Students’ Creativity Shines in the Fight Against Marine Litter for Nature Trust – FEE Malta’s Poster Competition, winners included students from Gozo.

Nature Trust – FEE Malta, in collaboration with Ocean Conservancy’s Small Grants Programme, has successfully concluded a project raising awareness about the perils of marine litter, single-use items, and microplastics.

The project consisted of numerous beach clean-ups, various educational sessions using also using digital microscopes to analyse how plastics break down and are ingested by animals and even absorbed by plants at times.

As conclusion a call was issued to students to create mini posters – a way to spread the word about the dangers of the litter ending up in the sea.

The poster competition showcased the creative talents of young eco-warriors as they tackled this pressing environmental issue through striking visual representations.

Below is a closer look at the outstanding entries and the impact they aim to make.

Category A: Distinguishing between Synthetic and Natural MaterialsAlthough no winning entry was selected in this category, several commendable posters stood out for their ability to differentiate between manmade waste and natural materials, such as seaweed, feathers, roots, and twigs.

Students like Mattia Zahra, Isaac Grech, Eman Thewma, Luigi Ciappara Papagiorcopulo, and Francesca Allen (poster shown above) demonstrated their understanding of this crucial distinction, reminding us that not all materials found in nature should be labelled as litter. Whilst synthetic materials unfortunately have a lot of long lasting negative effects on the environment.

Category B: Misleading Advertisements and LabellingHighlighting the need for critical thinking when it comes to green advertising, Alexander Costingan (poster shown above) and Luca Abdilla Parnis from St Clare College San Gwann Primary School produced commendable entries.

Their posters shed light on the deceptive nature of certain terms like “compostable” and “biodegradable”, emphasising that even seemingly eco-friendly products still pose risks to wildlife if not managed properly – most such items need to be disposed of in a very particular way which is not always available. This is an eye opener on the green washing of certain products to increase sales.

Category C: Biodegradable Balloons and their Environmental ImpactsFlorian Mizzi Vella from St Ignatius College, Qormi San Gorg Primary School clinched the winning position in this category. Florian’s poster brought attention to the harmful effects of “biodegradable” balloons, the material used, and the consequences of balloon releases on the environment.

The thought-provoking design serves as a reminder that our actions, even unintentional ones, can have far-reaching consequences. By the time a “biodegradable” balloon degrades it takes long enough to have a bird entangled in its string, or an inflated one be mistakenly swallowed by a turtle.

Category D: Top Ten Litter Items and Solutions – poster shown at top of article

In the battle against marine litter, Logan Buttigieg and Ryan Vella from St Francis School, Victoria emerged as the winners in this category. Their poster tackled the ten most commonly found litter items on local beaches, including cigarette butts, single-use cutlery, straws, cups, and bottle caps.

The winning entry, along with commendable works by Jake Mallia, Elisa Vella, Adele Formosa, Michael Grech, and Edoardo Baraggioli, emphasised the importance of responsible waste management and provided actionable steps to control these pollutants.

Nature Trust – FEE Malta said that its mini poster competition has successfully engaged young minds in the urgent mission of combating marine litter, reducing dependence on single-use items, and raise awareness about microplastics.The commendable entries not only showcased the students’ artistic talent and creativity but also their deep understanding of the environmental challenges we face.

By harnessing the power of creativity and raising awareness through visual mediums, these young eco-warriors have taken a significant step towards safeguarding our oceans and preserving our planet, NTM said.

NTM congratulated all the participants and winners for their remarkable contributions!

Note: Nature Trust – FEE Malta’s project “From Macro to Microplastics: What happens to litter and debris?” is funded in part by Ocean Conservancy’s Small Grants Programme.

Bottom photos: The four winning/commended entries from Gozo, the students attend St Francis School, Victoria, Gozo – from left to right; Cat A commended Eman Thewma; Cat D Adele Formosa; Cat C Ellie Mercieca and Cat A Eman Thewma

Permalink: From macro to micro – when small bits make things worse…