The cement factory issue : a grassroots movement in Malta

Abstract

This qualitative study includes an overview of the literature on environmental grassroots movements together with an extensive analysis of the Cement Factory Grassroots Movement. Given the restrictions that the community faces in daily environmental matters and the importance that local participation has, the research reveals the successful trends and strategies that were adopted in this grassroots movement. This research aims to encourage local councils and environmental NGOs to recognise the importance of reaching out to the community and facilitating its participation in environmental matters. Based on the principle of local participation and ecological sustainability, established organisations and NGOs need to collaborate with local councils during environmental programmes in order to achieve future environmental participation.