consumers need to be educated, and then we will be able to change their buying behaviour”. Nodding in agreement, he looked at me and then said, “The media, like you, are going much faster than sustainability can keep up”. Smiling, I thought it is probably because it is easy to forget that change doesn’t happen overnight. So that is why we think that it is great that companies are patiently making the kind of difference that has been long overdue.

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Love Your Baby, Love Organic 2017

What is Kapuk? (and how do you say it?!!!) It has actually been quite surprising finding people that know about Kapuk - I haven't seen it being used as a stuffing in many products at all! But it's a fantastic fibre, who's benefits outway most of it's competitors and one that really needs promoting. So how do you say it? "Kay" (or phonetically speaking "Kei") "Poek", so no tongue twisting there :) (phew!).

I have now included a tab on my product pages giving a few details on what we are filling our pillows with. Check out our product pages or just read below!

Here at Baby Harvelicious we fill our Huggsie Pillow with a fibre called Kapuk (also known as silk cotton or Java cotton).

Kapuks origins come from Java Island - Indonesia, but can now be found in rainforests worldwide.

The kapuk fibres are hair-like, glossy and are a yellowish, cream colour made from lignin and cellulose. 

Each fibre is about 2.5 cm long and has thin walls that are covered with a waterproof wax. Combined, this makes kapuk:

lightweight - which helps when you are using it to support a growing baby!

resilient - its waxy coating helps repel water, and that is always helpful with accidents and spillages

bouncy - kapuk resists clumping, so does not become lumpy like other stuffings. Even after washing it bounces back to its original shape

slippy - the waxy coating makes it a slippy fibre therefore making it easy to adjust the shape to how you need (because it bounces back into shape afterwards it doesnt matter!)

warm - the cell structure in Kapuk allows it to trap air, which is great for insulating. Keeping your baby warm and snuggled 

hypoallergenic - which is important for vunerable newborns (with our stuffing being organic, this adds an extra bonus for your little one)

environmentally friendly - because kapuk is naturally biodegradable, it can be reused many times without developing mould or decaying (unlike stuffings containing polyester)

(From owner Baby Harvelicious - Europe)

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