15-18

It’s all about PLASTIC junk!

submitted by Private candidate : Joslyn Falzon  for 15-18
dissemination(s): newspaper, website
filed under Photos

As one generation ago, the culture of disposable goods was much more on a smaller scale, than nowadays. This photo was taken in an abundant house in Zabbar. Glass bottles, re-usable containers and other recyclable packaging materials could be easily recycled. While plastics can indeed be recycled, they degrade in quality through the recycling process, until eventually plastics can’t be recycled and have to be taken to landfills. Unfortunately times changed, and major businesses found it more cost-effective to use plastic. If everyone in the world simply make a few changes in the way they consume plastic items, the problem would at least be limited and, with changed attitudes, those in power could slowly mend the damage that’s been done. I really hope that in the near future, things will get better and there will be more individual awareness.



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Poor creature

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

Sometimes the use of pesticides kills insects it is intended to, and others that prey on them. Without these insects the eco system will be in trouble, which will result in damage to our life. Pollution is also dangerous to various creatures because it will effect their life. This insect died because it got trapped in a plastic bag. We need to keep our nature clean from pollution so as to avoid unnecessary deaths.



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Cigarettes a Major Cause of Litter

submitted by Private candidate : Joslyn Falzon  for 15-18
dissemination(s): newspaper, website
filed under Photos

Cigarette butts, snack wrappers, take-out food and beverage containers are the most commonly littered items. Cigarettes are one of the most insidious forms of litter all over the world that may be small, but they aren’t harmless. The fiberglass in the filters contains toxic chemicals that end up in storm drains, which eventually lead to our waterways. The second most littered item is fast food wrappers, followed by beer and soda cans. Next time you’re tempted to flick that cigarette butt out the car window or toss your food wrapper on the ground, just think about how long that junk will stick around. Paper, which is completely recyclable, takes six months to decompose. Plastic bottles, which are also recyclable, take five to ten years. Plastic shopping bags: ten to thirty years. Be aware before committing a simply action, because it can cause more harm than benefits.



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Integrating 2 worlds

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

There is a story behind this image. One day, I was in my room, finishing my assignments. At a point I heard my mother shout for my help so I immediately left my room and went in the terrace. I saw my mother freaking out over a grasshopper which came on he shirt. She was terrified since to her it was huge and dangerous (although it was small and more scared than her). I told her to calm down and helped her get in the house. Soon after I took my camera and starting taking shots of this little fellow. It was so docile. As a confirmation that it was not going to attack and even a bit scared, every time I put the camera in front of its face it turned its back on the camera. Ever since humanity came to be, it formed new artificial structures and created villages, cities and more. At the same time, natural zones continued to co-exist. Nowadays we have become attached to this artificial world we live in and forgot what nature actually feels like. We have become afraid of what we do not make and what we cannot control (such as the grasshopper). We should be able to live with the rest of the natural environment not fight against it, after all we are a product of nature ourselves and the sources of everything we produce derives from nature.



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The litter bugs

submitted by Private candidate : Joslyn Falzon  for 15-18
dissemination(s): newspaper, website
filed under Photos

Every evening I walk several blocks to my gym in my locality carrying a recycle bag to pick up trash. It’s pathetic that our citizens throw their trash in the streets. This problem does not require a high-tech, expensive solution. It’s a matter of educating the public. It’s amazing how many unsightly cans, wrappers and bottles you can pick up with little or no extra effort. I suggest that we can start by educating and give more importance to children in their schools. Tell them what happens to the litter they throw in the streets. Even by making more the use of commercials on television and in other social media. I suggest showing people not to litter and show them more the results from littering, at some point; they will start implementing what they saw on television.



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How litter can literally kill

submitted by Private candidate : Joslyn Falzon  for 15-18
dissemination(s): newspaper, website
filed under Photos

Is litter like murder? Not exactly, perhaps but its worse than you probably think. This photo was taken at an abundant garage down at Wied Iz-Zurrieq. Here we see loads of drum paint, paint, iron, wood, plastic bags, etc. Of course, the environmental effects of litter are well known. Trash in the streets gets blown into the sewer system. Also, animals get tangled in six-pack rings, cut on jagged metal or broken glass and get stuck inside containers. Probably, you have heard all this before. In my research I discovered that there were different economic effects from litter too. All this can be distorted by your help, even students can help by picking up litter and by taking some responsibility. So let’s get shoulder to shoulder and help for a better and safe environmental.



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Ugly appearances do matter as well

submitted by Private candidate : Joslyn Falzon  for 15-18
dissemination(s): newspaper, website
filed under Photos

Sadly, we can get too accustomed to the mess along our roadsides to the point where we don’t even notice it. Not to make a big deal out of this, but my eyes popped out when I saw this huge litter down the road, when I was passing by from the Malta old dockyard. It takes a visitor from out of town, suitably chagrined, or even a cardboard-crunching neighborhood dog to call it to our attention. Is it laziness, callousness, stupidity or worse? Efforts must be taken underway to clean up our major stuff found by. In particular, we need to try to make a better first impression even for our environmental and future generations. It’s a shame that the population is not enough aware of this problem, that can be solved in a couple of ways even by the help of the government.



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Where there is a will….

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

F’dan ir-ritratt tidher ċara l-volonta’ u l-perseveranza tan-natura. Kultant għal neċessitajiet bħal skejjel, sptarijiet u kultant semplicement minħabba egoiżmu, nuqqas ta’ ippjanar, injoranza jew kilba sfrenata għal flus xi bnedmin ibiddlu ambjent naturali mimli siġar, pjanti, fjuri, insetti, friefet… għal ambjent kif iridu hu, jigifieri ambjent mibni u mimli konkrit. Iżda n-natura għandha r-riżorsi tagħha u tieħu kull okkażżjoni biex terġa’ tara fejn tista’ ssib il-ħajja u meta jirnexxielha, issebbah l-ambjent. L-aħdar mimli hajja jispikka fuq il-griż mejjet u monotonu u meta wiehed ihares lejn dan il-haxix wiehed jista jimmagina funtana ħadra li togħla biex aħna narawha u napprezzawha.



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A bin for this bin

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

L-iskart sar parti integrali mill-ħajja tagħna… kif dan it-tank taż-żibel sar parti minn dan ir-ritratt hekk ukoll hu importanti li ma nħallux dan l-iskart jispiċċa jieħu post in-natura. Importanti li f’postijiet naturali jkollna tankijiet fejn jintrema’ l-iskart ħalli ma jispiċċax iħammeġ in-natura … iżda importanti ukoll li wieħed jnaqqas l-iskart u jirriċikla kemm hemm bżonn. Meta jitpoggew dawn it-tankijiet biex fihom jintrema l-iskart hemm bżonn naqra ħsieb. Jekk dawn jitpoġġew f’postijiet strateġiċi, dawn ma jattirawx l-attenzjoni tagħna aktar mill-ambjent sabiħ ta’ madwarna. F’dan ir-ritratt dak li għandu jispikka hija l-varjeta tal-pjanti u l-kuluri sbieħ li n-natura biss tista’ toffri.



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One day we may not even be able to see a tiny shadow

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

I noticed this creature by seeing its shadow first. It is a small creature with a tiny shadow but I still managed to see its shadow. One day we may not even be able to see a tiny shadow like this one. How could we if there would be no creature to form a shadow. Our world is so fragile, yet we still exploit it till it breaks. I coincidentally noticed this creature while I was in a fieldwork in an organic farm but I rarely see this in a other places. Most of the natural places left have become compact between roads and buildings. Apart from that they are affected by sound and air pollution (and other forms of pollution). This forces the species living within these ecosystems to not perform their functions well and at times this could even lead to their demise. We may not notice but each of our actions will influence the environment and may lead to the demise of creature.



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