‘Friends of the Earth Malta’ has launched a crowdfunding campaign to turn an old bakery on Comino into a hub of sustainability.

The Restawr tal-Forn ta’ Kemmuna campaign aims to save and restore this Comino bakery that was once a centre for the local farming community.

The crowdfunding campaign, launched earlier this month, hopes to raise €30,000 towards the project by mid-April.

Their first goal of €16,500 will cover security costs such as windows, doors and cameras to protect the historic building – and its original features – from looters and thieves.

A further €11,000 raised will cover the installation of essential facilities including electricity and a visitor bathroom.

The total funding goal’s final €2,500 will address the site’s desperate need for a clean-up to make the area safer for local wildlife and allow local flora to regenerate, with the team disposing of any waste responsibly.

Once these initial costs have been covered via crowdfunding, the next stage of the project can begin.

They then want to renovate it into a non-profit community centre. This community space will make the project more financially sustainable in the long-term, with hosting facilities, space for informal workshops, room for nature walks and once again, a functioning oven.

“This is, of course, just the start,” says ‘Friends of the Earth Malta’ director Martin Galea De Giovanni, who stumbled upon the bakery while camping around 30 years ago and has long held the dream to restore it to its former glory for the public’s enjoyment.

“The building has quite the footprint, so it will take a few years to find its final form: a completely self-sustaining environmental utopia, with solar panels, rainwater collection facilities, a veggie garden, rooms for overnight stays – the whole works”.

“Comino is begging for a hub of sustainability such as this that complements its natural beauty and cultural heritage, which educates the public about why it’s worthy of protection”, he continued.

Since the project is for the community by the community, crowdfunding was an obvious choice, he highlights.

“We believe that crowdfunding for the renovation project will honour the story of the building and offer the opportunity for the community to become involved in its new life from the very beginning”

Those who wish to donate and find out more about this unique and interesting project, can do so here.