World Water Day Should be a Wake Up Call

Water is a basic right. It is so because without water people would die. We take it so for granted: you turn on a tap and there is water; we do not often think about how that water came to be in our household, or the complex system behind it. 

If someone wastes water, they are not just wasting their own but they are taking from water which could be used by others. We believe in limiting water usage by individuals and companies because water is a right only for basic use- additional usage is a commodity as it is so limited. However, we should not just limit usage but extend rainfall water catchment. 

Malta should implement a sustainable water catchment plan that also takes into consideration valleys and roads. Pipe systems need to be built or extended and more reservoirs are needed. Each time it rains, precious water is lost. This is especially so during storms, where not only is water lost, but destruction due to its free flowing in the streets is abundant . 

Moreover, 30% of Maltese groundwater bodies are ‘at risk’ and this is due to excessive groundwater abstraction. The solution suggested by the EU was multifaceted; some of the points include: putting a price tag on groundwater (that applies to everyone), more efficient distribution and application of resources (financial, infrastructural and human), fostering an emergence of a water-saving culture and efficient technologies and practices. So far Malta has not followed any of these suggestions.

The water framework directive was transposed into Maltese legislation with the aim of achieving a ‘good status’ for our ground water by 2015. This date was set back to 2027, as it was deemed impossible to reduce salinity and nitrate levels to an acceptable level by then.

Having said that, there are still to this day 3,500 registered boreholes extracting water ad libitum from our aquifers. The installation of meters should be reaching an end next May, after which another year of monitoring needs to be done before quotas are drafted. There are no concrete plans for possible pricing of the water used from boreholes. This is particularly shameful when seen in the context of an arid country which relies mostly on reverse-osmosis plants, with the common family paying hefty water bills. Anyone using a legal (or illegal) borehole gets their water for free, so they have no incentive for cutting down on use. We hope that World Water Day will serve as a reminder to all stakeholders that water is a finite resource, and the current situation needs our urgent attention.

Water is precious, and like all things precious its use should be protected. The 22^nd of March should be a wakeup call for everyone to realize the importance of water, and we hope that this long overdue realization will be followed by action

Junk got the Funk

Hi there greens!

First of all, my deepest apologies for the cheesy title – hey it’s hard to come
up with phrases that make re-using sound cool! Ah yes this blog is about re-using – the forgotten R. While recycling is currently all the range in the Maltese Islands, re-using is still restricted to small-scale, home-made projects with little to no media attention being given to the matter. I was quite pleased to see an article in FM that included briefly the benefits of buying second-hand clothes, both to the environment and to personal style. To my knowledge there are no government incentives that encourage re-using either.

Recycling needs human, electrical and mechanical resources; Re-using effectively reduces the amount of waste that is thrown into landfills and for recycling, while making something useful.

I basically wanted to show everyone that re-using can be incredibly easy, transforming practically any junk into useful material with just a pinch of imagination and some hands-on work!

Recently someone invited me to this amazing page on facebook: ReUseConnection. It constantly uploads photos complete with links showing you how the re-use basically everything! Seriously, click on it and be amazed. I have to admit I'm hooked.

Just to give you a taste of it, here are some of my favourite re-using ideas..

The Cork Birdhouse

Watch it! Bracelet

Quirky Cutlery

Oh-so-cute Iron Minions

There is a lot of artwork made from re-used materials on sale at the moment. 
Check out the artist who made the above art here (fyi the page is in french)

Some Rocking Designs

It all starts with normal everyday waste, and some brainstorming about how it could be useful. Greenhouse members are teaming up with Girl Guides in Luqa this weekend to make bins out of scrap newspaper... we'll let you know how it goes! ;)

While I have your attention.. a few updates on the goings-on of the moment:

Don't forget our AGM is coming up next Monday 26th November @7pm..We will be electing a new executive and reaching out to new members.. Check out our facebook event for more deets.

Also Greenhouse members will be present at Graffiti's Solidarity Walk for Gaza next Wednesday. We will start at City Gate around 6pm and walk towards the Ministry for foreign affairs in Merchant's Street. Event page here.

Nature walk and Bahrija Oasis Site Visit

Greenhouse is very proud to present our next event: A nature walk organised by Ramblers Malta followed by a site visit at Baħrija Oasis! For those of you who have attended last year, we will be following a different trail this time.

We will be meeting next Saturday, 20th October at 1pm in front of the Baħrija Church and heading off for a walk organised by Ramblers into the wonderful Baħrija countryside.

The walk will end at Baħrija Oasis where we will be given a short tour and some information about the principles of permaculture and the function of the site.

Last but not least we settle down for a picnic with some good food and drink :) If anyone wishes to bring any along for sharing you are more than welcome, especially if you come bearing vegetarian or vegan food! ;)

We are only asking for a 5eur fee for the Baħrija site visit. Any donations are welcome. If you are interested in attending, confirm your attendance through our facebook event and preferably drop us a line via email or sms 79649802.

See you there!

Greenhouse Members

How to.... Grow Your Own Carrots

How to grow carrots

Growing your own carrots is simple as long as you prepare the soil and take good care of the seedlings. Following is a step-by-step guide on how to grow this veg for yourself, enjoy it and save some money from your weekly grocery shopping

what your lovely mature carrots will look like :)

Preparation

A sunny spot is ideal for growing carrots. Once the spot is chosen, you should break up the clods of soil to create an aerated structure, removing large stones as you go along. Heavy, compact soil will make it difficult for the seedlings to grow strong long roots.

Manure shouldn’t be added to soil reserved for growing carrots. The nutrients in it are too much for them, a small amount of general fertilizer applied a week before sowing is enough. If the preparation is carried out beforehand, carrots will be ready for planting in March.

Sowing

Just before spreading the seeds, the soil should be raked over until it forms ‘tilth’ – crumbly fine soil. Mark a row with a twine or spade to create a 2cm-deep furrow. Seeds should be sown thinly – around one or two seeds each 2 or 3cm. then cover up the seeds and firm the row gently. If the weather has been dry a light watering can be given. Rows should be spaced 15cm apart.

tip : if you are as butter-fingered as I am, it’s best if you pour some seeds into your hand instead of sowing directly from the bag. Sparse sowing is essential to avoid too much thinning out later, as the scent of bruised leaves will attract pests.

Crop carrots take between 10 and 16 weeks to mature. For an early harvest, many gardeners sow fast-maturing carrots simultaneously with their main crop. Sowing them in alternate, labelled rows will make them easy to identify.

Thinning

Carrot seedlings sprout 2-3 weeks after sowing. Once they’re big enough to handle safely, weaker seedlings should be removed. When thinning carrot plants, great care must be taken not to bruise or break the leaved and stalks. This is because the carrotfly, a pest to the carrot, is attracted to the crop by the smell of bruised leaves. The discarded plants should be burnt or buried straight after removal.

tip: Some gardeners recommend thinning in the evening to reduce the incidence of the carrot fly. Firming and watering of the remaining seedlings is also said to reduce the incidence of this pest. Leaving 5-8cm between the remaining seedlings is ideal for healthy growth. Regular watering and hoeing down between the rows will keep the plants pest-free and healthy.

Stopping flies

Another pesticide-free control against carrot flies is using fine netting to cover the seedlings and the soil next to them. The carrot fly is around 1cm long, and fine netting will reduce the chance of it being able to lay its eggs in the soil around the carrot. Fly larvae hatch underneath the soil surface and feed on the carrots, resulting in a depleted or low-quality crop. Grass and leaf mulch may also deter the flies as it makes laying eggs in the soil harder.

Taking care of & harvesting young carrots

Early carrots are reading for harvesting 7-10 weeks after sowing. A tell-tale sign that shows carrots are ready for pulling is that the foliage will begin to wither. In time the average gardener will get used to the timing of different varieties and can also enjoy the crop when it’s slightly immature. You can always experiment by pulling up a few ;). In the weeks before harvesting the soil should be left moist at all times with regular watering. Evening harvestings are ideal to reduce the incidence of the fly… and it’s best to flatten the soil and water it just after harvesting. For further info, click here.. and also some lovely carrot-based recipes can be found here.

Adapted from Step by Step - How to Grow Carrots

Freshers Week 2012

Hey there Greenies!

So.. Freshers is now over... We want to say thank you first of all to our members who took the time to man the stand excellently and also of course to you all who came and talked to us, showed great interest, and shared your views... it is really good to meet so many people that are genuinely interested in what we do!
For those who missed it, our stand had several different topics crammed into the space available: mainly human rights, animal rights and the environment

our jam-packed stand :)

For The Humans

For our brothers and sisters, we set up an Amnesty letter-writing section for the case UA 270/12. This was quite a controversial case, and it was interesting to see your different views about it. At the end of the week we have over 35 signed letters, one of which holds the signature of a member of the EU parliament. These will be sent off next Monday in time for the 18th October deadline. If anyone is interested in letter writing, please refer to the letter-writing facebook group where we will be posting related events, and feel free to contact us for a ready-to-sign letter for this case.

We also had a section dedicated to fair trade merchandise. This was provided to us by L-Arka Fair Trade Shop, which is located in St Paul Street, Valletta.

some fair-trade items we were selling and the famous Amnesty Letterbox :)

For The Animals

For our furry, feathered and scaly friends, we were promoting the 8hour Petition, which is against inhumane lengthy animal transportation, and also distributing some contact details of sanctuaries around Malta, with particular emphasis on Noah’s Ark.
We were also distributing some informative material about shark conservation (European Shark Week) and educating fish consumers with our very own campaign for sustainable fishing and consuming, fish4tomorrow.

fish4tomorrow leaflets

For The Environment

This is where we really got cracking! First off we launched our seed-growing venture with the distribution of free seed bags... check out our previous blogs for info on how to grow your own seedlings! We also had a small re-using display, showing useful stuff we made out of everyday waste, and some hand-made items for sale. Last but not least we had our usual notebooks made out of re-used scrap paper.

 

seed bags

notebooks

bracelets can be found on sale here

All in all a great outcome :] Don’t forget, we will soon start promoting our next event, a nature walk with Ramblers Malta – the date is yet to be confirmed but we are hoping you’ll keep the 20th free just in case ;) Later on this month we will also announce the date for our talk on Petitioning and Letter-Writing – combined with letter-writing for what promises to be a very interesting case! 

Yes we are being mysterious on purpose to keep you intrigued ;)

Follow us on our facebook group and page, and through this blog. If you have any queries do not hesitate to drop us a line via email.

:)

Stay Green!

Elena
o.b.o. Greenhouse

How to...... Grow Your Own Lettuce

Lettuce Love

Nothing beats walking into your garden and picking fresh veg to instantly make a beautiful salad! Growing lettuce is much easier than you might think, if you follow these little tips ! It takes between 40 and 80 days (depending on the type of lettuce) to grow from seed to salad, so start sowing for a late fall harvest!

:3

Planting

Lettuce like cooler temperatures (between 40F and 60F). In warm

climates such as Malta, lettuce usually thrives until temperatures of

80F. Therefore you can either plant in late summer (for a fall harvest)

or early spring (for an early summer harvest).

Tilling the soil before sowing is recommended since lettuce seeds are

tiny and will thrive better in soft, weed-free soil.

Scattering of seeds should be done with around ten seeds per square

foot, and it’s usually best to plant them in rows – they look nice and are

also easier to maintain. After scattering, the seeds should be covered

with a thin layer of soil and watered immediately.

The first seedlings sprout in 7 to 10 days. After the first couple of weeks

(when lettuce plantlets are around 2 inches high) it’s best to thin them

out to allow around eight inches of space between each plant. 

Watering

Since lettuce have shallow roots, it’s important to keep the soil around

them moist but not soggy. Frequent, short watering periods will

produce a high-quality lettuce

be careful not to water the plant by wetting the leaves .. 

they get more susceptible to mould and can also be broken or turn spotted!

Looking after your lettuce

Slugs are more than happy to feast on succulent lettuce, so keeping this in mind, put up your defences before the massacre starts! Non-chemical strategies include surrounding plants with grit or protecting them with serrated rings cut from larger plastic bottles. Alternatively, you can try luring your enemies away from the plants by making a slug trap. Saw a plastic water bottle in two just below the neck. Invert the neck end, push it back into the other piece and fix with staples or tape. Fill this contraption with beer or a sweet drink and place it near your crop.

ta-da!

   Harvesting

When the lettuce has reached its ideal size, remember to pick it as early as possible. The longer the leaves, the more bitter and tough it will be.

Make sure you start now before it gets too chilly, or wait until next spring, so that a couple of months later you will have an unlimited supply of fresh salad veg in your garden!

Adapted from SheKnows Home & Garden Site

KPS - KE Seminar Review

Today we take a break from telling you about seed-growing ... Greenhouse wishes to share with you a review about an event one of our members attended.. a very informative seminar organised by Kummissjoni Politika Socjali (KPS)[1] and Kummissjoni Edukazzjoni (KE)[2]. 

On the 15^th and 16^th of September, student organizations among which Greenhouse, were fortunate enough to have a seminar organized by KPS and KE which passed to us some skills which could be used in managing a student organization.

We had to choose which workshop we wanted, and I chose the one on Fair Trade, manned by Dr. John Axiak, head of  Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust.

Now, I am not uninformed on fair trade, but I did learn some things, such as that there are two certifications both with their positive and negative aspects. I had seen both on products, I just never realized that they were different I guess. John also told us some eye-opening stories, some even first hand, of the reality of fair trade and that sometimes, it is difficult to keep check on whether fair trade conditions are upheld. The importance of education and information are felt in this context: where structures and information for the workers are not in place, then it can actually not be fair trade and this brings the problem, of how you as a consumer can know.

The sustainability of stipends, was also an interesting panel discussion. The main point was that stipends are sustainable and different reasons were given. One saw stipends as an investment which contributes to further growth. The others saw stipends as necessary and only a small percentage of the money invested in higher education. There was a lament for the under-exploitation of international opportunities and the fact that most of the teachings are not applicable to the real world, two very valid points in my opinion.

On Sunday, the first session was on campaigning by Mr.Ralph Cassar which was extremely interesting and very applicable to what we do. He talked about some useful skills on how to get the message across. He emphasized that campaigning is not education, because it narrows the focus while education broadens and explores complexity. He also gave us some hints on how to develop propositions, press releases, the importance of graphics and such.

Afterwards we had RIDT, a campaign for research initiatives. He saw the organizations representatives as multipliers of this. He lamented the fact that we have no sense of pride for our University, probably because there is no real competition like abroad. I am going to add to this, my hope, that these research initiatives will not be mostly restricted to medicine, IT and the sciences, but also to all other areas of study, especially the arts which are well under-appreciated and under-supported in Malta. One has only to visit stands in promotional weeks at University to realize what students employers are seeking there and which students they are ready to fund.

After that there was a short informative session by Mr.Antonio Olivari from EUPA on funding opportunities. I do not think I can add more to that, the various funding schemes which we were told about will surely come in handy.

After a small lunch (I wish to thank whoever did my vegetarian meal, it was very tasty), we then had the final full session of the seminar. Professor Marie Therese Camilleri Podesta gave us some information on the Gender Issues Committee which works on gender perspectives and advices the council on gender equality. A thing which stuck me in this session was when she mentioned that at University promotions are assigned soley on the number of publications, which I did not know. A research which they conducted found that it generally took women three years more than men to reach the position of senior lecturer, among other things.

We rounded up everything by saying the main points of discussion in Saturday’s workshops. All in all, it was a very informative seminar, and the extensive notes which I took during these two days will surely come in handy in our projects. I, along with Greenhouse wish to thank the organizers, the Dar l-Ewropa staff, the speakers and panelists and everyone who contributed to making this seminar fun and successful. 


[1] KPS is short for Kummissjoni Politika Socjali, also known as KSU's Social Policy Commision. KPS brings together all student organisations on and off Campus, both senate and non senate recognised. KPS is mainly responsible for the development of KSU’s and student organisations’ social policy both on University-related, national and international issues.  The KSU executive is duty-bound to implement the Commission’s policies with no political discretion in this regard. 

[2] KE is short for Kummissjoni Edukazzjoni, also known as KSU's Education office. KE handles academic complaints to ensure students get the representation they deserve on campus. It promotes the gathering of feedback from students, through initiatives such as Rate Your Rep and Study Unit Feedback. It also maintains a good relationship with institutions and other bodies with academic interest, on and off the University Campus. The office also organises events which are of academic interest, which will enhance your knowledge of important matters and give you the skills you need to excel. It also organises the Graduation Speeches.

Written by Marthese Formosa, who attended this event.

How to... Grow Your Own Radishes

Next on our list of seedlings are the radishes :).. Don't forget to visit our stand tomorrow and up to friday between 9am and 4pm for your seed bag, and to check out the rest of the stand - we are on stand 1 (down from the quadrangle exit to the car park, to the right) - we are looking forward to meet you! : )

If you want an easy, stress-free vegetable to grow in your pot, then the radish is the veggie for you :)!

Here we will explain how to take care of these spicy and beautiful vegetables which can be ready for harvest in no time (usually in just a month’s time!). Another bonus for the radish is that it can be grown in containers very well!

So what are you waiting for? ;)

Radish needs a fertile, loose and well drained soil. Since radish is a quick crop, it is necessary that we use a good potting medium (so make sure you add compost!) to begin with.

For the small, red, roundish radish (like the ones you have in the Seed Bags) you can use a tray that is around 10 – 15 cm deep. Sow the seeds about 1 cm deep and place in full sun to part shade. Keep soil moist. Radishes germinate at lightning speed - sometimes in just a couple of days.

week-old radish seedlings

21 day old radish plants

Once the plants start growing, thin them out to provide 5 cm spacing between each plant. Add well decomposed compost (you can use vermin-compost, which we will speak of in another blog ;) ) after a week.

One month-old radish plants with vegetables poking out :D 

These radishes can be harvested when they are a month old, when a good sized top is poking out of the soil. Grip them at the base of the stem and slowly pull them out of the soil. To keep radishes fresh, remove the tops right after you pick them, then refrigerate.

If you want bigger ones, leave them for another 10 days but not more than that. If you delay harvesting, the radish will get starchy (with a hollow core) and will not be good. Radish leaves are also edible so you can also take few leaves for your consumption as they grow, but leave some for the plant as well. However be careful since the leaves of the red and roundish radishes will usually have tiny spines

Pests:

Flea beetles are quite common with radish. Since it flies and hops around, spraying insect repellents such as neem will not help. You can cover the crop with a mosquito net or insect proof net.

Flowers and Seeds:

When radish is left to grow, it will grow a flower stalk and start flowering to produce seeds.

Beautiful Radish Flowers

The seed pod is also edible! Let the seed pod dry and there you have seeds for the next season.

What seed-pods look like :) 

Written By Simone Cutajar

Adapted from geekgardener.in

How To ... Grow Your Own Courgettes

As part of our freshers stand set up we had our lovely Simone design and create seriously cute seed bags for you all to take home and grow..Each day we will put up info about the different seedlings which also include radish, carrot and lettuce.  Come and pick up your free seedbag at our stand! 

Aren't they the cutest?! :)

Meanwhile here's the know-how you need to grow tasty courgettes!

Courgettes are one of the easiest and most productive crops you can grow yourself. They are extremely fast - from sowing you can be eating your own within six weeks!!

What you'll need...

•          Courgette seeds (from the Seed Bags ^.^)
•          Multi-purpose compost
•          Hand trowel
•          Plastic pots
•          Seed trays

Step 1. For early crops, sow in seeds trays on a windowsill. Sow one seed per cell into moist multi-purpose compost.

Step 2. Transplant you strongest seedlings into individual plastic pots

If you do not have soil area, change the pot to a bigger one and add compost.

Step 3. Choose a sunny, sheltered spot and if you have soil area dig a hole, adding a trowel of compost to the soil. Plant out your courgette plants 90cm apart. Place a layer of 5cm of compost to help the soil hold moisture.

Step 4. Keep your plants healthy by adding compost or liquid feed (organic ;)) when required. Harvest regularly when they reach 10cm long.

       Tips

• Courgettes need plenty of water, but take care always to water at the base of the plant only or they'll rot.
• Keeping the soil permanently moist is ideal.
• The large fleshy flowers can be eaten, but fewer courgettes will develop if you harvest too many.
• Remember that courgettes are young marrows, so you can get two different crops on one plant if you let some develop into marrows.

Events

Hi there Greenhousers..

You might be wondering what has Greenhouse been up to lately...Well, we haven't been idling around! In fact we want to share with you just how happy we are about our last event! 

Cleanup

Greenhouse organised a cleanup last Friday in a joint effort with UWC Alumini at L-Ahrax Mellieha. Big Success! 

Click here  to see how the handful of ladies who turned up transformed l-Ahrax from this...

into this

In just a couple of hours!

In the end we all had a well-deserved meal and chilled out together

All in all, and evening well spent!

Next on the agenda is Freshers Week Monday 1st October - Friday 5th October at the University of Malta

We are all working really hard to give you a stand which is both interesting, informative and fun... expect a few surprises ;) 

Just a few hints : the themes for this year are human rights, animal rights, fair trade, the environment and conservation.......all with an innovative twist. Some merchandise (fair trade and handmade items) will be available on the stand. We will also be promoting two events during the week, joint efforts with Bahrija Oasis and Ramblers Malta.. Come to our stand for more information !

Also if anyone is kind enough to spend a couple of hours of their time manning the stand, the hours are 8am-5pm (however even one hour helps) - please contact us via facebook or email  as soon as possible.

Cheers!

Elena