Maltese Catholic schools go green

(Vatican Radio) Thirteen Catholic schools in Malta have taken on the challenge and responsibility of reducing their carbon footprint. They joined the Green Energy Schools Project and installed photovoltaic (solar) panels and intelligent lighting systems that will reduce their carbon emissions by a total of 512 tonnes per year.

Over a period of 18 months, more than 1,500 photovoltaic panels were installed on the roofs of 12 schools and intelligent lighting systems, which include light controllers and motion detectors, were installed in three schools.

A statement on the website of the Maltese bishops indicates that the Maltese Islands are almost entirely dependent on non-renewable energy sources for electricity. The goal of the Green Energy Schools Project was to reduce the schools’ dependency on such sources and to become more economically and environmentally sustainable. A third goal was to act as a catalyst and to move other institutions to follow suit.

The “green energy” schools include: Bishop's Conservatory Primary School, Bishop's Conservatory Secondary School, Convent of the Sacred Heart School Foundation, Savio College, St. Albert The Great College, St. Aloysius' College, St. Augustine's College, St. Elias College, St. Francis School Cospicua, St. Francis Secondary School, St. Michael School, St. Paul's Missionary College and the Archbishop's Seminary.

The Green Energy Schools Project received funding from the European Development Fund, under the Cohesion Policy Programme 2007-2013, Operational Programme I Investing in Competitiveness for a Better Quality of Life.