Environmental Communications

1
Environmental Communications

• Chris Kelley
• Russell Meyer
• Kyle Proehl
• James Wells

2
Purpose

• To create informative and educational material
  for the Gaia Foundation
• Focus on informing adults who are not familiar
  with environmental issues

3
5 Main Topics

• Energy
• Waste
• Water
• Soil
• Forests

4
4 Main Questions

• What is the issue in general?
• How is the issue relevant to Malta?
• Whats being done in Malta to make a difference?
• What can the individual do to help?

5
Main Deliverables

• Fact-Sheet
• Billboard Template
• Brochure Template
• PowerPoint Presentation for Gaia Web-Site

6
Fossil Fuel Energy

• Nearly 100 of Maltas electrical energy is
  generated from fossil fuels
• Fossil fuels are a limited resource and do not
  fit a long-term energy use paradigm
• The use of fossil fuels has serious environmental
  consequences (global warming, acid rain, etc.)

7
Fossil vs. Renewable Energy

• For every Lira spent on fossil energy, 70-80
  cents leaves the local economy
• Renewable energy saves the export of local
  currency for foreign fuels (oil)

8
Maltas Renewable Energy

• Wind
• Has become cost competitive with traditional
  energy production
• Very high job/kWh ratio (no cost for fuel)
• Sikka-il Bajda wind farm estimates as high as
  5-7 of total electricity demand

• Solar
• Solar water heaters could save 7 on Maltas
  fossil fuel energy bill (Greenpeace)
• Malta has over 300 days of sunshine per year

9
Reducing Consumption

• Maximize energys utility by increasing
  efficiency of both production and consumption
• Focus on reducing consumption instead of
  increasing production
• A Negawatt is a unit of energy that is
  created when energy-efficient devices lower
  energy demand

10
Why is a good waste management strategy important?

• To reduce the impact felt by the environment due
  to human interaction
• This is done by limiting the amount of needed
  primary sources of materials and reusing,
  reducing, refusing, and recycling as many of our
  products as possible.

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A clean environment is also important for many
economic reasons.

• Producing an aesthetically pleasing environment
  is essential for creating a tourist-friendly
  atmosphere.
• Reducing the wastes that we produce and reusing
  products whenever possible can save us hundreds
  of Lm per year.

12
What are the current practices of waste
management.

• Currently, all of the trash that is produced is
  landfilled.
• The landfill is un-lined and over-filled.
  Pollutants from the landfill contaminate our
  lives by draining into the sea, seeping into our
  drinking water, and spilling onto our farm lands.
  

13
Trash Alternatives

• Recycling and reusing products reduces the waste
  stream to the landfill thereby increasing the
  landfills useful life as well as reducing
  reliance on primary raw materials and high-energy
  dependence.
• Composting also decreases the waste stream to the
  landfill while returning valuable resources to
  the earth from which they came. This enriches
  the soil for agricultural use.

14
Water

• Water is the basis of all life on Earth
• 2.6 of the Earths water contains little or no
  salt, yet only 0.014 is available for human
  consumption - the rest is found in glaciers or
  extremely deep underground
• Desalination is a high-energy consumer, and
  accounts for 0.1 of total worldwide water usage

15
The Water Cycle

• The hydrologic, or water, cycle continuously
  collects, purifies, recycles and distributes the
  Earths water supplies
• Humans are disrupting this process by
• overloading it with wastes
• withdrawing water from underground supplies
  faster than it can be replaced

16
Maltas Water

• Just under half of Maltas potable water supply
  comes from underground aquifers while the rest
  comes from desalination

17
Maltas Water Problems

• Pollution and over extraction of underground
  sources
• Energy consumption from desalination
• Water that is produced but unaccounted for
• Lack of enforcement of water regulations

18
Solutions

• The Water Services Corporation and the Dept. of
  Public Health perform testing and help to protect
  freshwater resources
• Desalination energy efficiency has been improved
• Individual
• Conserve water
• Reduce pollution

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What is Soil?

• Soil is defined as a complex mixture of inorganic
  materials, such as clay, silt, pebbles, and sand,
  decaying organic matter, water, air, and living
  Organisms.
• Soil provides a habitat for many species of
  plants and animals that are important to Maltas
  ecosystem.

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How is Soil Threatened on Malta?

• Processes such as overgrazing, deforestation,
  quarrying without land reclamation, salt build up
  from irrigation, and soil compacting have the
  increased the amount, and rate of erosion taking
  place on Malta.

21
The Effects of on Poor Land Management

• Erosion on Malta has lead to threat of
  Desertification, the process where the productive
  potential of arid or semi-arid land falls by 10
  or more due to human activity or climate change.
• Due to a lack of trees, top soil and chemical
  runoff from fertilizers often finds it way to the
  water supply

22
What is Happening on Malta to Help?

• Nurseries, such as Gaias Elysium are growing
  more native flora species and reintroducing them
  into the wild.
• Elysium also uses organic farming techniques,
  where are crops grown without the use of chemical
  pesticides or fertilizers that destroy natural
  microbes in the soil, and create chemical runoff.

23
What Can You Do to Help the Problem?

• If you have unused land plant trees.
• Install silt fences or plant trees around
  agricultural land to help reduce runoff.
• Compost at home, and buy organically grown crops.

24
Forests

• Forests
• stabilize landscapes
• improve soil quality
• block spread of pests and disease
• regulate water flow
• moderate climate
• protect against desertification

25
Land in Malta 1990

• 21 was developed and 34.5 no longer supported
  vegetation
• 44.1 was cultivated for agriculture
• 21.3 was natural vegetation, mostly garigue
• about 4 was covered by trees, but just less than
  1 was true woodland

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What is being done to help?

• Many nurseries are working to grow and
  reintroduce endemic and indigenous plant species
  back to the environment
• The Maltese government recently enacted
  legislation designed to protect native flora,
  fauna and woodlands

27
Help from Individuals

• Participate in local pro-environment project
• Use only recycled paper products
• Landscape with native vegetation
• Set up compost bin
• Support legislation that will help the environment