Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) congratulates environmentalists Ing. Marco Cremona and Dr. Alan Deidun for making it to the finals for the prestigious Junior Chamber International (JCI) 2008 Outstanding Young Person of the Year award.

The Junior Chamber International (JCI) organises the Outstanding Young Person of the Year award to recognise formally young people who excel in their chosen fields to exemplify the capabilities and talents of the world’s young people. An international jury selected the 30 finalists out of hundreds of nominations from JCI members in over 100 countries. The winners will be announced in November.

Along with Dr. Kjelda Mulaj, who works at the University of Malta in international relations Marco Cremona and Alan Deidun are the first Maltese citizens to have made it to the shortlist of 30 finalists from all over the world. Engineer Cremona is vying for the Scientific and/or Technological Development award while Dr. Deidun is a finalist in the Environmental Leadership category. 

Ing. Marco Cremona is a water treatment engineer and a hydrologist. He has been an environmental activist since 1996 when he joined Friends of the Earth Malta (Moviment għall-Ambjent) and is currently a member of the committee of Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar.  

An environmental consultant focusing on sustainable water/wastewater treatment and re-use, Ing. Cremona has contributed to the Agricultural Waste Management Plan of the Maltese Islands and the Storm Water Master Plan for Malta. Some of his notable achievements include the construction of a biogas plant in Kenya (to produce cooking gas from cow manure); the design and implementation of Malta’s first and only water-self-sufficient home and the development of a world-first water treatment process to treat urban storm water into potable water. He is at present developing and testing a water treatment process that recycles 75% of the wastewater from a hotel into water that may be safely re-used within the same premises. Marco has also carried out other projects in Kenya, Ecuador and Sri Lanka as well as being instrumental in convincing government not to construct an engineered landfill near the Mnajdra temples and for lobbying against the construction of a golf course at Xagħra l-Ħamra. 

Ing Marco Cremona testing contaminated well 

water at a school for hearing-impaired children 

in Rohana, Matara, in post-tsunami Sri Lanka .

Ms Mulaj specialises in conflict as well as peace studies. She has contributed significantly to the understanding of the causes of war and conditions of peace, especially the causes and consequences of ethnic cleansing in the Balkans.  

Dr Deidun, on the other hand, is a coastal biologist, specialising in the ecology of sandy beach communities, as well as marine bio-invasions, surf zones and marine protected areas. Dr Deidun expressed hope that his environment-related articles would influence and help decision-makers in Malta.

Malta has every reason to be proud of the fact that three out of thirty finalists for this prestigious international award are Malta-based.  FAA urges the authorities to put their talents to the best possible use in our islands as their contribution at the highest levels could be of great benefit to our country.

Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar
8th August 2008