The community of Paola has benefited from an investment of €30,000 by Ambjent Malta for the development of a green wall on the Corradino Correctional Facility building.
This was announced by Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning Aaron Farrugia, who explained that work is ongoing on a number of vertical gardens around the country. “This is being done with significant investment into urban greening, specifically in the areas where families live, work, and spend most of their time,” Minister Farrugia said.
The Minister explained that the Intelligent Planning Consultative Forum prepared a study which found numerous benefits of green walls and green roofs; improving air quality, reducing noise pollution, serving as potential ecological stepping-stones for insects and pollinators between rural and urban environments, and contributing to cooler micro-climates. Apart from this, he explained that such interventions provide aesthetic value to our urban areas and improve the environment for the community.
For this project, the community benefitted from technical assistance, as well as a financial scheme aimed at embellishing urban zones and increasing environmental capital.
A further thirteen local councils have benefitted from similar aid to invest and introduce a green concept to existing buildings and busy arterial roads, which are beneficial to the environment and to the wellbeing of the community. Other local councils have opted for embellishment projects such as a green roof, a garden, and the planting of various trees and shrubs.
The Minister encouraged local councils to look into greener projects and into utilising various funding schemes at their disposal, including Ambjent Malta schemes, as well as the Planning Authority’s (PA) Development Planning Fund (DPF), which has recently undergone an environmental reform to support more green projects in our localities.
Photo: MECP
