Survey results show a positive number of people in Malta trying to avoid plastic packaging and choosing reusable shopping bags and containers
Environment Minister Miriam Dalli launched the fifth edition of the environmental campaign Saving Our Blue to continue raising awareness about the devastating impacts of marine litter on our seas and the importance of reducing waste, especially single-use plastics.
During the campaign launch, attendees had the opportunity to try out an innovative Saving Our Blue Virtual Reality (VR) experience bringing them closer to the marine life of different areas of ecological importance in Maltese waters, as well as educational online games on marine litter and waste separation.
Besides these new interactive tools aimed at younger generations, the campaign will also target other demographics and different stakeholders, including NGOs, the private sector and public entities, with different initiatives.
Between 150,000 and 500,00 tonnes of the 25 million tonnes of plastic packaging waste generated in Europe every year ends up in the sea, threatening our marine and coastal environments. The Saving our Blue campaign highlights the impacts of single-use plastic on marine life, while encouraging people to become more sustainable by choosing reusable products and reducing plastic waste in all daily activities.
Last year Malta became one of the first EU countries to ban single-use plastic products, such as plastic bags and cutlery.
During the campaign launch, Environment Minister Miriam Dalli encouraged the public to strive to reduce single-use plastics from their daily routines and replace them with reusable alternatives.
“A survey conducted by the National Statistics Office in collaboration with Saving Our Blue issued earlier this week shows that 62% of people in Malta try to avoid plastic packaging, while 63% choose reusable shopping bags and containers. This is a very encouraging result of campaigns such as Saving our Blue, as well as important policy decisions that Malta is taking, including the banning of single-use plastics and the recent mandatory waste separation regulations. We need to continue working together towards more sustainable lifestyles, with increased emphasis on environment protection, decarbonisation, and waste reduction,” Minister Dalli said.
The new Saving Our Blue web app games use gaming technologies to demonstrate the negative impacts that littering and waste generation from our daily activities can have on marine life. The Saving Our Blue VR experience will immerse users in the ecosystems and biodiversity of some of the Maltese Islands’ Marine Protected Areas, including Ċirkewwa, Għajn Tuffieħa, the Imperial Eagle wreck area, Dwejra, Stokers Cave, Comino, and Ta’ Ċenċ. This experience aims to encourage users to take positive action towards the preservation of these pristine environments.
For the second consecutive year, Saving Our Blue installed ballot bins for cigarette butts at 53 locations on several beaches in Malta, Gozo and Comino. Each bin has an environmentally themed question and two answers. By depositing cigarette butts in the slots underneath the preferred reply, one can help reduce marine litter while participating in an opinion poll. The cigarette butts deposited in each slot will be measured to measure the poll results, which will be announced at the end of summer.
Individuals, businesses, NGOs, and other organisations interested in participating in this environmental campaign can reach out to the Ministry for the Environment on the Saving our Blue socials on Facebook and Instagram. The new online games and more information about this campaign are also available on www.savingourblue.gov.mt.
Representatives from Ambjent Malta, Project Green and Heritage Malta participated in the launching of Saving our Blue.
Il-kampanja Saving Our Blue tintroduċi logħob interattiv u esperjenza ta’ Virtual Reality
Stħarriġ juri li aktar nies qed jagħmlu użu minn materjal sostenibbli biex jevitaw l-użu żejjed ta’ plastik
Il-Ministru għall-Ambjent Miriam Dalli nediet il-ħames edizzjoni tal-kampanja ambjentali Saving Our Blue, biex tkompli titqajjem kuxjenza dwar l-impatt negattiv li l-iskart iħalli fuq il-baħar u l-kosta Maltija, u l-importanza biex jitnaqqas l-iskart, speċjalment plastik li jintuża darba biss.
Il-kampanja din is-sena qed toffri esperjenza innovattiva ta’ Saving Our Blue Virtual Reality (VR) li turi mill-qrib il-ħajja tal-baħar ta’ żoni differenti ta’ importanza ekoloġika fl-ibħra Maltin, kif ukoll logħob edukattiv dwar l-iskart li jinsab fil-baħar u s-separazzjoni tal-iskart.
Din il-kampanja hija mmirata għas-soċjetà kollha, miż-żgħar għall-kbar, inklużi NGOs, is-settur privat u entitajiet pubbliċi, b’attivitajiet u inizjattivi differenti.
F’sena, madwar l-Ewropa, bejn 150,000 u 500,00 tunnellata minn 25 miljun tunellata ta’ skart tal-ippakkjar qed jispiċċa fil-baħar, b’theddida għall-ambjent tal-baħar u tal-kosta Ewropea, inkluża dik Maltija. Il-kampanja Saving Our Blue tenfasizza l-impatt fuq il-ħajja tal-baħar li ġej mill-plastik li jintuża darba, filwaqt li tħeġġeġ lin-nies ikunu aktar sostenibbli billi jagħżlu prodotti li jistgħu jerġgħu jintużaw u jnaqqsu l-użu tal-plastik fl-attivitajiet kollha ta’ kuljum.
Is-sena li għaddiet, Malta kienet fost l-ewwel pajjiżi tal-UE li pprojbixxiet prodotti tal-plastik li jintużaw darba biss, bħal basktijiet tal-plastik u pożati.
Waqt it-tnedija tal-kampanja, il-Ministru għall-Ambjent Miriam Dalli ħeġġet lill-pubbliku biex jagħmel il-parti tiegħu u juża prodotti aktar sostenibbli.
“Kmieni din il-ġimgħa, l-Uffiċċju Nazzjonali tal-Istatistika b’kollaborazzjoni ma’ Saving Our Blue ħareġ stħarriġ li juri li 62% tan-nies f’Malta jippruvaw jevitaw prodotti b’ippakkjar tal-plastik, filwaqt li 63% jagħżlu li jużaw basktijiet u kontenituri li jistgħu jerġgħu jużaw għax-xirja tagħhom. Dan huwa riżultat inkoraġġanti fejn ifisser li l-messaġġ tal-kampanji bħal Saving Our Blue qed jasal, kif ukoll deċiżjonijiet fil-ħidma politika li qed tieħu Malta, fosthom il-projbizzjoni ta’ plastik li jintuża darba biss u dwar is-separazzjoni tal-iskart mandatorju. Irridu nkomplu naħdmu flimkien lejn stil ta’ ħajja aktar sostenibbli, b’enfasi akbar fuq il-ħarsien tal-ambjent, id-dekarbonizzazzjoni u t-tnaqqis tal-iskart,” qalet il-Ministru Dalli.
Il-logħob il-ġdid tal-web app ta’ Saving Our Blue juża teknoloġiji biex juri l-impatt negattiv li l-ġenerazzjoni tal-iskart jista’ jkollhom fuq il-ħajja tagħna ta’ kuljum. Il-VR se toffri esperjenza immersiva ta’ diversi ekosistemi u żoni ta’ bijodiversità f’Żoni Protetti Marittimi li wieħed isib madwar il-Gżejjer Maltin, fosthom iċ-Ċirkewwa, Għajn Tuffieħa, ż-żona Imperial Eagle, id-Dwejra, Stokers Cave, Kemmuna u Ta’ Ċenċ. Din l-esperjenza għandha l-għan li tħeġġeġ lill-pubbliku biex jieħu azzjoni lejn il-preservazzjoni ta’ dawn iż-żoni protetti.
Għat-tieni sena konsekuttiva, Saving Our Blue installat ballot bins għal loqom tas-sigaretti f’53 post f’diversi bajjiet f’Malta, f’Għawdex u f’Kemmuna. Kull kontenitur għandu mistoqsija b’tema ambjentali u żewġ tweġibiet. Il-pubbliku qed ikun imħeġġeġ li jarmi l-loqom tas-sigaretti taħt it-tweġiba preferuta, u b’hekk ikun qed jgħin biex inaqqas l-iskart filwaqt li jipparteċipa fi stħarriġ. Fl-aħħar tas-sajf il-loqom tas-sigaretti mormija fil-kontenituri jintiżnu biex b’hekk il-pubbliku jkun mgħarraf kemm ġew iffrankati effetti negattivi fuq l-ambjent.
Individwi, negozji, NGOs u organizzazzjonijiet oħra li huma interessati jipparteċipaw f’din il-kampanja ambjentali jistgħu jikkuntattjaw lill-Ministeru għall-Ambjent fuq il-paġna ta’ Facebook u ta’ Instagram ta’ Saving Our Blue. Il-logħob il-ġodda flimkien ma’ informazzjoni dwar din il-kampanja jinsabu fuq www.savingourblue.gov.mt.
Għat-tnedija ta’ Saving Our Blue pparteċipaw rappreżentanti minn Ambjent Malta, minn Project Green u minn Heritage Malta.