A note from the editor Vanessa Byrne / Managing Director
A spring, sugary welcome to our April edition of OTWO magazine. Easter is here, where’ s that chocolate?!
It has been a busy start of the year for us at OTWO, 3 months have passed, and we’ ve launched our printed editions; set up a huge distribution network; organized 2 conferences and soon will deliver this in Gibraltar, Malaga and Sevilla, OTWOPod has been successfully launched and the preparations for our annual Eco festival are in earnest … Loving 2025 already! Exciting times ahead and we can’ t wait to share it all with you guys.
We start this month with the most important local and international event; International Women’ s Day. Those that know me understand how important gender equality is for me, we couldn’ t pass an opportunity to highlight the incredible event organized in Gibraltar to celebrate this.
We were also proud to be invited to the launch of an exciting initiative by The Nautilus Project and Peninsula, the Seagrass conservation initiative. Seagrass meadows play a crucial role in marine ecosystems, acting as carbon sinks, providing ha ¬ bitats for diverse marine life, and improving water quality. This is the start of exciting few years, and we are excited to see this initiative come to fruition. We will be covering this important initiative.
Our Culture in Green features this month’ s pick on environmental films, books, podcasts and events We highlight a podcast of Africa Forward. Host Carol Pineau guides listeners through green infrastructure initiati ¬ ves and Africa ' s rich biodiversity, showing how these efforts not only protect endangered species, but also the planet.
We all know that for environmental issues, education is key to growth and sustainability. This month we share exactly how important the Bat is for our natural world; the misconceptions surrounding this animal has led to a degradation of the species and we highlight how important it is for the survival of our natural world. Thank you, Alfredo Valencia, for this insightful article and for your continuous commitment to our environment.
Our own Emily Rumble shares an article on vegetarianism and misconceptions surrounding meat’ s health benefits, the impact of what we eat and how it affects our natural habitat. What is clear is that overindulgence of any kind leads to imbalances. We need to be more conscious of what we consume, for our own health benefits as well as for the health of our planet.
COAMBA shares a study recently done in the Gulf of Cadiz monitoring the amount of microplastics that are found in the river and consequently in our oceans. The study collects various samples and shows how long litter deposits have been there. This will help determine if legislation and preventative measures are working in the battle against plastic pollution.
This month’ s mobility feature‘ Marchapie’ has highlighted an interview done to José Emilio Pérez Sevilla, a teacher in Primary Educa ¬ tion. He is a member of the Ecologistas en Acción, ConBici and Teachers for Future. Inspiring in his education and promotion of active travel to school from his students he promotes the importance this has on children’ s wellbeing and how the community and decision makers can help with small measures to help guide these much needed and positive changes.
It is truly a pleasure to be able to share the important changes, policies and challenges we all face in this fight against greed, inaction and climate change. It is critical for us to research and look for better alternatives if we are to provide a good life for future generations.
Thank you all once again for your collaboration, trust and support.
Peace and love always.
OTWO 69 / APRIL 2025 5