A number of schools participating in the EkoSkola programme, last year paid a visit to HE the President of Malta, Dr. George Abela to perform an environmental audit of San Anton Palace and the Kitchen Garden under an invitation from HE Dr George Abela. Following this event, the EkoSkola committee members presented an Action Plan with a list of observations and recommendations for the consideration of the President. This is similar to the process followed by students participating in the EkoSkola Programme that empowers them, with the cooperation of their teachers and school management, to bring about a change towards sustainable development in their schools and communities. Such recommended actions included the use of less food packaging, replacing traditional light bulbs with energy-savers and introducing waste separation bins in the Kitchen Garden and private gardens.
Since the presentation of the Action Plan, President Abela implemented most of these recommendations and announced that 11 measures were taken with the direct commitment of the Palace staff to improve the quality of the environment at the Palace and the Kitchen Garden. These measures were explained during the Green Flag ceremony held in November 2012, which was also held at San Anton Palace, also attended by Eco-Schools’ national operators from 45 countries.
On behalf of the committee members and their schools, EkoSkola officials recently presented a plaque to His Excellency as a sign of appreciation for his commitment towards sustainability. The plaque has now been put up in a prominent place at the Kitchen Garden.
The schools involved in the exercise were St Theresa College’s Birkirkara Primary, Lija-Iklin-Balzan Primary and Birkirkara Boys’ Secondary schools, together with St Monica School, Birkirkara, Stella Maris College, Balzan and St Francis School, Birkirkara.
EkoSkola is an environmental education programme run by the Foundation for Environmental Edcuation and managed locally by Nature Trust Malta. Currently there are 37 Maltese and Gozitan schools that have Green Flag status. The Green Flag is an international certificate awarded to schools that have reached a set of internationally standardised criteria and is recognized world-wide.