Celebrating Sustainably: A Guide to Enjoying Maltese Feasts Responsibly

Malta is known for its many feasts which occur throughout the year but mainly take place in Summer. The feasts serve as not only a celebration of the local village’s patron Saint. They serve as a large get together for the village residents, band clubs practice all year in preparation for the feast. The feasts also provide a form of commerce with vendors routinely setting up and moving from feast to feast each weekend. Village feasts also attract a number of enthusiasts who attend most of if not all feasts regardless of whether they have a connection to that particular village or its patron Saint. The village feasts are permanently ingrained and weaved into Maltese tradition and Maltese culture. Unfortunately, these village feasts are also prone to having very negative effects on the environment, be it either through pollution or emissions. In this blog post we will be offering suggestions on how to make village feasts more sustainable and eco-friendlier without compromising too much of its basic components and structure.

Embracing Sustainable Decorations

Feasts are known for being vibrant, colourful events with elaborate decorations. These decorations can be made sustainably using fabric or wood instead of plastic. When it comes to banners and confetti which is often used in feasts, these can be made from biodegradable and eco-friendly materials. Whenever light decorations are used, it would be more eco-friendly to use either solar-powered lights or LED lights instead of the conventional lightbulbs which waste far more electricity.

Small Changes that the Church can make

Churches play a large role in village feasts as they host events and gatherings which are enjoyed by young and old alike. Unfortunately, as a result, large amounts of waste are generated. There are ways to reduce the waste generated. This would include making changes to church programs which are handed out. These can lead to a lot of waste however there are some ways to combat this. Programs can now be sent out digitally.

Eco-friendly Practices for the Community

Aside from the decorations used, both from organisers and from the church, there are a number of little practices we can pick up which would make feasts in Malta that little bit greener. An example of this could be the community coming together shortly before and after the feast to clean up the village in which the feast is being held. This can generate some hype as well as set a good precedent moving forward. Another good practice would be to set up water refilling stations to encourage the use of reusable water bottles instead of single-use plastic. In addition to this, water-saving measures could be implemented with attendees being encouraged not to waste water and to bring their own water bottles. The last practice the community could introduce would be to hold waste audits every year after the feast takes place. All the waste generated from the Festa can be analysed to see which are the biggest contributors to waste. From this, organisers will be able to see which parts of the feast they can improve on when it comes to sustainability.

As we revel in the splendour of Maltese feasts, let’s remember that our celebrations are intertwined with the health of our planet. By adopting sustainable practices, we not only preserve the beauty of our traditions but also contribute to the well-being of our communities and the environment. Let’s celebrate responsibly, ensuring that the joy of feasts continues to resonate through time, leaving a positive legacy for generations to come.

Our GO Green Initiative

At GO plc, we’re not just a telecommunications company, we’re a group of people who connect people all over Malta and Gozo. We strive to maintain this connectivity, not just digitally, but also physically. It’s important that we take care of our physical environment so that future generations can also enjoy the same connectivity. That’s why we’ve set up GO Green, an extension of GO primarily focusing on helping sustain and improve the environment whenever possible.

This blog post was written by Benjamin Thomas Scerri – Sustainability Associate, GO Green.

Benjamin is a member of the GO Green team. His main focus is keeping track of new ways in which to make GO more sustainable wherever and whenever possible.