In line with its pledge to actively promote education for sustainable development, the HSBC Malta Foundation renewedits support for the Nature Trust – FEE Malta’s Ekoskola programme by committing €10,000 towards the initiative. This was announced during the seventh edition of the Ekoskola Young People’s Summit held at Kirkop Sports Complex.

The foundation’s contribution also supports the Young Reporters for the Environment Programme – an international programme that encourages students to conduct journalistic investigations about environmental issues and then report them via articles, photos and video clips, as well as the Learning About Forests Programme – an international outdoor learning programme promoting awareness and knowledge about the key role forests play for sustainable life on our planet and whether that role is being compromised by the way of life we lead.

“HSBC Malta has been investing in Ekoskola for over 10 years because we believe that the future of our environment is intrinsically linked to new generations of citizens choosing to live a different, more sustainable lifestyle than those that have gone before them. Ekoskola is an amazing programme that helps young people understand the opportunity and responsibility they have,” said HSBC Malta’s CEO Andrew Beane.

Nature Trust Malta president Vincent Attard said: “Ekoskola encourages young people to engage in their environment by allowing them the opportunity to actively protect it.

“It starts in the classroom where it expands to the school and eventually fosters change in the community at large. The Ekoskola programme is an ideal way for schools and students to embark on a meaningful path towards improving the environment in both the school and the locality.”

The Eco-School programme, known in Malta as Ekoskola, was introduced in Malta in 2002, with six pilot schools.

Today, the number of local participating schools stands at 116. Eco-Schools, an international programme run by the Foundation for Environmental Education among over 17 million students in 64 countries, aims to mobilise schools to encourage students to adopt an active role in environmental decision-making in their school and community.

The programme has been recognised by Unesco as the programme for education for sustainable development in the world in 2015.