Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/720024
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 28 AUGUST 2016 40 This Week It's not just we humans that love a nice sea breeze. Some plants love it so much they live their entire life there (granted, they can't wander around much once rooted). One of these coastal species is the sea samphire (M: bużbież il-baħar). It is quite common in parts of our coast, even popular beaches such as Ir-Ramla tal-Mixquqa (Golden Bay as it is widely known) where it grows thickly on the sandy or stony slopes. It is still flowering profusely at this time. Like many of its relatives in the carrot family, the sea samphire's flowers grow in large disc- or ball-shaped flowerheads. The flowerheads are a pale greenish yellow – maybe not the most psychedelic colour, but hey! they smell nice and many visiting insects agree. The sea samphire's forte is its ability to survive regular bashings of sea spray, sandblasting winds that would corrode the most robust metalware, scorching summer sun and blistering hot sand. You must hand it to these plants: compared with them we humans are a bunch of wimps. Move over, Bear Grylls. GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 424: SECOND-HAND DOESN'T MEAN SECOND-BEST: Consider buying items from a second-hand store. Toys, bicycles, roller blades, and other age and size-specific items are quickly outgrown. Second hand stores often sell these items in excellent condition since they are used for such a short period of time, and will generally buy them back when you no longer need them. Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate Text and photo Victor Falzon 521. SEA SAMPHIRE The EU uses more than its fair share of global agricul- tural land. Its Land Footprint totals 269 million hec- tares – with 40% of this used outside of Europe. That's equivalent to an area almost the size of France and Italy combined. The average per capita Cropland Footprint is 0.31 hectares – 1.5 times larger than the global average. The FoE Europe report on consumption shows that this needs to be decreased to 0.2 hectares per capita to ensure the sustainable quantitative use of land. Teatru Manoel auditions for its Youth Opera and Youth Theatre IT is an opportune time to be in the arts in Malta right now, with young performers having a myriad of op- portunities available for training and performing in various art forms. Over the past five years, Toi Toi, the Teatru Manoel Education Pro- gramme conceived and spearheaded by Arts Education Consultant Roset- ta Debattista, has been instrumental in offering many such opportunities, with both the Teatru Manoel Youth Opera (TMYO) and Teatru Manoel Youth Theatre (TMYT) programmes thriving over the past few years. In September both programmes will be holding auditions for the crop of young singers and actors for the forthcoming season which runs from October to June 2017. Auditions for Teatru Manoel Youth Opera will take place on September 21 at 10:00. Now in its fourth season, TMYO offers a remarkable oppor- tunity for young singers to learn and perform. The programme's aim is to enrich Malta and Gozo's emerging operatic talent and offer intensive training and operatic experience to those who wish to pursue a career as singers. This programme acts as a semi-pro- fessional performing ground for sing- ers aged between 18 and 35. Weekly sessions for two to three hours on Saturday mornings offer valuable opportunities for young singers to explore all aspects of opera through weekly workshops and to take part in performances in Teatru Manoel's productions and more. TMYO mem- bers can audition and are prioritised when casting the Valletta 2018 Te- atru Manoel Opera, usually held in October. Auditions for the Teatru Manoel Youth Theatre will be held on Sep- tember 24 at 14:00. Established in February 2012, the goal of TMYT is to nurture talented young actors through training and performance opportunities. TMYT offers a first- class training and performance expe- rience for young people aged between 16-25 years. During weekly intensive three-hour session held on Saturday afternoons, Youth Theatre members work alongside professional directors as well as choreographers, musicians, designers and technicians, with the company attending workshops and master classes with world-renowned companies such as Les Enfants Terri- bles. The principal tutor for TMYT's weekly sessions is Denise Mulhol- land. For an audition pack for either TMYO or TMYT please send an email to admin@teatrumanoel.com.mt EU's Land Footprint - Overconsumption of limited land resources