Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1031063
CULTURE THEATRE | SUNDAY • 23 SEPTEMBER 2018 maltatoday 17 The environment is not a no man's land Your activity will be occupying a major position in the Palace courtyard - what are you exhibiting? My team and I are exhibiting work in progress on a number of projects at different stages of completion all of which focus on pollution. For instance, we will showcase our work in progress on a project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 grant called "R2π – tRansition from linear 2 circular: Policy and Innovation" which examines how business can adopt practices that rely on fewer resources and generate less waste. We also showcase work funded by the University of Malta's 2017 research CULTURE SCIENCE Marie Briguglio No Man's Land, Environmental Practices & The Circular Economy will take place at The Grandmasters' Palace in Valletta as part of Science in the City this Friday from 6pm till midnight. PAUL COCKS spoke to the organiser, Dr MARIE BRIGUGLIO, to understand how the project intends to make people realise that the environment is not a no man's land and what visitors to the stand will experience grant on what drives pro- environmental practices at home and at work. We will run experiments to demonstrate how pollution can be inf luenced through behavioural interventions and we will have talks on each of these projects. This year's edition of Science and the City is to bring together science and culture. How do you show this at your stand? One of the exhibits is a book which I am co-authoring with Steve Bonello called "No Man's Land, People Place and Pollution", which brings together three decades worth of environmental cartoons with my own (and others') research on Malta's environmental pressures, status and responses. Though the book project is only part of the work, I expect it to be a major attraction simply because it is planned for public consumption. It is intended to bring to light the research in a manner that is accessible and also fun. Science in the City is a family event. Your activity sounds quite technical. Is it child friendly? Besides an exhibition of images from the book which most children will enjoy, the stand will also feature an interactive theatrical performance to explore the underlying theme of the "Tragedy of the commons" with actor Rambert Attard. We will also invite children to understand how traffic congestion happens and how it can be avoided (with interactive car-games), and we will invite young people to learn how to plant trees with the participation of the Grow 10 trees initiative. What inspires a social scientist to engage in this kind of public communication? In my case, it is not so much that I am inspired to do so. It is just what I do. I am an economist specialising in environmental behavioural change. I am also keen on communication. Fortunately, the evolution of behavioural economics has enabled me to find a home with like-minded scholars. While categories are useful to classify academic fields and work, innovation often comes from the juxtaposition of fields. Why should people visit your stand? Science in the City organisers have encouraged us to create activities that communicate science as creatively as possible. We have performances, cartooning, tree- planting, car-games, talks, experiments, and one-to- one interactions. The whole research team will be at the stand and we really want to give it our all to ensure that people leave with a positive message. What would that message be? That we should not treat the environment like a "No Man's Land". Rather, we can adopt pro-environmental practices at home and circular economy business models at work. That it is possible to encourage this through well- crafted and evidence-based intervention. You yourself worked in environmental policy. Why does this not happen? It's complicated! After completing my MSc in environmental economics, I worked for 15 years in policy. It was ultimately my realisation that I needed to be better equipped that propelled me to read for a Ph.D that combined insights from economics with those from psychology and political science. You have a history of broadcasting spanning back to the early 90s. Why not focus on awareness raising? Awareness raising is always important – and not just among children. But, to be frank, research repeatedly shows that there is a high level of awareness of some of the main environmental problems in Malta. For instance, my own research with Dr Jonathan Spiteri finds high levels of concern with traffic congestion, lack of open spaces, over-building, urban air quality, waste etc. We also find that wherever environmental behaviour has been enabled (e.g. recycling waste collection, installation of PV) uptake has been positive. What is needed is more intervention in more environmental fields that is well designed and communicated well so people can come on board. You sound optimistic. Are you? That's what our research is all about. Let's not spoil it for the visitors! The Science in the City - European Researchers' Night is funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions of the Horizon 2020 Programme of the EU. The festival is led by the University of Malta, Malta Chamber of Scientists and the University's Research Trust (RIDT), in partnership with Valletta 2018, The festival is supported by the Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation, MCAST, Esplora, JUGS Ltd, Studio 7, BPC International, GSD Marketing Ltd, Aquabiotech Ltd, MEUSAC, PBS, Spazju Kreattiv, Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Valletta Local Council, Notte Bianca, Melita, More or Less Theatre, Transport Malta and Arts Council Malta. The programme can be viewed on www. scienceinthecity.org.mt. 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