It had to be a House of Representatives full of schoolchildren for Parliament to consider changing its neon tubes to energy-saving ones.
After a whole day of listening to schoolchildren highlighting their schools’ initiatives to safeguard the environment and to foster awareness on pressing environmental concerns, Speaker Michael Frendo said he would be forwarding a request to the House clerk for Parliament’s neon tubes to be replaced.
The bright idea came to Resources Minister George Pullicino who proposed this to Dr Frendo via SMS, the Speaker said. Meanwhile, Labour MP Justyne Caruana, prompted by measures taken in some schools, suggested the House switch off some of the lights when not all the members are present.
Pupils from 12 schools yesterday gave presentations on the projects they carried out as part of the HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative.
While most schoolchildren were positive in their reports, ranging from a recycled greenhouse to lectures to old people, the two representatives from the Paola Primary school were not.
Darren Cutajar and Kay Darmanin Farrell from the Paola Primary School, who had been on the EkoSkola council for over two years, were quite disappointed and said so in Parliament.
Their initiative for a better environment was a “walking bus” to replace the motorised version, but this was met with resistance from parents who did not trust their children on the streets of Paola.
“We tried to encourage students to participate in the walking bus, but some of their parents either did not trust their children with other people – even though we had grandparents and wardens helping us – and others were afraid of the danger. So now we want fewer cars on the road so there would be less danger,” Mr Cutajar said.
Other projects did work out, however. Students from the St Benedict Primary School in Safi managed, with the help of teachers, volunteers, companies and NGOs, to build a greenhouse made of 1,500 plastic bottles, in which they are growing herbs. And students from St Joseph School in Blata l-Bajda visited elderly people who frequent a day centre in Ħamrun, where they gave presentations on how to recycle and use less electricity, and even gave them a lesson in Tai Chi.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, who spoke at the end of the session, proposed that the ideas put forward by the schoolchildren be taken on board and analysed before the family affairs committee next week.
In his intervention, Mr Pullicino called for a minute’s silence in honour of the dog Star, who died on Monday.