OUR FIGHT AGAINST PLASTIC POLLUTION - Singapore

YRE Competition 2023
1st Place - Article
11-14 years old

By Vidyuth Vijay Krishnan

Singapore is considered to be one of the cleanest cities in the world, but we could do a better job in managing plastics. That was what inspired me to write this article; to raise a call for change and the greater good. I wanted to spread the tale of Omega and encourage people to help his brothers avert a tragic fate, and save the environment from plastic pollution. Through this article, I hope we will be one small step closer to achieving the Sustainable Goals of “Sustainable Cities and Communities” and “Responsible Consumption and Production”.

THE STORY OF OMEGA 

Oh, hello there. I’m Omega, a ghost now, the ghost of a nurdle (a pre-production plastic pellet). Allow me to share with you my sorrowful journey and unceremonious death.

Figure 1 - Life of Omega

My Birth

 It all began when a huge oil rig crane extracted crude oil from deep under the sea through a long pipe. This crude oil was loaded into a ship which set sail for the oil refinery. There, it was mixed with natural gases from rock formations. Energy and water were used to alter the structure of the mixture, which was made of monomers. These monomers bonded to form long polymer chains. Millions of these chains bonded to form pellets[1], like me. A countless number of my brothers and I were melted using high heat and pressure into a thin tube known as a preform. Once we had cooled down, air was blasted into the tube opening. We were stretched inside the blow mould and filled with air. We expanded into a hollow bottle. Fruit juice was poured into us, a cap screwed on and a sticker plastered. Thousands of identical bottles were loaded into shipping crates. Then, everything was dark for a few days.

 My Journey

 My memory restarted after I was unloaded from a huge lorry and displayed on a shelf in a grocery store. Within an hour of arriving, I found myself in a shopping cart and was soon taken to a house. In the evening, someone picked me up, unscrewed the cap, tilted the juice into their mouth and chucked me in the bin.

 My life doesn’t end here though!

The Not-So-Thrilling Experience

 I spent a night in a dustbin full of food waste. In the morning, someone took the plastic bag that I was in and threw it into the common refuse chute. I plummeted about 30 metres to join a hundred other plastic bags filled with stinky rubbish. A garbage truck picked us up and few hours later, we were strewn onto a conveyor belt with many rollers. At one stage, all the metal tins got sucked away. Strangely, nothing happened to any of us plastics. However, we had something ten times more sinister in store for us. The conveyor belt took many twists and turns and we were tossed about everywhere. At the end, a blazing fire awaited us, and I knew my end had arrived. I was releasing toxic fumes (containing dioxins, furans, mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls[2]) while being cremated alive.

The Landfill

 My ashes were carried by ship to an island named Pulau Semakau and dumped into a huge crater. At the current rate, Pulau Semakau will be fully filled by 2035. My remains shall lie here almost eternally, as plastics take a minimum of 400 years to decompose[3]. My immortality is a curse.

 Survey Results

 The story of Omega is a common story in Singapore. In 2016, about 762,700 tonnes of plastic were incinerated[4].

 This journalist conducted a Google Forms Survey[5] to understand Singaporeans’ habits when it comes to plastics.

Figure 2: Google Forms Survey Results

Of the 61 respondents, only 31.1% and 34.4% indicated that they recycle and reduce use of plastic most of the time. Similarly, only 37.7% of respondents indicated that they reuse a plastic product multiple times. The first three graphs show that most Singaporeans are well-versed in the 3Rs but may not be maximising their efforts.

 Moreover, 68.9% felt they generate ‘moderate’ amount of unnecessary plastic waste, which has become rampant nowadays, especially in online shopping. We usually have to rip through multiple layers of packaging before getting to the product.

 52.5% of the respondents mentioned they are aware of plastic pollution but admit to not doing much. Are we Singaporeans lazy to walk to find a blue bin near us? Or are individuals perhaps unclear about what to throw in recycling bins?

 At the end of the survey, respondents were asked to reflect on whether there is still hope for the future. 41% replied maybe, and an almost equal percentage of respondents replied yes. Could we still correct our mistake? Perhaps it’s not too late to start making a change.

Reducing Plastic Pollution

 A tip for individuals to reduce plastic pollution is to make it a habit to use alternatives to plastic and further reuse plastic items. Reducing consumption is more important than recycling, because it aims to reduce demand. Since supply is fuelled by demand, a reduction in demand would reduce the supply of plastics.

 In addition, proper disposal is quintessential. Consumers should throw waste in the right bin. Don’t throw recyclables in the general waste bin, else they will suffer Omega’s fate, and it is detrimental to throw garbage in recycling bins as they contaminate recyclables. According to ZeroWasteSG, 40% of recyclables are not recycled due to contamination[6]. Recyclables contaminated with food waste should be washed before being thrown in the recycling bin. Clean recyclables can then be brought to a plant where they are disintegrated into nurdles and remade into new plastic products, extending their lifespan.

 The Singaporean government has increased the number of recycling bins for every housing block, with clear instructions on proper disposal techniques. There are also dedicated bins for specific recyclables.

Figure 3: A neighbourhood recycling bin and a RecycleNSave machine [7]

In addition, it would be a good idea for companies to indicate how their plastic products can be properly disposed of, in the form of adding a colour-coded dot to their label.

 Hope

 When plastic was discovered, it was a boon because of its versatility. But it has become a curse due to its inability to decompose. Hopefully, Mother Nature will forgive us for this blunder and give us time for remedial action.

REFERENCES:

[1] Facts about plastic production from PepsiCo Recycling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erGnf7ws20E

[2] UNEP: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/plastic-bag-bans-can-help-reduce-toxic-fumes

[3] WWF: https://www.wwf.sg/plastics/

[4] National Environment Agency (NEA): https://www.nea.gov.sg/docs/default-source/our-services/waste-management/wastestats-2003-20164197a3fd04d34770bafba09393d0fdf0.pdf

[5] Google Survey Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfMk6vTv919HjIflQK6TUDsPKSlgKoo9JhmOiCj9S64Q0Ow4g/viewform

[6] ZeroWasteSG – An initiative of NEA: https://www.towardszerowaste.gov.sg/recycle-right/

[7] RecycleNSave - An initiative of NEA and F&N Foods: https://recyclensave.sg

PLASTIC POLLUTION ON NONSUCH ISLAND, THE HOME OF THE ENDANGERED CAHOWS - Bermuda

YRE Competition 2023
2nd Place - Article
11-14 years old

By Zoe Mir, Age 13, Somersfield Academy, Bermuda

Walking down the flourishing trails of Nonsuch Island, I was struck by both the beauty of the scenery and the connection I felt with nature. This is how Bermuda would have looked when the first settlers arrived to this uninhabited archipelago more than 400 years ago. The well-worn paths were overflowing with native and endemic plants and wildlife, and I could hear waves gliding across the rocks in the distance. As I began to make my way down a steep trail to the water with a group of Bermuda Youth Climate Summit participants, we passed an unmarked graveyard where victims of a centuries-old Yellow Fever outbreak were buried, and we saw an upturned bucket of shells, originally taken illegally from coastal areas but delivered back to nature to become hermit crab homes on Nonsuch.

 Just as the path began to open up, everyone began to slow down. At first, I didn’t know why, but then my eyes widened in shock. A huge pile of junk stretched out before me on the side of the path: plastic crates, trash cans, coils of synthetic rope, bottles, toys, buoys, boat parts, fishing gear, octopus traps, tires, and so many other unidentifiable pieces of human trash. Another 20 feet down the path, the trash finally thinned out, but as we reached the beach, we were greeted by a new mound of washed-up trash as well as more plastic littered across the beach.

Nonsuch Island is one of the many islands that make up Bermuda, a 21-square-mile territory in the North Atlantic Ocean, about 650 miles east of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in St. George’s Parish at the east entrance of Castle Harbor, the 14-acre island is a thriving wildlife sanctuary. With beaches, open spaces, endemic forests, and a freshwater marsh, the rocky island can be described as a “Living Museum of Pre-Colonial Bermuda.” However, to keep it this way, access to the public is restricted.

 I’ve spent almost my entire life within eyesight of this island, even swimming and sailing around it, yet I was never allowed to visit until this trip. There are signs around the cliffs warning that no one is allowed to dock or step foot on the island without permission, or they can be fined $5,000 and/or sentenced to 6 months in prison. Even as we walked onto the island, we had to scrub the bottoms of our shoes in water and bleach to ensure that no parasites from the mainland would disturb the delicately balanced ecosystem. Because of the precautions, when I got to the beach, I had been expecting a pristine, natural landscape. Instead, I was greeted by those mountains of foreign trash. With all of the restrictions, how is so much trash ending up on Nonsuch?

This feeling of disillusionment only grew as I got to meet some of the island’s cutest and most famous residents: the cahows. The Bermuda Petrel, or cahow, is one of the rarest seabirds on the planet. It was thought to be extinct for 330 years until it was rediscovered in 1951 by David Wingate. When he started a program to bring them back from the brink of extinction, there were only 17 known breeding pairs. Now, as of 2023, there are 167 breeding pairs, with 37 of them living on Nonsuch. Although they are making a steady comeback, no one can be sure how long it will last. In 2022, 78 cahow chicks hatched, but just one year later, even with more breeding pairs, just 71 chicks hatched. After learning how much has been done to save these birds, I felt motivated to help them and their island home. It turns out that I am not alone.

In 2017, the Nonsuch Expeditions team, in collaboration with Bermuda’s Department of the Environment and Natural Resources, started setting aside the washed-up trash for further examination. They have determined that less than 10 percent of the tons of trash collected from Nonsuch’s beaches was from Bermuda. This is a small part of the ongoing Nonsuch Plastic Project.

 Aside from collecting and monitoring the plastic trash on the island, the Nonsuch Plastic Project also aims to cut off the plastic at its sources. Plastic pollution is a huge problem worldwide. When it gets into oceans, it breaks down into microplastics, which are plastic pieces smaller than 5 mm in diameter. They are then eaten by fish and are passed all the way through the food web to people, who may be even more affected by the plastic than the individual fish through a process known as biomagnification. These microplastics, along with larger chunks of plastic, are carried by global currents, meaning plastic that enters the water in one area can end up on the other side of the globe. Bermuda is in the middle of a current that circulates around the Atlantic Basin.

 To find out where Nonsuch’s trash came from, the Plastic Project is releasing trackers resembling soda bottles in Bermuda and all around the Atlantic Basin through a program called Message in a Bottle. These trackers are monitored by GPS and send signals three times a day. They also record water temperature and will eventually have other features as well. In collaboration with partner organizations, these trackers will be deployed by schoolchildren around the Atlantic. They will be used to discover the areas that receive the most plastic and will help to determine where it entered the ocean.

 As I collected trash on Nonsuch Island, clearing the home of the beautiful cahow, I realized the effort cannot be one-sided. Everyone needs to do their part, clearing litter, reducing use of plastics, and cutting the waste off at its source.

Figure 1 - One of the smaller piles of trash by Nonsuch Island overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Photo by Zoë Mir

Figure 2 - An endangered cahow chick about to get weighed and measured on Nonsuch Island.

Photo by Zoë Mir

Figure 3 - Trackers for the Message in a Bottle Project.

Photo by Nonsuch Expeditions

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

“Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute.” Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, buei.bm Accessed 10 May 2023.

“Nonsuch Expeditions Bermuda.” Nonsuch Expeditions, www.nonsuchisland.com. Accessed 10 May 2023. Rushe, George J., and Pauline Heaton. “Bermuda.”

Encyclopædia Britannica, 3 Apr. 2023, www.britannica.com/place/Bermuda

THE ROSE’S SECRET: A GIFT OF CARBON DIOXIDE - Slovakia

YRE Competition 2023
3rd Place - Article
11-14 years old

By Lucia Klučárová and Gregor Šturdík

Roses are readily available throughout the year, and a bunch of roses is a common gift for various occasions. We can buy them not only in flower shop but also in supermarkets or gas stations. How many of us actually think about where they come from and what environmental impact they have?

All the roses we buy in flower shops in Slovakia are imported. Before the cut roses reach the recipient, they must travel in a refrigerated environment by plane across continents. Their carbon footprint is very large, comparable to a flight from London to Paris (1).

According to Petra Baranová from the EcoHero portal, Kenya is the largest producer in the rose trade. More than 70% of the roses sold in Europe come from there (2). For this country, the cultivation and export of roses is an important economic sector that employs many of its inhabitants. There is a water shortage in Kenya. Nevertheless, roses are grown around Lake Naivasha. Their cultivation is destroying the ecosystem of this lake.

In Ecuador, roses are grown in the foothills of the Andes, in the Pichincha and Cotopaxi regions (3). Since they have ideal climatic conditions there for growing year round, they are not as energy-intensive as roses grown in the Netherlands. On the other hand, a big environmental problem caused by growing roses in Ecuador is the lack of water for growing common crops. There is also a loss of biodiversity caused by using the land to grow roses

FLOWER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

The Dutch city of Aalsmeer is the centre of the cut flower trade, including roses. This flower exchange offers roses from growers in Africa (Kenya, Zimbabwe) and Latin America (Colombia, Ecuador). Even the largest cut flower wholesaler in Slovakia, Storge, buys roses online at the Dutch flower exchange or directly from growers in Ecuador. In order to preserve freshness and quality, the flowers are stored in a temperature-controlled refrigerator. Flower shop owners can buy roses at the warehouse.  

Florists can be found in every village, but their selection does not differ much. "I buy roses at Ewalds warehouse in Galanta. Their roses are brought in from Holland," said Petra Masníková, owner of Kvety z Dedina flower shop in Majcichov. Petra told Young Reporters that she would prefer to buy from Slovak growers, but this is not possible as there are no rose growers for resale in Slovakia. 

SUSTAINABLE OPTIONS

In Slovak supermarkets, it is sometimes possible to buy roses marked with Fairtrade certification. Growing Fairtrade roses gives people from African and Latin American countries a chance for a decent living. As a result, their children do not have to work, and cultivation may even be environmentally friendly. 

The best option is to go local. The number of flower farms in Slovakia is increasing. They try to reach people who are close to nature with their selection. "Compared to classic florists, we focus on growing flowers that are local, seasonal, and ecological. Outside the growing season, we make bouquets from dried flowers and evergreen bouquets," said Daniela Mošková from the Černuška flower shop in the White Carpathians. 

Buying a bouquet from this flower grower helps minimize our burden on the planet. In Černuška, they refuse to use chemical fertilizers and pesticides. "We fertilize with horse manure and weed by hand. Sometimes it's difficult, but we wouldn't do it any other way," added Daniela Mošková. Also near Trnava is a natural flower shop called Rovina Flower Garden. As owner Ľubica Vašková explained, they have something to offer customers all year round. "In winter, we use our dried flowers and grasses, from which we tie bouquets, and create arrangements and wreaths." 

To avoid gifting kilograms of carbon dioxide, you can donate local and seasonal flowers. In this way, you will not only support the Slovak economy and small businesses but, at the same time, also help the environment.  

Roses without secrets

Autumn in our yard.

Photo by Lucia Klučárová.

LOCAL BOUQUET WITH QUEEN ROSE

Daniela Mošková grows flowers without chemicals and makes beautiful seasonal bouquets.

Photo from Mrs. Mošková's archive.

REFERENCES:

1) Financial Review https://www.afr.com/policy/energy-and-climate/a-bunch-of-roses-costs-as-much-co2-as-a-london-paris-flight-20230219-p5clor

2) Eco Hero online magazine https://ecoheromagazine.com/kym-kupite-zenam-k-mdz-kyticu-kvetov/?fbclid=IwAR2B635x-FAAt7XarvPF3JcALyOqV2SguexMKSkRS5rZnSfpwph8GYbRjG8

3) Alarm - independent online media supported by readers https://a2larm.cz/2021/12/konflikty-o-vodu-a-nedustojna-prace-odvracena-strana-valentynskych-ruzi-z-ekvadoru/

I AM SCARED! - Montenegro

YRE Competition 2023
1st Place - Article
15-18 years old

By Berna Sutović

There are various myths about the relationship between humans and nature. One of them is that nature has a soul, whose power is embodied in humanity, which makes human life more beautiful and bearable.

Today is November 7th, 2022. The weather forecast for tomorrow predicts temperatures up to 27 degrees Celsius. I hear my mother saying, as she decorates the birthday cake for me and my twin brother "This day sixteen years ago, it was snowing, the wind was blowing, and it was almost minus two degrees."

As I listen to her I think about the bare forest above my house, and I recall my geography teacher and her lectures on climate, climate factors and elements. I think about humans having contributed to making the climate in a mountain town in November resemble a seaside climate. Yes, today I wore a T-shirt and sneakers, and ice cream was being sold on the street. The peaks of the mountain Hajla, which used to have white caps all year round, are now green. I know that this is an abnormal occurrence and that the harmony in nature has been disrupted. The ozone layer is expanding, the Earth is slowly losing its shine and beauty, and with it- its living beings. Climate changes year after year contribute to development of epidemics, malaria, and butterflies full of parasites, snails and fungal diseases that attack vegetables and trees, attacking what is part of our existence.

I am sixteen years old and I am afraid. Who is to blame? I wonder if it is because in front of every house in the neighborhood there are two parked cars. I wonder if it is because of thick smoke coming from two bakeries every morning, polluting the air because the baker may be using some kind of plastic for fuel. Are the overflowing garbage containers above which smoke often hovers and which we inhale to blame? Perhaps those who, in the pursuit of profit, transport timber outside the borders of Montenegro every day are to blame. Maybe it is my neighbor who throws garbage into the river late at night? When I ask who is to blame, I get the answer that we are all to blame. Man is to blame and his harsh relationship towards Mother Nature, who has given him plenty of amenities.

Unfortunately, despite all the values that the 21st century has brought, man has devalued nature with his actions. If we look around us, we will notice that nature is slowly dying out because more and more trees have been stripped or have disappeared because they have been replaced by large buildings, markets, cafes, or asphalt. The exploitation of the forest has reached an extreme dimension, there is less and less oxygen and more smog, so it is no wonder that people are increasingly suffering from lung cancer, and children tend to suffer from bronchitis soon after coming to this world.

We witness that everyone talks about the economic crisis. No one realizes that the cause of the economic crisis lies in ecological crisis, and the environment is the basic value.

The race for prestige and material wealth is gaining great dimensions. Resources for enrichment are in nature, but they are used in the wrong way. For every tree cut down, two should be planted. However, people don't think that way. They live for the moment, for false shine, and do not think about the future. Villages are deserted, and cities are full of people who, in the race for a more comfortable life, find salvation in stuffy cities. They consume food grown in greenhouses instead of engaging themselves in production in the countryside. Definitely, humans are at a loss.

The new generations that are growing up are both victims and perpetrators of an inhumane relationship toward nature. Young people find their values in everything that undermines their health and lives, and their future is uncertain. It is a devastating image when young people leave trash behind after a trip to nature.

They do not realize that every thrown away paper, a can, or any other waste is a blow to their healthy tissue, the air they breathe, a blow to their spirit and body.

What can be done to prevent possible disasters and leave healthy nature for future generations?

They teach us entrepreneurship, how to make profit; they teach us math, how to count; they teach us literature, how and what to read. They give us knowledge; socialize us, but the very least of all is the environment. All the knowledge in the world is useless if our health is deteriorating, and deteriorated we make it by destroying the nature around us.

Professors, educators, parents, teach us to protect nature! It is not enough that you have digitized our education; it is not enough that you build houses and buy apartments for us, and leave material wealth for us as inheritance. All of this is in vain if we are forced, like during the coronavirus pandemic, to wear masks again, lock ourselves in our homes running away from each other.

A higher quality education is needed. We should start from preschool, through elementary and high school, and involve the entire society. It is necessary to organize as many as possible educational workshops, seminars, and discussions related to ecology. Penalties for all those who contribute to pollution in any way should be increased.

Let's learn to recycle more. Let's love nature. Let's protect forests because they breathe for us, and clean rivers are our bloodstream.

Nature has given itself to us and we are obliged to protect it. Let us not allow ourselves to poison it because it is our life and the life of our descendants that are at stake.

The atmosphere is an infinite space. The air we breathe is shared by all humans. We need to unite and fight to preserve nature and prevent the destruction of the Earth.

““As every raindrop is a part of the sea, so man on Earth is a part of her””

— Dan Millman.

Garbage in river Ibar in Rožaje (author: Berna Sutović)

In the photographs, there is the river Ibar in Rožaje, whose banks have been turned into a landfill. In the spring, nature takes revenge on us. The river Ibar swells so much that it floods nearby houses, and the garbage returns to the homes of those who have thrown it away. Of course, the citizens become victims of their own wrongdoings. This is followed by seeking help from the government precisely by those who, due to their ignorance and lack of environmental awareness, will contribute to the destruction of the Earth, whose effects, if this continues, will be more powerful than any weapon.

RESOURCE:

"Bukovičke iskre", Mirsada Bibić Šabotić (Centar za kulturu Rožaje, 2021.)

YOUNG PEOPLE: THE KEY TO RESOLVING GLOBAL PROBLEMS - Switzerland

YRE Competition 2023
3rd Place - Article
15-18 years old

By Ella Edwards and Finlay Hamilton

The world is currently facing several new challenges, including climate change; as a result, the planet needs new ideas. Switzerland is starting to become a global centre for young people’s independence. Thanks to the number and range of organisations, young people have plenty of opportunities to express their views and educate themselves to take charge of the future. But intergenerational cooperation is essential to make change possible.

What is intergenerational cooperation?

Intergenerational cooperation is an excellent way of including the innovative views of young people in the decisions taken by global leaders and experts. It is also a way of educating young people: as Confucius said, “knowledge is the key to power”. As a consequence, the aim is to combine young people’s creativity with expert knowledge.

Why is it so important?

We are now starting to realise that young people have a vital and central role to play in global problems. According to UNICEF, “children represent 80% [of the] deaths attributable to climate change, especially in developing countries. Moreover, young people want to have their voices heard: in January 2019, #FridayForFuture events took place all over the world. Thousands of young people in Switzerland gathered in several cities for the climate strike.

Roman Guggisberg, Operations Director at the Villars Institute, explains that “in 2050, the leaders will be you [young people] – so you need to get involved now, not later”. In his view, it is simply a matter of “passing the baton to the next generation” – and that’s exactly what young people’s organisations are doing.

The climate: a core issue for young people and adults in Geneva.

Opportunities in schools

Creating an environmental group at school is an excellent idea for young people who are committed and interested. As a group, and with at least one teacher to guide them, they can plan events and improvements for their institution. Our director of sustainable development at the International School of Geneva explains that his dream is that “Schools no longer teach conformity with the past but allow young people to build an inclusive, sustainable and peaceful future in their own community”.

Activities that open doors

Educational activities or competitions are another way of getting young people to take part. First, we should mention the "Young Reporters for the Environment" programme run by J'aime ma Planète, which encourages participants to research and share solutions. Various school projects linked to the Sustainable Development Goals also aim to raise awareness among young people: for example, “Voices of Youth”, a UNICEF platform for sharing creative projects linked to sustainability and the Eduki competition, which sets young people the challenge of finding tangible solutions to global problems. These are perfect opportunities for allowing young people, with the help of professionals, to understand how a business operates or to cooperate with students who share the same ideas. 

The “Eco-Crew” at the International School of Geneva organises environmental actions.

Young people engage in politics

The COP27 climate summit, held in November 2022, saw the inclusion of the very first official Youth Envoy: Omnia El Omrani. Similarly, Greta Thunberg, a young Swedish woman known for her efforts to protect the climate, has proved that young people can get involved in politics to drive change. In the Swiss political arena, young people can take part in groups such as "Les Jeunes Suisses", "Le Parlement des Jeunes Suisses de l’étranger" and "La Fédération Suisse des Parlements des Jeunes (FSPJ)". In addition, they can vote and join an official political party once they reach the required age. There are numerous ways to get involved: Benedick Schmid, for example, is a committed, 21-year-old politician who has been working for a political party from a very young age, and is looking for a job in the cantonal government in Zurich, where he is hoping to improve equality and sustainability. As more young people engage in politics, the question of changing the voting age also arises. Ultimately, we need to reflect on how to get young people more involved in politics and help them to participate, as an important step towards advancing sustainable development and strengthening democracy.

Putting young people in touch with experts

Bringing people with the same passions and hopes for the environment together is no easy task, given the scale of the planet. But in many countries, such as Switzerland, young people can now attend events and conferences that are open to them. Every year, schools and other institutions open their doors to young people and professionals for the purpose of sharing knowledge. Events include the “Villars Institute Symposium”, an event in Villars that aims to put intergenerational cooperation into practice. Another example is the “Youth Forum Switzerland”, an event at the International School of Zug and Luzern, which brings together students from several schools. For its part, the “Geneva Youth Call” is an initiative run by the University of Geneva, which aims to rally young people from around the world to get their voices heard. Finally, “Step Into Action” encourages and motivates young people to get involved in society. The opportunity to share your ideas and listen to those of people like you is a very positive experience and one that is now accessible to all.

Essential action for a better future for everyone

Clearly, our world is undergoing significant change. We will all be affected by climate change and pollution, even in Switzerland, where these issues are currently less obvious. Increasingly, young people are demonstrating that they want to help. Nonetheless, such cooperation between adults and young people will only be possible when the politicians in power open their doors and listen to the millions of voices calling out to them.

REFERENCES:

Images

●    RTS. “Des milliers de personnes manifestent en Suisse pour le climat avant la COP26.” RTS, 22 October 2021, https://www.rts.ch/info/suisse/12586216-des-milliers-de-personnes-manifestent-en-suisse-pour-le-climat-avant-la-cop26.html.

●    La Châtaigneraie, bibliothèque

●    FSPJ. “Comment les jeunes voient-ils la politique en Suisse ?” Fédération Suisse des Parlements des Jeunes, 2017, https://www.fspj.ch/sujets/participation-politique-des-jeunes/comment-les-jeunes-voient-ils-la-politique-en-suisse/.

Websites:

●    Université de Genève. “Déclic Durable - GENEVA-YOUTH - UNIGE.” Université de Genève, 2022, https://www.unige.ch/geneva-youth/fr/news/declic-durable/. Consulté le 27 January 2023.

●    UNICEF. “Le changement climatique et les enfants.” UNICEF, 2022, https://www.unicef.fr/convention-droits-enfants/changements-climatiques/. Consulté le 20 January 2023.

●    UNICEF. “La Voix des Jeunes.” La Voix des Jeunes: Page d'accueil, https://www.voicesofyouth.org/fr. Consulté le 20 January 2023

●    YFS, ISZL. “ISZL's YFS.” Youth Forum Switzerland, https://www.youthforumswitzerland.ch/. Consulté le 27 January 2023.

●    Defauw, Patricia. “Association | J'aime ma Planète.” J'aime ma planète, 2023, https://jmp-ch.org/association/. Consulté le 27 January 2023.

●    Schmid, Benedick. “Benedikt Schmid in den Kantonsrat.” Benedick Schmid, https://benediktschmid.ch/. Consulté le 1 March 2023.

●    Zarzycka, Dominika. “Young people just got a louder voice on climate change — and could soon be shaping policy.” CNBC, 23 November 2022, https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/23/young-people-just-became-official-climate-policy-stakeholders-at-cop27.html. Consulté le 20 January 2023.

Interviews:

●    Roman Guggisberg, directeur des opérations à l’Institut de Villars

●    Jan Dijkstra, enseignant et coordinateur de la durabilité à l'Ecole Internationale de Genève, campus de La Châtaigneraie

PLASTIC POLLUTION: WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT? - Malaysia

YRE Competition 2023
3rd Place - Article
15-18 years old

By Wong Yu Xuan

It is a Sunday evening as I visited the night market or “Pasar Malam” at Taman Megah PJ, Selangor nearby where I reside. A wide variety of products were sold, including food, toys, and clothing, to name a few. Never-ending streams of people were moving up and down the road. The night market business has been active again after the Movement Control Order (MCO) was lifted. The traders surely will benefit from the strong economic recovery. However, when the night market is over, what’s left behind is garbage everywhere especially plastic waste. It's an annoying scene! 

Though the government has taken steps to curb the usage of single-use plastic, I still see people carrying plastic bags full of their shopping items. Generally speaking, I have had several experiences of visiting the night market in an environmentally friendly way. I brought my own recycle bags and food containers from home. When I buy fruits, I make sure to use my own recycle bags to keep the fruits. All vendors and hawkers there are very welcoming towards my initiative to protect the environment. Of course, not everyone is aware that this small action matters a lot for our planet.

Garbage and plastic waste scattered everywhere after nigh market over.

Photograph by Wong Yu Wang during night market visit.

I took this opportunity to interview the fruit vendors and the food hawkers over there. It was heartening to find out that many people are bringing their own shopping bags, especially adults. They are positive towards the initiative of phasing out single-use plastics. It sparked my curiosity: Why do young people have lower awareness of reducing single use plastics? Hence, simple research on 10 of my classmates was conducted by simply asking: Will you bring your own recycle bag and container while shopping at the night market? It was revealed that 8 out of 10 of them will not bring those items because they think it is too much of a hassle to prepare and spend time cleaning it after using. Some of them also have an opinion that plastics are much lighter and more convenient.

Some of the shoppers still lack of awareness of reducing single-use plastic.

Photography by Wong Yu Xuan

Most people understand that plastic wastes are an eyesore to the community. What makes it worse is that they think that the cleaning and disposal of plastic waste is solely the responsibility of local authorities rather than each and every individual. In fact, this mentality is wrong. Every individual’s role in environmental protection is crucial and they can all share the responsibility with the government to achieve a better and more sustainable future. 

What can individuals do to prevent plastic pollution? 

Preventing the production of plastic waste is the most effective way to reduce its waste output. To elaborate, we can practice the 3Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle to conserve natural resources, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to make this planet sustainable for living. 

I brought my own shopping bags and containers for night market shopping.

On the other hand, we should reject single-use plastic bags by bringing our own reusable bags when we shop or bringing our own containers whenever we order take-away food. The community should maintain a greenhouse concept by using environmentally friendly products or recyclable items made from glass, wood, paper, etc.

The environmental impact of plastic waste can be reduced by plogging, an eco-friendly workout trend by picking up trash and litter while jogging. This workout is not only able to make us healthy, but it also helps to restore nature by just simply picking up the trash. 

In addition, we could use virtual spaces to raise our voices by sharing plastic pollution issues on social media. Indirectly, it will help to increase public awareness as well as spark others to become more environmentally aware of this issue. As charity begins at home, every environmental protection action starts with oneself and everyone should be involved in solving this problem. 

Next, what is the role of the government and responsible authorities in solving the issue of plastic pollution?

The most pragmatic measure to tackle plastic pollution is to reduce the use of plastic for food packaging, non-essential and everyday use items. The enforcement of the RM0.20 charge for each plastic bag purchased (Zen, I.S. et al 2013) is one of the effective measures to raise awareness among the community. This move is in line with Malaysia's Roadmap towards Zero Disposable Plastics 2018-2030 which aims to tackle the pollution of disposable plastics (MESTECC 2018).  

In addition, Malaysia's roadmap encourages local industries to embrace biodegradable and compostable plastic alternatives. Natural sources of bioplastics are the best alternative for plastic but it is relatively expensive because of the complex process. In view of the high costs of bioplastic production, the government should support in terms of subsidies and zero taxation for sustainable raw materials and products. 

Awareness is the key to tackling plastic pollution. The initiatives implemented by the government such as the “No Plastic Bag Campaign” (Zen, I.S., et al 2013) and the “No Straw Campaign” (Malaymail 2018) are effective ways to educate the public to stop the use of plastic straws, single-use plastic water bottles, and plastic bags, among others. 

It is undeniable that more proactive steps need to be taken through the role of environmental education (IMPAK 2006). Environmental education must be nurtured from an early age to create awareness of the importance of protecting the environment. Thus, the national education framework must explicitly acknowledge in line with both national development and environmental sustainability. 

Besides that, Malaysia is facing a marine plastic pollution issue which is found to be difficult to tackle compared to other neighboring countries such as Indonesia (Kamaruddin, H., et al 2022). In fact, the issue of marine plastic debris affects the entire world community and it requires international cooperation to resolve. Therefore, Malaysia is working hard to enhance international cooperation with Indonesia through legal approaches (Chen, H.L., et al. 2021) in regulating the management of plastic waste in solving the marine plastic pollution issue.

To recapitulate, the government’s effort in addressing plastic pollution is a positive move. However, the issue of plastic pollution wouldn’t be resolved easily unless there is a significant shift in the attitude among Malaysians. If every individual contributes a little effort, it will add up to a whole lot of good for our environment towards a sustainable future.

Bibliography:

1. Chen, H.L., Nath, T.K., Chong, S. et al. (2021). “The plastic waste problem in Malaysia: management, recycling and disposal of local and global plastic waste.” SN Appl. Retrieved from URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-021-04234-y

2. IMPAK (2006). ”Environmental Education and Awareness.” Issue 4, doe.gov.my. Retrieved from URL: https://enviro2.doe.gov.my/ekmc/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/1380091485-Impak_2006_Bil_4.pdf

3. Kamaruddin, H., Maskun, Patittingi, F.et al. (2022). “Legal Aspect of Plastic Waste Management in Indonesia and Malaysia: Addressing Marine Plastic Debris.” Sustainability 2022, 14, 6985. Retrieved from URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/su14126985 

4. Malaymail (2018). ”Plastic Straw Ban Effective 2020, Ministry Clarifies.” Retrieved from URL: www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2018/09/22/plastic-straw-ban-effective-2020-ministry-clarifies/1675334.

5. MESTECC (2018). “Malaysia’s Roadmap towards Zero Single-Use Plastics 2018–2030.” Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC). Retrieved from URL: https://www.mestecc.gov.my/web/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Malaysia-Roadmap-Towards-Zero-Single-Use-Plastics-2018-20302.pdf

6. Zen, I.S. Ahamad, R., Omar, W. (2013). “No plastic bag campaign day in Malaysia and the policy implication.” Environ Dev Sustain. Retrieved from URL: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/20364482.pdf   

7. Zen, I.S., Irina, S. (2013). “No Plastic Bag Campaign Day in Malaysia and the Policy Implication.” AGRIS: International Information System for the Agricultural Science and Technology. Retrieved from URL: https://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=US201400184489  

ISÈRE MASSIFS: OVER-VISITATION OF NATURAL PARKS THREATENS AN EMBLEMATIC BIRD - France

YRE Competition 2023
1st Place - Article
19-25 years old

By Hugo Marrequeste, and Emma Venancie

In winter, Black grouse feed on pine and spruce needles, a low energy food.

Photo credit : istock

In winter, during its resting period, the Black grouse, an emblematic bird of the Isère mountains (France), is threatened by human presence. The regional natural parks are working to raise awareness among hikers and skiers about the fragility of biodiversity. 

At an altitude of more than 1,500 meters, in the regional natural park (RNP) of Chartreuse, in Isère, lives a black gallinaceous bird, with red eyebrows and a remarkable tail. Its name : the Black grouse. On a wooden panel, at the beginning of the hiking trail leading to the Col du Coq, the protected species are shown. In the center, the Black grouse. 15% of its national population lives in Isère. 

This little known species is nevertheless the symbol of the Alps. «It is an «umbrella species». When it is doing well, we know that other species are in good health,» explains Catherine Balestra, tourism manager of the Chartreuse RNP. 

Depending on the season, the bird lives in different areas. In winter, it takes refuge in the forests of fir and spruce. «If we preserve the natural environment of the Black grouse, we protect the habitats of many other species,» says Anaëlle Atamaniuk, in charge of wildlife missions at the league for the protection of birds (LPO in french) Auvergne Rhône-Alpes. 

The protected species sign at the trailhead.

Photo credit: Emma Venancie

A species sensitive to human presence 

In winter, the Black grouse builds an igloo in the snow, where the temperature does not go below zero degrees. «This allows it to saves energy», says David Leroy, guard of the high plateaus of the RNP of Vercors. When a skier passes by, it takes flight and flees from its shelter. A considerable energy expenditure. «It does not return to the same place because it thinks it has narrowly escaped a predator,» he insists. If it is disturbed too many times, it dies. 

Its population is stable for the moment but «It can drop rapidly», warns the guard. 

With a habitat already weakened by global warming and melting snow, the population of this small animal is decreasing. Each year, the Observatory of Mountain Galliformes and the Isère hunters’ federation count between 2,000 and 2,500 roosters in the department. However, in twenty years, they have lost 9% of their habitat. «There is a decrease in Chartreuse and in the Vercors» a member of the Isère hunters’ federation remarked. 

Because even if this species is fragile, it is still hunted. And the more hikers and the more skiers there are, the more likely this bird is to be disturbed. Its cousin, the capercaillie, disappeared from the Alps in 2007 due to the destruction of its habitat. 

A shepherd’s crook in hand, a hiker came running in the Chartreuse mountains after a morning’s work. «The Black grouse is a plant, right ?» he asks. This construction worker lives inSaint-Hilaire-du-Touvet, only a few kilometers away from the Col du Coq. However, this regular visitor does not know the animal. A lack of knowledge which results in progressive invasion. 

Over-visitation since the end of Covid 

In Chartreuse, since the beginning of the Covid crisis, the increase in the influx of tourism is intensifying on several sites. In 2017, 75,000 visitors had climbed the Charmant Som. Three years later, they were 90,000, a 20% increase in attendance. The ski resorts, which were closed after the first lockdown, have seen an explosion in cross-country skiing and hiking. 

The hiker admits: «Since the Covid, I’ve been hiking a little more. I’m trying to run less in every direction and take advantage of Friday afternoons to walk alone in the mountains.» 

The establishment of quiet zones 

The parks then decided to set up quiet zones. These spaces allow the gallinaceous to rest without being disturbed. The Chartreuse natural regional park took this initiative in 2016 by establishing five zones. When arriving on the plateau of les petites roches, between the Col du Coq and Pravouta, yellow and black ropes delimit a space not to be crossed. 

Between the summit of Pravouta and the dent de Crolles, a resting area for black grouse has been set up.

Photo credit: Hugo Marrequeste

On a scrap metal sign, the little animal is represented with its wings crossed.«Winter refuge, please avoid this area,» it says. This device is installed by guards and volunteers from the beginning of winter until the end of May. 

But the measure is only incentive. «We warn people that they are going to cross a rest area. We ask them not to go there. It is more or less respected,» says David Leroy. 

For the moment, no study has been carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of this initiative «based on the common sense of the practitioners who will not receive any fine in case of non-respect», supports Anaëlle Atamaniuk of the LPO. 

But according to them, these zones at least discourage some skiers. 

Directing hikers to other trails 

Catherine Balestra wishes to communicate more carefully about the walks. «In the future, between March and June, we will less promote certain walks, because we know that certain species are reproducing.» These choices are also accompanied by simple but effective actions such as closing the road to access the Col du coq in winter. «This allows us to drastically reduce the number of hikers and not to disturb the local fauna,» reports Vincent Neirinck member of Mountain Wilderness, an association for the protection of the mountain. 

Are other restrictions on the agenda? «Not for the moment,» says Anaëlle Atamaniuk, while other places in the Chartreuse already set limits for visitors. This is the case of the circus of Saint- Même, which is forbidden to access at certain times of the year once the parking lot is full. «It would be necessary to limit the practices of nature sports or setting up a municipal decree», claims the person in charge of LPO missions. The actors of the Alps are not finished committing themselves to the preservation of this species. 

References:

http://www.mercantour-parcnational.fr/fr/des-connaissances/le-patrimoine-naturel/la-faune-du-mercantour/tetras-lyre

https://www.chasse38.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Depliant-tetras-lyre.pdf

https://isere.ffrandonnee.fr/html/4298/le-tetras-lyre

https://www.observatoire-galliformes-montagne.com/Tetras-lyre.html

PEAT-FREE GARDENING: PROTECTING THE CLIMATE - Slovakia

YRE Competition 2023
2nd Place - Article
19-25 years old

By Mária Jánošíková

Peat is a popular substrate used for growing acid-loving plants such as blueberries, azaleas, cranberries, and rhododendrons. While gardeners enjoy its benefits, peat is mined from bogs, which are protected and rare habitats. Although many can't do without peat substrates, natural garden enthusiasts know alternatives.

Peat is a common part of garden substrates. It is widely used by gardeners and growers as a natural product that makes soil lighter, plumper and helps to hold water better. However, peat is mined from peatlands, which represent rare and unique ecosystems. New data published by The Guardian showed that more than a third of the compost sold in the UK in 2021 was peat dug from rare carbon-rich habitats (1). 

"Peat bogs are a type of wetland, and they are one of the most effective ways of retaining the carbon that is stored in the bodies of plants. That's why bogs are a very interesting ecosystem in the context of climate change," says Andrea Froncová from the Bratislava Regional Conservation Association about the importance of these sites. 

ALTERNATIVES EXIST

Alena Paššová Pohorencová, one of the first owners of certified natural gardens in Slovakia, knows the ways in which commonly available substrates with peat, and peat itself can be replaced. In order for a garden to receive this certificate, it must not use artificial fertilizers, pesticides, or peat. Why is using peat prohibited in natural gardens? Because it is a non-renewable resource and its extraction releases a substantial amount of CO2, a greenhouse gas.

According to Paššová, one of the substitutes is the coffee grounds that remain after coffee is made. This is often considered unusable waste. "Coffee is acidic; its pH is around 5. If we add it to the soil or put it under bushes, we will lower the pH to a suitable level for growing acid-loving species", says Paššová. She also recommends revitalizing the soil or compost by adding locust tree bark, sawdust soaked in vinegar water, or pine needles. 

GARDENING WITH NATURE 

Although there are alternatives to peat, it is best not to grow plants that need it at all: "We avoid ornamental plants, so you won't find heather, rhododendrons or blueberries here. In the garden, we have a few older spruce trees that my grandfather brought from the forest as young seedlings; otherwise, you won't find any acid-loving plants here. In our area, acidic habitats do not occur naturally; therefore, we will not artificially change the quality and composition of the soil," says Paššová Pohorencová.

The gardener further explains: "We do not use chemical sprays; we build variety and diversity, and we also share the harvest with wild animals that live here as they take care of the biological protection of the garden. We had a natural garden long before we knew the criteria for certification. It is my lifelong process to observe the garden and learn how to cultivate it." According to her, one should replace acid-loving blueberries with Saskatoon berries.

PEATLANDS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION

Although peatlands cover only 3-4% of the planet's surface, they store up to a third of the planet's terrestrial carbon, twice as much as is held in the world's forests (2). Therefore, the preservation of peatlands is very important as a mitigation measure in times of climate crisis. The British government is dealing with the legislative protection of bogs. It proposes to end retail sales of peat compost in 2024 and sales to professional growers by 2028 (1). 

Peatlands are also found in Slovakia, in the Tatra Mountains, in the Orava region, and along the Slovak-Polish border. There were many more in the past, but they were destroyed, drained, and turned into fields. The remaining ones are considered very rare habitats and have a high degree of protection. As the peat available in shops in Slovakia mostly comes from Belarus, there is also the problem of the carbon footprint created by transporting the substrate to our market. 

Peatland conservation and restoration are extremely important, not only as a carbon sink but also to retain water in the landscape and increase the biodiversity of the area. The good news is that within the project "Ecohydrological Restoration of Peat Bogs in the Carpathians", to be implemented from February 2022 to April 2024, twelve rare peat bogs will be restored in Slovakia (3). The project also includes research to find out how much carbon peatlands can sequester and evaluate the effects of restoration to increase this capacity. 

GARDENERS LOVE PEAT

Photo by Mária Jánošíková

COFFEE GROUNDS FOR ACIDIC SOIL

Photo by Marianna Holušová Ružičková

PECISKÁ - PROTECTED PEAT BOG IN NORTHERN SLOVAKIA

Photo by Mária Jánošíková

References:

1) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/31/third-of-all-compost-sold-in-uk-is-climate-damaging-peat?fbclid=IwAR3-yr5BD8YMJevW_hS0SdB1PPLUkj_4G_Ml5BzAgwzPgLRrNK2Z-ylvBpc

2) https://www.unep.org/resources/global-peatlands-assessment-2022

3) https://www.enviroportal.sk/clanok/obnova-raselinisk-pomoze-pri-adaptacii-na-zmenu-klimy

ENVIRONMENTAL DNA: INVASIVES SPECIES UNDER INVESTIGATION - Portugal

YRE Competition 2023
3rd Place - Article
19-25 years old

By Diogo Martins

Imagine that, from a small sample of water from a coastal area, it is possible to know the species existing in this area, even before they are spotted. It is based on this premise that the NIS-DNA project aims to combat and control early species that may become invasive. Avoiding the consequences for Portuguese coastal marine ecosystems is the basic idea at the core of this project, which uses DNA traces present in aquatic environments to discover non-indigenous species.

What if our environment was a large reservoir of DNA? According to the coordinator of the NIS-DNA project, Sofia Duarte, "it is possible to detect this molecule carrying the genetic code of all living beings present in an environment from a simple water sample collection". This environmental DNA can thus become an inexhaustible source of information to discover more about living species yet to be detected in certain ecosystems. Who doesn't remember police investigation series, where with a hair left at a crime scene, you can catch a criminal. This is how the Centre for Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA), at the University of Minho, uses a simple water sample or a "soup of organisms" to obtain DNA fragments and discover the biodiversity that left traces of its presence in a certain place.

The researcher reveals that this project aims to "propose a protocol for early identification of non-indigenous species of fauna that are not native to the region". Sofia Duarte adds that she intends to "optimise molecular tools" such as DNA barcoding and DNA Metabarcoding, i.e. tools or techniques that use DNA as a basis for identifying species to achieve the objectives of this project. These technologies used in the project allow the early detection of non-indigenous species, as it is possible to detect them at any stage of their life cycle and when in low densities, allowing to anticipate their growth, dispersal and areas potentially at risk of being invaded.

Sofia Duarte, coordinator of the NIS-DNA project, from the Centre for Molecula

Traditionally, species classification methods are based on the morphological identification of organisms, based on their physical characteristics, the study of their shape and structure. However, this approach may have limitations, such as the fact that this technique requires specialised knowledge and in some cases identification is difficult or even impossible. Furthermore, sometimes, in the case of very small living things (such as invertebrates), it is a challenge to find them in the ecosystem where they live and even to identify them.

Sample collected within the NIS-DNA project //Diogo Martins

Therefore, molecular tools can fill in the gaps of traditional classification and become an "inexhaustible" source of information about the respective species of each environment and, consequently, about the non-native and potentially harmful species to this same environment. 

Thus, the researcher reveals the importance of the innovative use of molecular tools, such as DNA barcoding and DNA Metabarcoding, for the preservation of the balance of Portuguese coastal ecosystems.

“ Sofia explains that this technique “requires the extraction of DNA from organisms present in the places under study or else present in environmental samples, such as water, and, from this DNA collected, short sequences of standardised regions in the organisms’ genome are used for their identification”.”

— Sophia Duarte

The analysis of these sequences leads to the creation of genetic barcodes, in the case of DNA barcoding of a single species, and in the case of DNA Metabarcoding, of all species present in the sample. Subsequently, these unknown DNA samples are associated with species that have been previously registered in a reference gene library. The project coordinator points out the purpose of preventing and combating "the growing problem that non-indigenous species can bring, since by the time an invasive species is already established, it is very difficult to eradicate it", which highlights the importance of this project.

Coastal regions are areas of great socio-economic importance for our country and non-indigenous species represent a threat to the sustainable and economic development of these regions, thus motivating the prevention of this problem. In addition, the researcher explains that "Invasive species can be especially impactful in aquaculture areas", exemplifying with the case of bivalve aquacultures in Ria Formosa, which were affected by invasive species, such as bryozoans and tunicates, which can translate into heavy losses for these cultures.

Electrophoresis source, the device that confirms if the amplification of DNA was successful // Diogo Martins

The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere, in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive [1] of 2018, states that until that date were referenced about 12,000 non-indigenous species, in marine and transitional environments, from the European Union and other European countries, and that of these, about 10 to 15% are considered invasive, translating, according to previous studies, ecological and economic impacts of invasive species, amounted to almost 5% of the world economy.

Nevertheless, these techniques are not infallible and, as such, they have limitations. For example, in the case of environmental DNA analyses, the persistence time of DNA in the environment can vary according to species (larger species in principle release more DNA) and according to environmental conditions (pH and temperature). In addition, DNA from species that are only found in certain locations can be carried by water currents, manipulating the results. In some species, DNA presents difficulties in being amplified, resulting in a greater difficulty in sequencing and, therefore, identification of these species [2]. And as the identification of the species relies on the data that are available in the reference gene libraries, their degree of fulfilment will affect the amount of identified species as they need to already have reference DNA sequences in these libraries. However, the project coordinated by Sofia Duarte, aims to optimize these methodologies and tools, leading the NIS-DNA project to its goal in the difficult and exhaustive world of combating invasive species.

References:

[1] Diretiva-Quadro “Estratégia Marinha - Descritor 2 – Espécies não indígenas, Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera, I.P - https://www.dgrm.mm.gov.pt/documents/20143/43971/IPMA_DQEM_2018_D2_FINAL_CP_22082019.pdf/110e6412-799a-0da5-d8a6-195565c6f72f

[2] Actes de la journée ADN Environnemental – Tristan LEFEBURE, Université Lyon 1 – Barcoding, Métabarcoding : petite entrée en matière - http://www.graie.org/zabr/zabrdoc/Actes_Adne_web.pdf

CLIMATE CHANGE AND RELIGION (Ireland) Category: Climate Change

YRE Competition 2022
2nd Place - Article
19-25 years old

By Kate Burke

There’s a Hadith in Islam where the Prophet Muhammed taught that, “even if the sun has risen on the Day of Judgement, you still have the chance to plant a tree.”

Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri, founder of the Islamic Centre Ireland and climate activist, referred to it when speaking to The Green News, and spoke of how people of faith draw on a very strong inspiration from their religion to be responsible inhabitants of the earth. 

Within his own life, Al-Qadri has made significant changes to the Islamic Centre Ireland in terms of sustainability, noting that these practical, small steps matter, but that governments and multinationals need to step up. 

Contrary to the secularisation thesis of the early 20th century, religion is an integral part of daily life for the majority of the world’s population – and that’s projected to increase. By 2050, it’s estimated that 87 per cent of people will identify as being religious, so secular life is very much the exception rather than the rule. 

And for those leading and participating in religious communities, there’s a growing belief that religion is an underutilised tool when it comes to addressing the climate crisis.

For Dr Ciara Murphy, an environmental policy advocate with The Jesuit Centre of Faith and Justice, climate and social justice fits in with religion because there is the sense of “caring for a common home.” 

“I think science is good at explaining what we need to do – and the religious aspect is good at the ‘why’ we should do this,” she said. 

Within Christianity, there has been a growing movement for climate justice, largely attributed to the fact that climate crisis itself is an “issue of justice”, according to theologian Ruth Valerio. 

Christian climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe has also cited the Christian doctrine of easing suffering as being a cornerstone of her decision to work on the issue. 

However, nowadays Christianity tends to be most prevalent and dominant in western regions where consumerism also thrives alongside it, which has made figures like John Grim, one of the founders of the religion and climate school of thought, call into question the so-called ‘rationality’ of the Homo-economicus. 

Just what kind of rational creature consumes so much and so carelessly that they leave their planet – their home – burning in their wake? 

And while there are figures within the Christian faith working towards climate justice the worldover, by-and-large many followers take on an anthropocentric lens when it comes to their own relationship with nature, which is a sharp contrast to other faith traditions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Indigenous faiths where humanity is a central to nature, not outside of it. 

Within most religions there is also the concept of the afterlife – an eternal next place that for many is determined by how our lives are lived here on earth. 

Assistant Professor at the School of Religion in Trinity College Dublin Dr Cathriona Russell observed that imagining paradise or heaven is a speculative exercise in theology, and the idea of paradise as a garden is one common among the religions. Notably, these locations are usually green, flourishing and abundant – a realm where nature is thriving. 

There’s also the fact that for many strands of faith life here on earth is temporary and the afterlife is permanent, so perhaps “people assume that means that faith communities probably wouldn’t really care about what’s happening in this life…[because] the Day of Judgement is going to come anyway,” according to Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri. 

But he noted that this is in fact not the case in Islam, and referred back to the Hadith mentioned above and stressed that every day on earth we must, “protect the environment. We have to be those that are responsible and not those that create chaos in the world, no matter how long we live on Earth”. 

But perhaps most importantly, given its far-reaching influence and long-standing traditions, religion has the ability to bring “hope to the table,” according to Dr. Ciara Murphy. 

“And it’s not a hope that things will just change. It’s the hope that we need to work towards change. It’s a hope and a kind of guiding force to change,” she said.

DISSEMINATION:

https://greennews.ie/when-it-comes-to-action-on-the-climate-crisis-where-does-religion-fit-in/ Cover Photo Credit: Alexander Cifuente - Unsplash

Source: https://bahaiteachings.org/combatting-climate-change-science-religion/

LESS IS MORE FOR PEACE BAY (Slovakia) Category: Loss of Biodiversity

YRE Competition 2022
3rd Place - Article
19-25 years old

By Michal Mazánik

THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SPORTS COMPLEX AT ZÁTOKA POKOJA (PEACE BAY) IN TRENČÍN, APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IN MARCH, MAY DISRUPT THE NATURAL CHARACTER OF THE AREA, ACCORDING TO ACTIVISTS, WHO ALSO DRAW ATTENTION TO SEVERAL SHORTCOMINGS OF THE PROJECT.

This natural location in the Trenčín region, located near the city centre, was neglected and polluted for a long time. The situation changed in 2011, when activists from the Centre for Environmental Activities (CEA) began to take care of the space. They transformed the previously unsavoury bay into an environment that ranks among the most sought-after recreational places in the city.

Vanda Mokráňová has been part of the community of volunteers for several years. She sees their work as a way to contribute to a better city and more attractive public space for herself and others: "Young people come here, people with dogs, they sit along the river or have a picnic. In the middle of the city, they find nature and birdsong," she says. In 2021, a municipal protected area of Trenčiansky Luh was declared near the place where construction is to take place.

The main justification for protecting the Trenčiansky Luh is that the floodplain forests on the river Váh River are wetland habitats of European importance. They are home to dozens of species of birds, mammals and amphibians.

SPORTS AND RECREATIONAL AREA FOR ALL

On sunny spring days, this natural area is a popular place to relax. (Two weeks before the reconstruction began.)

ACTIVISTS' CONCERNS

Volunteers fear that once the investment is complete, the territory will turn into a space that ordinary people will not have access to during times of athletic training. They point out that the project lacks toilet facilities and drinking water for athletes, which cannot be built here because the location is a flood zone. According to a member of the initiative, Klaudia Medalová, a sports facility suitable for organizing races of young athletes would make more sense at one of the primary schools.

In addition to the restoration of the current running oval, the project is to include the construction of two multi-functional playgrounds, a landing pit, and a shot put area. The clay surface of the track is to be replaced by Tartan [polyurethane]. Changing the surface of the running track is one of the reasons the natural character of the site could be disrupted. Also, during athletic training sessions, passage to the bay may not be possible through the running oval.

Erika Sagová, a spokeswoman for the city of Trenčín, sees no reason for concern: "The sports facility will primarily serve the general public. We do not believe that it is necessary to build toilets and other facilities there. People will come, do sports, and leave." She emphasizes that  playgrounds and other recreational areas, such as apartment block courtyards, do not have toilet facilities.

RECONSTRUCTION HAS STARTED

Due to the construction of the sports facility, the bay will be almost inaccessible to the public during the summer of 2022.

INADEQUATE FUNCTION, BAD TIMING

Opinions vary among council members. Richard Medal, director of the CEA and member of the City Council, stresses that the original proposal, which would have been welcomed by the ZátOKa volunteers, was for just the restoration of the clay surface on the running oval. It was supposed to be reconstructed in half profile, for recreational runners.

"I think locating a training space in this area, or even a racing facility for athletics, is not right. Trenčín deserves a proper big track for running," Medal said. The project approved by the City for ZátOKa pOKoja, he describes as a "toy imitation".

Since the construction of the Vah Cycling Path is planned in the immediate vicinity next year, one can expect the Tartan track to be damaged in a few months, he said. Consequently, public resources will have to be spent repeatedly on repairs. Trenčín's spokeswoman Sagová responded, "The project plan includes the construction of the Vah Cycling Path. If they damage our track or anything else when building the route for cyclists, they (Trenčín Regional Government) will have to repair it." However, it is still the taxpayers' money that might be wasted.  

AT PEACE BAY

The location is a pleasant alternative for Trenčín's residents to the hot and busy streets of the city.

COOLING EFFECT IN AN OVERHEATED CITY  

Trenčín resident Janka came to ZátOKa for a walk with her young daughters. She views the announced sports facility positively, because the playground will be used by children and youth: "I don't mind, a lot of people don't come here today, maybe it's better if athletes use it. If there was a training event, we'd take the kids to one of the other playgrounds in the city."

However, Vanda Mokráňová believes that the space has already found its best purpose: "I have always said during meetings that I do not understand why interfere with a space that does not need it. You've got a lot of music here for very little money." In addition to community benefits, this natural element in the central part of town also has another important effect. Richard Medal, Radovan Jambor and Sylvia Mertanová, the drafters of the explanatory memorandum to the proposal for the declaration of the municipal protected area of Trenčiansky Luh, with which ZátOKa is physically and functionally linked, are in agreement. "It is of huge importance in terms of its location in the middle of the city. It performs important eco-stabilisation, health and psychogenic functions, as well as cooling the overheated urban environment," the report said.

DISSEMINATION

• https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1930250397182569&set=a.215024812038478

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/trencan/permalink/2129727223855834/

• https://dennikn.sk/blog/2810949/skonci-sa-pokoj-v-zatoke-pokoja/

• http://www.mladireporteri.sk/clanok/skonci-sa-pokoj-v-zatoke-pokoja

• http://www.trencin21.sk/skonci-sa-pokoj-v-trencianskej-zatoke-pokoja-765.htm

• https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02nPZrKhVo4aRWwUEyKsSGMW1tSFWKkFxuYqLGaJgQ9NYhPH5YyrPg2pxyTzDWy7xcl&id=274502736040504

• https://yrehub.global/2022/05/20/%EF%BF%BCless-is-more-for-peace-bay/

MOULOUYA... CONSECUTIVE ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS ENDANGER ONE OF MOROCCO’S MOST VALUABLE WETLANDS (Morocco) Categories: Pollution, Climate Change, Loss of Biodiversity

YRE Competition 2022
1st Place - Article
19-25 years old

By Youssra elkhadiri - Hiba Amrani Mastari - oumaima stik - siham lomiri - mohamed tafala - wissal moutik

Climate change and uncontrolled human activity accelerate the deterioration of biodiversity and sustainability in eastern Morocco.

With an area spanning over 3,000,000 hectares, the wetlands of the Moulouya River stretch across eastern Morocco. Owing to the river and its biodiversity, the area is, since 2005, ranked among the world's top wetlands by Ramsar Convention. This biodiversity is more than ever endangered by climate change and human activity. The Moulouya and its surrounding wetlands are in pain, so what can be done to save whatever is left before it's too late?

Examination of the climate changes effects on the Moulouya River wetlands.

All along the coastal road (50 km) between Nador and Ras El Maa (eastern Morocco), a yellow veil of red dust and desert sand covers the countryside. This is a year of exceptional drought not seen by Morocco since the nineteen-eighties. Drought is a major cause of climate change, and the region of Moulouya and its river are among the hardest hit by it.

 On arriving at the Moulouya, we encountered laborers of modest means, moving water along the banks of the river to help it reach the outlet. Moulouya for the second time in its history was unable to reach the Mediterranean. Instead, the sea overflowed, increasing the water salinity. Salinity pervaded all the wells that surround it, causing widespread economic, social and environmental damage. This is one of the domino effects caused by climate change in the region over the years, but not the only one.

Climate is ruthless

 The Maghreb is one of the regions most impacted by climate change, according to UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change findings. The latest data from Morocco's Ministry of Equipment and Water shows the country experienced substantial increase in average annual temperatures since 2001, rising a full point, while the country goes through its third consecutive year of drought.

 The river Moulouya and its surrounding wetlands are not immune to these effects. Official statistics show that rainfall, which feeds the upper reaches of the river and sustains its biodiversity, decreased by 39% and 75% respectively in 2020 and 2022. This means the filling rate of the dam fed by the Moulouya Aquarium is down to 9%, which has multiple impacts.

With much sorrow and sadness, Najeeb Bashiri, head of the Environment and Human Association (based in the nearby city of Berkane), says, "Unfortunately, it is the second time in 50 years that Moulouya has not reached its estuary. Salinity rates are up to 7g/m3 at the estuary, while normal percentages should not exceed 0.5%.

 Bashir adds with great apprehension, "Everything is in jeopardy: thirst knocks on the door of all cities along the river. Many crops were damaged or lost. Thousands of young people and families have lost their livelihoods. Production dropped, and the economic performance of activities depending on the river's water disrupted... Things could get worse unless something is done soon."

Human activity exacerbates the situation

M'hamed, a fisherman in his fifties we met at the Moulouya estuary remembers, "Before, we fished all year round and in abundant quantities. We could meet the needs of our families. Biological rest-periods were imposed to protect fish stocks. Our income suffered a little. Unfortunately, in recent years we are only allowed to fish three months a year. Fish stocks are falling, and some species have become rare."

Mhamed, who supports his wife and five children, tries to make ends meet by doing other seasonal work, and he is not the only one. Even those who used to hunt birds in season, can not do so this year. Numbers of incoming tourists also decreased, as the thermal waters of the Moulouya have dry-up and/or waned.

Interview with a fisherman working at the mouth of the Moulouya River.

These according to an official document of the National Office of Drinking Water and Electricity in Morocco (a government institution) include: a decrease in the productivity of groundwater resources due decreasing rainfall, over-exploitation of groundwater for agriculture, and unrelenting acceleration of demand for drinking water.

Berkane environment department, in whose jurisdiction the river lies, lists some of the reasons behind the degradation of biodiversity in Moulouya. The list includes haphazard construction on riverbanks and the chaotic use of the site by tourists, along with what it refers to as poor governance in the joint and integrated management of the area.

Human activity also includes modern intensive agriculture across the region of Berkane and the plain of Sabra, using up to 80% water resources, and causing considerable pollution. On one hand, outdated irrigation techniques and indiscriminate exploitation of water threaten to dry up aquifers and increase water waste. On the other hand, pesticides and chemical fertilizers pollute the water tables, harm biodiversity of soils, and jeopardize many areas that help ensure ecological balance, including bees.

Summer 2011, death of millions of fish caused by human activities pollution. Photo taken by environmental activists in the region.

FINDING A SOLUTION AND ACTING UPON IT IS URGENT

According to official Ramsar Convention website data published between 1970 and 2015, wetlands are disappearing three times faster than forests at the global level. Economic and environmental sustainability for future generations is at risk.

 Solutions proposed by experts come in many shapes and forms, and the most important one relates to streamlining stakeholders, and ineffectiveness of interventions. Experts suggest creating a national agency for the management of wetlands and the protection of diversity, and the legislative reform of texts governing ecology, provided each ecological problem get legal text that is adapted to its specificities and challenges.

 Legislation and effective coordination through cross-cutting policies and good governance alone are not sufficient. It is essential to activate oversight, tracking and evaluation mechanisms using accurate and up-to-date scientific data, to enable quick and effective measures. This, according to the experts, cannot succeed without a truly participatory approach to decision-making, via involvement of civil society or consultation with the population.

 Our team's journey has ended, and we are all hopeful that the Moulouya River will dive into the Mediterranean once and for all. For this to happen, all should be aware and committed in a transparent manner, as environmental experts emphasize.

DISSEMINATION

Hamman Al-Fatawaki High School Facebook page and school community:

https://www.facebook.com/ELAMRAOUIZAKARIA2/posts/142351471621818

Regional Academy of Education and Training Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/oriental.aref/posts/1386313888511588

IS THERE PLASTIC IN THE ÖRESUND? (Sweden) Category: Pollution

YRE Competition 2022
3rd Place - Article
15-18 years old

By Lina Persson Giolitti

Plastic is a common and important material in our daily lives. It has many useful features and can help solve many problems and needs. The material is cheap and can for example be used for hospital supplies. However, the way we humans use and consume plastic today is in many cases not sustainable.

Guidance at Råå harbor. Photo: Lina Persson Giolitti

The rain whips against my cold and red cheeks as I walk towards Råå harbor. It is a dark and cold December afternoon. The masts of the sailing boats are whistling and the sea is stormy. I stand behind a fishing shelter to protect myself from the heavy rain.

After a while, I see Thomas Lövström, the manager of Rååbåtarna, a company that runs trips to the pearl of Öresund, the island of Ven, as well as other fishing trips. Lövström greets me to his boat Siam and we sit down in the cold and dark wheelhouse. Outside, the rain is pounding on the boat's small windows. It smells of old wood and tar - just like fishing boats should smell.

– I see a lot of plastic along the beaches when I go out with my boat and not so much out on the ocean. However, there is more plastic than we humans can see. A lot of it is microplastic, and unfortunately many marine animals are affected by it. Not to forget, it also affects us further up in the food chain, says Lövström.

People have generally become more aware of what is thrown into nature. However, there is still room for improvement, but things are moving in the right direction. It's probably a lot about education, learning at an early age that it's wrong to throw plastic into nature. Many preschools also have 'litter picking days' and I think that's a good concept because then the children learn from each other and can spread the word, says Lövström.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF PLASTIC IN NATURE

All the plastic that ends up in our nature has an impact on the climate, the environment and not to mention all living creatures. Most of the plastic that ends up in the ocean is thrown on land by humans and carried by rain and wind into the ocean. The plastics that end up in the ocean are mostly disposable items. The plastic breaks up into smaller pieces, leaving microplastics in the ocean. It takes a long time for the plastic to decompose and is therefore very dangerous for nature and animals. Compared to a paper bag that takes about 1 month to break down, it takes 10-20 years for a plastic bag to break down into microplastics.

Did you know that:

• 80% of plastic pollution in the sea comes from land while the remaining 20% comes from fishing and marine activities.

• 60% of all whales have plastic in their stomach.

• Every fourth cod fished outside Norway contains plastics.

Source: Greenpeace

– I believe and hope that plastic will decrease in the future given we start reducing our use of it. This is evident in today's society with more use of paper straws and paper bags. When compared to other countries in the world, Sweden is a very clean country. It is honestly frightening to see how much plastic there is in some countries, says Thomas.

- Thirty years ago, I caught a big cod in the Sound and when I filleted it, it had a Donald Duck plastic cup in its stomach. It has also happened that a plastic bag got stuck in the boat's propeller. After those two incidents, I asked myself “where is this world going?”. I could never imagine this to happen because for me the Öresund feels like a clean ocean - but apparently, there is plastic that we do not see or know about either, says Lövström.

Plastic on a beach along Öresund. Photo: Lina Persson Giolitti

PORPOISES AND TUNA IN ÖRESUND

– Apart from the plastic, Öresund has become much cleaner. One sign of that is that there have been lots of porpoises this summer. Tuna have also shown up and they are also very large, between 2-3 meters, and can weigh around 400kg. It is incredibly fun to watch because I believe it is a sign of a healthy Öresund. Given this, we also were completely booked during the summer by many families with children. Our industry was one of the few to benefit from the corona pandemic. Fresh air and distance were probably what kept us from getting hit. People enjoyed exploring local places when flights were not heading for warmer climes. However, I would like to emphasize that it is difficult to work in an industry where nature decides. You never know what will happen, Thomas explains.

Thomas Lövström in the wheelhouse of the boat Siam. Photo: Lina Persson Giolitti

WHAT CAN YOU DO YOURSELF?

One person cannot do everything, but everyone can do something to reduce plastic in nature. Even small actions have a big impact. One of several important things you can do to reduce plastic in the ocean is to recycle it. Even though we Swedes have become much better at sorting waste, there is still a lot of plastic that does not reach the recycling stations and may instead end up in our oceans. Using old plastic to make new plastic is both environmentally friendly and reduces the amount of plastic in the ocean. Our oceans are full of microplastics that are invisible to the naked eye. Microplastics that have been loosened from washing clothes, run down drains and end up in oceans. Therefore, airing and using a cloth can be the most environmentally friendly alternative to washing your clothes. Buying clothes second-hand is also environmentally friendly as it reuses goods, thus saving the manufacturing process and the energy to create new ones. Buying second-hand clothes, therefore, reduces microplastics in the ocean. The first four washes of a new item of clothing is the most environmentally damaging, which does not happen if you buy used clothes.

 The ocean is an important source for our everyday life. Without the ocean, we will not get food from fish, and it will be more difficult to transport goods. It is therefore particularly important that we take care of our ocean and what is thrown into it. Because without a healthy and thriving ocean, our lives will become complicated.

REFERENCES:

Greenpeace Sverige, Plast i haven: fakta och konsekvenser, published 2021-06-22 https://www.greenpeace.org/sweden/nyheter/47646/plast-i-haven-fakta-och-konsekvenser/?gclid=CjwK CAiAs92MBhAXEiwAXTi25-eL4ud5C6wwU-xQ_en5wF9Qw9c7TF3EzVvO6oGwc5x0AqFy5RqDjBo CiGkQAvD_BwE (taken information: 2021-12-03)

 Håll Sverige rent, Ingenting försvinner- allt finns kvar https://hsr.se/artiklar/nedbrytningstider (taken information: 2021-12-10)

 Naturskyddsföreningen, 9 sätt att slåss mot plasten i haven, published 2021-02-25 https://www.naturskyddsforeningen.se/artiklar/9-satt-att-slass-mot-plasten-i-haven/ (taken information: 2021-12-03)

 Naturskyddsföreningen, plast i havet, published 2021-02-24 https://www.naturskyddsforeningen.se/artiklar/plast-i-havet/ (taken information: 2021-12-06)

 Interview with Thomas Lövström, 1 December 2021

DISSEMINATION

School's Social Media Pages:

https://www.facebook.com/campeonfrigymnasium

https://instagram.com/campeonhbg

National Operator Organization website:

http://ungareportrarthemagazine.se/aktuellt/finns-det-plast-i-o%cc%88resund/

https://hsr.se/nyheter/helsingborgselev-vinner-reportageresa-till-kenya

National Operator Organization Social Media Pages:

https://www.facebook.com/UngaReportrar/

https://www.instagram.com/ungareportrar

GREENER PORT-LOUIS FOR A HEALTHIER URBAN HEART (Mauritius) Categories: Pollution, Loss of Biodiversity

YRE Competition 2022
2nd Place - Article
15-18 years old

By Chan Kam Lan Serenza, Dostmohamed Farhana, Gourdin Laeticia, Mannaram Isha, Andriamalala Nissiah, Christine Annaëlle, Latour Maëva, and Sarifan Zakkiyah

Our planet is the only place in the universe where life has evolved. Instead of using natural resources judiciously, humans have depleted them to meet their immediate needs, without thinking about the future. We have to face the fact that not all the inhabitants of our planet can have the same lifestyle as the industrialised countries. It is high time to bring changes and learn to live differently for the sustainability of our Earth. It is not a question of renouncing progress but of reconciling economic and social progress with due respect for nature.

 Everything is speeding up in the capital of Port-Louis, which has witnessed many demographic, social and economic changes. According to a comparison of data from Statistics Mauritius, our country has moved from 1,186,873 inhabitants in the year 2000 to 1,265,740 in 2020. Thanks to the economic development since the 1980s to the present, our standard of living has increased. Under the influence of modernity, Mauritians have moved from traditional houses to concrete habitats. New roads have been built, and buildings have replaced green areas over the years. The density of the population in the capital, human activities and transport have consequently generated a rise in temperature.  

The centre of Port-Louis is not immune to global warming.

Vegetation is very important in the heart of our capital city, which is threatened by air pollution and global warming. By increasing green spaces such as roadside verges, gardens and trees, we will not only increase recreational spaces but also improve the living conditions and the environment of Port Louis. Following the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report, it was recognised that the well-being of our societies is directly dependent on nature when it is left to function in a free and uninterrupted mode. Besides, green spaces regulate certain environmental problems. For example, the leaves of trees bind dust and particles from diesel combustion. Trees also store carbon, cultivated or bare surfaces allow rainwater to infiltrate, and the presence of insects helps with pollination, and to get fruits and seeds.

In addition, a line of trees can lower the temperature of a street by three degrees, and in the context of climate change, this role becomes even more crucial. By increasing the number of spots for plants and animals, a minimum of biodiversity can be established. Plants attract insects, which in turn provide food for birds that sow seeds and help other plants to grow. In this way, the food chains necessary for the functioning of ecosystems are reconstructed. 

In Port Louis, a private company is working with an NGO - Friends of the Environment - which has embarked on a reforestation project on the slopes of La Citadelle, a hill in the heart of the capital. In order to restore the original endemic and indigenous flora of the mountain, a study was first conducted to trace the plant species that were there, explains Jayaneesh Namah, coordinator of the Citadelle Native Re-vegetation Project. The organisation has already reintroduced 14 plant species on the northern flank namely, Bois Clou, Palmiste Bouteille, Bois Reinette, Bois Judas, Bois Bœuf, Bois Cabri, Latanier Bleu, Barleria, Bois Chandelle, Vétiver Indigène, Aloe Endémique, Bois Mapou and Pandanus, taking into account their ability to withstand the arid climate of Port Louis. From 2016 to 2020, FOE was able to plant approximately 5,890 trees and more than 1700 eco-citizens participated in the project. This green space in the capital has become a real biodiversity relay that stabilises the functioning of ecosystems.  

Dumping of electric appliances (here a retired rice cooker) cause severe damage and disequilibrium to nature and plants.

To maintain biodiversity in the heart of the city, it is important to create a more or less continuous green chain. Private, public or company gardens could be the links in this ecological chain. Port-Louis should impose environmental measures and injunctions in urban planning projects. More green spaces on the roofs of buildings, plant walls and gardens instead of concrete courtyards should be considered.  

Plants and flower garden on top of a building in the heart of the capital to reduce the temperature stored on the roof.

According to research, the temperature at the top of a building can reach 50°C in the middle of summer, but with the gardens, it drops to 30°C, thus limiting the use of air conditioning on the top floors.  

By planting in our garden, we could revive forgotten local fruits - Carambola, Corossol, Jamalac among others. By choosing more hardy species that are better adapted to their environment, we would use less pesticides. Natural fertilisers, such as composting household waste to improve soil fertility in the long term, are an option. We could also equip ourselves with a rainwater harvesting system for watering. In this way, we would consume more ecologically because it would lead to less transport, packaging and therefore less waste and pollution. The transport of imported fruits and vegetables requires energy expenditure which increases pollution and contributes to climate change. 

In Port-Louis, natural areas are continually giving way to artificial land. Our capital is not immune to various forms of pollution, global warming and loss of biodiversity. By 2030, we (city officials, citizens and elected representatives) need to recreate Port Louis. It is not only knowledge or laws that will help us preserve the environment, but also education. Practising the solutions proposed above could help us to achieve several goals (including SDGs 3, 11, 12, 13 and 15). However, the solutions are never simple to implement because of the consequences on our lifestyles. We must therefore remember that "We do not inherit the Earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children." - (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry).  

DISSEMINATION

Local Media

1. (newspaper) - https://www.lexpress.mu/article/408821/young-reporters-environment-collegiens-qui-sensibilisent-biodiversite

Personal Sphere

Facebook

1. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1427620484348246&id=100013009242108

2. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=167290935736771&id=100073675964225

3. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2832389787065094&id=100008823000514

Instagram

1. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdV9i0qsNanTzRR9GZbhV1TakUxY54pUwu3k_U0/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

2. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdWAEa6sjOr/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

School Community

1. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=114361391272998&id=100080974135135

2. Notice Board of School

National Operator Organisation

https://www.facebook.com/329507120474742/posts/pfbid0YAvPvsUSrjTjSiPq1kZSM2vHfbSdmTpycugaCNqS26Rz7yyn4uTwJtEWqCQkocByl/

NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE - ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES AFFECT ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH (Latvia) Category: Pollution

YRE Competition 2022
1st Place - Article
15-18 years old

By: Roze Aleksa Bogdane

Electronic cigarettes are now very popular among young people and have become an attribute of style. They are sold with different liquids that give the smoke different flavours, and the smell is pleasant, so parents often do not realize that their child smokes. Some people believe that the amount of nicotine in e-cigarettes is insignificant and does not cause addiction or affect the environment. Rarely does anyone think about waste from used cigarettes. Is it really "smoke without a fire"? Are e-cigarettes just an innocent form of entertainment?

Photo: Roze Aleksa Bogdane

There are various types of electronic cigarettes and they function in different ways - there are refillable tobacco heaters, but disposable vapes are the most popular. The information on the packaging states that the product contains up to 450 inhalations, which manufacturers equate to one pack of 20 cigarettes. The packaging also states that the empty cartridge must not be disposed in household waste but in the appropriate collecting containers.

Gateway to smoking

Although Latvian and European Union legislation prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes to persons under the age of 18 [1], they are relatively easy to obtain because they can be purchased online or from adult friends. In a survey on electronic cigarette usage habits among young people in Latvia 78 out of 130 respondents were under the age of 18, but 26 of them already use or have used e-cigarettes. The data show a high prevalence among adolescents - a lot of them use, have used or use e-cigarettes in the company of friends. Only nine of the youngsters said that they dispose of empty cartridges at the collecting points. [2]

Infogram: Roze Aleksa Bogdane, Data on the use of e-cigarettes for respondents under 18 years

A study done by the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control also shows that in 2019, a total of 51.3% of 13–15-year-olds have tried electronic cigarettes. The proportion of those who have tried to use has increased significantly since 2011, especially for boys and 15-year-olds from 24% in 2011 to 61.6% in 2019. [3] 

A similar situation is also in other countries e.g., in the United States of America (USA). According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between 2017 and 2018, the use of e-cigarettes in the USA among high school students increased by 48% which made the CDC call it an "epidemic". Several states have now banned flavoured e-cigarettes altogether.[4]

On April 16, 2021, Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks published an opinion on e-cigarettes, stating that e-cigarettes are a gateway to smoking, especially for young people. There is strong evidence that nicotine in e-cigarette liquids is associated with the development of addiction, but the flavours have a significant effect on making e-cigarettes more attractive.[5] 

Are they less harmful than regular cigarettes?

48% of respondents in the survey admit that they are not aware of the e-cigarette impact on the environment. Individual respondents consider e-cigarettes safer than traditional nicotine cigarettes.[2]

Environmental scientist and chemist Jana Simanovska says: "The end of cigarettes consists of cellulose acetate, which degrades in the environment from one up to 10 years. They contain a variety of toxic substances that are toxic to living organisms that encounter them. Do vapes seem to be an alternative? Not at all. They are also thrown into the environment, but now there is also a toxic battery, environmentally harmful metals and plastics that will not degrade during our lifetime and will pollute the environment for much longer."[6]

Jana Simanovska points out that the CDC study warns of the dangers of e-cigarettes, especially for teenagers, as they permit users to take in unlimited amounts of nicotine. In addition, to make the smoke more pleasant, they contain a whole bouquet of fragrances, the dangers of which we know little about.[6]. "People just need to know that they're inhaling a very complex mixture of chemicals when they vape. And for a lot of these compounds, we have no idea what they are. I have a problem with how vaping is being marketed as healthier than smoking cigarettes. In my opinion, we are just not at the point when we can really say that." [7] 

Photo: Roze Aleksa Bogdane

Analyzing the impact of e-cigarettes on environmental pollution, Jānis Ulme environmental expert and leader of the My Sea campaign, says that smoking waste is a very topical problem, as it is one of the largest marine pollutants in the world. At present, in addition to cigarette butts, various new smoking wastes from e-cigarettes are appearing with a rapidly growing trend both in Latvia and globally. The hazardous waste contained in disposable e-cigarettes like toxic batteries and liquid residues enters the environment.[8]

These products are becoming popular among adolescents and they are creating a toxic waste stream. And it’s not a trivial amount of waste. We are talking about billions of e-cigarette waste items each year. And that is a global problem, say researchers from the University of California, San Francisco.[9]

 Jānis Žagars, a representative of the Latvian electronic cigarette manufacturer Pro Vape SIA, emphasizes: "We have set a good example compared to other manufacturers of environmentally unwanted products and packaging, as we provide the opportunity to dispose of used products free of charge at sales outlets, thus collecting about 30 % of used products." The company also informs that the waste is further recycled in an environmentally friendly way at its own expense but adds that it will always be the user's responsibility where the used plastic bags, tires or e-cigarettes are being disposed.[10]

Environmental activist Jānis Ulme, on the other hand, highlight that the device contains dozens of different parts, which, due to the small percentage of collection and technically difficult disassembly, are not actually recycled in practice. There are still no fundamental examples of good practice in the world or even long-standing research about the influence of the disposed e-cigarettes.[8]

The smoke of disposable cigarettes 450 breathes costs nature a lot, creates non-recyclable, hazardous waste and promotes disposable consumption.

Jānis Ulme's recommendation for the necessary action is categorical: "Well, in my opinion, in the context of the EU's Plastics Strategy [11], such disposable devices should not be marketed and manufactured at all. However, this seems too dreamy," adds Ulme. "If they are produced and distributed, stricter ecodesign principles should be set so that many fractions can be easily dismantled and recycled after use, and claims for return - at least an individual deposit, when a new one cannot be bought without transferring the previous one. In my opinion, the first answer would be more concrete legislative action to regulate this industry."[8]

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control sets out controls and a set of measures to reduce cigarette and tobacco consumption, such as monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies, education on the danger of tobacco use etc. [12],[13] This is an important agreement for society as a whole, which also applies to e-cigarettes, as the prevalence of smoking is a global problem with serious consequences not only for health but also for the environment.

REFERENCES:

1. Tabakas izstrādājumu, augu smēķēšanas produktu, elektronisko smēķēšanas ierīču un to šķidrumu aprites likums (likumi.lv)

2. The author's survey in Google Forms 130 respondents, 02.2022.

3.https://www.spkc.gov.lv/lv/veselibu-ietekmejoso-paradumu-petijumi/starptautiskais-jauniesu-smekesanas-petijums-2018.2019.-macibu-gada-aptauja-latvija_0.pdf/starptautiskais-jauniesu-smekesanas-petijums-2018.2019.-macibu-gada-aptauja-latvija_0.pdf

4. Home | Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education (ucsf.edu)

5. https://ec.europa.eu/health/system/files/2021-04/scheer_o_017_0.pdf

6. Interview in e-mail with Jana Simanovska, dr.sc.ing., leads the society “Ecodesign Competence Center”, 02.02-18.02.2022. 

7. Johns Hopkins researchers find thousands of unknown chemicals in electronic cigarettes | Hub (jhu.edu)

8. Interview in e-mail with Jānis Ulme, the head of the Foundation for Environmental Education Latvia and leader of the My Sea campaign 02.02-18.02.2022.

9. How E-Cigarette Use is Exposing Youth — and the Environment — to Toxic Chemicals | UCSF Science of Caring

10. Personal correspondence in e-mail with Jānis Žagars, Head of marketing Pro Vape / SALT switch, 01.05-05.05.2022.  

11. EUR-Lex - 52018DC0028 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu)

12. PVO vispārējā konvencija par tabakas uzraudzību (likumi.lv)

13. World Health Organization. (‎2019)‎. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2019: offer help to quit tobacco use. World Health Organization. Available here: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/326043?locale-attribute=pt& 

DISSEMINATION:

Author`s social media:

https://issuu.com/roze.aleksa/docs/raksts

National Operator:

https://www.facebook.com/videsfonds/posts/5638927492813543

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdbN6JFLUUw/

http://www.videsfonds.lv/lv/noskaidroti-jaunie-vides-reportieri-kas-p-rst-v-s-latviju-starptautiskaj-konkurs

https://jaunievidesreportieri835563353.wordpress.com/2022/04/04/nav-dumu-bez-uguns-elektroniskas-cigaretes-ietekme-vidi-un-veselibu/

Local and national news portals:

https://www.tvnet.lv/7519296/noskaidroti-jaunie-vides-reportieri-kuri-parstaves-latviju-starptautiskaja-konkursa

https://www.delfi.lv/calis/jaunumi/nenobrauc-krupi-ieskaties-jauno-vides-reportieru-darbos-kas-parstaves-latviju-starptautiskaja-konkursa.d?id=54330910

https://lvportals.lv/dienaskartiba/340827-noskaidroti-jaunie-vides-reportieri-kas-parstaves-latviju-starptautiskaja-konkursa-2022

YRE Hub:

https://yrehub.global/2022/05/19/no-smoke-without-the-fire-the-impact-on-environment-and-health-of-electronic-cigarette/

Urban agriculture for a sustainable city with happy inhabitants (Greece)

YRE Competition 2022
3rd Place - Article
11-14 years old

By Georgia K., Fani O., Eleftheria D., George D., Eleftheria D., Ketevan K.

A green area of the Municipality of Thessaloniki with very special characteristics, unique in Greece, attracted our pedagogical team to deal with it. It is an area of eight acres opposite the Kaftantzogleio Stadium of the city, which houses an urban vineyard, a community vegetable garden and an orchard. It was created in the area of the municipality's vehicles after a decision of the Deputy Mayor for Quality of Life to turn the area into a green area.                                       

The urban vineyard with the community vegetable garden, which is cared for by the locals, is directly related to the phenomenon of biodiversity loss, especially in urban areas, but in the opposite sense. It provides a solution for its development if used as an example for application in many common urban areas, abandoned, neglected and deserted, which are lost urban land, while the locals sit on the balconies of apartment buildings without contact with nature. Activating urban awareness is an important part of developing a city 's biodiversity and sustainability, which is not limited to green spaces, traditional constructions, improved energy systems and recycling.

On April 5, 2022 our team visited the urban vineyard. There we were welcomed and hosted by the Head of Urban Environment Management of the Municipality of Thessaloniki Mr. Matziris with his associates and the Head of the Environmental Training Center Eleftherios Kordelios Mrs. Athanassiou.

In an interview, Mr. Matziris answered questions from students, which focused a) on data related to the urban vineyard, such as what existed in the past in his area, when and who pioneered its creation, how many vines were planted, from what varieties, what is the future planning for further utilization of the remaining space and b) in the community vegetable garden that extends north of the vineyard.

Before the 2004 Olympic Games, the area was a parking lot and maintenance site for the Municipality's garbage trucks. The vineyard was created in 2013. It occupies 2 acres of a total area of 8 acres. Next to it, urban gardens and an orchard were created. The municipality planted 480 vines, 120 roots of each variety. It hosts the Greek wine white varieties robola, malagouzia and the red agiorgitiko and xinomavro.

The first wine was produced in 2014. The cultivation of the urban vineyard is completely organic. The wine "Gorgona" that produces and took its name from the sister of Alexander the Great, is not for sale, but is given at charity dinners and activities of the Municipality of Thessaloniki.

 Three bodies participated in its creation: a) A public body, the services of the Municipality of Thessaloniki under Mayor I. Boutari and Deputy Mayor in the Quality of Life department, current Mayor of Thessaloniki, K. Zerva, b) an educational / research body, the Laboratory Viticulture of the Agricultural School of AUTh. and c) a private and business entity, the Gerovasiliou Estate. The care of the plants was undertaken by employees of the municipality and students of the Viticulture Laboratory.

The vineyard is a "green" place in the heart of the city where people of all ages can enjoy the fresh air and sunbathe on the specially designed benches that have been installed next to the vineyards, to communicate, to share thoughts, feelings, expectations. It is visited by schools and tourists.

The creation of an urban winery is experiencing a boom in recent years worldwide. In Montmartre there is a vineyard under the auspices of the city of Paris. The first vineyard of London is located on the northern borders of metropolitan London. The Dorina variety is revived in the lagoon of Venice, which was the wine preferred by the Doges. There is also a vineyard on the roofs of Brooklyn in New York covering an area of 1400 sq.m. In Vienna, vines are grown on 6,000 acres just a few metro stops outside the city.

Τhe small fenced gardens that extend in the area after the vineyard is the result of the intervention of students of the department of architecture, within the framework of a European program, in collaboration with the locals. The area was chosen for the development of urban agriculture, that is the creation of a green area with a different role and function, which can activate the neighbourhood. The community vegetable garden operates in support of and in addition to the vineyard, currently occupying an area of 1 acre. At the same time, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the liberation of the city, an orchard was created by planting 100 fruit trees.

 In the future it is planned to create a small information kiosk for the activities of the area and for recycling issues. There is a thought of creating spaces of similar function in other areas of the city with the cooperation of the municipal community, as well as the creation of the so-called "pocket" parks, that is small neighbourhood parks utilized in this direction, making a passage through the lawn and ornamental plants to urban agriculture.                                                                                                          

It is obvious, as Mrs. Athanassiou emphasized too, that if neighbourhood gardens are constructed in various remaining areas of the city that remain useless, food adequacy will be ensured for a large part of the population that is below the poverty line. Since the vast majority of the inhabitants of a big city live in apartments, in a way the urban gardens have replaced the gardens of the houses, constituting the yard of the neighbourhood. In addition, they are a place of meeting and communication of the inhabitants of the area.

To summarize, the Community vegetable garden and urban vineyard create a rich urban green environment by attracting other living organisms, such as insects and birds, thus contributing to the increase of biodiversity in the urban environment. They also create a space for communication and meeting of the neighbourhoods in the isolation of life in the buildings of big cities. In addition, their systematic, extensive application in other areas of the same city or other cities that meet the requirements, will help combat climate change and can provide food to part of the urban population that is malnourished. Based on the above, these two elements of urban agriculture that occupied the group, contribute to the promotion of the three dimensions of sustainable development - social, environmental, economic - based on Agenda 2030. They directly serve the goals of sustainable development that refer to sustainable cities and communities, climate action and zero hunger. The fact that the urban environment affects the physical, social and mental condition of the inhabitants and ensures health, also enhances the achievement of the goal related to good health and well-being. In general, the goal of ensuring life on land is also served in the urban environment by combating desertification and reversing soil degradation and biodiversity.

We invite you all, students and teachers, to visit it! You will get acquainted with the vineyard, urban agriculture and ecology!

Pictures from the community vegetable garden

Bottles of ¨Gorgona¨ wine available in charity dinners of the Municipality of Thessaloniki

The urban vineyard on April

Pictures from the community vegetable garden

REFERENCES:

 https://vinoterra.gr/cava/2016/08/03/αστικοί-αμπελώνες-urban-vineyards                                                             

 https://www.thessalonikiartsandculture.gr/thessaloniki/sygxroni-thessaloniki/thessalonikiotiko-krasi-apo-ton-proto-astiko-ampelona/                                  

 https://thessaloniki.gr/trigos-ston-astiko-ampelona-tou-dimou-thessalonikis/

 https://www.kpe-thess.gr/download/ekdoseis/ekpaideytiko_yliko/Biwsimi_Poli.pdf

 https://gslegal.gov.gr/?page_id=5506

DISSEMINATION:

 https://11gym-thess.thess.sch.gr/?p=2071

http://blogs.sch.gr/11gymthe/files/2022/04/ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑΣΗ-ΑΣΤΙΚ-ΑΜΠΕΛ-ΣΧΟΛΕΙΟ-ΙΣΤ-ΝΕΟ.pdf

https://twinspace.etwinning.net/238206/materials/files

https://eepf.gr/el/el-nea/apotelesmata-ethnikou-diagonismou-yre-2022

GHOST GEAR (New Zealand) Category: Pollution

YRE Competition 2022
2nd Place - Article
11-14 years old

By Chloe Croft

Every year, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of commercial fishing gear are being abandoned in our ocean. Commercial fishermen have been discarding their nets, pots, lines, traps, and other fishing gear which has been entangling or strangling our marine life and ruining marine habitats. 

In July 2019, Greenpeace reported on research which found that fishing gear from New Zealand commercial fisheries was discovered on a remote Pacific Island, 5,000 kilometres away1. On this particular island, a large proportion of the plastic litter found was from commercial fishing companies, including gear like ropes and buoys, nets, and buckets. Some of these items were still stamped with New Zealand fishery logos.

This shows how far fishing gear pollution can travel with the ocean currents, and how fishing gear pollution has become a worldwide problem. According to Elizabeth Hogan, the U.S. oceans and wildlife campaign manager at World Animal Protection - 640,000 tons of ghost gear is hauled out of the water each year. But some areas are more highly affected than others. In 2016 Elizabeth Hogan reported- One of the biggest areas affected is in Hawaii. “They remove close to 60 tons of gear every single year from the same spot. Since Hawaii doesn’t have a net-fishery, much of this ghost gear travels across the Pacific from those waters where nets are used.”2

The reason this is becoming more of a problem is that the fishing industry worldwide has begun to increasingly use plastic in nets, pots, lines, and ropes, as well as other commercial fishing equipment, over the last two decades. Plastic’s qualities such as durability, buoyancy, and cheapness make it ideal for fishing equipment. Sadly, these same qualities also make the lines and nets a deathly threat to marine life, and the communities around the world that depend on healthy, thriving marine life.

 A lot of Fishermen have been ignoring the cons to this, and have been continuously using these plastic nets. It has become such a problem that “Ghost gear” - meaning abandoned fishing gear- is estimated to make up 10% of ocean plastic pollution but forms the majority of large plastic littering the waters. A study found that as much as 70% (by weight) of macroplastics found floating on the surface of the ocean was fishing-related.

In NZ there are very strict rules about fishing yet fishing gear is either being abandoned here or it is drifting from around the world onto our coasts, strangling our marine life. The sustainability manager for Sealord NZ thinks that discarded fishing gear is not a big problem in New Zealand but discussions with local Hawkes Bay fishermen have a different opinion. Wayne Bicknell of Legasea HB and a recreational fisherman have found that a lot of the fishing gear and other plastic is washing up on NZ shores. Which makes it a threat to seabirds. Wayne says that waste on the beach is mostly fishing nylon and bait packaging. Even though this may not be the outstanding issue in New Zealand right now, it will be soon enough.

 A solution is obvious. We need to make nets, lines, pots, bait packaging, and any other fishing gear biodegradable. Globally, one tonne of new ghost fishing gear is lost or discarded in our oceans every minute. A report on “Ghost Gear” shows that 6% of all nets used, 9% of all traps, and 29% of all longlines remain as pollution at sea3. Not only does this old fishing waste go on killing marine life, but it also seriously damages underwater habitats. If it was biodegradable it would have much less of an effect on the environment.

If making fishing gear biodegradable is too costly or just not a good solution, there are other possible solutions.

 Sealord NZ’s current sustainable process includes using electronic sensors on their fishing nets to monitor the whereabouts of the gear and provide this data to Fisheries NZ. This is a good solution however it is not 100% reliable.

 Hawkes Bay fisherman Karl Warr has a different approach to keeping our marine life safe. The current cage Karl uses is made of stainless steel and it lets under-sized fish swim out of the gaps. It’s a built-in filter for the catch, and it means that more than 90% of the catch is usable.

 The survival rate of trawl-caught fish with a usual net is slim because they are hurt in the process of trawling by the compression in the net. Although the undersized fish are tossed back over the side, they usually float away and die. The cage Karl uses gives him greater control over the things he catches and also means that the fish that have been caught are in better condition and can be sold as higher quality for more money. This benefits Karl and the environment.4

 If we take initiative in the next couple of years we can begin to eliminate this problem before it becomes dangerously big. Keep New Zealand Beautiful! 

REFERENCES:

1.https://www.greenpeace.org/aotearoa/story/this-is-what-ghost-fishing-does-to-the-ocean/

2. https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/green-life/ghost-gear-haunts-world-s-oceans

 3. https://www.ruraldelivery.net.nz/stories/Allstar-Fishing-s-Sustainable-Catch

 4. https://www.greenpeace.org/aotearoa/publication/ghost-gear-the-abandoned-fishing-nets-haunting-our-oceans/#:~:text=The%20%E2%80%9CGhost%20Gear%E2%80%9D%20report%20 shows,also%20seriously%20 damages%20underwater%20 habitats.

DISSEMINATION

National News website:

https://www.kiwikidsnews.co.nz/ghost-gear-causing-problems-for-environment/

National Operator:

https://www.knzb.org.nz/programmes/education/young-reporters/yre-2021-winners/

Local News sites:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/ghost-gear-havelock-north-intermediate-student-wins-keep-new-zealand-beautiful-competition/I265QIOJ3VTBVJNJQL3K4DUXYY/

https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/hawkes-bay-today/20210925/281578063810082

https://www.facebook.com/HawkesBayToday/posts/4594747083903173

Community: Local Fishing Club notice board (refer to email screenshot 1 below)

School intranet: (refer to email screenshot 2 below)

YRE International Hub: (refer to email screenshot 3 below)

BATS DIDN'T LOSE THEIR SANCTUARY (Slovakia) - Category: Loss of biodiversity

YRE Competition 2022
1st Place - Article
11-14 years old

By Cintia Izabela Mrvová, Hana Holbusová

RESIDENTS OF AN APARTMENT BUILDING IN HORNÉ LADCE, A VILLAGE IN WESTERN SLOVAKIA, FOUND THAT THEY HAVE A LOT OF NEW NEIGHBOURS. A COLONY OF BATS HAD SETTLED IN THE ATTIC OF THE THREE-STORY APARTMENT BUILDING. AN ORDINARY RENOVATION OF THE APARTMENT BUILDING BECAME AN ECO-PROJECT UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF ZOOLOGISTS AND THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT.

The Greater Mouse-Eared Bats found their home in the attic of an apartment building in Horné Ladce more than a year ago. According to Danka Palkechová, an environmentalist who manages protected animals on construction sites, this is a real flying treasure in every sense of the word: "The Greater Mouse-Eared Bat (Myotis myotis), which was found during the inspection, belongs among species of European importance in accordance with the Decree of the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic No. 24/2003 Coll., as amended, and the social value of this species is set at 460 euro each, which means a colony of 325 individuals is valued at 149,500 euro."

In her view, bats are also important because they feed on insects and other invertebrates active during the night, fulfilling an irreplaceable role that diurnal animals cannot. Bats are important in another practical way – they are an indicator of the quality of an ecosystem. They give birth only once a year, have a low number of pups, and have a long lifespan. Such animals cannot quickly regenerate their populations after suffering negative environmental impacts (e.g. chemical pollution, disruption of the food chain, loss of shelter, physical destruction). Their presence or absence in the environment, or changes in the number of individuals indicate the environment's overall quality - therefore they are referred to as bioindicators. In the tropics and subtropics they also serve as pollinators of fruit trees.

The size of the bat colony was registered by residents only when they planned to renovate the apartment building. Ivana Mrvová, chairwoman of the homeowners community, informed us about how the residents handled this situation: "It was not too much of a surprise. We knew there were bats in the attic. We just didn't know how rare they were, how many there were and how their presence would affect the renovation of the apartment building. When applying for a building permit, an ornithologist's report on the reconstruction is mandatory. We were really surprised by the review." The study says that hidden in the attic is the largest maternal colony of the Greater Mouse-Eared Bat in an artificial environment in Slovakia. It is a really great rarity and the scientific community, the Ministry of the Environment, and the public have become interested in bats.

That is nice on the one hand, but on the other hand reconstruction was conditional on renovating the bats' shelter. The reconstruction company built a shelter of organic materials in the attic and the original hanging beams. There are also safe ways for the bats to fly in and out. The entire reconstruction was carried out when the bats were in their wintering grounds. Zoologists had to be consulted every step of the way. However, the unpleasant surprise was that the cost was significantly increased (by approximately €20,000) and the time for reconstruction was reduced. However, this did not deter the inhabitants of the apartment building.

 They were aware of the subsidies and challenges, which, although suspended during COVID-19 pandemic, would be implemented in the near future. They could cover all the expenses associated with the construction of the nesting site. Residents of the apartment building are also facing responsibilities in the future. As Mrs Mrva told us: 'This is a significant colony of bats, it will be regularly monitored by zoologists, so we cannot afford any misdeeds. But since the nesting site is well secured, I don't suppose there's a problem with that. We cannot smell or hear the bats in the hallway, and they don't really limit anyone. Let them live happily with us."

 In the event of a situation similar to the one in which the inhabitants of Horné Ladce found themselves, the municipal environmental department should be contacted. The process this apartment building went through is a good example of how to support the coexistence of animals and people. 

BAT COLONY

The largest mother colony of the great bat in the artificial environment in Slovakia resided in the attic of the residential house. Photo: Roman Lehotský

A LIVING TREASURE

In the attic of the apartment building. Photo: Roman Lehotský

REFERENCES:

• website of the Association for Bat Protection in Slovakia https://netopiere.sk/sk/page/ochrana.html

DISSEMINATION

• http://www.gymdb.sk/aktuality/kopia-mladi-reporteri.html?page_id=4814

• http://www.mladireporteri.sk/clanok/netopiere-nestratili-svoje-utocisko

• https://www.facebook.com/hana.holbus1511

• https://www.ladce.sk/vzacne-netopiere-v-ladcoch/

• https://www.enviroportal.sk/clanok/mladi-reporteri-maju-svojho-vitaza

The north textile industry, the ideal network for inventing sustainable and responsible fashion (France)

YRE COMPETITION 2021

Article 19-25 years

By Justine Prados

Textiles are the second largest polluter in the world with 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases emitted each year. Almost everywhere, we are trying to make this industry more ethical. Through its industrial past, the north of France is a particularly fertile ground for rethinking textiles in a sustainable way.

In Roubaix, the old red brick factories line the streets of the Épeule district. Witnesses to the industrial past of what was called "the city of a thousand chimneys", some of them seem to have been abandoned for years. But at 139 rue des Arts, the former headquarters of François Roussel weavings, textiles are still at the core of activities.

In building C, you have to climb to the first floor using large steel stairs to access the Fertile Plateau. It is the third place installed in the last two years by Fashion Green Hub. Created in 2015, this association is an exchange network between fashion professionals around questions of ethical and sustainable fashion.

Coralie Vancoppenolle is the facilitator of the Plateau Fertile: "The idea of the third place is to have a concrete space to share resources, to think together ... but not only to reflect, to be able to create too!" In the upcycling workshop, the monotonous noise of the sewing machines drowns out the conversations of the seamstresses. They produce pieces from scraps of fabric and unsold items collected from partner brands such as Auchan or Blancheporte. On the other side of the door, a large space clad in metal beams welcomes the designer-residents. Big 3D printers are waiting to be started.

Since 2015, Fashion Green Hub has been the driving force behind sustainable fashion in the North. ©Justine Prados

Today, Fashion Green Hub has more than 250 partners and plans to expand internationally, but the association remains firmly established in the North. The choice of Roubaix is anything but trivial. Historical capital of the mesh, the city underwent painful deindustrialization during the second part of the twentieth century. For Arielle Levy, vice-president and co-founder of Fashion Green Hub, this trauma has forged great resilience in the territory. “It just made sense: there was this textile ecosystem that had already suffered and that made it the perfect place to invent new models,” she says.

           When local and eco-responsible go hand in hand

Today, the Union of Textiles & Clothing Industries (UITH) of the North estimates that the textile industry employs 14,000 people in the department. This is 10 times less "than in the middle of the 20th century”. But in recent years, local and responsible production has become a differentiating factor in the face of competition from Asian giants. To guarantee this added value, UITH Nord created the “Nord Terre Textile” label in 2014. Regional variation of the “France Terre Textile” label, it certifies that at least 75% of the manufacturing steps of a product are carried out in approved local companies.

"We want to remind you that French manufacturing is much more virtuous than imported manufacturing," says Christelle Perz, head of economic development at UITH Nord. Today, local manufacturing halves the carbon footprint of textiles compared to production in China. This is the conclusion of a survey² carried out in December 2020 by the eco-design expert firm Cycleco for the ITU³.

Campaign carried out by the Union des Industries Textiles to promote local production. © ITU

Today, only 25 companies are labeled "Nord Terre Textile". But this certification is enjoying growing success according to Christelle Perz. “We have more and more requests. Above all, we have noticed that the companies that have best resisted the Covid are those that make made in France with locally sourced products”. For her, the great strength of the region is to benefit from an almost complete textile industry: designers, manufacturers, associations, research centers, training of textile engineers.

An observation widely shared by Loïc Baert, Managing Director of Lemahieu. This family business founded in 1947 manufactures eco-responsible underwear in Saint-André-lez-Lille. "What makes the difference is that everything is made on site, so you don't depend on other players," he says.

The company suffered the full brunt of the dismantling of the industry in the mid-1960s in the North. But if she survived, it was thanks to this local fiber. Labeled Nord Terre Textile, Lemahieu now has 130 employees. This is 40 more than in 2018, when Loïc Baert and his partner Martin Breuvart took over Lemahieu. “There is a real dynamic of relocation of production, we notice a big tension on the recruitment market for seamstresses”, details Loïc Baert.

At Fashion Green Hub, seamstresses use scraps of fabric for upcycling. © Justine Prados

But the North is not just a breeding ground for small textile companies. It is also the birthplace of many large brands: La Redoute, Kiabi and Blancheporte. For these big, well-oiled machines, the shift to responsible production is often more difficult. It is through research that they advance in this process.

           Towards innovation for sustainable fashion

In Tourcoing, the European Center for Innovative Textiles (CETI) opened in 2012. Its ambition: to support professionals in the sector towards sustainability. In the fall of 2020, CETI collaborated with the Okaïdi brand on a series of cotton t-shirts made from 60% recycled fibers (and 40% from organic farming). CETI carried out the tests and invested in the unraveling machine to recycle cotton. The goal: to assess the effectiveness of a solution before it is transferred to companies for industrial use. “Businesses want to improve environmentally, but innovation is always risky. CETI takes this risk for them and helps them move forward” analyzes Marie-Pierre Chapuis, head of operational marketing at CETI.

The presence of CETI stimulates the search for sustainability for the entire sector in the North. The research center, unique in Europe, is funded by several local institutional players (the European Metropolis of Lille, the Nord department, the Hauts-de-France region). "There is a desire on the part of the public authorities to highlight the region's textile expertise and to bring it back to life through innovation," said Marie-Pierre Chapuis.

Although far from being successful, this dynamic of responsible relocation has the merit of existing. “Two years ago, we would never have put together big and small actors. Today, it is clear that the entire value chain is being reorganized locally in the service of the same vision” summarizes Arielle Levy of Fashion Green Hub.

Creating new possibilities: this is the challenge of the textile industry today. The local level makes it possible to reconnect the players in the sector to jointly rethink production methods. The North is the ideal example of a territory that uses its strengths for the benefit of responsible values. And it could, perhaps, inspire other regions to dust off their industrial sectors and invest in sustainable restructuring.

 References

¹ INA, “ Crises and changes in the textile sector in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region ”, April 16th 1965, <https://enseignants.lumni.fr/fiche-media/00000000922/crises-et-mutations-du-secteur-textile-dans-la-region-nord-pas-de-calais.html#infos>

² Payet, J. (2021). Assessment of the Carbon Footprint for the textile sector in France using Life Cycle Assessment. Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050; CODEN: SUSTDE). MDPI publisher. Date of submission : January 13th 2021, <https://www.textile.fr/documents/1613072120_AArticle-textile-FR-APV-CYCLECO-27-janvier-2021.pdf>

³ Union of Textile Industries, “Manufacturing in France halves the carbon footprint of textiles while supporting employment”, January 28th 2021, <https://www.textile.fr/documents/1611844612_CPCycleco28-01-2021.pdf>

© 2021 YRE Competition

Article, 19-25 years

1st Place
Title: The north textile industry, the ideal network for inventing sustainable and responsible fashion
Country: France

2nd Place
Title: Villages at the foot of Luštek landfill inspire the whole Slovakia
Country: Slovakia

Honourable mentions
Title: “Moulay ali natural bathes” ... a natural healing water source that is not rationally used to support the community development of “awlad Stoute”
Country: Morocco

Title: Montijo: An Option For The Future Or An Announced Crime?
Country: Portugal

Avian inhabitants of the housing estates (Slovakia)

YRE COMPETITION 2021

Article 15-18 years

Authors: Ella Radimská and Júlia Noščáková

In the last decade, the conditions in urban ecosystems have changed significantly and several bird species have suffered. Not only are species in the wild disappearing, but species living in cities are also under threat. It was confirmed by the Report on the Status of Birds in Slovakia (1), according to which the number of White-tailed Godwits has declined by 100 000 pairs in six years.

The decline in bird numbers is linked to human activity. People living in housing estates want to live more comfortably and so they are changing their dwellings and surroundings. As birds need a stable environment, dynamically changing landscape and destruction of ecosystems are causing life-threatening problems for them.

URBAN BIRD DECLINE

Pupils of the Narnia Church Elementary School in the Bratislava housing estate have also noticed it. They decided to investigate the causes and make changes to the situation in their environment. With the help of experts, František Cimerman from NGO Živica and environmentalist Tomáš Kušík, they looked for answers and took steps to change the situation. 

One of the reasons for the dwindling number of birds on housing estates is the lack of cavities to build nests in. "Cavity nesters have the 'disadvantage' that if no one creates a cavity for them, they have nowhere to nest. The same is true if someone destroys or closes their cavity. Therefore, those species that almost exclusively nest in cities on buildings - the common swift, the souse sparrow and the common house martin - suffer greatly when buildings are renovated. Common swift and house sparrows lost all their nests when building were insulated - so they have disappeared. Fortunately, bird-sensitive insulation of buildings has been largely successful in Slovakia with our project Protecting Common Swift and Bats in Slovak Cities. With the passage of time, we are even more aware of its uniqueness, because nowhere in the world has anything similar been implemented on such a systemic scale," says Kušík.

Another threat to birds is also increasing light pollution, which disrupts their life cycle, changes their behavior, orientation in space, and migration routes. Housing estates are illuminated all night, including sidewalks, high-rise buildings and parks. Increasing noise levels also has a negative impact on the behavior and life of birds.

In the construction of new buildings, there is again a problem with façades - inappropriate forms of insulation or large glass panes. Birds crashing into the glazed parts of buildings usually result in mortality, and this is a huge problem that requires a targeted and systemic solution.

The clearing of lawns and the disposal of bio-matter (grass clippings, leaves, branches and shrubs) outside housing estates cause food shortages. "This is, among other things, a problem from the point of view of pollinators (which are also food for birds), which do not have enough flowers - nectar and pollen - on the frequently mown grass. This again reduces the biodiversity of the environment and, in addition, the fuel burned for mowing increases the carbon footprint," Kušik stated.

Other species are bothered by the clearing of shrubs, or the destruction of trees and bird nesting sites. For example, the common magpie, the hooded crow, the rook, the eurasian collared dove , the common wood pigeon, the common kestrel, the common blackbird, the long-eared owl, the mallard duck, the goldfinch, the nightingale and others build nests to survive.

THEY INVITED THE BIRDS BACK

Fourth-grade pupils from the Narnia school decided to take action. With Eco-Schools expert F. Cimerman, they created a plan to restore a housing estate's biodiversity and began to implement it. They also presented the plan to the Mayor, Matúš Valo, and received financial support for its implementation from the City of Bratislava's Children's program.

A dark corner with trees was equipped with student-made nesting boxes. In winter, they stocked the bird feeders with a mixture of food from different types of sunflowers seeds. They only added seeds when the feeder was empty. They learned that the plastic feed nets sold in stores for hanging on trees were a common trap for birds, in which they would get tangled, and die. Therefore they hung apples from the trees as a natural food source. They planted herb beds and shrubs with berries edible for humans as well as birds. They are turning part of the lawn into a meadow.

Thanks to the efforts of the students, birds have gotten used to finding food in bird feeders in winter, and are now nesting here.

BIRDSONG BRINGS JOY

There are many ways to support bird life in the city. Peter Lipovský, a practical nature conservation expert from BROZ (Bratislava Regional Conservation Association), praised the initiative of the pupils and added further advice: "Birds need to be provided with sufficient nesting places - birdhouses, rarely mown meadow areas and proper feed. There are many examples of good practices in Bratislava - for example, Karlova Ves, where thousands of bird houses have been installed in the facades of houses. There are also meadow areas, which are mowed only twice a year. The situation is getting better in other districts of Bratislava, towns and villages in Slovakia, too. The ideal situation would be if the local governments would deal with this issue on their own and not expect someone to do it for them."

The pupils' project is also supported by parents, the school and residents. They all appreciate the return of the birds to the environment. With their children, they have watched students feeding the birds and hanging their birdhouses. One of the mothers living in the housing estate described it this way: "It is very nice to be able to watch the birds at the bird feeders when we stayed at home. Our movement to the countryside was limited and the morning birdsong that we now hear every day in the housing estates makes everyone happy. It improves the mood and helps relieve the stress of the pandemic."  

Wildlife-friendly school garden. The untended lawn increases biodiversity, and provides food and shelter for insects. Photo by Ľubica Noščáková

Invitation accepted. Birds nesting in prepared safe places. These are three-week-old Black Birds just before leaving their nest. Photo by Júlia Noščáková

Feeder with fruit. A feeder on school premises during winter. Photo by Ľubica Noščáková

SOURCES

1) Stav ochrany vtáctva na Slovensku v rokoch 2013-18 (State of Bird Protection), published by Štátna ochrana prírody (Nature Conservation state authority) in 2020, ISBN: 978 – 80 – 8184 – 084 – 5

 http://www.sopsr.sk/news/file/Monografia_vtaky_reporting_18_12_2020.pdf

© 2021 YRE Competition

Article, 15-18 years

1st Place
Title: Avian inhabitants of the housing estates
Country: Slovakia

2nd Place (shared)
Title: Construction waste and dangerous waste – here on our backyard
Country: Israel

Title: Turning off the lights at night
Country: Switzerland