15-18

YRE Winner – Photo 15-18yrs: Bridge over troubled water?

submitted by St Thomas More GSS Santa Lucia : El Kayati Fatima, Farrugia Antonella, Saliba Nicole  for 15-18
dissemination(s): school media
filed under Photos

Malta is one of the countries with the least water resources. Having little rain and a highly populated area means that if the rain water is not used to its best, we will have serious problems in the coming years. At school, the school playground is the roof of a water reservoir. This reservoir needs urgent attention and could be used to water the whole of the school trees and used in the toilets flushing. The reservoir needs maintenance so as it can be used. It is an old structure but since it is at least 100 metres by 50 metres wide and more than a storey high it can hold enough water to satisfy the school’s need for second class water. If this reservoir has more water that the school needs, it could be used to help farmers in the vicinity and use this water instead of pumping water from a borehole. Pumping a lot of water from a borehole will result in a problem since it will be invaded by sea salty water instead of water good for drinking. As students we need to keep the ground clean so as the rubbish will not block the water intakes of the reservoir.



Read More

Wrigley Winner – Photo 15-18yrs: Gateway to Heaven

submitted by Giovanni Curmi Higher Secondary School Naxxar : John Charles Fenech  for 15-18
dissemination(s): newspaper, radio, school magazine, school media
filed under Photos

Fennel, cape sorrell, thistle, and many other species trying to survive the struggle against rubbish. Is this the gate that takes you to a wonderful relaxing natural place? Or a gate that takes you to broken glass, sharp tins, broken plastic and other dangerous things? What benefits are insects, worms and plants taking from this rubbish? What benefits are people taking out of all this mess? There is a simple answer to this question, there is no form of benefit. Unless there is a species which feeds on broken glass or plastic, there is no way this could be beneficial to any living organism. Apart from the fact that even people can get hurt just by walking near an area such as this (for example by stepping on broken glass), these waste materials can release toxic substances which are harmful to us and the rest of the environment. Is this the kind of place we want to step into when we pass from a gate? No one can say this is heaven on Earth.



Read More

Photos 15-18 years Commended Entry – Worthy Worms

submitted by St.Michael School : Karl Buhagiar  for 15-18
dissemination(s): school magazine
filed under Photos

Some people may be afraid of worms and do not think highly of them.  But some species are really worth breeding.  The worms seen in the picture are all the time eating and eating.  In fact, they are really efficient in consuming our waste – be it kitchen or garden waste, newspapers and magazines, in fact, anything that is biodegradable.  It only takes several weeks for these worms to turn waste into fine compost and manure with no offensive smells in the process.  Local governments should consider seriously the adoption of treating waste by this method because it would save them big headaches with regards to the location of waste treatment plants, smell pollution and other undesirable problems.  In addition, the use of fine compost and manure produced by worms would eliminate the use of synthetic fertilisers by farmers and keen gardeners, thus reducing the level of pollution in our aquifers.  The work done by this amazing creation is able to effect positively our environment and should indeed be considered as worthy and precious little worms.



Read More

Photos 15-18 years Commended Entry – Destroying my rest place

submitted by Santa Margerita GSS Cospicua : Nirvana Grech  for 15-18
dissemination(s): EkoSkola Notice board, other, Parents Day, Teachers' Face book
filed under Photos

Kultant meta jaghmlu xi progett ikissru l-paci u l-ftit hdura li ghandna…. li kultant ikun post ta’ mistrieh ghal diversi persuni matul il-jum. Fuq dan il-bank kont nistenna lil shabi qabel nidhlu l-iskola, issa qerduh. Mhux sew. Il-progress ma ghandux ikisser izda isebbah u ihaddar… meta ser nitghallmu?



Read More

Uninhabited

submitted by St. Aloysius College : Martina Mifsud  for 15-18
dissemination(s): other, Sent to local newspaper but no reply as of yet
filed under Photos

It is a house in a sad state. Apart from being an immediate eye sore in the otherwise picturesque fishing village of Marsaxlokk, it also poses a constant threat to those who dare walk along that pavement; which most people do. Sitting at the very edge of the sea front, it is inevitable despite the risks; and on Sunday during the market; visitors couldn’t care less, in spite of the very visible physical deterioration of the building; such as the demolished balcony, the lack of doors, the hanging-by-a-thread lamppost or the much eroded globigerina which composes it.



Read More

Exposed

submitted by St. Aloysius College : Martina Mifsud  for 15-18
dissemination(s): other, Sent to newspaper but no reply as of yet
filed under Photos

Pictures speak a thousand words; and this one could be heard shouting not to pass from underneath that balcony. Three balconies in succession all face the same fate as their wrought iron mesh is exposed; making it more liable to damage by weather conditions which speed up its erosion. If it worsens; the balcony could and might as well collapse. No more could be stated than what is seen in the picture; a despicable sight which has been present for years now… yet which no one cared about enough to fix. Also, it is worthwhile noting that these balconies are found in a restaurant; which is open on the weekends and their balconies are easily accessible to their customers. The state of these balconies cannot support the people, and it seems that until something tragic occurs, no action is going to be taken.



Read More

Plant a tree in the gravel

submitted by Archbishop's Seminary : Jean Luke Camilleri  for 15-18
dissemination(s): other, sent to a local newspaper but no reply as of now
filed under Photos

This scene is not a one-off extracted from the delving depths of our country’s worst, but rather a common view in the south of Malta. Perfectly healthy trees are strewn apart and dumped into this compostal site which houses more than just dead trees. It also provides a stable habitat for small creatures such as mice and roaches. The environment is being deteriorated in some ways; namely the fact that the lack of these trees from the soil can reduce soil tackiness; resulting in unnecessary water runoff (note picture was taken on sloping ground). This house is perfectly habitable; therefore that is also an aspect one might question rationally; as to why there is an empty house in such a state. Isn’t that loss of ground which could be used beneficially for more humane purposes, such as planting ground or manipulated into a home which people would actually live in?



Read More

There’s a fly in my eye

submitted by St. Aloysius College : Martina Mifsud  for 15-18
dissemination(s): other, Sent it to a local newspaper but no reply was received
filed under Photos

It is a sad sight which is becoming increasingly common; as dead domestic animals, particularly cats are a frequent occurrence. It is a route up a blind alley should we humans (particularly the locals) continue to exude this behavior, as apart from embellishing Malta with a highly negative reputation, it is very obviously having a deterioration and detrimental effect on the cat population .Though found in large numbers, the cat population here in Malta is a bit of inevitable nuisance from the perspective of space; however beneficially biodiverse through environmental perception since they aid in continuing the biological cycles; which every member of the interdependent manual workers here in Malta are in need of. Should we give a bit of thought to the issue, we realize that it would be more feasible to give up a cat for homing rather than killing it, or rather than running over it voluntarily.



Read More

Preserving our endemics

submitted by St Michael School St Venera : Karl Buhagiar  for 15-18
dissemination(s): school magazine
filed under Photos

Look at this beautiful creature! It is the Maltese Fresh Water Crab, found only on the Maltese Islands. I captured this rare sight on an excursion to Bahrija valley where the fresh water course flows. It was a quiet afternoon and had to wait considerable time to spot this crab. But I was lucky. It is hardly visible when many people are around. It hates disturbance. Besides, it is so well camouflaged that you hardly see it in the water. The number of these fresh water crabs is very low so you have to quite patient to see it. It needs a continuous supply of fresh water throughout the year. This has become rather difficult on our islands because many people are extracting water from the aquifers. The pesticides used by farmers are also polluting the water. So, let us do our best to preserve these wonderful crabs.



Read More

Sting

submitted by St Thomas More GSS Santa Lucia : El Kayati Fatima, Farrugia Antonella, Saliba Nicole  for 15-18
dissemination(s): EkoSkola Notice board, FB teachers' group, other, school monitors
filed under Photos

Kultant importanti li tniggez lil xi nies li mhux qed jiehdu hsieb l-ambjent. Bzonn li l-ambjent naghtu aktar kasu u nhallu pjanti jikbru u mhux nghattu kollox bil-konkrit. Mhux la kemm nizirghu qasrija izda importanti li nsaqquhom u niehdu hsiebhom mill-ahjar li nistghu.



Read More