The Environment Ministry regenerated the abandoned site of a former military cemetery in Kalkara to create the first carbon-neutral garden in Malta.
Miriam Dalli, Minister for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise, and Wayne Aquilina, Kalkara’s mayor, inaugurated Rnella Garden on Wednesday morning, the 19th of October 2022.
With the assistance of Ambjent Malta and Parks Malta, the Ministry equipped this garden with innovative environmental technologies, including renewable energy installations and water conservation systems, whilst adopting other sustainable landscaping practices.
Minister Miriam Dalli explained that, as a carbon-neutral garden, this new public open space generates the electricity it requires through renewable sources and harvests rainwater for irrigation without resorting to external, polluting sources.
“We are launching another open space for everyone’s enjoyment. Whilst offering a better environment for residents in Kalkara and surrounding areas, we wanted to adopt technologies to introduce sustainable and innovative solutions, a blueprint for other similar environmental projects that we will be implementing in Malta. Through such environmental investments, we are delivering on our commitment to provide more open spaces to families in Malta, while contributing to our 2050 climate neutrality objective,” Minister Miriam Dalli said.
With an investment of €1 million, this project included the restoration of four reservoirs to harvest rainwater for the garden’s new automatic irrigation systems, as well as extensive works to rehabilitate its landscaped areas, with soil levelling, maintenance of existing trees and the planting of new trees, shrubs and other plants. Workers also installed a drinking water fountain, solar footpaths to generate the required electricity for the garden’s lighting and electrical systems, as well as smart benches and solar smart bins.
The restoration of the garden’s reservoirs was financed by the Coca Cola Foundation, as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility programme. The regeneration of the garden was also planned in consultation with the heritage authorities, to preserve the architectural heritage of this site, which used to be a military cemetery in the 19th century. This project contributes to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals SDG 3, SDG 11 and SDG 15.
The opening hours of Ġnien Rnella are; in Summer, between 7:30 in the morning and 9:30 in the evening, and in Winter between 7:30 in the morning and 8:30 in the evening.
Photos: DOI, MEEE
