Did you know that Comino has a bakery?

It does, but it’s been abandoned and neglected for decades. Friends of the Earth activists are crowdsourcing funds to restore it to its former glory and create a sustainable, not-for-profit, community retreat and hub.

In other words, a self-sustaining “environmental utopia” with solar panels, rainwater collection facilities, a veggie garden, and rooms for overnight stays.

Martin Galea De Giovanni, the brainchild of the project, stumbled across the place in the 90s, on a camping trip with friends. He dreamt of turning it into a centre for the island, creating room for eco-tourism that compliments the natural beauty… complete with a functioning oven, of course.

“Sadly, the building, which was once a centre for the local farming community to gather over food, has fallen into disrepair. It hasn’t been used as a bakery for several decades which means that it has succumbed to the elements, and looters and is almost in ruins. If something is not done immediately the beautiful building is unfortunately at risk of being totally lost,” the crowdfunding page read.

The trio behind it, which includes two other activists Maria Eileen Fsadni and Michelangelo Galea want to start with the basics, security, essential facilities, and responsibly clearing the site.

“These three things will help us make the project more financially sustainable in the long term by turning it into a non-profit community centre, with basic hosting facilities, space for informal workshops, and room for nature walks.”

Their first goal is 16,500 euros which will help them obtain security, to prevent looting by installing windows and cameras.

The second milestone is to raise another €11,000 to install essential facilities.

“To effectively host people here, we need a basic bathroom. This will ensure that visitors can enjoy their stay comfortably, without disturbing its natural surroundings. Of course, we’ll source most of the fittings and fixtures second hand to respect the cultural nuance of the building… but it will cost a pretty penny to haul everything up to Comino.”

Finally, if they hit €27,000, they would like to raise €2,500 more to responsibly clear the site from rubbish tossed from Blue Lagoon, including the infamous pineapples.

“Believe it or not, although it’s a 20-minute walk away from the infamous Blue Lagoon, we found pineapples and straws here… the site is in desperate need of a proper clearing up and we’d like to do it correctly by carting over any waste to the mainland and disposing of it responsibly. This will make the area safer for the local wildlife and allow the local flora to regenerate.”

“This is of course just the start. Martin’s dream is a long-term project, the building has quite a 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.”