ALCUDIA
THE pupils at the Porta del Moll school are learning how to save the environment while they eat their lunch. Instead of using plastic bags, all pupils have re-usable containers and for the drinks, they have plastic bottles that are easy to refill. In every hall there are recycling bins which all pupils must use. The Port del Moll is an example to other schools in Majorca in respect of environmental awareness. This school has been selected, along with another seven schools in Majorca, to be pioneers in a new environmental project called Agenda Local 21. Since year 2000 the Porta del Moll school has been carrying out environmental campaigns that pupils, teachers and representatives from the local town council take part in. Every school year there is a new environmental theme, in the 2004-5 year this is based on alternative energy sources. Throughout the last five years the school has worked on different environmental awareness projects, the result of this has led to the Council of Majorca to take notice and select the Porta del Moll school as one of its pioneering centres for environmental issues.

Getting worse

POLLENSA
THE spokesperson for the Pollença United Left party, Josep Garcia, has asked for an immediate clean-up of the Gola area. The Gola area is getting worse and worse, while the consortium made up of members from the Balearic Government and from the town council, prepares to expropriate the area, prior to cleaning it up. “We are living in an area that is totally abandoned, and we can see the good of these macroprojects that are being carried out, but it is equally important to look after the area every day”, said Josep García. In the opinion of the Pollença United Left party spokesperson, now that the council has contracted a private company to clean up the region, “they should dedicate more personnel to clean up this area”.

Save the trees

SANTA EUGENIA
THE Friends of the Environment Group (GADMA) have noticed that at the Santa Eugenia mountain, workers are “indiscriminately” pruning trees near to the fire watch tower that was installed by the Ministry for the Environment. For a month now residents have noticed that this pruning season has emptied nearly two hectares of forest and got rid of the evergreen oaks and wild olive trees, as well as shredding other parts of the forest and even some of the rocks. “Although it is only two hectares, we have to bear in mind that this is a sensitive area. We have seen them pruning the forest with a machine that has damaged tree trunks and has got rid of certain elements from the ecosystem”, said the spokesperson for GADMA, Bernat Fiol. Fiol believes that this pruning is needed but that the workers should watch what they are doing. “It is not enough to simply create these protected areas, we must also look after them and keep an eye on them”, he explained. GADMA is also warning that these works could make it worse for the recent reforestation. “This type of indiscriminate pruning is translated to the forest copse and when it rains, erosion increases and only rock will be left”, they warn.

Clean-up plan

CALVIA
THE team that has been cleaning up the parks and green areas of Calvia is about to finish the clean-up operation, said the deputy mayor for urban services and housing, Rafael Garau, who also praised the work that has been done so far by this team. He also metioned that the team has worked very hard. Some of the team are handicapped and others, through this clean-up operation of the parks and green areas, have been able to give up drugs and resume a place in society.

Beach tender

LLUCMAJOR
THE Llucmajor town council, through Llemsa, the municipal service company, has made public the details of the tender that all interested companies must comply to if they want to be granted the concession for cleaning the beach entrances at Cala Mosca, Cala Blava, Bellavista, Cala Pí, Es Racó in S'Arenal and Passeo Alfonso XIII. Companies interested in this management tender can go to the Llemsa offices to collect the list of details. Whichever company wins this tender, will have to employ four people who will be in charge of emptying the bins that are located on the beaches. They must be available to provide this service everyday of the week (including Bank Holidays) from 7am to midday.