"Because village people do not like owls, they kill them and stake them to cast away the bad spirits." Youth photographer Istvan Kerekes took this photo in western Transylvania in the village of Luncavija, Romania. It is one of a dozen taken to make a visual representation of the most austere environmental problems on the Balkans through the eyes of young people. The calendar project, titled The Earth From Below, was an International Youth Photo Competition through A SEED Europe. You can download the 2009 calendar and view all of the submitted photos online. Please support this remarkable initiative by clicking share. For additional stories about the environment, visit ecopaparazzi.