What is your current role and organisation?

I’m a Biology teacher by profession and am specialized in Environmental and intercultural management of schools. My current role is to offer support to different schools in Malta and Gozo to reach their sustainability targets.

How long have you been in green tech?

16 years

What motivated you to join this sector?

Following a Master’s degree in this area, I noticed that there is a niche for such services and I had applied to be part of the EkoSkola programme within the Education directorate, back in 2010.

What were the most difficult professional or personal challenges?

Family life, being a wife and mother of 2 children has always made it difficult to focus on work and studies as very often family time and work time often overlap. Professionally speaking, there is also a lot of fragmentation in this area, whereby a number of entities would be working in the same area but due to competitiveness, there is no work or strategic cohesion between them.

How did these challenges affect your career growth?

Within my role in Education, I ended up with no possibility of promotion in my chosen area, even though I am fully qualified and the current work that I do goes beyond my official job description.

What actions, strategies, or skills helped you overcome obstacles?

Almost 6 years ago, I started reading for a PhD with the hopes that I could move forward. This obstacle has not been fully overcome yet as this process takes 6 years of part-time study. However, I’m confident and hopeful that this step is putting me in the right direction.

Were there mentors, tools, or networks that helped?

Yes, a mentor and a supervisor helped tremendously. Had it not been for them, I would have stopped a number of times. Using multiple learning language models as tools in my profession have also helped significantly.

Which projects or initiatives are you most proud of?

Managing a 3 year EU project between 2015 and 2018 in 50 Maltese schools about responsible food production and consumption was really a great milestone for me. Even when the project and funding finished, schools continued to work on these themes, thereby impacting their student, parent and community within. I have also started a campaign on Active and Sustainable Mobility and have made bridges for schools to work with local councils as I strongly believe that schools cannot work in isolation. My research study focuses on small-scale growing of food at individual and community levels, an important activity at grassroots level which is often underrated.

Any awards, recognitions, or measurable outcomes?

Personal satisfaction. More schools obtaining Green Flag status through my endeavors.

How did your work contribute to sustainability or green tech innovation?

I have significantly promoted the message of sustainability and through a transformative pedagogy have educated many students of all ages, through these 15 years in being critical and taking positive action to bring about change in our society.

What advice would you give to someone entering the green tech industry?

Be patient. A sustainable mindset doesn’t grow overnight! Being consistent is key!

What lessons have you learned that others should know?

Working together brings better results than if we work separately/individually. This may be difficult in today’s society but in the long term the benefits are more enriching. We should never stop learning but constantly strive to move forward and grow.