The Greywater Recycling System installed in Hellen Keller, Resource Center that will enable the reuse of treated water for garden irrigation was inauguratedtoday by Her Excellency, ThePresident Marie Louise Coleiro Preca. The installation is part of the globally recognized Alter Aqua program,which was introduced in 2011in the Maltese Islandsby The Coca-Cola Foundation, aiming at promoting the use of non-conventional water resources, such as rainwater harvesting, stormwater management, greywater recycling and treated wastewater reuse, as a sustainable way to increase water availability and adapt to climate change at local level.

In her address President Coleiro Preca said that one of the benefits of the new system is the reduction in the prohibitive costs of the volume of water used for the centre’s jacuzzi, which offers essential hydro-therapeutic treatment to the children and young adults who rely on the centre whilst adding that “thanks to the installation of this system, water is being treated and resued to also secure benefits to other parts of the centre. Indeed, alongside hydrotherapy, the centre’s gardens are receiving irrigation without placing undue stress on limited freshwater resources”

Alter Aqua is a multi-stakeholder program supported with an investment of more than €1 million by the Coca-Cola Foundation, the Company’s primary philanthropic arm, as part of Coca-Cola’s global commitment to water stewardship, and co-funded with $440,000 by the Ministry for Gozo. The Partners of the program are the international NGO Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean that is responsible for the implementation of the program, theMinistry of Gozo and its Eco-Gozo Directorate, the Energy & Water Agency, and the Coca-Cola System in Malta (Coca-Cola Malta and General Soft Drinks Co. Ltd). The educational partners are Nature Trust Malta and the Mediterranean Information Office for Environment Culture and Sustainable Development.

“For almost six years through Alter Aqua we have succeed to positively impact the lives of 39,000 people in the Maltese Islands by collecting and reusing more than 16 million litres of water on an annual basis. We recognize that these impressive resultsare because of the power of collective action and collaboration of the program’s partners. I am certain that we wouldn’t have been so successful if we didn’t have partners that share the same vision and values for building thriving and prosperous communities. We can do so much together that each of us alone” stated Maria Micallef, Chief Operating Officer, GSD Marketing. Ltd

“At The Coca-Cola Company, we and our bottling partners are committed to creating value for the communities we proudly serve and the planet we all share. Sustainability is at the heart of our business and is our way of creating shared value. If communities stay strong, our business will stay strong. The Alter Aqua program in Malta is one of the 248 water projects we are implementing around the world to contribute to our global target to safely return to communities and nature an amount of water equal to what we use in production and in our finished beverages by 2020 – a goal we met five years early.” stated NectariaMetrakou, Coca-Cola Hellas, Senior Public Affairs Manager for Greece, Cyprus & Malta

“The greywater recycling system, which is being inaugurated today, features a sustainable and cost-effective practice which utilises a greywater – a non–conventional water resource- and turns it to a valuable resource for the school garden. Demonstrating how non-conventional water resources, such as rainwater and greywater and can be harvested and reused for secondary uses, has been in the core of the “Alter Aqua” Programme. But not alone: education, capacity building and awareness raising have been integral parts of this Programme. This holistic approach employed by GWP- Med, is a convincing form of action that teaches in an efficient and rapid way and could mobilise and incentivise effectively multiple stakeholders , more than any other form of education, creating a new water culture” stated Prof. Michael Scoullos, Chairman, Global Water Partnership- Mediterranean.