2 minute read
Space race Cleaning up
Glenn Wickman
MALLORCA is known for its stunning beaches and crystalclear waters.
However, with the increasing population of residents and tourists, the shorelines are becoming more polluted.
To address this issue in Colònia de Sant Pere (Artá), a beach cleaning initiative has been launched with 30 volunteers from the Colonia Neta and Fundació Som organisations.
The aim is to encourage responsibility for keeping the coastline clean and to raise awareness about the impact of personal litter on the environment.
Kay Newton, cofounder of Colonia Neta, says: “When we see firsthand what is happening on our shores, we are motivated to reduce plastic consumption at home. When we curtail our use of plastic it cannot get into the sea.
“Beach cleaning is essential to preserve the beauty and health of our shoreline and also to maintain the tourism industry in Mallorca. Litter not only ruins the aesthetic appeal but poses a threat to marine life and the delicate Mediter ranean ecosystem.
“Plastic waste, in particular, is a significant concern as it takes hundreds of years to decompose and always remains in the water, harming marine life,” warns Kay.
For further information visit Colonia Neta on Instagram and fundacio som.org
MORE than 150 students from 10 schools and colleges throughout the Balearic Islands this week took part in the first round of a home made satellite launch competition organised by the European Space Agency.
The region is the latest Spanish region to join the national league to select the best ESO and baccalaureate students who will then go on to face representatives of other European centres.
The 24 Balearic teams assembled and launched their rockets on Monday at Son Albertí aerodrome in Llucmajor. The launches were a success, with a team from the IES Pasqual Calbó in Menorca voted the winner.
Their project will represent the region in the national phase of the competition in Granada (Andalucía) on May 19.
The ‘CanSat’ project by the European Space Agency consists of building satellites the size of a can of soft drink by repli cating a real space project.
Competitors must work as a team, control their budget and defend their creation in front of a jury.
Participants are re quired to develop all elements of a space satellite, including energy source, sensors, a communications system and a parachute for safe landing, in such a tiny space.
Cereal harvest alert
FARMERS in Mallorca are warning that this year’s cereal harvest could be much lower than normal due to the lack of rainfall and high temperatures.
Producers hoped that this year would see an improvement following difficult conditions in 2022 due to the war in Ukraine and high production costs.
But with rainfall this month being much lower than expected and the record high temperatures for the time of year have led farmers to predict another poor season.
The heat predicted for the next few days will reportedly cause the grain to grow smaller than usual, thus affecting the size and quality of the crop.
As well as cereal and grain, predictions are not much better for certain rainfed crops such as olives, almonds and carobs.
Spokespeople for the sector reveal that despite the negative forecast, the drought situation on the island is not as bad as in other parts of Spain such as Catalonia, where this week the main irrigation channel in the region had to be closed early for the first time in more than 100 years due to critically low water levels.
