Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/879686
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 27 SEPTEMBER 2017 17 Events Race against time in Valletta WHAT world do we want our children to inherit? A world without bees or turtles or sharks? This year's Science in the City festival, taking place across Valletta between 6pm and mid- night on Friday, has gathered to- gether Malta's non-governmen- tal organisations to help visitors answer this question through games and many more interac- tive experiences. The NGO area at De Valette Square shows research that can aid humanity in the race against time to save various animal spe- cies. BirdLife Malta collects data about bird migration, while Sharklab explains how sharks hold the key to the Mediterra- nean Sea's future. Nature Trust Malta's Wildlife Rescue Team volunteers will share their ex- periences of turtles ingesting increasing amounts of marine debris like microplastics. Marine debris is not only a problem for animals: head over to Youth for the Environment to see how dirty the sand from Golden Bay really is, and play their interactive quiz full of ide- as to reduce waste. Kopin will use games to focus on climate related migration. Here, put yourself into the shoes of refu- gees, see if you can spot the ef- fects of climate change, or learn about water usage in everyday life. Finally, fair trade coop- erative KKG will help you place your favourite tropical fruit on a world map. Another exciting place to visit will be the Grandmaster's Palace Courtyard, which transforms into an interactive area for the whole family to learn more about bees. Using #Bees4Food as the main slogan, Greenhouse and other NGOs will raise awareness of the problems a world without bees would face. Featuring an immersive walking tour, a shad- ow puppet show, craft stands and a pollen snatch game for younger kids, there are many fun activities to help visitors obtain a bee passport! These NGOs show how science is connected to so many little things we encounter in our daily lives through this planet shared by all. The Science in the City—Euro- pean Researchers' Night festival, is organised by the University of Malta, the Research Trust of the University of Malta and the Malta Chamber of Scientists together with a large number of partners. It is funded by the Eu- ropean Commission's Research and Innovation Framework Pro- gramme Horizon 2020 (H2020, 2014–2020) by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions and recognised as a Festival by Eu- rope for Festivals and Festivals for Europe (EFFE). It is support- ed by the Ministry for Education and Employment, the Parlia- mentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation, BPC International and a number of corporate spon- sors. The full programme can be viewed on www.scienceinthecity. org.mt or on Facebook: www.fa- cebook.com/ScienceInTheCity- Malta From birds and turtles to tropical fruit and climate migration, this area at De Valette Square explores the diversity of Malta's NGOs Azure Watch exhibition at Dwejra Tower DWEJRA Tower on Gozo is set to host a unique exhibition exploring the visual legacy of one of the Maltese islands' most famous erstwhile land- marks - the Azure Window. The nearby seventeenth century coastal Watchtower, which was restored and is now managed by Din L-Art Ħelwa, Malta's National Trust, will host a unique exhibition in partnership with a new and exciting arts project entitled "Azure Watch". The cultural organisation Spazju Kreattivita, Valletta, together with artist Giuseppe Fanizza are inviting all citi- zens, artists and activists of Gozo and Malta to engage with the "Azure Watch" pro- ject by sharing their photos, memories and experiences of visiting the nearby Azure Window, as well as experienc- ing, during a visit, a range of audio recordings, films, pho- tographs and exhibits. The exhibition will be launched this Saturday at 11am at Dwejra Tower and will then be open on week- days from 9am to 3pm and on weekends from 10.30am to 3pm. It will be open until Sun- day 29 October. Entrance to the exhibition is free of charge but donations will be gratefully accepted, all proceeds going towards the upkeep of this historic tower. Completed in 1652, Dwejra Tower commands marvellous views over the coast overlook- ing Dwejra Bay and Fungus Rock. It remains a popular at- traction with the many tour- ists and locals visiting the area throughout the year. The Azure Window lime- stone arch was one of Gozo's most famous landmarks. It dramatically collapsed into the sea after a heavy storm earlier this year, attracting intense media coverage from across the world. For more information about Azure Watch, please visit their Facebook page https:// w w w. f ac e b o ok .c om /a z u re - watch/ For more details about Din L-Art Ħelwa or planning a visit to Dwejra Tower, please visit https://www.facebook. com/Dwejra.tower/ or email info@dinlarthelwa.org. Dwejra Tower was completed in 1652 and commands breathtaking views over Dwejra Bay and Fungus Rock HSBC Bank Malta initiative for staff to reduce the use of plastic bottles HSBC Bank Malta have put forth an initiative to save on the "constant purchase and storing of bottle water". Thanks to a subsidy on do- mestic reverse osmosis (RO) systems, the Bank 's compa- ny-wide initiative "led to 53 households deciding to in- stall the water filtration sys- tem". According to the bank, it has been estimated that the shift from bottle water to treated tap water has reduced the production and dispos- al of plastic bottles by over 45,000 in a year. Employee of HSBC Malta, Nadia Micallef, whose fam- ily of four benefitted from the subsidy said: "Before the RO, we were used to carrying large packs of bottles from the market to the car". "Thanks to HSBC and the attractive subsidy they of- fered to staff, my family now has the peace of mind that getting a glass of water is just a tap away." Chief operating officer of HSBC Malta, Nikolaos Ferta- kis said that households with the RO system do away with the inconvenience of carry- ing and storing bottled water. "And for the environment it means that less bottles go to landfill or for recycling," he said. The bank went on to list the benefits of using the RO process, which uses various phases of filtration to remove particulates and chemicals from tap water, improving the quality and taste of the water. A domestic RO plant is "typically installed once, takes less space, and offers long running cycles". HSBC Malta said that wa- ter is one of their "f lagship corporate sustainability themes", whereby the HSBC Water Programme – Catch the Drop – "has become the largest water-conservation campaign in Malta", involv- ing over 50,000 students and local councils, amongst oth- ers, since 2013. HSBC Malta's flagship environmental campaign, the Catch the Drop, subsidised the installation of RO at 53 households