How to save bugs

„How to save bugs“ is a collection of ideas that are created as a guidance for humans to alter their own everyday environment to fit the need of a bug. With an enormous decline in flying insects over the past 30 years, it is time to deal with the fact that bugs need to be protected, too.

The idea for the book emerged from the wish to do something that would have a positive effect on the life of the little protagonists: the bugs. Whilst searching for a proper project idea, the amount of things that could be done to improve the living situation of bugs turned the initial thought into a collection of such proposals.

After doing a deep research on the struggles that bugs are facing today, the projects in my book are set in the fields of agriculture, extended bug habitat, light pollution, human consciousness and protection. Ranging from easy to extensive implementation, 17 projects are introduced with a short text and an illustration.

While the illustrations themselves are digitally drawn in an isometric style, the book itself is mostly produced with a risograph printer. The ink that is used is based on soybean oil, which makes the whole process of producing the book (in combination with the usage of recycling paper) quite environmentally friendly.

With “How to save bugs”, I hope for the reader to see that there is something one could do, and to get them thinking about more creative or even absurd solutions to a problem. Because of the style of the illustrations and the texts, the book might even function as a tool to get children to experience the problems that are tackled in a rather playfull than overwhelming way. But this does also apply for adults – after all, it is never easy to approach large issues.

The next step of the project will be a second edition and/or a website containing new project ideas. To immediately gather new material and to include everyone who would like to participate, I set up a little submission box for people to contribute their own thoughts on how to save bugs. During the final presentation of the class, a few ideas already came together.