In 2002, the Malta Girl Guides launched an Environment Challenge for its members. The challenge that year was collecting thousands of plastic bottles for recycling. Since then, this challenge has become an annual event in its programme.

As part of this year’s challenge, the leaders of the Central District (Hamrun, Sta Venera, Birkirkara, Attard, Mosta, Rabat and Dingli) organised an Environment Awareness Day in collaboration with Nature Trust. The theme chosen was “Appreciate and Enjoy the Outdoors”.

The activity took place on last month, mainly in the areas of Buskett and Dingli Cliffs. The Dolphins (5 – 7 years) enjoyed leaf rubbing and learnt the green code through songs and games.

The Brownies (7 – 10 years) animated their Brownie Story – Il-Ferh tal-Pitiross by Natalie Portelli. The story takes place in Buskett, the habitat of various insects and small animals, which are the main characters.

For the Guides (10 –13 years) Nature Trust volunteers prepared different workshops including fieldwork in different areas of Buskett, observation of human impact on natural environment and clearing up the rubbish scattered all over the place by visitors.

The girls noted that no matter the amount of educational promotion on the media to keep the environment clean, people still throw their rubbish anywhere. Some girls suggested increasing the number of bins near the picnic area. The girls also separated the rubbish collected in the bring-in-site bins.

The Rangers (14 yrs+), who were keen on their mini expedition, enjoyed the fresh air and breathtaking views of Filfla surrounded by the deep blue sea. En route they had the opportunity to appreciate the fauna and flora of the area and historical sites such as cart ruts and Ghar il-Kbir.

The leaders thank Nature Trust for its support and enthusiasm to make sure that all the girls understood that playing in a clean and natural environment outdoors was important for a healthy lifestyle