The last days of December have been the time for turkey leftovers and a few fireworks let off during the first few moments of 2015. Every season tells a story.
Food waste and how to reduce it was the theme of a conference held in Malta last October under the EU regional programme for the Mediterranean. The MedCap event, funded by European Regional Development Programme, was part of a wider initiative to look at some lessons learnt and meet objectives for the region through strategic cooperation.
Never before have we produced as much food as today and never before has there been as much hunger in the world. A third of the food for human consumption produced at global level is never eaten.
Food waste in the European Union occurs at all steps of the food chain: overproduction, food packed in sizes too large for the single consumer, over-stocking by wholesale and retail outlets. Yet almost half of all food waste is generated in private households.
Consumers have the power to reduce food by taking measures on all levels. Buying too much food, serving too large portions or bad storage lead to waste and habits need to be revised. Dimitra Rappou, Waste Prevention Manager at North London Waste Authority, gave an overview of a waste prevention programme devised for north London councils.
Fabio Iraldo, a research director at Milan’s Bocconi University, listed positive examples of industries which had reduced food waste. A spaghetti measurer is a useful tool which can help cut down on food waste in the kitchen.
Since 2013 Italian paper manufacturer Favini has collaborated with pasta company Barilla to recover bran, a by-product of grinding of cereals, for making a type of paper named Carta Crusca.
Marie Briguglio made some strong observations on environmental behaviour and the importance of getting the right message across for a successful food waste reduction programme.
• Fireworks health and safety isn’t just about preventing unwanted explosions. It is the cloud of toxic dust which envelopes our islands for much of the summer that worries chemical experts like Alfred Vella.
At an international fireworks conference held in Malta in 2012, a paper presented on environmental contamination by local fireworks dealt with the health risks of perchlorate.
As expected, when tiny amounts of unexploded material in the environment was analysed by a team from the University of Malta, it was found to be “very abundant” at the peak of the festa season in July and August. The disturbing discovery was that fireworks dust persisted on into the winter months.
In this environment, it has become difficult to find internal peace and be able to enjoy nature
A few years ago it seemed a good idea to replace more volatile chemicals used in the manufacture of fireworks with the more stable potassium perchlorate. This made it safer for fireworks factory enthusiasts, but less safe for the rest of us.
Perchlorates have a negative reaction on the thyroid gland since they limit the body’s ability to take up iodine. Symptoms can include constipation, aching, tiredness, weight gain and memory loss or confusion in the elderly.
Unlike finer particulate matter, dust particles of 50 microns (PM 50) are too large to be inhaled. Coarse dust falls to the ground quickly. It is not of great interest to the authorities since it does not remain in the air and does not show up as a constant in any air monitoring programmes.
The risk is that dangerous dust fallout from fireworks is everywhere, even in the home, and can easily be ingested by small children through hand to mouth contamination. It is likely that Maltese children are close to or exceeding the limit for a safe dose. So far only the US government has pronounced itself on a reference dose.
In the US public outcry over perchlorates in the environment and the risk to public health have centred around their use by the military. In Malta the concentration of perchlorate from fireworks running wild in the environment is much higher and yet little concern is shown about the dangers by the authorities.
As winter rains wash the dust from an entire summer full of firework explosions into our water supply, we may be heading for trouble.
Hopefully in the year ahead, public health and environment authorities will listen to advice and slap a limit on the importation of potassium perchlorate. Since this would mean a reduction in the number of fireworks on public health grounds, it will take a courageous policymaker to stand up to the pyrotechnics lobby and put the health of the public before tradition.
• An abundance of festive trees were seen over the Christmas holidays. Yet trees deserve our attention all year round, a fact put into sharp focus at a recent talk organised by Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar.
Benefits of trees include reduced harm from vehicle exhaust and cutting down on the need to use chemical sun block creams. Temperature differences between five and fifteen degrees are felt when walking under tree canopies. One study has even shown that businesses and shops on tree-scaped streets show twelve percent higher income. It has also been found that trees have a calming and healing effect on ADHD adults and teens.
The importance of urban trees in public spaces cannot be under-estimated. President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, in her Republic Day address, said: “Malta has changed radically, with both children and adults confined to the built environment, away from contact with nature and with little spaces where they can roam. In this environment, it has become difficult to find internal peace and be able to enjoy nature.”
She appealed to all to defend their right to remain “in contact with the natural environment that sustains us”.
An artist’s impression of how one open space might look after redevelopment paints an optimistic picture of large trees greening the square at Il-Pjazzetta, Sliema. Hopefully, this time around, designing of the tree wells will be given serious thought so as not to repeat the Qui-Si-Sana walk of shame, with ten very dead potted tamarisks still in place - a parody of what should have been.
Another lesson in how not to do it can be had from the lack of decent soil depth in planting beds at The Ferries. At barely 30cm the amount of soil is insufficient for saplings to anchor their roots. These trees are frequently blowing over in the mildest of storms despite being tied to thick wooden stakes. They contrast with the old tamarisks further along the Tigné promenade, firmly established against the elements, well before landscaping became the bane of roadside trees.