The mayor of San Lawrenz, Noel Formosa, has been nominated for the Roger Léron Award 2022, organised by Fedarene, the European Federation of Agencies and Regions for Energy and Environment.
Formosa has been very active in the promotion of energy efficiency both in his role as mayor of San Lawrenz, as well as through his participation in the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), in the Council of Europe and as vice president of the European People’s Party (EPP) Group in the CoR.
In the past 28 years as mayor, Formosa’s objective was to define a local strategy for his village which focused on different sectors related to energy efficiency, namely, improving the energy efficiency of the buildings, better water management, green transport and sustainable tourism, while improving the quality of life of the citizens. He has been contributing towards energy and environmental sustainability through the launching and implementation of various initiatives in San Lawrenz, as well as on a regional level in Gozo.
Since launching the slogan ‘San Lawrenz, the village that thinks and acts ecologically’ in 2009, the council has launched innovative eco-friendly initiatives every year with the aim of educating the residents so that they can contribute to a cleaner and healthier environment, as well as to help them reduce their energy costs.
The first initiative, launched in the same year, incentivised residents to install solar water heaters, which resulted in an increase of 65 per cent in the residential installation of solar water heaters.
Formosa has also been supporting several campaigns related to water management and reducing water waste. He was one of the first mayors to install a drinking water fountain in the main square.
The local council of San Lawrenz was also the first and only Maltese municipality to participate in a community micro-grid pilot project. In 2018, Formosa brought together residents, local businesses and voluntary organisations to launch a pilot renewable energy community with the aim of boosting the locality’s renewable energy potential, reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and empower the community to self-consume clean energy.
The seventh edition of the Roger Léron Award will take place on September 27. Formosa was nominated by Diane Cassar from the Malta Intelligent Energy Management Agency.
For more information, visit https://fedarene.org/noel-formosa/.