In September 2015 world leaders implemented the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 goals. The latter acknowledged the integrated nature of the many challenges that humanity faces – from gender inequality to inadequate infrastructure, from youth unemployment to environmental degradation.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes the central role that improved access to both water and energy play in advancing sustainable development. Fuelling progress on SDG 6 on water and SDG 7 on energy will also have an effect on a range of other Sustainable Development Goals, such as those on health, food, poverty eradication, gender equality, economic productivity, and climate change.
This ecological sustainability was on the agenda of a one-day conference organised, by the Water Services Corporation (WSC) and The Energy & Water Agency (EWA) and entitled “Energy, Water and Sustainable Solutions; Supporting Malta’s Corporate Sector”, Supporting Malta’s Corporate Sector is part of the Action C. 4 of the LIFE16 IPE MT000008 Project where this action develops and implements a water educational programme targeted, but not exclusive to the younger generations of the Maltese islands, in particular school children and adults in the corporate world. The objective of the C.4 Action is to raise awareness on the scarcity of natural water resources in the Maltese islands and promote sustainability and sustainable solutions to create a behavioural change amongst the younger generations and the public.  The aims of the sustainability-training project are to offer a service to the corporate sector and create a positive impact on businesses by raising awareness on their role in sustainability.  The course also helps to promote employee well-being and whilst offering ideas on sustainability solutions to instil a behavioural change across the corporate sector.  This is the fifth year where we are running this project.
The conference was held on Friday, 26th May 2023 at the Intercontinental Hotel in St. Julian’s and had the intention to raise awareness on the scarcity of natural water resources in the Maltese islands and promote sustainability and sustainable solutions to create a behavioural change amongst the younger generations and the public.
Popular TV presenter and moderator, Keith Demicoli, hosted the event. The conference commenced with two introductory speeches by the Minister for for Environment, Energy and Enterprise, Hon Minister Dr Miriam Dalli and the Chief Executive Officer at the Energy and Water Agency, Mr Manuel Sapiano.
Minister Dalli emphasised on the significance that each individual attempts to minimise his or her environmental impact and asserted that the core principles of water and energy efficiency, as well as overall sustainability, extend beyond the responsibility of a select few and instead constitute a collective mission.
She noted that several companies reported an 8% reduction in energy consumption and a 9% decrease in waste generation, a testament to their commitment to sustainability. However, Hon Dalli acknowledged that these achievements, though commendable, represent only the beginning of the journey towards achieving sustainability targets.
Mr Sapiano spoke on the relevance to enhance the sustainability of human practices and the environment is widely acknowledged, with a shared desire for improvement. The CEO of EWA maintained that sustainability begins at the individual level, whereby each person plays a pivotal role in advancing sustainable frameworks.
Mr Sapiano affirmed that in organising this workshop, EWA underscored its commitment to promoting sustainable activities as part of a broader portfolio of initiatives. In pursuit of this objective, Mr Sapiano asserted that the agency extends its support to households by dispatching a team of experts to conduct audits, providing valuable guidance and assistance in addressing sustainability-related issues.
The conference targeted two main issues.  The first one being the support offered by EWA to enterprises to be more sustainable and also funding resources available to enterprises; and secondly what an employee can do to ensure better sustainability in the workplace.  

The conference also included two presentations from foreign speakers to outline the approach employees can adopt in their corresponding enterprises for improved sustainable solutions, better water management and energy efficiency.  Thanks to a panel discussion, the participants and interested stakeholders had the opportunity to ask questions and discuss possible sustainable solutions for their businesses.
The campaign team members of ‘Water Be the Change’ attended this event, and they had the opportunity to display and distribute related merchandise items to all participants.