A little over a month ago, on Friday 15th March, young people from more than 100 cities and countries around the world – including Malta - held protests. They were calling for politicians to address climate change, inspired by 16-year-old Swedish teenager, Greta Thunberg, who started a lone protest in front of her parliament several months ago, catching international media attention. Now she’s been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
But here in Malta, we have some of our very own environmental activists who want exactly what Greta wants – a better future to grow old in. Here are a few you should be following
1. Malta Clean Up
Swede Cami Appelgren is the 34-year-old behind the Instagram account malta_clean_up. On it, she documents her tireless work, picking up thousands upon thousands of pieces of rubbish she finds clogging Malta’s beaches. She’s even received a shout-out from the people behind the BBC documentary Blue Planet 2, hosted by none other than Sir David Attenborough.
“My full-time job is in iGaming, so I use my evenings and weekends to try and tackle the pollution problem. I try and keep the tone in my posts sarcastic rather than angry, but I really wish people in Malta would have more civic responsibility when it comes to litter.” Cami is also a huge supporter of her fellow Swede Greta Thunberg. “I have been following her since her first protest outside the Swedish parliament. I think she has created so much awareness with her campaign and shows how everyone can play their own part when it comes to the battle against climate change.”
2. Sustainable Islander
This is run by 27-year-old psychology assistant, Davina Schembri, who set up her account in October and is steadily gaining followers. “Last year I took part in Plastic-Free July which really opened my eyes to how much single-use plastic I was consuming and how much waste I produced. As I researched how to take on the challenge, I came across many Instagram accounts that focused on the different ways we can lead a more sustainable lifestyle, be it eating more plant-based meals, reducing single waste plastic and highlighting the negative effects of fast fashion. I did not know of any Maltese accounts that did something similar so I was inspired to create sustainble_islander, a place where I could document the changes I am making towards lowering my carbon footprint.”
Davina posts beautifully composed images of everything from using up every pen in her home before buying a new one, to the beauty products she’s switched to, to help the planet. “Although the concept of sustainability might seem overwhelming, I like to think my posts show simple easy changes people can make in their daily lives. I'm not perfect and am learning as I go along, so I’m very transparent with that. I try and focus on making the best choices when possible.”
3. Bye Bye Plastic Bags Malta
Just like Greta Thunberg, this an NGO run by teenagers. Sisters Zoe and Josefina Wessel, along with their classmates and friends, use their account to tell people about clean-ups they have organised around Malta. “We feel a lot of people are still unaware of how pressing the issue of climate change is. We don’t see enough actions taken by Government and policy makers and feel like the problem is being left to a limited number of people and organisations to solve.”
4. Zibel Official
This account is run by another non-profit dedicated to educating people on the environment and trying to find solutions to plastic-waste in Malta. Check out some of the groups amazing images posted of clean-ups taking place at sea by dedicated divers hoisting abandoned tires up from the seabed.
5. Eco Market Malta
This is a new kid on the Instagram block. Eco Market Malta is aimed at promoting small businesses with an ethical voice, by hosting an event once a month. The first market will take place in May. Make sure to check out their Instagram for updates on dates and locations!
C'mon guys, give them a follow!