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2023 - A year in review
As we emerge from the holidays and embrace the new year, Friends of the Earth Malta (FoEM) takes a moment to reflect on the remarkable achievements of 2023. It was in fact an exciting year for us at FoE Malta since we were underway in developing our brand new strategy for the coming years, one that would guide us towards a vision of hope, well being and a sustainable and more equitable future for Malta. The past year has been a year of internal transition for the organisation with new team members joining us, new and exciting projects, improvements to our internal systems and hybrid working arrangements becoming the norm. Through our projects we have established various initiatives, including the relaunched a new edition of the very successful Malta Farm Map, the second edition of the Cineambjent film festival and many exciting events and workshops. The Green Resource Centre has been very busy this year, we restarted our community garden, continued with our weekly environmental youth hub and several other activities.
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Join us for the kickoff of the 2024 Youth Hub with our first session on January 11 from 5:00pm till 8:00pm. Our Youth Hub is your space to unwind, connect with others, and delve into topics related to ourselves and the planet – all while having fun, and enjoying music and games. Our space at Friends of the Earth Malta provides an inclusive environment for you to hang out and bring your environmental activities to life.
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Fundraising: Kombucha Workshop
Curious about the ins and outs of kombucha? Unlock the hidden secrets of kombucha with Marta Kopacsi who will guide you through the whole process of making this zesty drink. Enjoy a kombucha tasting, followed by the workshop. At the end of the event you will leave with a bottle of your very own kombucha, including the SCOBY so you can continue your kombucha journey at home! Registration required by 10 January.
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Community Gardening Session
The Community Garden at Friends of the Earth Malta is meeting for its first session of 2024! Join us on Saturday 27th January, between 2:00pm till 6:00pm, to gain hands-on experience in crop growing, preparing the soil, pruning, composting/vermiculture, creating a seed bank, beekeeping, water conservation, planting crops/ tree saplings, and learning more about the world of gardening.
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Bicycle Repair Cafe
Join us on 24th February between 1:00pm and 3:00pm, for a free, volunteer-based, and participatory Bicycle Repair Cafe where you can learn the basics of bicycle maintenance and repair common issues like punctures and brake problems. Joe Gatt, cyclist and bicycle repair instructor will show how to take care of the bike and guide you through the process, following the ‘do it yourself’ principle.
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Online workshop for primary school teachers
Over the past few months we've been working with primary school teachers across Malta to bring environmental education closer to younger generations. As a result, we've created a toolkit with practical resources to implement practical environmental activities within the school curriculum. Register your interest for a 1hr online info session, on 10th January at 4:30pm, which will share how to access all the resources in the online platform. If you are unavailable but still interested, please indicate as such, and we will be in touch in the future.
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As part of our MEGA MOBI project, we aim to develop skills and raise awareness on the topic of micromobility: small human or electric powered mobility devices suitable for short urban trips, such as (electric) bicycles and scooters, which are seen as a key tool to reduce carbon emissions from transport. We want to know what you think about micromobility, so that we can craft fitting campaign messages to raise awareness about micromobility and road safety for vulnerable road users. Take part in the short survey – it only takes the time of drinking a cup of tea or coffee!
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Plant of the Month: Squirting Cucumber
A curious exploding plant, the Squirting Cucumber shoots its seeds far away after building up pressure inside the fruit. The plant is both irritant and healing, as is the case with many herbal remedies used since time immemorial. Upon a closer look you may spot both the young and the adults of the Gourd ladybird as this is their favourite host plant.
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We need urgent measures to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions; instead our Transport Ministry invites the world’s ultra-rich to our ports and airport with tax cuts to pollute more. This year’s budget talks about growing the aviation industry, as well as promoting the business of aircraft leasing. Malta’s VAT regulations already provide lower VAT rates for private and commercial airplanes for leasing.
Promoting polluting industries goes completely contrary to the green transition and our country’s plans and promises to become carbon neutral by 2050. The green transition should be based on real solutions to the climate crisis, which contribute to a full and fast phase-out of fossil fuels. Polluting industries such as super yachts and private jets only benefit the wealthy, who already excessively and disproportionately contribute to climate change with their lavish lifestyles.
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Podcast about Community Energy
Our Climate Campaign Coordinator, Suzanne Maas, recently had a discussion with Ganado Advocates on their podcast ‘Ganado Meets Green Finance.’ The episode delved into the topic of renewable energy communities. Community energy represents one of the solutions for a just transition and the democratization of energy. It goes beyond simply having a clean, renewable energy source; it also involves educating people about energy use, the energy system, and reducing overall energy demand.
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While hydrogen may be presented as a type of ‘green’ energy, currently 99% of hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels. The main type of hydrogen available today, ‘grey’ hydrogen, is created via steam-reforming from gas or coal – yes, fossil fuels! ‘Blue’ hydrogen is based on the same process as ‘grey’, but includes carbon capture and storage (CCS) mechanisms to reduce carbon emissions, which have yet to be proven to work.
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Every donation, no matter how small, is an invaluable contribution towards Friends of the Earth Malta's work.
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