Lautoka School Reduces Carbon Footprint with Biogas Project
Central College in Lautoka is paving the way forward in reducing its carbon footprint.
Thanks to the FIJI Water Foundation pilot project, it secured funding to start up a biogas fuel project from the food waste out of its Home Economics department. School principal Amant Lal said the new biogas project would help the school with cost cutting.
“This year we have received a grant of $10,000, one of the projects under this was the biogas and the other was for the science department where FIJI Water Foundation is also providing materials for $5000 for the science lab,” he said.
He said the Central College submitted 10 applications and two of the funding applications were successful.
“We thought of this home biogas project because it was unique in the South Pacific and it was done by Pacific Grow and the Vice Principal researched this initiative and after that the payment was done and then it was installed,” he said.
“It is also helping our home economics lab with the biogas and at the same time the waste or the manure is being given to the agriculture department and the total cost was $5000 which was paid to the company Pacific Grow.”
Lautoka City Council health director Gyneshwar Rao said: “This project promotes the 3Rs which means to reduce waste and to add on, this biogas project also contributes significantly to reducing waste so it is a win-win situation for all,” he said.
“I hope this initiative does not stop here. You can share with other schools and institutions because everybody is talking about climate change and we are experiencing its impacts. So this initiative in a way will reduce climate change.” Pacific Grow Chief Executive Officer Guy Jakobi said: “The renewable energy produced from the cooking gas in the form of biogas from the digester is one way we can reduce greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.”