Photos

Wrigley Winner – Photo 11-14yrs: Potpourri

submitted by St Edward's College : Mattia Agius Muscat  for 11-14
dissemination(s): newspaper, school media, website
filed under Photos

The word Potpourri refers to a mix of dried flowers however when literally translated also means a mixture of rotten and unrelated material. A contradiction which reflects the unfortunate situation being captured by this picture of wild flora by the sea coast in the limits of Xagħjra being turned into a dump. What a beautiful world it would be if we all had to ensure that our environment is turned into a a fresh potpourri rather than a rotten potpourri!



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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.



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Wrigley Winner – Photo 19-21yrs: Fruit for Thought

submitted by Eco-Centre Zejtun : Johann Camilleri  for 19-25
dissemination(s): Facebook, other
filed under Photos

An FAO report states that 1.3 billion tonnes of food per year is wasted. This amounts to about a third of the food for human consumption and is lost or wasted through the entire food chain, from farm to plate. According to the UN Environment Program, when throwing away food, we are wasting major resources such as water, land, labor and energy which are used up to produce such food. Food waste which ends up in landfills contributes to global warming and climate change since it adds 3.3 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases to the planet’s atmosphere. Considering that 13.1% of people are hungry and 33% of food is wasted, we must keep in mind that the food we waste and throw away will have been the meal for those suffering hunger. As Pope Francis said: “Throwing food away is like stealing from the tables of the poor, the hungry!”



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Photos 11-14 years Commended Entry -Fertilisers… Do they actually fertilise?

submitted by St. Margaret's College Girls' Secondary School Zejtun : Erika Esposito  for 11-14
dissemination(s): newspaper, Notice boards and social media, other, School assemblies, school magazine, school media
filed under Photos

When one research the definition of a fertiliser the most frequent answer is a substance which helps the plant to grow by supplying the necessary minerals. Yet, one has to make an important distinction between organic and inorganic fertilisers. Being natural, organic fertilisers harm the environment much less compared to inorganic ones. This is because; they are made up from natural sources such as manure and compost. On the other hand, inorganic fertilizers cause fertiliser burns, water pollution by the leaching of nitrates leading to health problems such as the blue baby syndrome and also increase the amount of pests. So, think twice what the best option is… getting healthier plants with some more waiting time for their development or getting plants bigger at a faster rate but causing health problems and a great deal of harm to the environment?



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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.



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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?



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Press Kids Commended Entry – unGREATful

submitted by St Edward's College : Marcello Agius Muscat, Nicolo' Agius Muscat  for 7-10
dissemination(s): school magazine, school media, website
filed under Photos

After man extracted rock to build a GREAT house, the same man dumped back the remaining rock, packed in GREAT sacks, destroying nature itself. He is now left with a GREAT house, a GREAT loss of nature which is the source of all happiness and wealth, and this because he has been unGREATful.



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Dingli cliffs at sunset

submitted by Rabat The Archbishop's Seminary : Gregory Maggi  for 11-14
dissemination(s): Facebook, other
filed under Photos

This picture captures the beauty of Dingli Cliffs at sunset. The serenity and tranquil atmosphere created at this time of day is captured as some yachts pass by. The fading sun manages to sift through the winter clouds to complete the picture at the far end.



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Stop Feeding Our Ducks

submitted by St. Margaret College Boys Secondary Verdala : Adel Khalifa, Nicholas Buhagiar  for 11-14
dissemination(s): newspaper, website
filed under Photos

Feeding ducks is always tempting. The natural pond of Marsascala town harbours various ducks and fish regularly fed with proper healthy food by the Local Council. However, passing by people (mostly children) feed them bread, chips, popcorn etc. without realizing how detrimental this is. Though some ducks like bread and starchy food, there is no nutritional value in this diet. Artificial and starchy food fills up their stomachs and then they refuse to eat their proper food needed to keep them healthy. Without the proper nutrition, ducks turn prone to diseases and die. Giving excess food to ducks means more droppings and then excess feces cause water pollution, unsanitary environment and spread of diseases in the bird population. Also feeding ducks with artificial food contaminates the pond water and increases pests. On contacting the Local Council, I suggested more proper food awareness and safety signs preventing people from feeding ducks.



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Troubled Waters

submitted by St. Clare's College Secondary Pembroke : Aimee Myra Aquilina  for 11-14
dissemination(s): School Notice boards, school magazine, website
filed under Photos

These photos were taken last summer, in the area known as White Rocks behind the water amusement park. They show an effluent flowing from the water park straight down to the sea. This runoff was no little stream of crystal clear water meeting the Mediterranean Sea. It appeared to contain some kind of foamy waste which could be seen floating on the surface. All sort of drainage should be filtered before letting it out to sea. Polluting the sea harms marine organisms and leads to destruction of whole ecosystems. If we don’t take any note of sea pollution the problem will expand and in a few years’ time the damages will be far too big to fix. My appeal goes to the authorities responsible to eradicate such abuse.



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