11-14

Photo 11-14 yrs 1st place National Winner: Dump vs. Nature

submitted by The Archbishop's Seminary : Jonathan Joseph Barbara  for 11-14
dissemination(s): school media
filed under Photos

I took this photo when I went for a walk with my family in the countryside in Baħrija. I still can’t believe my eyes that after so many talks about taking care of the environment, there are still people who don’t care and dump their rubbish anywhere they want. We are lucky that in Malta we have five different civic amenity sites which open every day and are free of charge for the public to make use of. Even Local Councils offer free services to come to our house and pick up bulky waste. Unfortunately sometimes people seem not to be bothered to use this service. We definitely need to increase the awareness and help people understand the real impacts of such actions. At the end of the day it does not only boil down to eyesores but direct impacts on our surroundings – which basically shape our lives.



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Photo 11-14 yrs 2nd place National Winner: Waste Not, Want Not

submitted by Our Lady Immaculate School Hamrun : Yasmin Joy Attard  for 11-14
dissemination(s): Ekoskola notice board during 2nd term and Parents' Days., other
filed under Photos

This is freshwater running down a hill in Siggiewi after a heavy rain pour. All this water is being lost as there is no way for it to be collected for further use, especially in the fields. Imagine that every area has its own reservoir, supplied by rainwater. One would gladly turn to this water than use groundwater, which now comes at a cost, to irrigate the fields or to use domestically. Hence, building channels for water that lead to a reservoir would help twofold: first it reduces the amount of groundwater pumped up and then reduce the cost of water.



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Photo 11-14 yrs 3rd place National Winner: A bendy right turn?

submitted by St. Clare College Girls Secondary Ex-Sandhurst Pembroke : Rachel Marie Farrugia  for 11-14
dissemination(s): school magazine, website
filed under Photos

This road sign is not to be found in some remote rural area of Malta. It occupies a prominent position in the main square next to the Rotunda Church in Mosta, signaling to drivers that they are forbidden to turn right. The photo captures the piteous state of this road sign. Besides being horribly mangled, a good part of the road sign has gone rusty to the extent that not only has the paint peeled off but the metal has also correded. Moreover, someone has decided to use this sign as a miniature billboard, placing an advertisement on it. This area is visited by many Maltese and tourists alike. Isn't it time to replace this sign with a new one?



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The Corner

submitted by The Archbishop's Seminary : Antonio Polidano  for 11-14
filed under Photos

Nature communicates with us with its own language. It doesn’t communicate with us in our language but in signs that we humans take for granted. The photo (taken in the limits of Ħaz Zebbuġ), shows a picture of the ruins of a room in a field after being destroyed by natural forces. By looking at this photo I could see a corner (that was once part of the room) that means that nature is telling us to bring an end to more destruction to our environment. One way is by controlling the amount of buildings being built. The message is clear – if we try to destroy nature, it will destroy us back. As you can see in the photo, the only standing part is a derelict corner which is slowly being crept over by wild plants.



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Is this the new cat’s home?

submitted by The Archbishop's Seminary School : Matthew Ellul  for 11-14
filed under Photos

Wied Blandun is situated between Fgura and Paola. It is abandoned and nobody cleans it up. There are lot of dirty stuff, like this cupboard and there are a lot of other things like shoes thrown away in the grass. This cupboard is now used as a home for the cats that live outside the streets. It would be nice if somebody would take care of this and for example instead plant some trees. The Local Council can do this. If somebody took action it would be a more beautiful place and people will visit it more often and finally it will be renovated from this thrash that make it unsuitable for people to walk in this small valley’s passages.



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Brighter Sustainability Effort

submitted by The Archbishop's Seminary School : GABRIEL LIA  for 11-14
filed under Photos

The massive cardboard structures painted in an explosion of screaming colours were giving a spectacular show on the Granaries of Floriana. The carnival floats obey the three rules:RECYCLE, REUSE, REDUCE because they use a lot of recycled material.The floats are made by wood,paper,iron,newspapers and cardboard.When the five-day festival is over they break the float and take the material that can be recycled.Then the participants start working to produce another elaborate float for next year. These brightly coloured floats dominate the local scenery during Carnival, whilst sending out one of the most important messages to public- that of sustainability since most of these floats are made from recycled materials. These floats are giving an example that recyling is useful and we can be creative and come up with innovative ideas from materials that otherwise end up piling our already massive landfills.



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Hidden Energy

submitted by The Archbishop's Seminary : Antonio Polidano  for 11-14
dissemination(s): school media
filed under Photos

Humans look at things in different perspectives: some would say that the photo above is beautiful, some would focus on the large wave and say that it simply shows a rough bay but we are missing the positive aspect that really concerns us. The photo (taken at Saint Julian’s) shows a very small and beautiful bay that is covered with large and colorful pebbles. All moving man-made objects rely on energy but the thing is that the energy used may harm us and our environment. An example is fossil fuels that are used too often and in a very large amounts. We are currently running out of fossil fuels and we have to start using other sources of energy. One alternative source of energy is that generated from natural forces such as waves. Wave power can be used to turn turbines to generate electricity!



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The River of Truth

submitted by The Archbishop's Seminary : Benjamin Dalli  for 11-14
dissemination(s): school media
filed under Photos

Wied il-Qlejgħa, or more commonly known as Chadwick Lakes is a place many Maltese are familiar with. Although it is not really a lake, but a valley, Chadwick Lakes still has more or less the same beauty of a lake, with an exception of streams, reservoirs and farmland. The streams one can find at Wied il-Qlejgħa consist of clear, fresh, filtered water. Unfortunately, some people who visit this valley are not touched by its beauty, and pollute the land to suit their liking. Other visitors illegally catch frogs, cut uncommon flowers and plants, and some others even capture insects and other animals to keep in captivity. Disgracefully, hunters only visit to hunt rare birds that rest during migration. Still, the Maltese people can’t admit that there are still people that disturb both the peace of the place and distort the course of nature. This is the River of Truth…



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A breathtaking view

submitted by The Archbishop's Seminary : Nico Aquilina  for 11-14
dissemination(s): school media
filed under Photos

Siġġiewi (or Città Ferdinand) is a village in the southwestern part of Malta. It is situated on a plateau, a few kilometres away from Mdina, the ancient capital city of Malta, and 10 kilometres away from Valletta, the contemporary capital. Many people in this quaint village used to work as farmers and in fact some of the rural aspects prevail. Indeed this photo is taken from a field and shows a breathtaking view that surrounds Siggiewi. The maquis area shows pristine natural surroundings which are an asset for tourism. Tourism in Malta is important and many tourists who come to Malta come to Siggiewi to see the magnificent natural environment and its overwhelming beauty.



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Imgiebah

submitted by The Archbishop's Seminary : Laurent Grech  for 11-14
dissemination(s): school media
filed under Photos

Imgiebah valley which lies at Selmun,has unique quaint features such as its U-shaped valley, the beach,the uplands and lowlands.It is one of the largest Natura 2000 sites.Blue clay hill slopes have been skillfully turned into terraced fields to make cultivate the preciously fertile soil. It hosts one of the only four Sclerophyll forest remnants in the Maltese islands, consisting of Holm Oak and Pine, rich in leaf litter and in forest undergrowth. Maquis areas dominated by Olive tree, Carob and Lentisk can be seen on the right-hand side. Opposite, stretches of rocky karstic ground with scattered pockets of soil trapped in the eroded limestone characterized the garrigue series,harbouring spiny and aromatic shrubs. Creating awareness about our natural surroundings would be the first step to increase sustainability efforts! Every one of us can give a hand to protect and conserve the environment. Let us really make a difference!



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