Bid for greener government

The government will be taking the environment into consideration in the tenders it awarded and the materials and services it bought, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.

The environmental aspect will also be one of the criteria in measuring performance targets of heads of government departments, he added.

Speaking during the presentation of certificates of appointment to the first 14 Green Leaders, in the presence of Environment Minister George Pullicino, Dr Gonzi said the government planned to take the lead in promoting the recycling of materials and the reduction of waste in order to set an example.

The Green Leaders' brief is to promote the recycling of materials and the promotion of energy- saving practices in their respective ministries.

Green Leaders have three aims this year: the setting up of a separation system for the recycling of paper; the collection of printer cartridges and an energy audit of at least one building belonging to the ministry.

To assist them to achieve these aims, they will be trained in waste management and energy efficiency methods.

One of the speakers during the presentation of certificates at the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday was Alfred Camilleri, director general at the National Statistics Office.

True to the maxim of leading by example, Mr Camilleri showed how the NSO has already achieved tangible results by saving over 5,600 kilogrammes of paper between 2003 and 2004 through making use of CD-ROMs and electronic mail instead of producing hard copies of its publications and news releases. It also uses laptops when compiling questionnaires in a bid to cut down on the amount of paper consumed by the office.

Moreover, the NSO has connected its toilet flushing system to a water cistern at its premises, discouraged the use of disposable cups and introduced an envelope recycling policy.

Another official who has managed to bring about a culture change at his place of work is Mario Pandolfino of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, who spoke about how staff have come on board with his recycling practices. These include bringing to work used cooking oil which is passed on to the company that produces bio diesel and the use of bio diesel in Mepa's cars.

He is also promoting the making of compost both at the homes of employees as well as in the green areas at the Mepa offices in Floriana.