The right type of inspiration?

Whilst admiring the beautiful weather and sea a few days ago, one thing stood out to me, only this time it wasn’t the beauty or inspiring glint of sunlight as it catches the swell, but something that caught my eye for all the wrong reasons - ANOTHER disposable surgical mask.

This sparked the idea behind our participation for the competition “Inspire Change Through Creativity” by JCI Malta. With the current covid-19 pandemic, alongside the compulsory use of masks, we seemed to have forgotten the harm of single use items; in this case, the disposable surgical masks – which, if like me you can’t go anywhere without seeing them discarded here there and everywhere. The waste generated from these masks is filling up our oceans at an ever-increasing rate, to the extent that it is now estimated that there are now more masks in the ocean than there are jellyfish.

Conservationists have warned the pandemic has sparked a surge in ocean pollution, adding to the glut of plastic that already threatens our marine life.

Sustainable living is crucial!

Sustainable living is now a crucial consideration we all need to make and the photography competition is an encouraging way to push forward and create awareness for the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In our case, we have selected to focus on the goal of keeping life below water a priority, for a healthy planet and a sustainable future.

There are so many ways you can easily start living more sustainably and as we're focused on single use plastics here's our top 3 simple ideas

1. Take your own bags to the supermarket - it is estimated that 4 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide annually
2. Use a reusable water bottle - Humans buy about 1,000,000 yes that's million per minute PER MINUTE it's so easy to carry a reusable water bottle wherever you go
3. Refuse straws for your drink - we know it's a simple one but so effective as half a million straws are used every day!

They're so simple there's no excuse not to...

Make your own reusable mask!

Through this photography competition, we want to push forward the message of the importance of reusable masks.

All you need to make your own mask is elastic (perhaps of a hair tie), a piece of fabric, scissors, a needle and a thread. It is reccommended to use three layers of the fabric in order to keep yourself and others protected. Apart from the fact that making a mask yourself can be a fulfilling activity, you may also choose your own designs and patters to make your mask fit your needs. That way, you’ll be sure to hit two birds with one stone. Helping the environment whilst matching your favourite outfit!

Get involved

Creativity & Sustainability - best combo since bread & butter

With the opportunity to be creative around such an important topic, we’d love for you to get involved too – all you need is a camera. The closing date for this competition is on the 2nd November, so head over to the main Chitzo site or click here now to grab more info and for your last chance to book yourself in.

Don't miss this amazing opportunity to express your creativity whilst promoting Environmental Sustainability

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Blog Written by Jeanelle, pictures taken by Jeanelle and Amy from the Chitzo Team