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

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

Time to Give - Volunteer Auction

In this year’s National Trade Fair, Greenhouse Malta, with the assistance of the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector (MCVS) will be organising a 'Volunteering Auction' on the 24th, 30th June and 3rd July, 2011. This is a new concept in Malta were participation is encouraged by a silent auction where rather than bidding money, people will be asked to bid ‘volunteer hours’ that is the hours they are willing to dedicate to volunteering with the organisations of their choice.

People will be given the choice to bid ‘volunteering hours’ with up to 14 local organisations including: Arthritis and Rheumatism Association of Malta, Animal Rights Group, Bird Life Malta, fish4tomorrow, Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar, Friends of the Earth, Funny Farm, Koperattiva Kummerc Gust, Mid-Dlam Ghad-Dawl, Noah's Ark, St. Joseph Home for boys - Santa Venera, Organisation for Friendship in Diversity, Third World Group, Tomasina Cat Sanctuary and YMCA . The artwork for the auction has been kindly donated by different local artists distributing varied collections. We are grateful to Jeni Caruana, Christine Cutajar, Gabriel Caruana, Gabriella De Gaetano, Joseph Caruana, Stephanie Borg, Trudy Gera, Tango Malta and Clyde Haber who contributed to this volunteering mission.

These organizations have a common goal of promoting volunteer work to aid the community and better the environment, with no reward in mind. For instance, more animal shelters and centres depend on volunteers, to help out in cleaning, feeding and taking them for a walk or even to a vet. They would also need someone that can help with building fences and with computer knowledge. Without these people that update, making others aware and seek others to help out, saving actual animals wouldn’t be possible. So it’s not about the money its about a person’s love and commitment towards an active participation. This also includes in helping the environment, by joining a conservation group to preserve species and even take part in clean ups and educational awareness. None the less, the artists also contributed from their own will with no intention, which makes a positive impact that warm hearted people are reaching out more to be activists. They are not just showing their creative ability but giving a meaningful distribution to the public.

In certain situations, we get inspired to make ourselves worth by spending time with less fortunate people and give money to aid their way of life. Yet although those couple of minutes and hours would not be very beneficial to us, or expressed in an outrageous way, these people would still be thankful that at least someone not just cared to notice but was there to help physically. Donating time changes lives. It doesn’t just helps you on your personal development or adapt to new skills, but it makes you feel needed and understand more what certain people and animals go through and therefore such an experience would be powerful for the future by witnessing and making others aware of the current realities. With a bit of effort, a person would expand a greater cause and this would lead to a satisfactory difference. Voluntary work is also an empowering tool to the individual and not only an expression of solidarity.

Furthermore, to participate and bid on these artworks, people may pre-register online or at the MCVS stand on the days of the auction from 6 pm onwards, but people will be given the opportunity to view and bid on them online. Some artwork will be auctioned over the course of the whole week, while others will be auctioned on one day. For more information on registration and on the organisations which are offering volunteering opportunities is available on Greenhouse’s website – www.greenhousemalta.com. Organisations and artists who would also like to participate in this auction may contact Greenhouse on auction.greenhouse@gmail.com

We encourage the people that want some paintings to think of the benefits of this event that while ‘purchasing’ a personal item, a person would contribute to society in more ways than one by volunteering with particular organization/organizations. And to all those that still want to make a difference, without winning the actual item, you can still contribute in helping out with organizations and making others aware of such causes and aims.

L-Aħrax Tal-Mellieħa, Cleanup & Tour of Yelkouan Shearwater (garnija) Conservation Site...

...on Sunday 20th March at L-Aħrax Tal-Mellieħa (Cross on the Map)

Event Desciption:
"After the success of S-cubed & Greenhouse’s last Clean up at tal-Ballut, we are organising another clean-up, this time at Ahrax in Mellieha together with Birdlife Malta. We feel that most effective way of raising awareness is by hands on experience. During clean-ups students see for themselves the state at which certain areas are and are given the opportunity to make a small difference. Moreover it helps people come to terms with the negative impact mankind has on the environment.

The site for this clean-up is a Natura 2000 site which is being managed by Birdlife Malta who are carrying out a conservation project on the Yelkouan Shearwater that breeds on the cliffs. We will be collaborating with Birdlife Malta as the clean-up will be part of a rat eradication project that shall be aimed to reduce predation on the Shearwater chicks and eggs.

Following the clean-up, we will also be given a tour of the Yelkouan Shearwater conservation site by members of Birdlife."

Hope to see you there! (See poster below for more details)

Volunteering an afternoon towards Abandoned Animals.

Dear Greenhouser,

We're looking for volunteers for this Saturday 26th February! No requirements needed except for unconditional love for man's best friend and food for oneself, unless you'd like to fast for the day.

For the month of November; Greenhouse is going to Abandoned Animal's Association (AAA), where we shall spend a day at the place volunteering. We're meeting at 9am in front of Phoenicia Hotel. The day includes a briefing and division of responsibilities among the attendees. One is also encouraged to donate foodstuff for adult dogs apart from your time

which is indispensable!

So, if you made up your mind and feel like giving up some time to spend with these wonderful animals let us know via email green.uom@gmail.com and don't forget to bring your cameras along!

Best Regards,

Greenhouse Team

Show some love during the month of November!

Dear Greenhouser,

We're looking for volunteers for this Saturday 20th November! No requirements needed except for unconditional love for man's best friend and food for oneself, unless you'd like to fast for the day. 

For the month of November; Greenhouse is going to Noah's Ark, where we shall spend a day at the place volunteering. If you need transport, we're meeting at 9am in front of Phoenicia Hotel, a small fee will be charged for the transport. The day includes a briefing and division of responsibilities among the attendees. One is also encouraged to donate foodstuff for adult dogs apart from your time which is indispensable! 

So, if you made up your mind and feel like giving up some time to spend with these wonderful animals let us know via email green.uom@gmail.com and don't forget to bring your cameras along! Booking is very important for those who need transport, if the number exceeds 17 people we need to arrange for another minivan. 

Article - Seabed Clean up at il-Foss

Follow up article on the Seabed Clean up organised by Greenhouse Malta and Watercolours Dive School extracted from the Independent. Pictures taken by the volunteers.

The sea and the seabed is part of mankind’s collective heritage. Michael Carabott takes part in a seabed cleanup and explains how diving changed his outlook and awareness of the environment underwater

As soon as my mates Jason (Chubbie) and Patrick asked if I would help take part in an underwater cleanup of the Foss dive site in Valletta, I immediately accepted.

Jason and Patrick run the Watercolours Dive Centre, which has a school in Sliema and another in Valletta. It was a few years ago that I began to dive and these two fellows were my instructors.

The cleanup was scheduled for a Saturday morning, but the weather was absolutely savage. There were high winds and the island was lashed by storms the night before. It would have to wait. In the event, it was moved forward by a week, with the hope of there being some better weather.

On the day, it was raining and cloudy, but it was very muggy so it wasn’t going to be too cold, especially seeing as there was steaming hot tea, coffee and biscuits available. The surface team was led by Greehouse, a local environmental movement.




I was to take part as a buddy team leader. I know the site very well, having been my learning ground and having a fair amount of dives under my belt, I was to lead a team of four. The Foss area is a harbour dive, and although it is at the mouth of Marsamxett, there is a remarkable ecosystem which thrives.

Flat fish skim the sand bed and bury themselves there, their only giveaway being two tiny beady little eyes. Seahorses cling onto algae for dear life as they sway in the current while Scorpion Fish lurk in dark holes and against reefs, where they are almost invisible. Fireworms crawl around the fissures, while colourful nudibranches attach themselves to anything which doesn’t move. Octopus, cuttlefish, sea urchins, red mullet and many others can all be found in this area.

Of course, one must not forget the HMS Maori – a real WWII wreck lying half buried in sand at a depth of 14-18 metres. She is one of those old, old ships that looks like she belongs to her environment. Brown and rusting, she is home to myriad life forms, and a lovely relaxed dive to boot.

During the briefing, Jason explained to the whole group that one has to be careful in picking rubbish off the seabed. We have seen octopi living in kettles, spider crabs living in broken glass bottles and shrimps in any little nook and cranny that they can find. Scorpion fish love to settle themselves into crevices and metal poles and tubes can make quite a nice home for them.

The cleanup team needed to understand a fundamental point – on a cleanup, it is important to not cause more harm to wildlife than good. You cannot lift a piece of debris out of the water if it has significant life on it.

Briefing done, we entered the (shockingly) cold water and buddied up into our teams. I checked with the four other divers and they were ready to go… all give the okay, thumb down and off we go.

As soon as you equalize and get to the seabed, which is only at about six metres in depth, the volume and array of rubbish really does hit you. Of course, what would be an easy task on land soon becomes a complicated problem underwater. Trying to get hold of swollen cigarette butts and lighters is a completely different ball game – add a bit of a current and busy divers to the mix, and it soon becomes a bit congested.

Within minutes, we had picked up countless fag ends, plastic bottles, broken glass bottles, bits and pieces of plastic and more. My find of the day was a rug which had been dumped into the sea.


Knowing that it might be full of life, I unfolded it – again, no easy task, and shook it out as best I could and handed it to the snorkeling team at the surface, to take it to shore. Though I tried my best, there was still one spider crab hanging on for dear life by the time the rug made it to the rubbish pile, but someone spotted it and put it back into the sea.

By the end of the afternoon, we had collected a substantial amount of rubbish ranging from a car alternator, bar stool, a carpet and a set of dentures. This is to be taken in the context of another cleanup having been held some three weeks earlier.

Another big problem is detritus and rubbish which is left on the foreshore. If it is windy, or rainy, all that goes into the sea. The sea is our collective heritage, as mankind. This was put forward as a resolution to the United Nations by Malta. The resolution was passed, but the reality is that the seabed is “out of sight, out of mind”. We, as an island people are intrinsically linked to the sea. We should protect it and that means stopping overfishing, shark finning, dumping, drilling and much, much more. We have one world, one home; we need to preserve it.

Greenhouse & Watercolours Dive Centre thanked Greenskips for donating a skip towards this event and to BRINCS Biscuits for supporting such activities by sponsoring this event.



For more info on Beach & Underwater Clean Up activities please join the Facebook group ‘Underwater Naturalist Club’ and get involved.

Scuba & Snorkelling - Course & Clean-up

Greenhouse will be organizing an event spread over two days that will give participants a taste of the underwater world.

For those who are not certified in SCUBA diving, Greenhouse together with Watercolours Dive Centre and with the kind sponsorship of Brinc’s Biscuits will be offering a ‘Discover Scuba Diving’ (DSD) half day course on the 16^th of October. This will feature a lecture and two dives under the instruction of qualified divers. The certification at the end of the course can be used as a stepping stone to the ‘Open WaterDiver’ Course whereby the money spent for the DSD course will be deducted from the Open Water Diver course and will be accomplished through fewer dives. The normal price for this course is €60 but one can book a place with a special discounted price of €25 if booking is done through Greenhouse.

On the 17^th of October whoever undertakes the DSD course can join Greenhouse and Watercolours Dive Centre for a seabed cleanup at Valletta. One can rent the necessary equipment against a fee of €20. Certified SCUBA divers can join too. One can also come and help out using his goggle and snorkel.

Pre-booking is necessary on 99841312, or green.uom@gmail.com

  

Supported by: Watercolours Dive Centre

Sponsored by: Brinc's Biscuits Co. Ltd.

September Scavenging

Maybe the rain is still scarce for spring but in Students’ House cleaning has been the order of the day in the past few days. As some organizations switch offices, others plan to enter their first one but whatever the case the lower storey of the building has been buzzing with activity.

JEF- an organization that will be moving to a new office in the next scholastic year- thought of an innovative yet brilliant idea. Offices would be ceiling-full of stuff gathered from last year’s activities and events. While most of this stuff is only worthy of recycling, some is most definitely in a good enough condition to be reused. And JEF proposed to organizations cleaning up their offices to put their unwanted stuff in the corridor while other organizations scavenge for things that might be useful for them this coming year.

And lo and behold! Boxes filled with all sorts of crazy stuff filled the narrow corridors while the offices breathed a sigh of fresh air as their empty spaces were re-found.

Greenhouse members visited the activity and, being an organization with its first office, found a plethora of stuff that where considered handy. Throughout the time Greenhouse members spent going through the boxes of unwanted stuff, JEF and MUSC were clearing out their offices.

Greenhousers were scratching their heads (and washing their hands) handling all the brimful boxes.

Among the things that were recovered by Greenhousers were cutlery, banners, ropes, crayons, a cupboard, a fridge and much more. We had more capital than we ever had throughout the organization’s history! And all this would have ended up being thrown away in a skip!

Greenhouse members also gave a helping hand sorting out the materials in the waste boxes and separating them into paper, plastic, metal and other waste. The former three were disposed of in the bring-in site containers while the other waste was thrown away in a skip brought over for this clean-up event. One sided paper was placed in WINK/Greenhouse’s rough paper stand in front of canteen.

And thus we sorted all our newly acquired items in our new office satisfied that we reduced the amount of waste that would have been generated and content that we now had some useful stuff that might come in handy come next October. We commend JEF for the initiative and all organizations that participated.

Clean up and Flourish!!

Greenhousers its time for a Summer rally!

Our next event seeing the closure of this Academic year is a Clean up and Chillax party at Buskett.

The area we have chosen is a follow-up to the efforts of our friends from 'That's Rubbish' who had tried to clear out the area. Yet, larger efforts need to be taken to clear up this place.

But our action we hope won't stop here. In fact we are hoping to gather as much information as possible to understand WHY certain parts of Buskett are not subjected to the same degree of care and waste facilities as other more accessible parts. We have already discovered the whole Buskett is divided up between 4 governing entities and we hope to get more information on the asymmetrical protection policy at Buskett.

We don't want to be misunderstood. There is certainly reason for the current state of affairs at Buskett. But, when one sees uncollected waste from Pre-EU Accession (Such as a range of old glass bottles) one wonders. Who is really responsible for this? Just the culture of the few who disregards the natural environment?

Well. All these are questions we are trying to answer ourselves. Certainly if you will be joining us... let us say that 'Buskett may get a chance to really Flourish once more'

Looking forward to seeing you there and Remember to book on: green.uom@gmail.com

We need to know how many are interested to join us!

Greenhouse Team

Know Your Food - Know Yourself

What's Up Next?

WorldFest10 - If food could Speak!

Greenhouse will be part of the WorldFest this year. An annual event organised by the Kooperativa Kummerc Gust (Malta Fair Trade Cooperative) with the aim of promoting Fair Trade in Malta. This year's event will see th closure of the Kieku L-ikell Jitkellem Campaign where the focus will be put on Food and where our food comes from.

As part of this Day Festival Greenhouse is planning to set up an Exhibition on the water content to produce different food. The concept is known as virtual water and its a critical concept in determining the real water scarcity in our communities. So come and learn as ours will be only one part of the Festival where everyone will be pulling the same rope to teach the public a little more about our Food.

Remember

You Are What You Eat

Looking forward to see you all there :)

More information regarding the event:

On Sunday, May 16 from 10.00am to 10.00pm, the Upper Barrakka Gardens in Valletta will be hosting hundreds of Fair Traded food items and crafts from Malta and small communities in Latin America, Asia and Africa, and a series of events celebrating Food Sovereignity at this year’s ninth edition of WorldFest. This Fair Trade Festival is organized by the volunteers of Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust in collaboration with other organisations.

This year’s edition will include a traditional Ethiopian coffee ritual, a public forum in Maltese on food sovereignity, a stand by two Mexican workers and labour rights activists who have been invited to Malta to share their experiences, different activities for children and teenagers, a performance of forum theatre, and a concert featuring a young international female trio, traditional dabke dance and the up-and-coming Maltese band Plato’s Dream Machine. Entrance to all events will be free.

WorldFest will bring to an end KKĠ’s campaign on food sovereignty, Kieku l-Ikel Jitkellem, supported by the EU-funded project Enlarging Fair, which was launched on World Food Day, 2009, in cooperation with a host of other local and foreign organisations.

Other organisations, NGOs and cooperatives that will also have stands are Koperattiva Rurali Manikata, the Arabic Culture Information Society, Moviment Graffitti, The Gaia Foundation, Food First Malta, Friends of the Earth Malta, Greenhouse Malta, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, I Shop Fair Project, Home Economists in Action, and Ta’ Żeppi. These will provide local produce and information about different issues related to food. For the first time, Koperattiva Rurali Manikata will be selling carob syrup made with local carobs and Fair Trade sugar.

During the day there will be activities for children such as face painting. Between 11.00 a.m. and 12.00 noon and between 5.00 and 6.00 p.m. there will be interactive activities for teens. Two Mexican women, one working in a factory that produces mobile phones and the other working with CEREAL, a Mexican NGO dealing with human rights, will be present throughout the day to raise awareness about the harsh conditions that workers have to face in the supply chain of IT production.

A public forum on the global impact of individual choices, “Għażliet Personali: Impatt Globali,” will be held between 5.00 p.m. and 7.00 p.m. and chaired by journalist James Debono. The speakers include Ms Nathalie Grima from Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust, University lecturers Dr Suzanne Piscopo and Dr Karen Mugliett, AD spokesperson for sustainable development Mr Carmel Cacopardo, and Mr Martin Galea De Giovanni from Friends of the Earth. The forum will explore issues related to food sovereignty and enhance public awareness. The public will be encouraged to participate in the discussion.

After the forum, Maltese, Palestinian, Asian and Eritrean food will be on sale, followed by the evening’s performances which start at 8.00 p.m. For the first time, WorldFest will feature a theatrical forum in which the audience will be asked to propose solutions to a given situation. The performers at this year’s concert are an international trio made up of Arianna, Anne and Anna; dabke, the most popular folk dance in Palestine, and a live performance by Plato’s Dream Machine.

Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust is a not-for-profit cooperative which has been promoting Fair Trade since 1996. WorldFest is an annual event that creates public awareness about Fair Trade and development issues. The public is invited to attend this festival celebrating Fair Trade and Food in a multicultural atmosphere. More information about WorldFest, Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust and Kieku l-Ikel Jitkellem Campaign is available at www.l-arka.org and www.l-ikel.org.

Status: Refugee PR

During the last week, 21-23rd April , Greenhouse organized a series of raise awareness events on African irregular migrants. This was achieved by screening a film, organizing an information meeting and through debate presented by Studenti Harsien Socjali.

When working on Status: Refugee, as the series of events were dubbed, Greenhouse felt that the Maltese community lack information about why these people flee, embarking on such perilous journeys in search for a better place

Thus, Greenhouse decided to hold an information meeting -Exodus from Africa,- which took place in the University Quadrangle. Many were the students who stopped and listened to what was being said. The guests from JRS, UNHCR and the Refugee Commissioner’s office were well prepared to answer the various misconceptions. This complimented the film screened a day before- God Grew Tired of Us- which touches on the different and difficult situations of immigrants when they start a new life in another country.

Coincidentally a week before Status: Refugee Greenhouse came across a Facebook group,- Against Islam and African Refugees in Malta- disseminating xenophobic messages towards the refugees. Such groups epitomizes the sentiment of discomfort that Greenhouse tried to address through its events.

Although programs for the asylum seekers are important, Greenhouse believes that educational programs and information should be given to the Maltese. The geopolitics of Africa are rather complex, post colonial effects may still be felt in these troubled countries and the local government cannot just send back the people who come to seek protection here as that puts these people’s lives at risk.

Greenhouse is a non-governmental, non-political organization set up by a group of university students which hold common together common values; social justice, respect for environmental sustainability, animal welfare and participatory democracy.

Treasures within reach - the children investigate

Here’s what happened.

We were invited by Centru L-iSperanza’s coordinator- Earl- to organize an environmental treasure hunt at Wied il-Għasel for children aged 6-11.

So we were faced with this challenge- how can you combine the environment, science, fun and hiking?

The first thing that we did was to go to the valley- a beautiful valley cutting across Mosta. Simone, Joseph and myself went for a hike one Sunday afternoon to check what we can come up with and what plant species are present there.

Our hike didn’t occur without some mishaps:

For example…this is me with my hair caught up in bramble (a thorny, climbing plant):


…while this is Simone who has just tripped over reeds:

OK! We were done! We got the idea and it was time to put it all together.

This is what we did. We took 18 plant species from around the valley. For each plant species we prepared a paper. This paper would serve as the clue for the hikers. In the paper will be the name of the plant, a simple question about this plant the answer of which the children had to insert in a crossword and a practical activity that the children had to do. For example for one tree in particular, we asked what color were the flowers and we asked the children to cut two leaves from this tree and place in a sampling bag.

The paper was placed in an envelope and attached to the plant/tree in question. This we did for two groups- an orange and a purple group (we tried to avoid political colors ;-) ).


So now we had 18 floral specimens with 36 envelopes (2 groups) attached to them.

And the day arrived. Simone, Joseph and myself met an hour and a half before the group of children had to meet us. We went around the valley tying the clues in the envelopes to the different trees and plants:

This is me attaching a balloon to a reed for one of the practical activities as discussed above:

….AND THE GROUP ARRIVED…..the children, many of them with their parents, armed with caps, notebooks and lunch surrounded us and the cheer of enthusiasm could be heard ringing in that silent Sunday hum of that early morning.

We divided the group into two according to age. The young group was entrusted to Simone while I took the other group with slightly older children. We briefed them on what will happen during the hike:

…AND OFF WE WENT….

One by one they found the hanging clues, opened the envelopes, answered the questions and did what was required of them. It is good to point out that this was NOT a competition and the ‘winner’ didn’t get any reward.

One of the practical activities instructed the children to draw a leaf from a tree so as to appreciate and look closer at the shape and intricacies of something they always took for granted:

The two groups rambled across the pathways bordered by flowers and a huge variety of plants in that gorgeous spring morning:

And the children’s curiosity had us answering question after question about all sorts of things:

A deserved lunch break was enjoyed in the shade of a carob tree while the children were careful not to drop any wrappers among the plants they were starting to understand:

And after two and a half hours the hike ended. The children, although tired and weary, were still running after each other, eating their last pieces of sandwiches and engaging with us on some point they missed out during the hike.

Joseph supported us throughout the hike, engaging with children and capturing these photos. He also took it upon himself to clean the place:

But that was not all. Earl invited us to walk to Centru l-iSperanza and ask the children some questions on their experiences and the lessons they learned. We opened the sampling bag and we explained some features of the local flora- its adaptation to water stress, its modifications to deter herbivores etc.

And thus the activity ended. We might have gone through a lot of hassle to organize this hike but it was worth it. Perhaps these young citizens will grow up and stand up for the beauty that is around them. Perhaps they will teach their children that we are surrounded by untold splendor.

Status: Refugee

Greenhouse are back with another event on campus. This time working together with SHS we are organising a 3 day programme in which we shall be raising awareness and insight on irregular migration. The programme is divided daily to give time for reflection on the day event.

Programme of Events

On Wednesday a film screening aims at showing the journey of what an asylum seeker faces in becoming a refugee and starting a new life.

Wednesday 21st April, 2.30pm Common Room

Film screening by Greenhouse: God grew tired of us

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Thursday a debate is set to build up on the topic as an insight into the journey is given by people directly involved with irregular migrants from diverse geographical regions.

Thursday 22nd April, 12.00pm Quadrangle:

Debate by Greenhouse: Exodus from Africa.

Panel: JRS representative, Andrew Galea Debono from UNHCR, Nathalie Zerafa and Sarah Attard from the Refugee Commissioner's office.

Moderator: George Bugeja

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Friday a debate will be focused on what facilities for integration are present in Malta for refugee status migrants.

Friday 23rd April, 10.00am Quadrangle:

Debate by SHS: Migration today and tomorrow.

Panel: Kristina Zammit from JRS, Goitom Yosief from Eritrea, Hasan Muhummad Seleban from Somalia.

Greenhouse and SHS would like to invite you all to share your views and give contributions to all events.

Film Screening and exchanges on Organic Produce & Products

Next Sunday, as most of you might already have noticed, Greenhouse will be supporting and particiapting in the running of the event 'Kissed by the Grape: Organic Wine Documentary and Free Wine Tasting'. This event will go into the theme of the Kieku L-ikel Jitkellem Camapign of which the main organisers Food First Malta and us are involved in. Details to the event are as follows:

Date:
18th April

Time:
1st Screening @ 14:00
2nd Screening @ 18:00

Location:
Snoopy's, Sliema

Given the limited spaces available we encourage you to book at: events@snoopysmalta.com

Coverage of the 'Legality Now!' Rally

Greenhouse supports the 'Legality Now' rally.

A clear statement will be made in the coming days in Valletta. A statement by the major Environmental NGOs together with Greenhouse to state that legality must be upheld and that political commitments in relation to environmental law must be upheld.
The rally in question here is the 'Legality Now' rally which seeks not to influence policy but to fight back the weakening of environmental law enforcement at present. From illegal hunting and trapping to air pollution, ODZs, abuse of Nature 2000 sites and unauthorized ground water extraction the spectrum is wide and the environmental laws are not being upheld and given the priority they require. In a small state as that of Malta the limited and fragmented nature of our environment deserves greater care and respect from Us who lend this land from future generations. All of whom have a right to the natural endowement of this land!

Greenhouse will be present and invites everyone to join its ranks at the rally.

Uphold Legality!

Join the Rally!

___________________________________________________________________


Message by the Rally organisers:

The Prime Minister has ignored repeated calls by environmental NGOs to enforce the law for the proper protection of the urban and rural environment, while MEPA continues to bend rules and policies to favour private interests at the cost of the national interest.

Consequently the Maltese natural and cultural heritage is being irreparably damaged by

ABUSE OF NATURA 2000 SITES – FOMM IR-RIH, BAHRIJA AND TA’ BALDU

ENCROACHMENT ON ODZ - SCRAPYARDS, SEA BANK HOTEL EXTENSION, QALA, RAMLA L-HAMRA

ILLEGAL HUNTING AND TRAPPING

AIR POLLUTION - TOXIC EXHAUST, CONSTRUCTION DUST & DELIMARA POWER STATION

UNAUTHORIZED GROUNDWATER EXTRACTION

DESTRUCTION OF HERITAGE - QORMI KNIGHTS’ ARMOURY

SHAM PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON FREEPORT & VALLETTA REGENERATION PLANS - VIOLATION OF STRUCTURE PLAN

The situation has become intolerable and undemocratic

Join the RALLY on Saturday 13th March at 10am at City Gate, Valletta

Organisations Supporting the Rally: Nature Trust Malta, Birdlife Malta, FAA, Moviment Graffiti, FOE, MOAM, Ramblers Malta and Greenhouse.

Environment Fair Debate

For the Environment Fair organised by KSU, Greenhouse will be setting up this Debate.

Fragile! Handle with Care.

The purpose of this debate is to draw light and provide a platform to Environmental NGOs who have seen political support fall in recent months. From Spring Hunting to Nature Reserve Management and ODZs, 3 central ENGOs from the environmental lobby will be presenting their case and have views expressed on campus. Together with the MEPA's Director of Environment Protection.

Date:

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Time:

12:00pm - 1:30pm

Place:

Quadrangle, University of Malta

Panel:
Nature Trust
Mr. Vincent Attard (President)
Birdlife Malta
Mr. Geoffrey Saliba (Campaigns Coordinator)
Ramblers Association Malta
Mr. Alex Vella (Secretary)
MEPA
Mr. Martin Seychell (Director of Environment Protection)


Special Guests:
Hon. Rodrick Galdes
Dr. Micheal Briguglio
Dr. Alan Deidun


We encourage student participation and feedback before and after the debate.

Attend and voice your opinion!
Greenhouse Team

Links:

Event Page

Poster Page