The Environmental Committee at the UM Junior College organised the fourth edition of festAmbjent, from 16–20 February 2026.
This year introduced a new feature: L-Ambjent taħt il-Lenti – Mistoqsijiet bla Kantunieri, a Q&A session that allowed students to pose their questions directly to invited speakers. The discussion tackled some of Malta’s most contested environmental issues, including development and construction, the marine environment, trees and air quality, water resources, and environmental activism. Students were presented with challenging questions and frank, open discussion.
In addition, a series of seminars from various academic disciplines were held throughout the week, offering students the opportunity to explore environmental issues from a broader, interdisciplinary perspective. For a complete overview of the seminars, kindly refer to the festAmbjent 2026 programme [PDF]. Lecturers were invited to book their classes for the seminars by sending an email to jacqueline.rotin@um.edu.mt by Monday 9 February 2026.
Throughout the week, the JC Foyer hosted a number of information stands, including those by local environmental NGOs, the Argotti Botanic Gardens and Resource Centre—where students could take part in a competition to win a plant, Heritage Malta, the Institute of Earth Systems, and the Earth Systems Association.
Members of the JC community were also able to bring their pets to College on 16 February (registration was required; please refer to the programme) and purchase pre-loved clothing on 17–18 February 2026.
An exhibition entitled In Captivity for Life in Malta was on display in the Foyer throughout the whole week. The exhibition aimed to raise awareness about wild and dangerous animals being kept in captivity in Malta.
A bake sale was also held, with proceeds supporting Environmental Committee initiatives, including the care and feeding of the cats on the College grounds.
A planting activity concluded the event.
This activity was made possible through the collaboration of various JC Departments, Committees and Enrichment Programme Units, and the involvement of external partners.
Note: Students attending the seminars were exempted from their lectures.