Local Council project financed by Ambjent Malta and Project Green
Students attending Safi Primary School are enjoying a greener environment with more trees and plants within their school grounds as the Local Council completed an embellishment project supported by Ambjent Malta and Project Green.
On Wednesday morning, Minister for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise Miriam Dalli and Minister for Education, Sports, Youth, Research and Innovation Clifton Grima announced the completion of this project during a visit at Safi Primary school.
This environmental initiative is among the 11 projects in various localities in Malta and Gozo that are benefitting from the Urban Greening Scheme launched by the Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise last year, with a total investment of €700,000 by Ambjent Malta and Project Green.
Though this project in Safi, the garden of the St Benedict College’s Safi Primary School now has 132 more indigenous trees and plants, including African tamarisk, cypress, Maltese rock-centaury and lentisk. Students and teachers will continue to maintain this green space as part of their educational program. In fact, this area now has information signs with details about the trees and plants in the same garden, so that the children can identify them and learn about them. The project also included the installation of an automatic irrigation system to water the trees and plants.
Minister Miriam Dalli explained that the support scheme that the Safi Primary School has benefitted from with the support of the Local Council, is one of the Government’s initiatives to encourage communities to invest in a better, healthier environment in every locality.
“Through collaborations with various local councils, government entities and non-governmental organisations, we are regenerating existing gardens and open spaces, whilst creating new ones. Projects like this one in a primary school are even more important to us, as they help to bring many children closer to nature,” stated Minister Dalli.
Minister Dalli encouraged local councils, schools, entities, and other organisations to continue implementing environmental projects with the support of several Government schemes, to continue working towards more sustainable communities.
Minister Grima explained the importance of collaborations with different ministries and entities to continue improving the educational system. “Today we are visiting another project which showcases the importance of the environment in the educational sector. We are working to regenerate open spaces in our schools and to increase students’ environmental awareness. It is also a hands-on project for the students, who will continue taking care of this space with their educators,” stated Minister Grima.
Present for this visit were the Head of the Safi Primary School Michelle Spiteri, CEO of Project Green Steve Ellul, and the Director General of Ambjent Malta Herman Galea, together with the Safi Local Council.
The Urban Greening Scheme of Project Green and Ambjent Malta includes several environmental projects in different localities, including Għajnsielem, Rabat (Malta), Ħamrun, Raħal Ġdid and Żejtun.
Aktar siġar u pjanti għat-tfal fl-Iskola Primarja ta’ Ħal Safi
Proġett tal-Kunsill Lokali ffinanzjat minn Ambjent Malta u Project Green
Tfal li jattendu l-Iskola Primarja ta’ Ħal Safi qed igawdu minn ambjent isbaħ b’aktar siġar u pjanti madwar il-klassijiet tagħhom hekk kif il-Kunsill Lokali lesta proġett ta’ tisbiħ bl-għajnuna t’ Ambjent Malta u Project Green.
Il-Ministru għall-Ambjent, l-Enerġija u l-Intrapriża Miriam Dalli u l-Ministru għall-Edukazzjoni, l-Isport, iż-Żgħażagħ, ir-Riċerka u l-Innovazzjoni Clifton Grima ħabbru t-tlestija ta’ dan il-proġett waqt żjara lill-istudenti u l-għalliema ta’ din l-iskola.
Din l-inizzjattiva ambjentali hija fost 11-il proġett f’diversi lokalitajiet f’Malta u Għawdex li qed jibbenefikaw mill-Urban Greening Scheme li nieda l-Ministeru għall-Ambjent, Enerġija u Intrapriża s-sena li għaddiet, b’investiment totali ta’ €700,000 minn Ambjent Malta u Project Green.
Permezz tal-proġett f’Ħal Safi, il-ġnien tal-Iskola Primarja fi ħdan il-Kulleġġ San Benedittu issa għandu 132 iktar siġar u pjanti indiġeni, fosthom bruka, ċipress, widnet il-baħar u deru. L-istudenti u l-għalliema ser ikomplu jieħdu ħsieb dan l-ispazju ħadrani bħala parti mill-programm edukattiv tagħhom. Fil-fatt, din iż-żona issa għandha tabelli b’tagħrif dwar is-siġar u l-pjanti fl-istess ġnien, biex it-tfal jitgħallmu aktar dwarhom. Il-proġett kien jinkludi wkoll l-installazzjoni ta’ sistema t’irrigazzjoni awtomatika biex is-siġar u l-pjanti jissaqqew skont il-bżonn.
Il-Ministru Miriam Dalli spjegat kif din l-iskema li bbenefikat minnha l-Iskola Primarja ta’ Ħal Safi bl-għajnuna tal-Kunsill Lokali hija waħda mill-inizjattivi tal-Gvern biex jinkoraġġixxi l-komunitajiet jinvestu f’ambjent isbaħ f’kull lokalità.
“Qed naħdmu id f’id ma’ diversi Kunsilli Lokali, entitajiet governattivi u għaqdiet mhux governattivi biex nagħtu nifs ġdid lill-ġonna u l-ispazji ħodor li għandna madwarna, waqt li noħolqu oħrajn ġodda. Proġetti bħal dan fi skola primarja huma ferm aktar għal qalbna għaliex jgħinu biex ħafna tfal żgħar jersqu eqreb lejn in-natura,” qalet il-Ministru Dalli.
Il-Ministru Dalli ħeġġet lill-kunsilli lokali, skejjel u entitajiet u għaqdiet oħrajn biex ikomplu jwettqu proġetti ambjentali, anke permezz ta’ diversi skemi tal-Gvern, għal ħajja aktar sostenibbli f’kull komunità.
Il-Ministru Clifton Grima tkellem dwar l-importanza tal-ħidma li qed issir bejn ministeri u entitajiet differenti li qed tħalli ġid fis-sistema edukattiva. “Illum qed inżuru proġett ieħor li jmiss mal-importanza tal-ambjent fis-settur edukattiv. Qed inkomplu naħdmu biex mhux biss nirriġeneraw l-ispazji fl-iskejjel tagħna, imma qed nagħmlu dan bi ħsieb, biex insebbħu l-ambjent u biex inkabbru l-għarfien tal-importanza tal-ambjent ta’ madwarna fl-istudenti tagħna. Huwa wkoll proġett hands-on għall-istudenti, li flimkien mal-edukaturi tagħhom se jieħdu ħsieb dan l-ispazju”, qal il-Ministru Grima.
Preżenti għal din iż-żjara kien hemm il-Kap tal-Iskola Primarja ta’ Ħal Safi Michelle Spiteri, il-Kap Eżekuttiv ta’ Project Green Steve Ellul u d-Direttur Ġenerali ta’ Ambjent Malta Herman Galea, flimkien mal-Kunsill Lokali ta’ Ħal Safi.
L-Urban Greening Scheme ta’ Project Green u Ambjent Malta tinkludi diversi proġetti ambjentali f’għadd ta’ lokalitajiet oħra, fosthom Għajnsielem, ir-Rabat (Malta), il-Ħamrun, Raħal Ġdid u ż-Żejtun.